Cops....

I've been driving and riding in CT for 14+ years....
Not a wild rider, I follow most of the rules...
Got stopped 3 times in my red Acura RL...
Got stopped twice in my silver Jeep Grand Cherokee...
Got stopped ZERO times on my bikes (hope I'm not jinxing myself with this)

I don't speed in my cars, and none of those stops were speeding tickets.

I do speed on my bikes...not obscenely, but around 15+mph above the limit, clearly faster than traffic.

I've heard that cops are tougher on bikes, but my experience has been the opposite. They appear to give slightly greater latitude for guys on 2 wheels...

What has your experience been? How about the LEOs in the group?

Just curious....raining all day today, couldn't ride, so I'm posting instead....

:sneakiness:

 

I guess that saying "no good deed shall go unpunished" holds true in So. Cal ehh Jason. Bummer.
John

 

I've been pulled over twice in a car, only one resulted in a ticked. I've been pulled over once on my bike and no ticket. I guess the cops in NorCal are more lenient as I am usually riding like a total :asshat:

 

Been pulled over twice on the bike. 1st let me go, 2nd stole $227 from me.

 

Cops. Pffft!

 

Oh the stories my RD could tell......

 

Never pulled over in 15 years on the bike.

Caught a few breaks early in my driving career, most from those CHP dudes.

 

It doesn't matter. I pull you over whether in a car or bike. If your respectful you don't get a ticket if your a dick then you do.

 

I SAID COPS....PFFFT!.

I have been checked twice now while down in California by CHPS. First time was returning home from R3 2009. After a roadside chit chat, I went on my way with nothing more than a handshake. Second time was just this past trip to R3.I was not so lucky this time. This time it cost me $237. I had the feeling he was really not to fond of our type of bikes, or any bikes for that matter. But that was just a feeling I got.

Was pulled over by a Washington State trooper. Another roadside counselling and I was on my way. I lucked out with this officer. That one would have been expensive.

Now I will put on my other hat.

Deciding if I give you a ticket has many criteria. I usually have my mind made up by time I have left my cruiser. I absolutely would not change my mind from a warning to a ticket due to the driver's attitude. That just was not me. I do know it is done all the time, and so long as the elements of the offense are there, go for it. But many times I went from the intent on giving a ticket, to a warning due to circumstances, sometimes being good attitudes. I had never focused extra attention on bikes, with the exception, when I worked seat-belt ramp checks for vehicles coming off the freeway in the spring time. If you were on a bike you were waved over and your licence was checked to ensure you had a motorcycle licence. Here, back then, so many people would renew their learners licence every spring and never take the next step to get their full licence. Back then, you could not ride on the freeways with a learners. I had no sympathy for people who were just to fucking lazy to do the road test and get their licence proper. Don't like that? Tough shit. Riding on the freeway contrary to restrictions is actually riding without a "valid" drivers licence. Here, and in most places, you get involved in an accident without a valid driver's licence, and your insurance is void. So who pays for my damage? I had no sympathies here. That was one of my pet peeves along with seat belts and handicapped zone violations.

I have never knowingly wrote a firefighter, paramedic or any member of our Armed Forces. Especially the Armed ForcesI seldom wrote other cops. If the offense was way out there, I was prepared to. The only time I wrote another cop was when he failed to yield after a stop at a stop sign and was involved in a collision. That one was tough because he was also a friend. But the guy he hit was yet another friend of mine. Working smaller towns is sometimes a bitch.

Charging people with offenses be they rather minor traffic matters, or the more serious criminal offenses is always a difficult thing to do if you were a conscientious cop. What you do may have a profound effect on the person you are dealing with.

For every action there is a re-action. Same holds true in dealing with the police at roadside. SOme good, some not so, and some bad. Sorry. I got a little off track here. Get over it.

 

Every time I've been pulled over car or bike, I did something to something to deserve it. Since getting back on a bike in 07 I've never been arbitrarily pulled over.

To the OP as far as cops pulling over cars more frequently. I think cars offer a better opportunity for revenue collection than bikes. A moving violation can be compounded by no seat belt, distracted driving (cell phone), etc.

 

The one time I got pulled over by the cops for "speeding"on my bike was a joke. I too partake in some liberties of speed when I ride but this one wasn't one of those times. I was riding in the left hand lane on the highway going into Htown. Traffic was lite and I was probably about 8 over. A family van was coming up fast from behind me so I moved right for him to pass. He passed and I went back to the left lane. Not even a 1/4 mile up the highway was a Houston City cop in one of their new undercover Camaros running radar, I saw him and backed off the revs. The van was still improving its distance from me. I saw the cop jump in his car and I was like, "sucks to be that van driver." The Camaro pulled into the lane behind me so I moved over. The cop moved over with me. Nooooo effing way hes pulling me over!!!! When we stopped I said theres no way I was speeding. He asked how fast did I think I was going. I told him 65 (speed limit is 60) and Ill give you 70 but no more. Then I asked how fast was the van going that was in front of me. He said "I didnt see a van I saw you". I soon found out how fast the van was going. 83 mph because thats what I got written for. Of course I complained but I still got the ticket. Afterwards I got a lawyer, fought the ticket and it was dismissed.

I do beleive cops notice bikes more. The cop probably saw that family van and my bike at the same time. In his mind he probably thought the bike was moving faster and dismissed the van altogether. Ride safe out there guys. The "man" is watching.


Sent from my iPad using Using my thumbs

 

I think It is called discrimination or profiling ...

 

I've only been stopped once 15 years ago on one of my bikes and that was when I matched the description of robber (it was on the news later), who was involved in a chase. He ran on a blue cruiser and I was on my blue Honda VTX...it was understandable that I was stopped. Even when I'm in my cage, I notice bikes more because I ride quite a bit. I'm also guilty of "profiling" I guess, when I see someone on a sportbike in heavy traffic and they are doing stupid stuff. I think to myself, "how many time do they do this and when will it catch up with them". Hopefully they will just get a ticket and not be injured in a wreck. I can't say I"m always within the speed limit, but it's never when I'm around any other traffic.

I mostly ride in the mid-west (Kansas) and I think "profiling" probably isn't a prevalent in this area.

 

If any cops deserve respect, it's the Washington state patrol. Over the years I've had about a dozen encounters with them, as a driver, passenger and rider. I was always treated with respect and courtesy. Other people I know say the same thing.

When I was still in high school, I was riding home from a friends house one night. It was late, dark and cold. I was only wearing a t-shirt so I wanted to get home I hurry. The road was informally called "The Snake". You couldn't see very far ahead and I passed a Stater coming the other way around a corner. I was doing 65 in a 25 and saw his brake lights in my mirror. I got on it and took the first right I could find. I didn't see the road was gravel and went down, sliding about 20 feet. I wasn't hurt and while I was picking my bike up, he pulled in behind me with the lights going.

His interior lights were on and he's was on his radio and writing something down. I had a plan. I hit the kill switch and decided to do the best acting job I could. I would use the fact I was shivering to look like I was freaked the fuck out (which I actually was).

"You know you were going a little fast, right?" "MY THROTTLE STUCK!" I said. (I didn't realize until later how lame that was) "Son, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that I'd be a rich man". "Go ahead and start your bike." A few kicks and nothing. "Turn the kill switch on". Oh shit. One kick and the RD fired right up. "It must have broke free in the crash", I said. He smirked and took my license and said, "I just have to check to see if you're an ax murderer or something". I think he took pity on me.

Well, he ended up giving me a lecture and a warning and let me go. I don't think my heart stopped pounding until I got home. Unfortunately I was none the wiser because it wouldn't be the last time I was stopped. But I did learn cops are regular guys and pretty decent most of the time. It’s best to remember that respect is a two way street.

I don’t know if cops target bikes more than cars but they go after the sound of expansion chambers like a cats after a laser pointer.

 

I haven't been pulled over on the bike in so long I can't remember but I have been hauled off in the family van (swager wagon). Twice for complete chicken shit stuff like 10 kmph over. What's that like 2 miles per hour? Just kidding, it was really nothing but in spite of my good looks and sense of humor the wrote me up. I even had the wife and kids on board as we had just gone out for ice cream. WTF? It was an ice cream run for gods sake. What did I learn from that experience? Sometimes shit happens and it was my turn....

 

Earned my first two tickets this year. One in my truck (in WA) and one in my family van (in 'berta). Deserved 'em both, paid 'em both. I've deserved plenty more over the last 17 years I've been driving/riding. I've never been pulled over on the vfr. Twice on my cbr, once because my insurance wasn't showing as valid on the police computer (had renewed it that afternoon) and once for a licence check. I should point out, the time I was pulled over for the licence check was when I used to live in a city where there were a great number of sport bike riders who seemed to work very hard at earning the rest of us a poor reputation. That being said, local law enforcement used to and still do target a lot of sport bikes for traffic and reg infractions (mods etc.)

I think it really depends on where you are located and what the local climate is. I've never had a problem being pulled over anywhere I've lived or travelled.

 

My driving record in NJ was as long as your arm (wrist to elbow.) Lots of green backs were spent for me to keep my licence (read legal fees, court cost, etc.) It was a revenue generating machine, some of my tickets were in cars for being stupid, some were on motorcycles, for being stupid sometimes.

I could bore the chit oot canada: speeling ound of you'z but I will share one; I was out in the middle of a bucolic setting in North Jersey one afternoon, and I get pulled over where there was no shoulder to pull off onto. So, mr leo parks his cruiser behind my bike, on a two lane road. I sit on the bike until he comes over and tell him my paper work is in my tail bag, he was not thrilled that I had to dismount my bike and dig around in my bag. Well, he took my papers came back and gave me a 16 mph speeding ticket and then just took off. If he was a decent human being, he would have waited there for me to pull my helmet on and my gloves and get out of possible harms way, but nope. He could have cared less.

I have a safe driver endorsement down here in sunny FL, I have been cited in the past and have ran too, (not bragging-its true.) Have gotten out of a few of them too, I have something in my wallet that could get you out of harms way if the stars are aligned and the leo had his donuts and cawfee and maybe got laid. ound: and no its not a folded hundred dollar bill

 

If he were my subordinate, he would have been written up for neglect of duty over that one. He has some responsibility for your safety while he has you pulled over. He should have taken reasonable steps to protect your safety after the stop, within reason. If you dilly dally and fuck around, and he takes off, well then you are the author of your misfortune. But when you are taking a few moments to gear up to go, and we all know that takes a moment or two, then he should have stayed. Furthermore, he should have directed you to move to a safer spot in the first place. Hell, he put himself at risk there too.

 

I've been stopped for going "well over the speed limit" up on the mount mitchell access road when he asked me how fast i was going i just said faster then i should of been going. wasnt about to admit to going 75ish in a 20 or 30mph zone. I got off with a warning : )