Trip Woes And Ticket Ouch

[rogerc]

Woes of trip....

Went up to Kingston Washington to visit my mother (82 years old) who has been sick lately.

Overall the trip was great and the FJR was fabulous….. BUT…..

While heading home on HWY 199 from Grants Pass Oregon to Crescent City California got a ticket for doing 71 in a 55 ouch… BUT….. while getting the ticket on the side of the road my bike falls over and scratches the hell out of my right bag. :dribble:

Nothing else damaged due to the sliders. I thought it was a 65 mph road, wide open no traffic, clear weather and a great road. I thought I was being a good boy only doing 71. Turns out it was a 55 and he was going to ticket me regardless. Could not talk the CHP officer out of it even after my bike hit the ground. Really didn’t think I deserved this ticket with the road, weather conditions and I was very safety conscious.

Got pulled over on the way up doing 86 down hill (didn’t even realize it) and just got a verbal warning. Very nice officer and I would not have complained a bit if he cited me.

Problem with the FJR…

This bike is too damn smooth and too fast…. I am constantly having to hit my brakes whenever I am on any nice road just to keep her under 70 and sometimes 80. She feels like she’s going 50. Seriously this is a real problem for me and I can’t afford another ticket. I have caught myself doing 90 thinking I was at 55!!

Thinking about getting an Escort 8500 Radar detector to help me avoid future tickets.

Believe me I am not a hooligan I am 52 with a head full of gray hair and always wear full gear. I treat the officers with the highest respect since I work with the police on a daily basis as part of my job as school district safety officer and I know the crap they take. I ride with extreme caution and do not race, I will open her up when I am out in the middle of nowhere and have some fun within reason. This bike is going to get me another ticket due to the smoothness and the throttle response.

Do any of you think a Radar Detector will help and how much are they using Laser in the San Francisco Bay area? I know a detector will usually not help with Laser.

Also, everyone watch your rear tire they wear fast. I checked both tires before starting on my trip and felt very comfortable that they could handle 2000 miles easily. Well half home the rear tire was starting to split and show cords. Had to replace it 300 miles from home. Inspect… inspect …. Inspect…..

Feel better now after venting….

RC

 

[Vulcan]

Sounds like you should pull your #1 plug wire!!!!

 

[MCRIDER007]

Thinking about getting an Escort 8500 Radar detector to help me avoid future tickets.
Do any of you think a Radar Detector will help and how much are they using Laser in the San Francisco Bay area?  I know a detector will usually not help with Laser.

If you buy a radar detector be aware that any LEO who is serious about writing speeding tickets is going to keep his radar at a very low power level until his "target" is within range. When that happens the only thing your radar detector is going to do is give you an announcement that you just caught speeding. Radar detectors are good at catching deflected signals, including lasers, but that means that someone has to be in front of you and acting as a blocker.

Once I followed a State Trooper on a 2 lane road with a posted limit of 65 mph and he only turned his radar on about every 4th vehicle so he was making some kind of subjective judgement of the speed of the approaching vehicles and not bothering to check the ones that he felt were not speeding. A lot of LEOs do not like radar detectors and if they pull you over and see that you have one it might mean that you get a ticket instead of a warning.

 

[Woodstock]

When a LEO uses radar from a moving vehicle, I assume the reading is the closing speed of the vehicles so that he has to subtract his speed? Do the radar guns do this automatically (tied into car speedo, or GPS?)

 

[Saddletramp]

Nobody likes getting tickets but usually when we do, we were usually due one. There's a possible explaination for getting the ticket instead of a warning. When I was an officer our dept was in a computer system tied in with the entire country. Many times when we gave a verbal warning we would advise dispatch that a verbal was given for speed, this info was entered into the system. Later if another officer stops a violater & checks the file a notation would pop up that a verbal warning for speed had been given on such & such day & time. Many times if I was deciding between a ticket or a warning this would sway my decision. This is what may have occured with he second officer.

I have had the same thoughts as you regarding my FZ1 & FJR. It's so damned hard to keep them "near" the speed limit I wonder of the potiential tickets are worth the risk. In my present occupation I have to drive 50,000+ miles a year so a clean record is very importatnt to me.

That being said, the power potential of there bikes is a real thrill!

 

[deanw]

While heading home on HWY 199 from Grants Pass Oregon to Crescent City California  got a ticket for doing 71 in a 55 ouch…

With the crowds of zealous bikers headed home from Laguna Seca, the CHP may have felt like making a point...

In any case, on our way home last week, one of my friends got tagged on 101 just south of Crescent City. Written up for 80 in a 65, he wasn't going to argue- he was going more like 90-95.

That's why I like twisties more than sweepers- in the twisties, you don't have to be going supra-legal speeds to have fun.

 

[Geezer]

1) There are a couple of active threads about radar detectors. Many of us believe that they are useful, some think they are a bad idea. Your choice. Take a look at the stuff that has been posted and you'll find recommendatuions abou specific detectors and mounts.

2) In my experience, you can pleed not-guilty to the ticket and get invited to court. There, depending on local custom and the judge you may be able to get the charge reduced to something which will not show up on your driving record as a moving violation. That may not save you any money on the ticket but it will keep your record clean. This probably varies by state and locale. Anyone from the Washington area with experience?

 

[Saddletramp]

Woodstock To answer your question regarding moving radar.

When the radar is placed in moving mode it displays the patrol car's speed & any oncomming vehicle's speed. The radar internally subtracts the patrol cars speed from the speed of the target vehicle. In Washington state, the officer must also use the radar volume & his own vision to varify the speed. A readout without the other criteria is not a good reading.

If the officer leaves the radar on with the antenna off then all he has to do is flip the antenna on & he has a reading on your speed in less than a second. That's the reason that he can often times get your speed before your detector warnes you. A detector is no quarantee that you won't get a ticket...it's just a reminder that there is a radar unit in your area. Many officers will automatically issue a ticket if they see a detector. To them it indicates that you are a habitual speeder.

When stopped be courteous but don't admit to the speeding. Let the officer do the talking and keep your mouth shut. Most offenders blab way too much & end up admitting guilt. Just take your ticket, then visit the judge!

 

[Woodstock]

How does the radar figure out the patrol's speed?

(Yep, I don't always use a radar detector for exactly the reason you mention, only when I think that it might help, and I try not to run way over the limit on the slabs where there's a lot of patrol car traffic)

 

[Saddletramp]

I guess I didn't explain that part too well!

As the patrol car moves the radar beams bounce off fixed objects & from that information calculates the patrol cars speed.

If the officer leaves the radar in the "stationary" mode then it shows the patrol cars speed plus that of the oncomming traffic. You can achieve some pretty high patrol car readings by doing that!

The point is, the radar is still has the human factor & therefore is suseptable to human error.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

Saddletramp is right on. I knew there was a warnings list to be checked. Sometimes the cops know where the fast down hills are and use them for easy pickens. Yes it is so smooth it is hard to keep under fifty. It's work to keep it at fourty. Some of the speed limits are ridiculous. I mean they were set for vehicles from the fourties with slow steering, hard rubber tires, and drum brakes. There isn't any comparison. The limits ain't going to change any time soon. See if you can go to traffic school which keeps it off your record. I did in CA before. Some states you can take it on your PC. It saves time & you can multi task with a brewski. Ride Safe! TJ

 

[Vulcan]

When a LEO uses radar from a moving vehicle, I assume the reading is the closing speed of the vehicles so that he has to subtract his speed?  Do the radar guns do this automatically (tied into car speedo, or GPS?)

In moving mode opposite mode the radar set displays the patrol car speed and the target vehicle speed. The calculation is done internally. The operator of the radar unit is supposed to check the patrol car speed against the speedo as some times the patrol car speed will be way off which of course produces a very high target speed reading. The moving mode parallel the operator has to be very sure that the patrol car is travelling slower than the target vehicle (radar sets have a button to press if the patrol car is travelling faster than the target vehicle) or the target vehicle speed will also be greatly inflated. Bottom line....the radar unit is only a tool to confirm visual tracking history and an estimate of speed. If the set displays a reading at odds with the estimated speed then no ticket should ever be written.

 

[slapnpop]

Thinking about getting an Escort 8500 Radar detector to help me avoid future tickets.

Spend the money on an audiovox cruise control instead. It seems you have more of a problem paying attention to your speed, not speeding on purpose. The radar detector won't do anything to stop you from speeding, only let you know you are in danger of getting a ticket.

Some of the speed limits are ridiculous. I mean they were set for vehicles from the fourties with slow steering, hard rubber tires, and drum brakes. There isn't any comparison. The limits ain't going to change any time soon.

:bigeyes: The idiots in cages are bad enough! I don't want them out there in their large vehicles at high velocities! I never though I'd say I was happy with speed limits, but on the highway I can get away with 75-80 almost any day of the week, which is plenty fast enough for me.

 

[Bananas!]

Hi Rogerc,

I have a Cobra 38 WXT portable CB radio mounted on my left handlebar. Of course I have the helmet speakers and the mike to match. When I ride, (especially if I'm in a hurry) I monitor channel 19. For the most part I'll listen to the truckers chatter. If there is a cop anywhere around, they'll be talking about it. Out in those areas where the traffic is a little more sparce, I'll lay low until I can inquire with the occasional truck going the other way. Works for me!

Bananas!

 

[FJRZON]

…speaking of speeding...saw this from a poster on STN and I don’t like “#11”. This bill is for the state of Minnesota. I believe Wisconsin also has a strict policy similar to this. What’s a guy to do? Are we to run from the law now? WTF? The Feejer requires its wings to be stretched at every outing.

2005 Special Session 1 Senate Bill 105 (Transportation Omnibus Bill)

C) TRANSPORTATION POLICY,

11) requires the revocation (for at least six months) of a driver's license for exceeding the speed limit if driving over 100 miles per hour.

 

[Skippy]

Common law, which American law is based on assumes that their must be an "injured party" for there to be a crime.

Speeding fines on open clear roads where there was no danger to any other party are simply a means of gathering revenue as there is simply no injured party, and every measure you can take to avoid this "taxation without representation" is just fine in my book.

You cannot make the argument that you were preventing something that did not happen, like a possible traffic accident when reffering to speeders, it is illogical, although logic is very rarely displayed in the courts when there is a chance of getting some money from you.

Ask for a trial by jury if it available in that juristiction and argue as to the validity of the means of detection and the officers ability to acurately ascertain the readin using the equipment in his vehicle.

Speed in a school area when kids are present, shame on you, weave in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed, shame on you.

If you are considering a detector, the Valentine 1 is really hard to beat, I have both the Passport 8500 X50 and the Valentine, the Valentine stays on the bike, the X50 in the Mercedes.

Skippy

11-1 on speeding tickets, only 1 of which was in a built up area and was probably acceptable.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

The Law change mentioned above, an Oregon rider said they have a similar BUT worse one they are working on. Towing, or taking the vehicle away.

Yeah Cruise Control probably the best answer.

 

[deanw]

Some of the speed limits are ridiculous. I mean they were set for vehicles from the fourties with slow steering, hard rubber tires, and drum brakes. There isn't any comparison. The limits ain't going to change any time soon.

Yabbut- with much better suspension, tire, and brake technology, fookin' stupid drivers are still getting into accidents at those same speed limits.

Like a lot of things, attacking the problem with education (driver training) instead of enforcement would be a good place to start, followed up with enforcement. Oh, hell- I'm trying to apply logic to politics and government, aren't I?

 

[Bounce]

BUT….. While heading home on HWY 199 from Grants Pass Oregon to Crescent City California  got a ticket for doing 71 in a 55 ouch… BUT….. while getting the ticket on the side of the road my bike falls over and scratches the hell out of my right bag.  :dribble:

That's posted 55 through there?

Holy CRAP! :****:

I guess I'm even happier I passed the patrol car when I was running it s to n. Made me do naughty things and run for the border. But it was on a bad boy Gold Wing (which had factory cruise control) and not this angelic FJR. :angel:

Oops... sorry... wrong road... that was 395 making a run for the border. :blush2:

Glad to hear you're okay.