jgrover
Well-known member
So last weekend we did a nice little 250 mile loop over the 3 pass blast route in Washington (Stevens, Blewitt, Snoqualmie). There were 4 of us, a Buell XB9, a Kaw Versys, a Kaw ZX-14, and my FJR. The ZX owner and I decided to swap bikes for a while headed over Blewitt pass... He'd never been on a sport tourer and I'd never ridden an uber-sport bike... (mistake #1)
We had been stuck behind some traffic doing EXACTLY 60 and it was driving me nuts... it's not often I have 160+ hp motorcycle at my beck and call... and I can do 60 all day on my 40hp KLR. There's a lonng stretch just before the pass where it opens up to 2 lanes each direction and it's almost PERFECTLY straight, so I decide to crack it open and see what the fuss is about (mistake #2)
As I ran through the gears, I was stunned on just how fast this thing is... I mean, the FJR is no slouch... but OMFG this thing is fast. So while I am grinning from ear to ear, heart racing, and well into triple digits, I fail to notice the Jeep Cherokee coming the other way flashing his high beams (mistake #3).
However, a few seconds later, I do notice the tiny white speck up ahead... and had a brief moment of clarity... OH SHIT! :blink:
I VERY quickly checked my mirrors (no one going to eat my arse) grabbed a fistful of binders, and started down shifting and engine breaking... hoping like hell I was going to get it down to a decent speed before I got in radar range...
and I thought my heart was pumping before...
As he got closer, he slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder to obviously give himself room to flip a u-turn. I knew I had fukked up and just as I passed him he hit the lights and flipped around behind me. I promptly stopped, turned off the bike, and waited... I was wondering what my wife was going to say about having to come out to the other side of the state to pick me up from jail... :blink:
He approached and asked for my license and registration... he commended me on my reaction times and thanked me for pulling over so cooperatively. He then said, he had clocked me at 78 first, and 74 second time. I swear, I have NEVER been happier to hear "I clocked you at 78 mph"... It must have showed on my face because he asked how I had been going... Of course I had really had no idea on how fast I had been going and was PRAYING he didn't notice the Zumo on the bike.
In the end, I got a $175 ticket and quite a long talkin to by the officer about the dangers of speed and motorcycles. Considering how fast I was going, I feel pretty lucky. It's my first ticket in 10+ years, so I filed for a deferral and will keep my nose clean for the next year.
Back to the original reason for the post - from that point on, we counted 14 cops... and the officer that pulled me over, had another customer before I had my helmet on. Needless to say... they are out in full charge these days...
We had been stuck behind some traffic doing EXACTLY 60 and it was driving me nuts... it's not often I have 160+ hp motorcycle at my beck and call... and I can do 60 all day on my 40hp KLR. There's a lonng stretch just before the pass where it opens up to 2 lanes each direction and it's almost PERFECTLY straight, so I decide to crack it open and see what the fuss is about (mistake #2)
As I ran through the gears, I was stunned on just how fast this thing is... I mean, the FJR is no slouch... but OMFG this thing is fast. So while I am grinning from ear to ear, heart racing, and well into triple digits, I fail to notice the Jeep Cherokee coming the other way flashing his high beams (mistake #3).
However, a few seconds later, I do notice the tiny white speck up ahead... and had a brief moment of clarity... OH SHIT! :blink:
I VERY quickly checked my mirrors (no one going to eat my arse) grabbed a fistful of binders, and started down shifting and engine breaking... hoping like hell I was going to get it down to a decent speed before I got in radar range...
and I thought my heart was pumping before...As he got closer, he slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder to obviously give himself room to flip a u-turn. I knew I had fukked up and just as I passed him he hit the lights and flipped around behind me. I promptly stopped, turned off the bike, and waited... I was wondering what my wife was going to say about having to come out to the other side of the state to pick me up from jail... :blink:
He approached and asked for my license and registration... he commended me on my reaction times and thanked me for pulling over so cooperatively. He then said, he had clocked me at 78 first, and 74 second time. I swear, I have NEVER been happier to hear "I clocked you at 78 mph"... It must have showed on my face because he asked how I had been going... Of course I had really had no idea on how fast I had been going and was PRAYING he didn't notice the Zumo on the bike.
In the end, I got a $175 ticket and quite a long talkin to by the officer about the dangers of speed and motorcycles. Considering how fast I was going, I feel pretty lucky. It's my first ticket in 10+ years, so I filed for a deferral and will keep my nose clean for the next year.
Back to the original reason for the post - from that point on, we counted 14 cops... and the officer that pulled me over, had another customer before I had my helmet on. Needless to say... they are out in full charge these days...
