PC PLOD AND HIS LAZER TRAPS

Coming back from infinity motorcycles last night, i joined foss islands road at walmgate bar, then nailed it (up to 40), the exhaust sounded lovely, then i saw the parked police T5, then the camera van! Hit the brakes and crawled past at about 25 feeling rather stupid.

as i passed, i looked in my mirror only to see a copper step out of the van, get into the T5 and start following me.

I pull over and he gets out, we have a little chat and he "points" out a few things to me:

"Do you know your number plate is illegal?"
"no sir, i did not, it came with the bike"
"i see." he says rather doubtingly, "do you know your exhaust is illegal?"
"no sir, i did not. it was sold to me as legal, look, its even stamped up legal with the E-mark" (The exhaust is a scorpion where you remove the baffle).
"i see." he says, again, rather doubtingly.

So, it continues for a few mins, me playing dumb, him laying down the law - were clamping down on bikes (arnt they always) number plates are dangerous as they cause accidents (err.. no comment), exhaust is too loud (so people can hear me coming and shift outta me way...

thankfully he buys the part about the exhaust (sucker) and lets me off with that, but insists on giving me a fixed penalty notice for the number plate. Then he smiles, wishes me a good day and drives off.

Dont you just love em?

I take it your number plate is illegal - otherwise you will be fighting your points?

I have to confess I am never sure why people mess around with their number plates - yeah I know they look a mess and we all know that the size of them has f**K all to do with accidents, except in case that people who make them really small so you cannot read them - think about it

I agree they are getting abit carried away these days - the number of cop cars I have followed with defective brake lights is unbelievable yet you can be sure you would be done if it was you.

[Sid Squid]

Yes of course they are very very dangerous indeed, not to mention an evil that threatens our society to it's very roots.

Stands to reason, don't it?

I mean would the law waste all this time enforcing these regs if there wasn't a very good reason for it?

Sid

Of course small & illegal (possibiliy of being illegible) number plates are dangerous. In danger of preventing £60 fine. I know the police say they don't recieve th dosh the councils do who pay for the police, extra money means more overtime. Oh & guess what, I have heard the usual "operation fireblade" the crack down on bikers in Northumberland is being continued this year & steped up a bit. Traffic police working saturday/sunday. Do yo know the have the usual traffic bikes and an assortment of road bikes, have you ever seen SP2's & fireblades painted up in police colours we have. The also have unmarked vehicles which is down right devious. The even have a bloody harley I don't know what use that will be. Last year saw the mobile camera vans the seem to be able to plough loads of resoures into this operation.

Originally Posted by davyf

The also have unmarked vehicles which is down right devious

Doesn't give you a fighting chance, eh Davy?

i have read that northhumberside police are no longer chasing vehicles as non of their officers are trained in persuit driving! so, if youve got them on your tail, head to the humber - its like mexico. They've said they wont even launch the police helicopter unless theres a police car behind the offending vehicle!

So it makes you wonder... how are they enforcing that counties roads? Probably with hundreds of money makers... sorry, speed cameras(!)

Originally Posted by getyerkneedown

i have read that northhumberside police are no longer chasing vehicles as non of their officers are trained in persuit driving! so, if youve got them on your tail, head to the humber - its like mexico. They've said they wont even launch the police helicopter unless theres a police car behind the offending vehicle!

So it makes you wonder... how are they enforcing that counties roads? Probably with hundreds of money makers... sorry, speed cameras(!)

I havent read the full article ('cos its boring) but theres something in MCN or Bike about accident rates now going up and many 'dedicated' traffic cops now being armed response and stuff.

Our lot lurk around Rothbury, Alnwick, Hexham, Hartside, etc seems to be north of Morpeth which makes it a long way to the Humber.

[Viney]

i see thei point about plates. I am guilty of having a personlused plate along with a 9x3 effort. It was still legible, i even got snapped by a mobile camera with it on. But when they get too small, then if that bike is involved in an accident, and rides off, then some poor sod is not going to get what his worth due to the vehicle not being traced etc etc. After being done for my 9x3 I now use a std 7x6 plate(legal size with 2 ones in it).

As for cans, i am still a great believer that they probably do prevent a lot of accidents. But illegal is illegal, and so be it. You either break the law and put up with the cosequences, or be a legal egale!

Whatever way, we are all Bad ass bikers who rip heads off chickens in our spare time..apprently.

Come the revoloution..........................

Yeah gotta agree with Vinyl here. You have to legislate for the sh*ts in society that hit someone or cause an accident and then nail it off knowing no-one can read their plate.

With regards to cans bikers always claim that thye help people hear them coming (I agree i've got one) but a friend who works in the police has told me he's attended a few accidents where the driver involved has said he'd been scared by the noise or the can had made him jump. On the one side you've got the biker trying to make people hear them if they don't see them, but imagine lil' old Doris who's been driving for 60 years and never looked in her mirrors and then suddenly an TL1000 nails passed in 1st gear!!!! I think i'd muddy myself