GreenZX
Parking Attendant
Posts: 26
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posted April 12, 2004 07:54 PM
Anybody know when it happened?
...when cruiser riders ceased being considered hooligans and sportbike riders began to get that reputation?
This question occurred to me today while riding to work. I had to stop at an intersection that leads to a common speedtrap area.
Knowing this, when the light changes I creep away from the light holding my speed at about 35 mph (speed limit is 40).
I'm heading east when to my left (on the opposite side of the road) I notice a couple of motorcycle cops sitting there. Suddenly, heading west (right in front of the cops) is a fat boy (no, the bike) and a guy on a chopper.
They must be doing 50 mph!!. The cops almost totally ignore the cruisers - that just passed in right in front of them, as they both look at me as I go past.
One of the cops rides out into the street and TAKES A LEFT TO FOLLOW ME!! I'm thinking WTF!!!, bikes not stolen,
I'm doing the speed limit, I'm fully clothed....
He comes up behind me (I can see him cause I'm in a left turn) and clocks me. Apparently, he correctly ascertains that I'm not speeding, yet he still follows me for maybe a 1/4 mile before he finally turns around and heads back to the speedtrap.
What the hell, it is kind of a nice neighborhood but with my helmet, gloves, and Phoenix jacket...you can't tell I'm black (Do you know how black you were going, son?)
Guess life truly is stranger than fiction.
Drew
  
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frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
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posted April 12, 2004 08:19 PM
man, that's fucked up.
but to answer your question, the change of reputation prolly happened when cops realized that u'd be hard rpessed to speed on a cruiser in teh first place 
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deathpulse
Pro
Posts: 1688
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posted April 12, 2004 08:39 PM
I hate speeding laws. I don't have ANYTHING against the police forces - it is their job to enforce the silly laws... but from what I see, speeding laws exist only to drum up revenue for the state/town and don't do much to solve and REAL safety issues.
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Zed
Expert Class
Posts: 118
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posted April 12, 2004 11:39 PM
Have you guys west of the pond got static speed cameras to contend with, yet? They are breeding here (UK) like rabbits. The government insists they are not revenue builders. HAHAHAHAHA.
If I could travel back in time, I would surely cull the inventor of those little meanies...
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hokoyo
Parking Attendant
Posts: 27
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posted April 13, 2004 12:13 AM
I dont think that they would last long in the States, just remember that they are allowed to down fire arms and dont seem adverse to using them!!
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iculukn
Expert Class
Posts: 200
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posted April 13, 2004 01:19 AM
South Korea, the darn things are all over the place! But they never move and you know where this is going. It's funny to watch too, everyone moving along at a nice pace and all of a sudden, BRAKE! Of course, camera's 
-lukn
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A "99.99% open mind", is still closed!
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Michael Lee
Zone Head
Purchase Ivy
Posts: 729
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posted April 13, 2004 03:20 AM
I noticed when I had a Harley (fatboy) a while back. I would be going quite a bit over the speedlimit and would not be pulled. And we all know what happens on a rocket. The only cops who would ever give me a break on a sportbike were the ones that use to own one.
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21894
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posted April 13, 2004 06:12 AM
actually this all pans into a theory I had about teenagers.... it used to be that the scruffy ones with the ac/dc t-shirts and the rusty old camaros were the ones to look out for.... now it's the well dressed kid in the shiney new car...
how bizarre!
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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andy
Expert Class
Posts: 220
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posted April 13, 2004 07:20 AM
Some cops just hate sportbikes. Maybe he's been outrun by a few.
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Zed
Expert Class
Posts: 118
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posted April 13, 2004 08:03 AM
Hey Iculukn, you must be coming up to the 25% stage now. Hope the time is flying for you...
What way do the cameras face in Korea? Here in UK they take a shot of the rear as you go past. Boo. When I was serving in Germany, the cameras would shoot you as you approached. I saluted many of them on my ZZR! A much more bike-friendly setup...
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frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
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posted April 13, 2004 08:16 AM
we had cameras here for a few years till they were recalled when a new party came into power partially riding on people's hate of the cameras. they moved around all the time but they were normally quite easy to spot. they didnt start snapping pics till 10 or 20 over too, so they werent being over zealous. they used to take pics from the front, but apparently they had some big lawsuit regarding privacy issues, cause some guy was in his car with "another woman", and when the ticket (complete with picture) was mailed to his house and his wife opened it, well.. guess he got in trouble! love the fact that he had teh balls to try to blame his cheating on the govt 
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johnnyboy
Expert Class
Posts: 315
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posted April 13, 2004 10:10 AM
Yeah, we catch alot of stuff here too on sportbikes, I got a ticket soem years back for my lisence plate not being visable. We were on a group ride, heaed to Gates Road. It's a known drag race spot. We stopped at the BP station for gas and food, I was eating breakfast along with two other guys. We got left by the others as they went to get a few runs in. We headed out after finishing our meal and looked for the group. We pasted two cruisers, cops standing outside as we passed. We waved to them and continued on, we ran into an R1 and asked him if he had sen our group and he had not. We headed back to the BP station to re-group and passed the two cops still sand outside their vehicles. We continued on and after a while, I notice lights coming up behind. I signalled to the guys in front of me as I was pulling up the rear, we slowly increased our speed. As the cruisers got closer I signalled them again and pulled to the right of the road instead of running. The female pulled behind me and the male pulled the other two guys. She approaches the bike and says to me, Mr. Payne, the reason I pulled you over is because I couldn't read your plate. This struck me as being suspicious... So, she starts to write the ticket, anyway the other guys were pulled over for the same thing, they were warned and let go. I was given a ticket for something that she made up, if you couldn't read my plate and she and the other officer were standing outside their vehicles how could see read my plate to call it in while she was sitting behind the wheel for the car she was driving? I went to court and told the judge what took place and he jumped in her arse, but of course she lied and said that isn't waht happened. Next time, I won't stop. I did stop and didn't do anything wrong this last time, the next time they get the tour of the town.
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted April 13, 2004 10:32 AM
 Edited By: worm~hole on 13 Apr 2004 11:34
...so johnnyboy...where was your license plate mounted?...1) where it belonged under the taillight?....or 2) under the subframe next to the shock?...or 3) under the taillight but bent upwards?...what I'll glean on what law enforcement does depends on what your answer to my question will be...its not secret squirrel stuff, just by the book stuff...of course what tranpsired in court had alot to do with your case being thrown out no matter how legit the cop thought she was in citing you...lots get thrown out because of bad articulation or testimony by the cop who has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has occurred even when its obvious that a crime (and in your case, what she believed was an equipment or license plate violation) has indeed occurred....most, if not all State vehicle code states in part that vehicle registration (ie. license plate(s)) shall be visible and unobstructed (ie. no mud covering it, no clear protective covers, no ball hitches, no severe bending, no mutilation, no faded digits, etc....you get the idea...it has to be visible to a reasonable person and not by someone trying to be creative)....its all about probable cause and reasonable suspicion, then proving one's case....so if, for instance, it was in its correct position but bent up to make it difficult to read or faded, its enough probable cause to stop and investigate...and sometimes we find stolen bikes that way...or a wanted felon 
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who would do us harm.”
-George Orwell
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GreenZX
Parking Attendant
Posts: 26
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posted April 13, 2004 10:33 AM
Theres a stationary camera at that intersection where I had just stopped.
Thats the only camera I have seen around here so far.
In Colorado, they had the photo radar vans. Denver county police just moved them from one inconspicuous locale to another to make sure they made their ticket quota...err, I mean make sure they keep the public safe.
Denver PD:
To protect, serve and take away disposable income that might otherwise be used to fund illegal activity.
Drew
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iculukn
Expert Class
Posts: 200
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posted April 13, 2004 01:18 PM
Zed - here they get you coming, frontal photo. Ewwww, that sounds funny
25%, Ha! This is my 8th month and unless something strange happens, I'm out of here August 10, (3rd tour here and my last)! I should be riding August 11th
-lukn
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A "99.99% open mind", is still closed!
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trikchop
Expert Class
Posts: 247
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posted April 13, 2004 02:04 PM
the day they start doing radar like that here in florida, is the day i quit displaying a tag for the filthy cocksuckers
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jimp
Expert Class
Posts: 291
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posted April 13, 2004 02:56 PM
Bunch fuking outlaw's.
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hokoyo
Parking Attendant
Posts: 27
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posted April 13, 2004 03:52 PM
Where i am in Oz they take you from the front (that doesnt sound right!) Anyway not from the rear (wouldn't you hate that)! Bikes get away with it but they are now trying to bring in front number plates to increase their revenue base err i mean to make the roads a safer place!
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bigju
Expert Class
Posts: 238
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posted April 13, 2004 04:31 PM
Green ZX worm hole is right, the first thing most good cops look for is a legal reason to to stop your bike. Me, I just stopped bikes looking for stolen bikes. I didn't give a shit how fast you were going. My only thing is Public safety, and stolen bikes. If you were not hurting or placing anyone in danger, you sould ride with your dick in the tank.
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Zed
Expert Class
Posts: 118
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posted April 13, 2004 04:48 PM
quote:
...so johnnyboy...where was your license plate mounted?...1) where it belonged under the taillight?....or 2) under the subframe next to the shock?...or 3) under the taillight but bent upwards?...what I'll glean on what law enforcement does depends on what your answer to my question will be...its not secret squirrel stuff, just by the book stuff...of course what tranpsired in court had alot to do with your case being thrown out no matter how legit the cop thought she was in citing you...lots get thrown out because of bad articulation or testimony by the cop who has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has occurred even when its obvious that a crime (and in your case, what she believed was an equipment or license plate violation) has indeed occurred....most, if not all State vehicle code states in part that vehicle registration (ie. license plate(s)) shall be visible and unobstructed (ie. no mud covering it, no clear protective covers, no ball hitches, no severe bending, no mutilation, no faded digits, etc....you get the idea...it has to be visible to a reasonable person and not by someone trying to be creative)....its all about probable cause and reasonable suspicion, then proving one's case....so if, for instance, it was in its correct position but bent up to make it difficult to read or faded, its enough probable cause to stop and investigate...and sometimes we find stolen bikes that way...or a wanted felon
Scarey...
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