buy bike - get stopped for speeding

Well, what a productive day yesterday was!

Cheque came from the insurance company at last, so in the market proper for a replacement bike. after draggin my mate round various dealers in South East London, went to see a very nice chappy down at Steve Jordan's in Leatherhead. 2 hours later rode out of his shop with a (fairly) new blue SVS. Chuffed as nuts. (Sorry Furkuk - you just live too far away and I really needed it for this weekend. But good luck). Excellent service, really nice bloke and most helpful.

THEN - after picking up the girlfriend from work and taking her home, got stopped by the police who were lurking just over the flyover on the A5 into Hendon. The first question before anything else was said was "Do you speak English?" Apparently I was doing 47 in a 30 zone. Didn't like to tell him that a) I had only bought the bike 3 hours previously and b) I am attending a speed awareness course next Wednesday for going past a gatso at 40. Anyway, the copper in question was "simply stopping me to let me know", and then spent 10 minutes chatting about different helmets and their noise reducing properties!!! What a nice bloke he was, Thanks very much to Barnet Constabulary (Traffic Section) for your leniency and general niceness. :P

So now I am possession of a very nice blue pointy SV650S K4 and 3 fewer points than I should have.... let's see how long that lasts

Heh, that reminds me of this morning.
My usual spirited romp round the bypass to get into west Swindon. Toe down on a lovely bend and up the hill. Started braking for the traffic and I hear a siren. I'd gone past an unmarked car on the dually and now he was chasing me.
Got to the roundabout and went straight over cos there was nowhere safe to stop; he switched his sirens/lights off and turned left! He was just telling me off.
Got to work 15 minutes late cos I was so chilled out for the rest of the ride.

Early Christmas present for both of you then.

[timwilky]

Yes coppers has discretion, scameras are simply revenue colletion tools.

Sounds like you got one of the good uns and not a plod with a target. I saw a good one the other day. Reflective jacket on and hidden behind a wall, a laser gun in one hand and a home made 30 sign in the other. I was fortunate he raised the sign to me

Good news that there's some good coppers out & about.

Got pulled over last night on the way home (gusting winds according to met office website of up to 47mph). I was struggling to keep the bike in a straight line, and in my lane, so I knew I definately wasn't going to be speeding. Did that stop the muppet in the van pulling me over to tell me he thought that my "vehicle is unsafe to be on the road in these conditions"? No.

My response was just "OK, you get a bike trailer out here to take me home, at her majesties cost, and I'll be VERY happy to jump in that van with you." Did he do it?

Saying that, I have been stopped by nice coppers too in the past. So they aint all bad I suppose.

Sounds like the season to be jolly, it's good to hear the good news stories with so many bad ones about.

[northwind]

That's fast work... I'm sure you have an expensive riding career ahead of you

Coppers having discretion actually annoys me, why should it come down to how good a mood the copper's in, or big your bazooms are, or whether you remind him of the guy that's ****ing his daughter and that he'd secretly like to castrate, or just whether or not he likes or dislikes bikers/teenagers/blacks/etc? I know a big part of it is common sense, ie, letting you off for 80 on a motorway, or ticketing you because you were speeding by a small amount but in unsuitable circumstances, but it does irritate sometimes.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Baph

"vehicle is unsafe to be on the road in these conditions.

Need to get those stabilisers put back on!

I'd rather have a copper that I can brown nose than a camera that's already taken my picture.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by northwind

Coppers having discretion actually annoys me,

I love it.
Once in a car I pulled out to overtake without seeing a police car with Blues & Twos on (I hate those pathetic blue lights that are not the proper strobe ones).

I think I was so humble that he let me off once he'd checked my details.

I would rather take my chances with the mood of a policeman than the chance a camera has no film in it.