# Do the police ever go after speeding sport-bike riders? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582 "2004-07-11T17:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Orange13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e57/32.png) [@Orange13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange13)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/21 "2012-06-13T06:54:17Z")
> [@taxedout](#): > > These riders develop tunnel vision when going so fast. Also with a full helmet visor, their vision is further decreased. In my experience racing with a full faced helmet, I can’t see any part of the helmet while riding. Maybe if the helmet is ill fitting it could impede some peripheral vision, but that has not been my experience with several different brands. However, at high speeds the mirrors can vibrate violently, rendering them largely useless. (I’ve used mirrors on the track while training new riders.) Tunnel vision is common among inexperienced riders. Many students have told me they didn’t see the waving yellow flags, flashing lights, cornerworkers, emergency vehicles, etc. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/22 "2012-06-14T19:42:42Z")
I applaud the movement towards a reduction in high speed chases. There’s no need to engage in high speed pursuit when there are police up the road, helicopters and airplanes in the air and licenses to read. Let 'im go, keep track of him and get 'im down the road and don’t endanger others. Of course, there are exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![testiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@testiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/testiva)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/23 "2017-10-31T16:26:15Z")
I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I would post this video of a Kawasaki H2 who says he was just cruising along at about 100 mph minding his own business when a cop flashed him. He utterly destroys the cop car. If you jump to 4:02 of the video he hits speeds of around 200 mph. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/24 "2017-10-31T16:56:31Z")
> [@Shosy](#): > > I’ve just simply noticed over 20 year, at least in NJ, NY and PA, that the level of enforcement on toll roads (for some reason not non-toll interstates, of course in NJ there is some jurisdictional reasons maybe) has gone DOWN DOWN DOWN. > > I mean essentially the right lane has become the lane to drive 80-95mph. If you’re in the right lane and going 65, the person behind you will treat you like you’re behind the 9/11 attacks. I can’t remember what it was like back in 2012, but on the NYS Thruway, at least the I-90 portion of it, 65 is around the speed of the right hand lane, which is also the speed limit. If I go 65 it’s equally likely that I will have to slow down/pass people there as it is that people already in the slow lane will have to pass me. 75 is around the prevailing speed in the left lane: it’s equally likely that someone will have to pull over for me (unless of course they don’t and stay in the lane) as it is that I will have to pull over for someone. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/25 "2017-10-31T17:06:53Z")
Zombie thread for Halloween. 🙂 One of my husband’s fraternity brothers was thrilled that he had lost the police in the Santa Cruz mountains, while out riding one day. That would be a “no”. They just showed up later at the frat house and walked him out in some pretty metal bracelets. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/26 "2017-10-31T17:11:47Z")
> [@testiva](#): > > I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I would post this video of a Kawasaki H2 who says he was just cruising along at about 100 mph minding his own business when a cop flashed him. He utterly destroys the cop car. If you jump to 4:02 of the video he hits speeds of around 200 mph. > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw) Holy crap, that is one sweet bike! When he pulls to the side and hits 200 it looks like the Enterprise engaging the warp drive. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/27 "2017-10-31T17:33:51Z")
> [@testiva](#): > > I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I would post this video of a Kawasaki H2 who says he was just cruising along at about 100 mph minding his own business when a cop flashed him. He utterly destroys the cop car. If you jump to 4:02 of the video he hits speeds of around 200 mph. > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw) there’s no highway in this country where the speed limit is that high; you’re not “minding your own business” doing 30-40 mph over the speed limit. these idiot kids love to brag about outrunning police. Until, that is, they realize they don’t know how to handle the bike at those speeds in anything other than a straight line and end up throwing themselves off of it. > [@mixdenny](#): > > Holy crap, that is one sweet bike! When he pulls to the side and hits 200 it looks like the Enterprise engaging the warp drive. > > Dennis I recently got a Yamaha FZ-09 which has only 115 rwhp but can do 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. That thing is scary fast enough, I don’t know what kind of person thinks he needs a 220+ mph bike on the street. especially not these reckless jerks. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/28 "2017-10-31T18:47:59Z")
Let’s just say that I know for a fact that (in my area) they will chase you until you do something dangerous, at which point they radio ahead your position and direction, and another batch of cruisers picks you up. Ad infinitum or until you ditch your bike on a quiet side street, unseen, and sleep under a spruce tree out front of an apartment complex. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/29 "2017-10-31T19:13:57Z")
Squids. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/30 "2017-10-31T19:16:09Z")
> [@testiva](#): > > I know this is a very old thread, but I thought I would post this video of a Kawasaki H2 who says he was just cruising along at about 100 mph minding his own business when a cop flashed him. He utterly destroys the cop car. If you jump to 4:02 of the video he hits speeds of around 200 mph. > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrtWGyhUvw) Stupid mentality of today’s youth They think that is ok, its fine, its no bodies business. They are stupid, ignorant, selfish somewhat narcissistic and immature. At 200mph, any normal car that bike hits, the bike is going through it. I could care less if the rider dies, did the baby in the car it shot through have to die? I do not care who you are and how good you think you are, you are not good enough. You are not god, you can not prevent a tire failure, you can not cause a pothole or crack to magically repair itself, nor a spot covered in sand and fine gravel to magically sweep itself away. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/31 "2017-11-01T13:49:44Z")
Question: When you flee the police and get away, don’t they have your license plate from the dashcam? Is there no way to come after you with that? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/32 "2017-11-01T13:57:54Z")
Sure, if they got close enough to get your plates. But dashcam footage usually isn’t very clear, especially during a high-speed chase. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/33 "2017-11-01T13:58:22Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > Question: When you flee the police and get away, don’t they have your license plate from the dashcam? Only if they got pretty close. (And only if the police car had a dash cam. They’re common but not universal.) ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/34 "2017-11-01T14:13:46Z")
\*\* > [@](#): > > Do the police ever go after speeding sport-bike riders? \*\* Of course, police love car chases. And, as mentioned, they can use their radio to get more cops involved in the fun. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/35 "2017-11-01T15:44:15Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Stupid mentality of today’s youth. Today’s youth? I would say youth in general. My dad had these kinds of stories (not with bikes but cars) outrunning the police in the 60s and 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/36 "2017-11-01T15:59:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Today’s youth? I would say youth in general. This. There’s a reason car insurance for drivers under 25 is much more expensive than it is for drivers over 25. It’s the same reason car rental companies won’t even rent to drivers under 25 (or if they do, they tack on a fat surcharge). The reason is because kids, generally speaking, aren’t (yet) good at judging risk. This is not a recently developed trait of human beings. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/37 "2017-11-01T16:38:56Z")
So the police have the license plate and a person in riding gear including a full helmet on the dash cam. What’s to keep the owner from claiming that he had lent the bike to his friends Curly, Moe, and Larry while he was playing X-Box? Curly, Moe, and Larry confirm that they had possession of the bike but all deny riding it when the incident occurred. The bike will probably be impounded, but then all the owner has to do is pay the impound fee and take it back home. Is there a reason even a mediocre attorney couldn’t make a reasonable doubt defense out of that? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/38 "2017-11-01T16:43:56Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Only if they got pretty close. (And only if the police car had a dash cam. They’re common but not universal.) There are other methods. Posting your wild ride online is not always a great idea. > **[Arrest Made in Wild Drive Around Manhattan (Published 2013)](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/07/nyregion/police-arrest-driver-who-raced-around-manhattan.html)** > > Officers charged Christopher Adam Tang, 30, with six driving violations, saying they were able to recreate the wild ride by using surveillance video. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/39 "2017-11-01T17:18:28Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > So the police have the license plate and a person in riding gear including a full helmet on the dash cam. What’s to keep the owner from claiming that he had lent the bike to his friends Curly, Moe, and Larry while he was playing X-Box? Curly, Moe, and Larry confirm that they had possession of the bike but all deny riding it when the incident occurred. The bike will probably be impounded, but then all the owner has to do is pay the impound fee and take it back home. (Emphasis added.) Why are we positing a helmet, when we’re talking about people who believe they’re absolutely invulnerable because they’re young? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582/40 "2017-11-01T17:25:55Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > So the police have the license plate and a person in riding gear including a full helmet on the dash cam. What’s to keep the owner from claiming that he had lent the bike to his friends Curly, Moe, and Larry while he was playing X-Box? Curly, Moe, and Larry confirm that they had possession of the bike but all deny riding it when the incident occurred. The bike will probably be impounded, but then all the owner has to do is pay the impound fee and take it back home. > > Is there a reason even a mediocre attorney couldn’t make a reasonable doubt defense out of that? Impound fee hell! That bike will be condemned and sold at auction. This is one time when civil asset forfeiture works for the side of the angels. The owner would never get the bike back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-ever-go-after-speeding-sport-bike-riders/254582.md?page=3)