Police harassment

[chrisr65ls]

Unfortunately in the area I live there has been 6 fatal motorcycle accidents since the beginning of the year. Normally there might be 1 or 2 a year. Most of these accidents have been single vehicle accidents and involve high powered japanese missiles.
The police are really cracking down, which of course they should, except they lump all motorcyclists together so us responsible people have to suffer the consequences as well.
I have been pulled over 3 times just in the last week to be breathalyized and have the bike checked over. Most police are fairly decent about it but others  treat you like you are some sort of moron.
They are also talking about pulling bikes over and photographing you so they can identify bikes speeding through radar traps.
This is ridiculous.
I said to the cop that pulled me over last time they should be pulling over the guys riding the 1100cc jap bikes and wearing the full race leathers and leave us old blokes on our 25yr old 650s alone. He said their instructions were to target all motorcyclists.
As per usual a minority of riders are spoiling it for everyone.

[nhmaf]

Eventually the 'supply' of dumb-axx bikers will exhaust themselves, and things will eventually get back to 'normal'.   The process proposed by Darwin will  eventually correct the problem - hang in there!

We've had a couple solo bike accidents in our state this year, but more than 4X times that many accidents have been cyclists run over/into by cars.  

[acruhl]

I can relate a bit, sort of.

I was coming home from work on the 998, on the last stretch before I turn to my street. I run it up a bit to try to get cooling air through it, since they run notoriously hot. On the corner was a cop on a bike, got me for 45 in a 30.

So he asks me why I'm going that fast, and I'm honest with him, the damn thing runs hot. I turned the key on to show him the temp gauge, he agreed. I was decked out in my gear and it was hot outside too.

He let me off with a warning, saying he would have given me a ticket if I didn't have everything in order, and if he thought I was trying to weasel out with an excuse.

I was lucky I guess.

[acruhl]

I said to the cop that pulled me over last time they should be pulling over the guys riding the 1100cc jap bikes and wearing the full race leathers and leave us old blokes on our 25yr old 650s alone. He said their instructions were to target all motorcyclists.
As per usual a minority of riders are spoiling it for everyone.

People wear full race leathers over there? Seems like generally a good idea...

Oh, and they are 1000cc these days, not 1100. You're from the previous generation probably

[dav]

They are also talking about pulling bikes over and photographing you so they can identify bikes speeding through radar traps.
This is ridiculous.
(

that is total bulls..t, can they do that? i know they are the "law" but takeing your photo with your bike before you even consider "flying" through there radar trap is total crap. Sorry for ranting but iam sick of the "law" looking at all motorcyclist in the same boat. Just because some riders (jap missiles, not all but...) does't mean ALL riders are hoons.  

[Ed Miller]

Chris, why do they make you do the breathalizer?  At least here in Oregon they have to come up with some stupid excuse to pull you over, not just because you're on a motorcycle.

When they ask me why I'm doing 75 in a 55 I tell them I'm just driving.  The ticket is a tax on freedom, one I'm happy to say I very rarely pay.  

[Bob_Roller]

Sounds like someone needs to contact a local news media about this .

Also send off an email to the American Motorcyclist Association, they love to get all over issues like this !!!

[nhmaf]

Sounds like shades of "racial profiling" to me...   I am sure that the new media could make a big media mess of it - sometimes, but not often, one can use the media to one's advantage..

[chrisr65ls]

There has been lots of negative press in Australia recently about bikes as there is a bit of a bikie war going on. A few months ago some 'Comancheros' beat a 'Hells Angel' to death at Sydney airport in front of hundreds of onlookers.
They are trying to outlaw all motorcycle gangs. The definition of gang is going to become very cloudy and its only a matter of time before the 'clubs' become affected. The local Motorcycle press is working hard to try and stop this legislation.
A lot of police including those in my local area tend to think we are all 'bikies'.
Thats one of the reasons (as well as the road toll) why we are being targeted.

[ambrose78]

NQ police inquisition is never fun. A few years ago I was working in Mareeba for Uni holidays and the car I was driving was an '67 Hemi Orange Valiant. Looked very Dukes of Hazard. I was pulled over 7 times in 4 weeks for the purposes of "Random breath testing". Not sure what their definition of random is but mine is a little different.

What's the bet their instructions were to pull 'bikies' over and the cops interpretation is anyone on a motorbike.

I wouldn't have thought that there is much of a bikie presence in FNQ?

They are also talking about pulling bikes over and photographing you so they can identify bikes speeding through radar traps.
This is ridiculous.

That really is harrassment. Lets hope they don't do that.

I hope for you that the crackdown in your area finishes soon so you can get back to enjoying the range in peace.

[trolle]

In this country we have a rather high frequence of fatal motorcycle accidents and contrary to the beliefs of most people these accidents  involve middle aged men mainly. Why? Due to the rise in income many middle aged men who in their youth drove  50 ccm bikes or a small motorcycles now aquire big and powerfull bikes. As they do not posses the skill needed to ride these kind of bikes and have lost their ability to react fast in a dangerous situation getting scared instead, they often find themselves in situations they cannot handle and this results in fatal or near fatal accidents.

The young riders have a smaller frequence of fatal accidents probably due to the law that makes it mandatory to ride a bike with less than 50 hp the first two years after aquiring the driver's license. Only after this period they are allowed to ride the bigger and more powerfull bikes. The fact that their schooling is much better than their fathers' makes them more safe riders as well.

IMHO a mandatory safe riding course should be taken by all riders at least once every five years and nobody should be allowed on the roads before taking such a course when getting their first bike or switching bikes.

greetings from a windy and very soon precipitating north