Getting Pulled Over on a Bike

[Mk1inCali]

I've been pulled over 5 times here in California.  Once on the Ducati, the rest on the GS.  I have always pulled over immediately when I noticed the lights/siren/him yelling at me thru the PA.  Once, I blew past a cop that was just taking off from a light in an open lane at 15 over the limit, and was hard on the gas until he caught up to me and lit me up.  Another time, 95 mph indicated on the GS500 on the 405 headed south just north of LAX at dusk.  He came up an on-ramp, noticed me blowing by in the carpool lane, got right on my ass and waited a bit till I chopped throttle when I saw his lightbar, then lit me up.

Best was when I was on the Duc, there is a very steep hill 2 blocks from my house, and I always pull a wheelie coming home from work or a friend's place to celebrate another beautiful day in San Diego.  Cop was rolling down this hill as I came off the light, and wheelied past him.  He flipped around, and basically followed me home.


Warnings each time, verbal only because I've never been cocky, snotty, or had any sort of attitude beyond full respect for them and their job.  Think about it, they are in customer service, but each of their customers automatically want to make it personal and hate them before they ever even make face to face contact.  Wouldn't you be happy to have somebody use a bit of logic in that situation, when dealing with you?  I sure would, so I've been respectful and appear willing to learn/change, and they've not disappointed yet.

[yamahonkawazuki]

indeed. many thanks. well written. btw 5 tix? geez man, if youre going to get wild, dont do it where the cops are

[ledfingers]

re-read. he only got warnings. i've been given 4 tix and been pulled over 13 times, but never on a bike. the tickets i beat in court because the cops never show. the other 9 were always because they could tell i wasn't an a$$.

[natedawg120]

Well if i were pulled on my bike again, pulled once for going 5 over the speed limit and warned, here is what I do:

1: kill bike
2: put bike on sidestand
3: remove helmate and place on ground
4: return hands to handlebars and wait for instruction.

I never get off or put of my vehicle without being asked.

[simon79]

Just for sake of curiosity...

why are you required to put your helmet on the ground when pulled over on your bike?
and not, say, on the tank?
I would quite mind putting my helmet, be it new or old or whatever, on the ground.
sorry for this dumb question.

[natedawg120]

Just for sake of curiosity...

why are you required to put your helmet on the ground when pulled over on your bike?
and not, say, on the tank?
I would quite mind putting my helmet, be it new or old or whatever, on the ground.
sorry for this dumb question.

if you put it down beside you the officer that see your hands, if you put it on the tank he can't.

[simon79]

hm,got the point...so, from this perspective, the police officer that makes you pull over, stops his/her vehicle just ahead of you, am I right?
In this case, yes, if you put your helmet on the tank (s)he can't see your hands. This makes sense.

But...
wouldn't it be better if you take your helmet off, put it on the tank, and immediately after this you put your hands on the grips, waiting for him/her to come and talk to you? Seems just a bit more logical/practical to me. You don't risk to litter your precious helmet, and the officer still can see your hands.

yes, I'm logorrhoic and stubborn. 
But I live in a place where when pulled over (no matter what's your vehicle), you're not required to do anything else than switch the engine off. Though, here you'll never see a patrolling officer alone (this happens in the US instead, right?), always two or more...officers' safety is still guaranteed by the fact that while one comes to you and asks you for license, documents etc., the other one is pointing a machine gun at you, so...better keep a nice attitude

Lamps!

[natedawg120]

I know with me the helmat would end up on the ground, i'm clumbsy, so i just put it there in the first place.  Better to set it down flat on the gound then to let it fall and scuff the finish.

[simon79]

^^^
good point mate!!!!

[bettingpython]

Actually since I carry I don't do shaZam! except kill the bike put it on the sidestand and leave my hands on the bars while I wait for the officer to approach, unless he tells me to do something else my hands stay on the bars till I can inform of my permit and where the weapon is located. Those are the very first things that should come out of your mouth BTW if you carry.

[spc]

Actually in the fucktarded state of georgia the statute is very clear that if you legally carry you have no respnsibility to inform the officer   I always let em know though Just polite

[bettingpython]

Oklahoma says that you must disclose to an officer if you come into contact with them in an official capacity.

[natedawg120]

well carrying changes things but I don't carry yet so I do as I stated.  In VA if you have a permit to carry the office will know as soon as he runs your plates.  Them knowing that you can carry tends to make them a little more nervous as they approch you so I would probably leave everything as is untill the approch me too. 

[spc]

It's about the same here natedawg....except military is exempt from having to obtain a CCW

[bettingpython]

well carrying changes things but I don't carry yet so I do as I stated.  In VA if you have a permit to carry the office will know as soon as he runs your plates.  Them knowing that you can carry tends to make them a little more nervous as they approch you so I would probably leave everything as is untill the approch me too. 

That's f%&ked up then, our carry permits are not associated with anything to do with license plates. If you are not carrying your CCW does not come up here. There is a delay when they run your license and the officer has to give dispatch verification of their commission number anytime they pull you but it doesn't tell them why. Buddy of mine had a Top Secret clearence when he worked as a contractor installing security systems on Military posts, and it used to do the same thing whenever his license was ran, your ID is just flagged because they want to know who is looking at you. It's a one way street the cops don't know why your flagged just that you are.

[spc]

I can second that..... I've got a Top Secret/SCI and it always takes like 25 minutes for em to check my shaZam!

[linuxman2003]

Here in texas, you assume that everyone is armed until you find out otherwise  heh.