A Cops perspective....

hambro

hambro

New Member
I have been contemplating on doing this for a while and what the heck, here goes. I am a Deputy Sheriff in the county where I live. I love motorized bikes, love building them and love riding them. However I am no hypocrit when it comes to enforcing the law. I absolutely will not hassle a guy riding a MB if he is being careful, not putting himself or others in danger. Ride the back roads and side streets guys, not in the middle of the highway if the bikes are illegal in your town as they are in mine. If you do get pulled over by a cop, PLAY DUMB!!! Just be respectful, act like you didn't know and for gods sake, don't argue with him/her. I hate writing traffic tickets and I usually wont write one to someone who is not giving me a hard time unless they were being a total idiot in the first place. WEAR A HELMET!!!! If you draw attention to yourself then of course you are gonna get hassled by the cops. I sell my bikes to alot of local people and I am always honest concerning their legality up front. I tell them that they ride at their own risk and I have them sign a disclaimer when they buy from me. As much fun as these things are, they are not really toys. They can be very dangerous and you can die on one, or falling off of one. I can't speak for every cop, these are just my views and opinions and there are plenty of cops just like me. Cops don't like to be embarassed and they won't mess with you when it comes to a law that they are not familiar with and most are not familiar with these bikes. Now I know that old Barney Fife is out there and he probably got beat up alot as a kid or chased home with rocks everyday from school and he's out to get back at every childhood bully which you just happen to represent ( in his mind anyway ). He's got a chip on his shoulder and he's out to prove something and he's gonna get you no matter what. Not me guys, and not most of my friends. I ask my cop buddies all the time if they'd pull over MBer's and they all say the same thing: Not if they are being safe and not acting foolish. I know some guys are probably gonna bash me on here simply because they hate cops and nothing will change their minds, well I'm not tryin to change your mind, I proved myself a long time ago and I have nothing left to prove. I'll treat you like a man as long you don't act like an animal, period. Thanks for letting me rant and thanks for listening and on behalf of all the good, fair, humane cops out there, I apologize for the "Barney's".

Hambro
 
I live in a town of about 15,000 people. Not too small but certainly no city. When I first started riding about 6 months ago, I got pulled over by almost every single cop in this town (some even twice). At first they all thought that I was riding bicycle, but most just wanted to see how the bike was moving so fast without me pedaling. LOL. After a good amount of pull overs it eventually stopped and most of the officers just wave when ever I ride by. I never argued and they let me go every time no problem.

BTW, your completely right about the helmet. First few weeks of me finishing the bike I wasn't wearing a helmet and that's the first thing they would say when they would talk to me but once I started wearing it they loosened up a little. And it's for your own good as well. It's you against the asphalt and that's one fight you'll never win.
 
hambro said:
I have been contemplating on doing this for a while and what the heck, here goes. I am a Deputy Sheriff in the county where I live. I love motorized bikes, love building them and love riding them. However I am no hypocrit when it comes to enforcing the law. I absolutely will not hassle a guy riding a MB if he is being careful, not putting himself or others in danger. Ride the back roads and side streets guys, not in the middle of the highway if the bikes are illegal in your town as they are in mine. If you do get pulled over by a cop, PLAY DUMB!!! Just be respectful, act like you didn't know and for gods sake, don't argue with him/her. I hate writing traffic tickets and I usually wont write one to someone who is not giving me a hard time unless they were being a total idiot in the first place. WEAR A HELMET!!!! If you draw attention to yourself then of course you are gonna get hassled by the cops. I sell my bikes to alot of local people and I am always honest concerning their legality up front. I tell them that they ride at their own risk and I have them sign a disclaimer when they buy from me. As much fun as these things are, they are not really toys. They can be very dangerous and you can die on one, or falling off of one. I can't speak for every cop, these are just my views and opinions and there are plenty of cops just like me. Cops don't like to be embarassed and they won't mess with you when it comes to a law that they are not familiar with and most are not familiar with these bikes. Now I know that old Barney Fife is out there and he probably got beat up alot as a kid or chased home with rocks everyday from school and he's out to get back at every childhood bully which you just happen to represent ( in his mind anyway ). He's got a chip on his shoulder and he's out to prove something and he's gonna get you no matter what. Not me guys, and not most of my friends. I ask my cop buddies all the time if they'd pull over MBer's and they all say the same thing: Not if they are being safe and not acting foolish. I know some guys are probably gonna bash me on here simply because they hate cops and nothing will change their minds, well I'm not tryin to change your mind, I proved myself a long time ago and I have nothing left to prove. I'll treat you like a man as long you don't act like an animal, period. Thanks for letting me rant and thanks for listening and on behalf of all the good, fair, humane cops out there, I apologize for the "Barney's".

Hambro
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I'm not going to bash you. I give to the FOP. Thanks for the insight.

And thanks for your service.

A little off topic here... We have a few interesting bikes between my father and I. I ride them on the weekends to keep them going. I'll ride the 75 Norton and no one notices. I'll ride the 50 Whizzer and cars will stop, turn, and follow me. How could you not love a motorized bike?
 
I agree, the only reason more of my cop buddies don't buy my bikes is because they make crap for pay, lol. What can I say, besides thanks for understanding guys.
 
And no, I have never cited a MB'er and hopefully I'll never have to even though they are not legal here, lol.
 
You should come to my area and tell that to the cops! them four wheelers might one day pull me over and take me away from my baby! haha :) Well I respect the cops if their nice also, I got pulled over one day and well I just tried to be polite while trying to keep my cool. (I get dizzy or start to freak out when I'm near a cop) well all in all he let me go and told me to be safe! Cool cop and the only cop that has pulled me over. The only bad news is that from the forum theirs a mbr who got fined near my area and was being at risk from getting his bike impounded. That's what really gets me worried, if the cops start to take motorized bicycles from us mb's. Well nice to know theirs at least a cool cop in Alabama and expecially a mb builder!
 
Three posts in a row within the same minute. Not bad.

Hambro, there is a thread going in the picture section regarding motorized train rail bikes (maybe carts, too). Could you offer a cop's perspective on this activity?
 
If one of the guys I work with ever impounded a bike from a MB'er I'd never let him live it down. I'd call him Barney every day of his life, lol.
 
I read that on the rail bike, I believe he said it was on tracks that are no longer used by any trains. If you ride a MB on a regularly used track with heavy train traffic, then you are just dumb, lol. I'd probably put you in jail for your own good, lol. Just kidding, it all depends on the circumstances I guess.
 
That was a fair and informative view for sure. I wear a helmet,use hand signals and have a headlight/taillight myself as I feel everbody has to follow the rules of the road no matter what you ride/drive.
 
hambro said:
I read that on the rail bike, I believe he said it was on tracks that are no longer used by any trains. If you ride a MB on a regularly used track with heavy train traffic, then you are just dumb, lol. I'd probably put you in jail for your own good, lol. Just kidding, it all depends on the circumstances I guess.
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Ha ha. Of course I would only ride on abandoned tracks. And even then would definitely have a rear view mirror for that rogue ex-engineer with a better idea than this.
 
Believe it or not, I do everything in my power to not put people in jail or cite them. Sometimes it just can't be avoided. People usually put themselves in jail or their mouth does it for them. But I wouldn't mess with you on the tracks, I'd watch in awe I'm sure and if it worked well I'd probably applaud.
 
Sweet. I'm thinking I'd like to have a nice four stroke engine that could be swapped between several applications for entertainment's sake. A bike, a go cart, a rail cart, a three wheeler, what have you.

I'm seriously considering saving for the Briggs & Stratton "Animal" engine for this purpose.
 
Ha ha rockhopper just went back to this thread wonder who you're talkin about lol. Oh yeah i do have a mirror and a bell as well it is actually a 75$ fine for not having one as if you are riding on bike paths(pedaling and not under power) around Calgary you have to share with pedestrians and it is a safety issue which I also think is fair.I think I paid 4$ at walmart for a loud bell.
 
mountain80 said:
Ha ha rockhopper just went back to this thread wonder who you're talkin about lol. Oh yeah i do have a mirror and a bell as well it is actually a 75$ fine for not having one as if you are riding on bike paths(pedaling and not under power) around Calgary you have to share with pedestrians and it is a safety issue which I also think is fair.I think I paid 4$ at walmart for a loud bell.
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Ha ha. I was trying to figure out how to post a link to this thread. No such luck yet! Glad you saw it.

brnot
 
I'll tell you what makes no sense, In my state the title 32 traffic code book says that a law enforcement officer needs no license, tag, or insurance when riding a motorized bicycle whether on duty or not. Doesn't seem fair.
 
hambro said:
I'll tell you what makes no sense, In my state the title 32 traffic code book says that a law enforcement officer needs no license, tag, or insurance when riding a motorized bicycle whether on duty or not. Doesn't seem fair.
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Please just say it for our sake.

"I AM THE LAW!"

Stallone will thank you.
 
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