BR996

Complaints have their place and are a useful barometer for CHP areas to keep track of what officers need an "adjustment" so long as the are justified.

As far as a ride along, not sure where you live, but if I can help, let me know. You can PM me. Not saying I'll be much help, but I'll try. :thumbup

Unfortunately in my area they don't allow graveyard ride alongs, otherwise I'd offer. Oh and as RC51phreak wrote on another thread, you will see a more sterile side of law enforcement. The officer will be somewhat limited as to what he can do woth you in the car per our policy, and for your safety. You will more than likely be placed with a more junior officer...sorry, but that's what usually happens. Again, it depends on where you go, in some offices the junior officer has 5 or more years on while in others the junior officer might have a year or less. That will have a big effect on the quality of the ride along.

ca249

What can we do to better relations with LEOs? Simple. Don't break the laws. Their job is to enforce the law. If you don't like the laws, talk to the lawmakers. On the practical side, that is about as likely as a snowball in hell.

Lets face it. ALL sportbike riders break the law. To what extent we break it and when and where we break it is really what we as a riding community need to be concerned with. Self-policing and peer pressure is about the only viable way of dealing with the problem. If riders don't fix their own problem, the lawmakers will fix it for us, and I quarantee we will not like the results.

Ray

Earl

We can always fix the law makers, they're the biggest hypocrits any ways.

There's no easy answer here guys, just gotta keep it cool on the street and try to talk sense into the noobs and squids whenever we can. My canyon riding has toned down big time, I get my fix at track days and racing WSMC.

Stunters, they just need to be shot, plain and simple. :thumbup (jk, jk!)

__________________
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing, so learn how to ride you lazy bastard!

Kenzo

I'm with Ray. The only way things are going to get better is if people start behaving and respecting the rules. From my perspective it's inevitable that we are going to end up like many European countries; more restrictive licenses, more strict emissions laws, and steeper penalties for breaking the laws.
Take Germany as an example. Aftermarket exhaust is illegal. If you've got a loud pipe, your bike is impounded. And it's not easy or cheap to get back either.
I rode with some locals in the mountains of Souther Bavaria for a couple weeks. You don't see stunters, you don't see group rides, and you don't see raced out bikes or many beaters. You don't see these things because the riding there is taken seriously. If you ride you've worked hard to be able to and you don't screw around and risk your ability to do what you love.
The more things progress, the more rules will be established and it's inevitable that the mistakes made in the past by people pushing the limits are going to infringe upon what the things we currently consider rights.

Yes the cops here have attitudes and are often ****s. Why? Because the majority of the population has the same attitude. When you've got a society of people that think they are always right, those you put into power are going to perpetuate this perspective. Everybody knows that when you've got too many chiefs and no indians you run into trouble.

I now keep my superbike in track form and only ride a completely stock sport tourer on the street. IMO this is the best way to avoid being hassled by the police and not further the negative stereotypes frequently associated with the sport biking community. I'm not saying I'm an angel or anything but I have a clean record and only get pulled over once every couple of years.
Any real sport bike riding can't be done on the street. Just listen to the short montage of interviews and the end of the movie Faster. They all send one clear message; if you want to go faster, take it to the track.

Freakshow999

I always wave at them on the Crest does that count as rider relations. Usually suprises the non-regulars.

I've said it before and I'll make it short this time we as sportbike riders have a responsability to help other riders this includes all aspects. imho

I totally agree with the stunting at bike night thing, it's not that I don't think there are some very talented stunt riders out there I know some, and there is a time and place for everything. I.E. you won't see a moto gp race where the spectators are within 5 feet of the bikes on the track when they're racing two reasons, rider safety and public safety pretty simple really.

The more we police our selves the less problems we will have with the police in my opinion.

I'll totaly back restricted liscences we've missed out on alot of excelent bikes because we don't have a market for them due to our country's lack of restrictions on riders. You all know I'm a 400 fan :biglaugh

It has been my personal experience over several years of riding that the riders who start out on smaller bikes and move up have a much healthier respect for bikes with lots of power and are simply better riders because of it.

__________________

ABearden

Well, on the car side, some states already have ladder licenses. I know Washington does. But hp restrictions should definitely be brought into it.

When I drove in Colorodo, they have minimum speed limits which would be a start. But they also enforce laws for slow vehicles in the left lane, almost as bad as a speeding ticket if I remember correctly. Surprizing that Kali hasn't passed those laws yet.

TahoesHateMe

I thought Arnifornia had that law, just not really enforced. :dunno

BR996

:laughing I always wave back.

There are some amazing stunters out there...I've stopped a few...on the freeway!!!


Self-policeing, in my opinion, is where this has to start. There are more sportbike riding LEO than most people think, but it's hard for someone like me to make a case for sportbike riders to other LEO when you get someone pulling a stand-up wheelie on the freeway, in traffic, at over 80. And yes, during the summer it happens all the time! Stunters aren't the only ones. Some of you might remember the collision up on the 33 last summer where a sportbike crossed the DY's in a turn and killed a Harley rider...that doesn't do much for the sportbike rider's image either.

TahoesHateMe

I don't think self policing will work because there are to many people that don't want to or give a ****. Stunters, squid that think there thugs, Palomar mafia types (not singling them out, just an example since its everywhere), Me last tuesday :lmao

ok ok. I was doing 67. I've gone alot faster in the past. So its an improvement? Right?

Ag Surfer

On the topic of self policing, how many of you have met a biker that had no license (because he "knows" how to ride) and also no insurance. In my opinion, it's these people that really hurt our cause.

What can we do about a rider that has no license? Unfortunately, not a whole lot. We can refuse to ride with said person and hope they're not coming the other way on a canyon rode... but aside from that, we cannot self police someone that has no intention of obeying even the simplest law... that you have to be licensed and have insurance.

Should we set up checkpoints at the bottom of well traveled canyons and ask riders for their license and proof of insurance before letting them up the mountain?

I agree that there are no easy answers, but trying to police people that dont want to be policed is usually an exercise in futility. Maybe we should let Darwin go to work and let the chips fall where they may.

__________________
Sean