| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_a  |
I got busted yesterday. First time in over two years I get a moving violation. I was leaving the mall here (doing wheelies all through it. It's hard to beat the temptation...it wheelies effortlessly from a dead stop in a very short distance). So I ended up getting on it hard through an intersection as I left, being leaned over as far I know how, with the rear wheel "gently" spinning the entire way through. The place is full of cops, and my bar end mirror had fallen off the day before...so I keep checking behind me. Anyway, I wheelie through a few lights, and end up getting caught in traffic and weave my way through. I get around an old guy driving dangerously slow, and I hear a siren. I look back and see a bumper and lights up my @ss. I pulled over and get the "what's the hurry?" I say, "there is no hurry." The cop says he could get me for over $500 in violations, like aggressive driving and unsafe driving. I bit my tongue. He says he'll be easy on my and gives me a speeding ticket for going 15mph over, though I wasn't speeding! Ah, if I could be sure none of it was on video I'd fight it. Anyway, he said I was accelerating too fast off lights and was weaving dangerously in and out of traffic which is a total crock. I gave people plenty of space, and if I can get way in front of traffic off a stoplight I don't see that as a crime. Just thought I'd complain. Maybe I did get off a little easy but I'm still pissed. | ||
| M1combat  |
"Anyway, I wheelie through a few lights, and end up getting caught in traffic and weave my way through. " "Anyway, he said I was accelerating too fast off lights and was weaving dangerously in and out of traffic which is a total crock. " No comment. Other than that one...  . | ||
| Dsergison  |
dead to rights. | ||
| Ted  |
next time be sure to do that in a school zone. | ||
| Bomber  |
busted rightously, sez I take and smile -- coulda been jail time | ||
| Dasbuell  |
Tire spinning... He must have that new radar... had the rear wheel had traction... you would have been doing 15 mph over! AND WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY... HE COULD CALCULATE IT! Ever heard the song... "I fought the law, and the law won!"? As much as it sucks... 15 over is gonna have to cost less and be less points (if any) than a series of "careless driving"... type violations. All the safe things you were doing... got canceled out by the front tire being in the air and the rear tire spinning. Kinda hard to say someone was driving dangerously slow... if you passed them on the rear wheel or with the rear wheel spinning. Consider this a lesson... NEVER WHEELIE AND BURN OUT IN FRONT OF A DONUT SHOP! I know these things... in a past life I drove one of those funny looking cars with all the red or blue lights. It sucks... but in a way... he was doing you a favor. Kinda a in the fire or in the frying pan kinda thing. Neither is pleasant. Do as I do... LOOK AROUND REALLY WELL BEFORE DOING SOMETHING STUPID LIKE A WHEELIE... OR 115 MPH. Not that this is a confession on my part or anything that really happened... must have been a vivid dream! OK... picture this in a courtroom... a judge dealing with a guilty plea on a speeding ticket... or a judge watching a Buell with one wheel in the air... and at some point with the rear wheel spinning... and some guy saying... "Your Honor... I was merely passing a person who was driving dangerously slow!" I know a bunch of judges... all would suppress the urge to laugh... most I know would explain he would be more than happy to dismiss the speeding charge... and give you a bench trial on the other six violations he just saw on the video tape. Cut your loss... pay the nice 15mph over ticket. JUST MY THOUGHTS! | ||
| Aldaytona  |
We ALL play, sometimes WE gotta pay! SUCKS but true.  | ||
| Dago  |
One Speeding Ticket + $55 + One Lawyer = One Clean Record | ||
| Jeremyh  |
Speeding or not it sounds like you were asking to be caught doing something sooner or later. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Dude, considering he gave you a simple speeding ticket when he could have arrested you and hauled you off to jail for reckless. I would just pay it and count my blessings. The wheel in air would be reckless which is a felony in Florida. | ||
| Djkaplan  |
Wow, that cop really cut you a break. I had a cop give me ticket for 29mph over the speed limit once, and believe me, it was a huge break. I could have gone to jail, I went home instead. | ||
| Johnk3 |
cop must be in the holiday in the spirit because he was surely giving you a break... I got busted a few weeks ago too for wheelies, speeding, exhaust and no license for a motorcycle. Cop gave me two tix and a warning, I could easily have been fined 1000 and lost my license for 90 days but in the end it cost me $84. | ||
| Rick_a |
Well, to elaborate he only saw me come around that one corner (must've been parked somewhere near) and may or may not have been keen to the 'slight' wheelspin. It took him 3 more lights before he caught up through traffic and snook up on me...pulling me over for "aggressive overtaking." The volume of traffic at his side of the light was horrendous, thankfully. I'm sure if he'd seen the wheelies he'd a been a bit more upset. I know he couldn't of been a rider. Bike cops are much cooler about that stuff. I personally don't see the problem with weaving through traffic as long as it's done safely...especially when people are driving 10 under the speed limit. That's part of the frikkin' reason for riding a bike. I've been pulled over a few times for what they call "over acceleration." Hell, if my tires ain't burnin' and my wheel isn't lofted in the air I don't see anything wrong with it...especially when I don't even exceed the speed limit when I do so. Additionally, if the speed limit is 45 mph on a said road than I should be legally able to go through that intersection at that said speed. Makes perfect sense to me.  | ||
| Outrider  |
The wheel in air would be reckless which is a felony in Florida. Wow, wasn't aware of that. Are wheelies, etc. (read: stunting) the equivalent of reckless driving and charged as felonies in other States? If yes, it sounds like the Law is seriously cracking down on the street version of Extreme Sports. Well, at least where it endangers the public. Perhaps the video street stunters have had a negative effect on all of us. Just guessing, but would like to know. | ||
| Slaughter  |
I admire the skills needed to do stunting but we're getting SLAMMED here in the So CA area because of all the outlaw stunting and street racing. They're increasing the double fine zones and now on Angeles Crest Highway because of the rapidly growing number of fatalaties and injuries, they have a double fine zone. Not uncommon to have single ticket written for well over $1000 for say crossing the double yellow, unsafe passing, not using signal - not to mention the equipment violations you can be written for. Didn't used to be like this. ' Went to the motorcycle show in Long Beach and what sickens me is the huge crowds forming around the urban stunting videos. It's going to get worse the way we're going. We're bringing it on ourselves out here. (yeah, I'm grumpy today) | ||
| Wardog3187 |
http://www.bakerbroz.com/videos/InsideEdition.wmv | ||
| Vegasbueller  |
Not sure how they work in Florida, but when I was a cop, the traffic judge would usually cut people a break if they just said "yeah, I was a dumb azz, I shouldn't have done that". He usually let them go with about half the fine and no points. It really depends how you act when you get there. If you go in with your azz on your shoulders, then be ready for what you get. You should have been there the day he sentenced the 16 year old to the death penalty for speeding! This kid almost peed himself! Then with a laugh the judge cut him loose. That was a classic. Nick | ||
| Newfie_buell  |
All I can say is that if you play with fire you eventually will get burned!!!! | ||
| Lovematt  |
Personally I feel stunting and tricks and whatnot should be done off the road...speeding and going fast should really be learned and exercised on the track. However there are times when you are in the middle of frieking nowhere and letting off some steam will usually go unnoticed... | ||
| Bartimus  |
Grrrrrr, I can't believe a Marine would dishonor the corps and whine about something he rightly deserves. Playing in public like that is dangerous, plain and simple. While we all are guilty of it at one time or another, chalk it up as a lesson learned, and leave the burnouts and wheelies for a remote area. Riders are getting a bad enough name from the "stunt" riding crowd, please don't tarnish our image any worse than it already is... | ||
| Wardog3187 |
Not Fair! Fair is where you ride the fun rides and eat cotton candy.  | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
The killer of that Inside Edition clip... The Majority of /these/ motorcyclists have no respect for the law and want you out of their way... What the average viewer heard didn't include the word these | ||
| Awprior  |
Bart, Wheelies in a tunnel in Zion would have probably been pretty hefty as well... Thank God no one could prove that... I've done dumb things, and haven't been caught. Those of us who do them, even if not very often, are subject to the wrath of the riders that ride wheelies for miles down the road. Not quite fair, but a law is a law. Take it to court, if you'd like, and best of luck. | ||
| Littlebuggles  |
Utah police generally consider wheelies an "exhibition of speed". Working through traffic - cutting and weaving, depending on speed, traffic and other conditions might be legitimately be considered reckless driving (depending on actual and potential hazards existing at the time). *personal opinion - I think motorcyclists should be able to do this as long as it's not dangerous, benefit of riding our economical and versatile vehicles  . We have to signal for three (3) seconds before initiating a lane change, the law also requires a driver to slow (to a reasonable speed) when approaching an intersection. If the old man was found to have filled his "depends" you might be charged with reckless endangerment (due to his perceived risk of serious bodily injury -class A misdemeanor) here in the beehive state  . Lots of options, AND if you commit three or more [moving] violations during a continuous period of driving you can (again) be charged with reckless driving, so you could get several counts (that's a class B misdemeanor, by the way). Nothing felonious that I can find, but you could do a fair bit of time in the county lock-up - depending on your attitude. How's that answer your question Outrider? I'm glad Rick has learned from his military experience to "bite his tongue", as he said. An angry cop is not much fun   ...  | ||
| Jerseyguy  |
Do the crime, do the time..... We are all guilty. | ||
| Al_lighton  |
What kind of sissy word is fair anyway?* * The dad of a friend of mine used to say this to him often when we were growing up. I've actually started using it with my kid as well. By itself it's a little evil, it needs to be administered with a healthy dose of "I expect YOU to be honest and fair at all times". Still, anyone expecting the world to be fair to them is bound to be sorely disappointed... | ||
| Rek  |
What kind of sissy word is fair anyway?* Yeah, no kidding. Whyd'ya think they call 'em fairies, anyway? Rob | ||
| Ebear  |
Good point Al...In this light it's totally Cool when an Officer lets us off with a lesser offense,well knowing that we were probably guilty of far BIGGER crimes(only moments ago!) Here in California we are allowed to split traffic.This causes huge irritation to people whom aren't riders and sometimes they think were breaking the law just practicing this.That causes them to think by trying to squeeze us between cars or open their doors when were passing is doing justice for them....Can be scary at the least but I still practice it and appreciate the proper usage of the law.However when people abuse it it ticks me off!You'd be surprised how many bikers pass between cars at more then 30 miles an hour!(your allowed 5!)And how many drive between the double yellow line for the diamond lane(A $271 fine).Oh well....fair is fair!By the way Al..This time I'm bringing the Camera to Shell Reef so I can post pics of you trying to ride off the Edge of the World!!  | ||
| Bcordb3  |
"So I ended up getting on it hard through an intersection as I left, being leaned over as far I know how, with the rear wheel "gently" spinning the entire way through. The place is full of cops, and my bar end mirror had fallen off the day before...so I keep checking behind me. Anyway, I wheelie through a few lights, and end up getting caught in traffic and weave my way through. I get around an old guy driving dangerously slow, and I hear a siren. I look back and see a bumper and lights up my @ss." Tell all that to the judge! You just admitted you were breaking the laws. I know that Florida, like Arizona, is filled with geezers who probably shouldn't be driving, but are, and still have their licenses. Doing a power wheelie past someone like that could really cause some problems, even though you say you were safe. I like the part where you said you lost your mirror and kept looking over your shoulder best. | ||
| Ray_maines  |
When I read the opening post I thought it was a joke and some of you guys were falling for it. I'm not 100% convinced I was wrong. A couple quick comments: "I know he couldn't of been a rider. Bike cops are much cooler about that stuff." No, not always. You have to remember that, first and foremost, the man witting the ticket is a Traffic Policeman. There is a fundamental difference between him and other policemen, even if he has learned to balance on two wheels. "Playing in public like that is dangerous, plain and simple." Yeah, but mostly to the biker. I'm not sure about the logic that declares I should be punished because you were startled. You're not supposed to be asleep while you drive anyway. |
