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First Ticket

3K views 61 replies 25 participants last post by  Trogdor 
#1 ·
Just wondering if anyone else has gotten a speeding ticket or any other offense on there 109 yet.

Got pulled over for the first time in 6 years for doing 7 over in the right lane being passed by semi's. Cop said I was speeding and the pipes are to loud. I've always tried to suppert our local law enforcement, but I am still dumfounded by this. I will let everyone know the outcome of my court appearance over the loud exhaust issue. Pretty sure since it's stock it will be no problem, but you know our judicial system. The speeding thing I'll have to hope for the best.
 
#2 ·
were you really speeding? our speedo is reportedly inaccurate. you can always demand to see the speed on the radar gun, and i would do so if i thought it was in question.

it's bs that he's picking on the bike with other vehicles passing you. it's also bs that stock pipes might be too loud. keep us posted.
 
#4 ·
I ran a megaphone exhaust for a while and never got pulled over. It was a supertrapp with internal completely removed, it was so loud the HD boys were jealous. They would comment on how loud it was and how could it be louder than theirs. Well one day I drove up to the local bike shop and a State Trooper happened to be at the place and commented it was loud but sounded nice. I of course inquired with him if it was too loud and he didn't seem to think anyone would bother me about it.

Calvert County is pretty biker friendly unless you are a GP race wanna-be. I see them pulled over all the time.
 
#5 ·
YOU RANG?

Bike is bone stock, was in 5th gear just cruising. The cop was just coming onto the freeway behind me, maybe he was trying to fill his quota. People always say motorcycles are easy targets, but I think he was just jealous. I think everyone is jealous of motorcycles in one way or another. Open road, no cell phones, wife's voice fading away as you accelerate. Eveyone needs a release, and if speeding ticket is the price of that release, then so be it.
 
#6 ·
Some cops suck!!!!!! I run open Bub exhaust on my Road Star and have never been harrassed by a cop or even pulled over. Knock on wood. My bike will flat out burst ear drums if you're next to me when I open her up. Of course, I never do that while cops are around. :D :D :D
www.hellrisercustoms.com/oychoppa
 
#9 ·
Well, sounds like he was a prick...I am a cop and still think some others are pricks....Not many, but they are out there....Got 2 tickets from one a few years back..He is forever on my chit list...His day will come and he will be bent over the hood of my squad car.(preparing for the fisting)...1st off....Depending on the radar unit, he could have isolated you...2nd....The cop does not have to show the radar results(at least in Indiana, your state might be different)....and 3rd.....Most of my buddies(many cops) have Harleys with loud pipes...So most cops couldnt give a crap about them...I/we do however give it to the booming stereos whenever possible....Sorry you came across a prick, but he was not the norm...I would fight the ticket as well....
 
#10 ·
The other option would be to call his Chief tell him what you think about the dude...That might get some results.....May not help with the ticket, but might put the officer under a micro-scope on the job for a bit...Or the Chief could tell you to take the ticket and shut up...Other than that, go to court and hope for a reasonable judge...
 
G
#11 ·
First off, all states are different. In Florida, any exhaust that is modified from stock and changes the decibel level is illegal. No measuring, nothing. I can only relate my personal experiences but not too many people write tickets for that here. I am in traffic court every week and I don't see many of these going before a hearing officer. Ride the bike to traffic court and hopefully the hearing officer may break to take a look at it. If not try to take several pics and print them up. One of your bike, one from Suzuki's webpage both showing the stock exhaust. Also take a pic of the end of your pipes to show they havent been punched. I believe there is some sort of stamp on the lower pipe. See what it says. It may state that the pipe is compliant. I don't know, my bike is not sitting in front of me.

Now, since the officer was coming onto the interstate from a on ramp behind you, and you were being passed by semis, he had to be running moving radar on a front antenna, same direction, faster mode. That is a tough scenario to get an accurate reading. He could also have been pacing you but you didn't say he followed you for any length of time. In Florida, the burden of proof is on the officer. All he has to show is that the equipment is maintained properly every 6 months and that the officer is trained in how to use it, and that the radar was checked for accuracy before placing it in service that day and taking it out of service that day. Other than that the burden is with the person to show that the radar was not working correctly or that the officer did not operate it correctly. Very tough to prove since if the officer meets his burden of proof, it becomes your word against theirs. It can be done and I have seen it happen so don't lose heart.

As far as having the officer show you the radar, you can ask. Florida Law prohibits a lock on most types. The ones we run on our MC have dual screens so I can actually lock top speed while continuing to monitor traffic pattern. Most however drop the speeds from display once the button is let go of.

Now, if you were actually speeding, just pay the ticket. You've gotten away with it before I am sure and this was just time. Be thankful it wasn't while you were doing 25 mph over the limit. ;)

Good luck.
 
#12 ·
as i was leaving work yesterday i crested a hill and saw 6 sheriffs officers all parked on the side of the road, motorcycle, cruisers, and even a SUV all standing there i felt like i was on parade as i watched them dissappear in my mirror, im running cobra dragsters and not the slightest bit worried about trying to keep them quiet. Cops are cool around here
 
#15 ·
Not all states have the law where cops must show you the radar gun to prove anything.

If you really want to jack with the cop though do a request on "Rules of evidence"

Basically in a nut shell he is taken out of service and his radar and all sorts of stuff recalibrated to confirm they were correct.

Its pretty costly to the police department and can have a few draw backs like that cop may try to harass you after that alot.

There is also the "Selective ticketing" angle.

Good luck I hope you get a decent judge and you will do fine if he thinks you were being singled out then im sure that he might toss the speeding ticket as well.
 
#16 ·
Pulled for 7 over? Wow, that's an easy toss-out for improper equipment. Unfortunately, it is still gonna cost you to go to court. You just don't want any tickets on your record to mess with insurance rates. The stock pipe issue is laughable at best. That's gonna be so easy to get tossed it's almost a waste of time... especially the cop's for writing it. Good luck.
 
#17 ·
Here in Texas you're can take a defensive driving class in lieu of paying the ticket and the ticket never goes on your driving record. You are allowed to opt for the driving class 1 time per year, but even if you've already taken your 1 time, a judge can allow you to take it again if he see fit. In Houston they use this as a money generator. Pay a $150 ticket, fight it and take a chance of paying fine and court costs, or take the path of least resistance and pay $90 court fee and take defensive driving. The city/county/state doesn't make any money when they arrest someone for assault or theft, but they do make money when they write a traffic violation.
By the way, don't radar guns report the speed on the vehicle with the largest radar signature...wonder what is going to cause the biggest reflection, 900lbs of rider and motorcycle or several tons of big rig?
 
#18 ·
Its true that the radar will give a reading for the semi before it would the mc...However, some radars have a fastest vehicle option.... You could be in a big group of vehicles...As long as your speed is above all the rest...It will give a speed for you since your moving the fastest...The officer has to visually identify the fastest vehicle as well....Also, are you sure the ticket says radar...He might have been watching traffic and using VASCAR....It is basically a stop watch that computs your speed over a known distance...It works off of a simple math equation(it sends no signal and is undetectable)....If it was a same lane type radar...It is harder to get a reading, but is very possible...Takes a bit more practice to get the hang of the same lane radar....Some depts have a minimum daily number of "contacts"....That means they have to stop x number of vehicles...Its up to the officer if you get a ticket or a warning...Most will write a ticket though if they stop you for a contact...Some try and get their "contacts" out of the way in the first part of the shift so they can fart around for the rest of the shift...
 
G
#20 ·
I would contest it. I just went to court with my daughter for her first speeding ticket. She was 22 mph over speed limit. She told the judge that she was speeding and just asked for some help being a student, etc and they dropped the points, re-wrote the ticket to 5mph over and knocked off $100. Well worth the effort. Can't hurt to try. Definately sounds like someone got up no the wrong side of the bed that morning.
 
G
#21 ·
On my way to work one morning. I was red-light to red-light ahead of the pack. Between one stretch I noticed a single headlight weaving its way through the pack. At the next light the other motorcyclist moved in behind a stopped car even though I moved over so he could work his way to the front of the pack. As I took off on the green the other motorcylist moved up and beside me. I looked over and it was a cop. He gave me the thumbs down sign (meaning to slow it down) and then he passed me and made the next right. Pretty cool.

Coming home one day. I was out running a Harley doing 90-plus on the freeway when I noticed this cop on a bike pull in behind me. I let go of the throttle and he passed me like I was standing still. He must have been doing over 100 mph. I guess there was a bigger law-breaker on the road that day.
 
#22 ·
Bruno said:
I would contest it. I just went to court with my daughter for her first speeding ticket. She was 22 mph over speed limit. She told the judge that she was speeding and just asked for some help being a student, etc and they dropped the points, re-wrote the ticket to 5mph over and knocked off $100. Well worth the effort. Can't hurt to try. Definately sounds like someone got up no the wrong side of the bed that morning.
I like this idea.

In Florida you can tell the hearing officer- he is not a judge- that you are not contesting the ticket, you just want him to hold the points so they don't go on your license. He looks at your driving record and if it is good he probably has you pay the fine but he will hold the points for you.

I bet that this was a rookie (less than one year) and he was just pickig on a bike he was jealous of. Let us know how long he had on the job please, I'd be interested to know.
 
#23 ·
I had my near first a couple weeks ago. Mine sounded a lot like steve210's incident where he clocked me doing 60 in a 45. I was no doubt doing it and admitted it to him since I was one of only 3 vehicles on the road and the other 2 cages were trying to see ho slow they could go. They stayed side by side at about 25 mph for 1/4 mile then one inched ahead of the other and when I got the room I nailed it.....right about then I saw the front grill of a car poking out from a bush on the right side of the road. as soon as I saw it was a leo I pulled over. He never even got his lights turned on and I was parked with ID in hand. I handed him my DL, my concealed carry license, my pre paid legal card and my insurance. He said the usual about do you know what I pulled you over for and I admitted it must have been me speeding as I got around those two cars he called in my info handed my papers back asked about the bike and said he had never seen one and he was stunned about how quick I pulled over. He just said I know you know better and just slow it down a little. I was just ending a Sunday morning ride and the experience did not ruin it. :bigthumbsup:
 
#24 ·
steve j said:
I handed him my DL, my concealed carry license, my pre paid legal card and my insurance.
Ok, I'm curious. You are the second person to hand over your pre paid legal card. What's the point of handing that over? Is it to say, "Hey bud, I got a lawyer already paid for, so I don't mind going to court?" or what? Just curious, that's all. I don't see why they would have any reason to see your prepaid legal card.

As for admitting that you were speeding, I would never, and will never admit to the officer that I was speeding. You do that, and they make a note of the admission and there goes most of your chance of getting it tossed on a technicality in court. And yes, they can and will (sometimes) make note of when you admit to the infraction they pulled you for, not to mention you are also being recorded on video/audio.
 
#25 ·
OYChoppa said:
Some cops suck!!!!!! I run open Bub exhaust on my Road Star and have never been harrassed by a cop or even pulled over. Knock on wood. My bike will flat out burst ear drums if you're next to me when I open her up. Of course, I never do that while cops are around. :D :D :D
www.hellrisercustoms.com/oychoppa
Damn that is one fine Roadie my friend! :bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup:
 
#26 ·
yeah the pre paid legal card just lets them know they will be in court on a day off and I will be at home while the lawyer handles it if it goes that far, best $26 a month I spend. as far as admitting to speeding, if I am had I let them know and I have have a few that said thats why they let me off with a warning.... :D
 
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