iRoNyX
Junior Member
So... I Almost Lost My License On Saturday...
Hey all,
I thought I'd share a story with you...
Last Saturday was terrific weather here in Calgary, Alberta... Sunny, about 25 C and not a cloud in the sky for 100 miles in any direction... So of course I got out on the bike. I initially decided to do a quick run to Canmore (a nearby town) and back via a twisty secondary highway: the 1A... However, I was having so much fun that once I got to Canmore I decided to continue into the mountains via the 40.
As a result, I ended up riding 4 hours and 450km... It was an amazing day with little traffic, lots of scenery, no wildlife sightings, and great twisty roads... I was really getting into it and flying at about 150km/h.
I took one break on my trip for a stretch and some photos:
View attachment 21717 View attachment 21718 View attachment 21719 View attachment 21720 View attachment 21721
I continued on my way after this short rest / leg stretch, again really getting into it and going about 150km/h...
I was about 10km out of Longview, a town at the "end" of the 40 route, when I went over a hill that I couldn't see ahead of... And what did I fly by but an Alberta Sheriff driving a nice shiny new white police charger...
I hit the brakes and came down to about 120km/h while looking in my rear to see what he was going to do... Sure enough he starts to pull a U-turn, but hasn't lit up the lights yet... I know he's after me, and I'm not dumb, so I instantly pull over, turn off the bike, and start to take off my helmet. Meanwhile, he completes the U-turn, flips on the lights, and pulls up behind me. By the time he gets out of his car I have my helmet off and license, registration, and proof of insurance in hand for him:
View attachment 21722 View attachment 21723 View attachment 21724
The Alberta Sheriffs are a specialized traffic enforcement unit... Their mandate is to issue tickets for traffic infractions on highways. They do NOT give warnings and all the folks around here know that if you get pulled over by them, you're getting a ticket. With this in mind, I tried to make it as "easy" as possible for him to cut me some slack, since he busted me at 55 over the limit and anything over 50 is an automatic license suspension, vehicle tow, 1200 dollar fine, and court date.
He gets out of his car, and doesn't even bother to ask me why I was pulled over... He TELLS me, angrily, that he pulled me over for speeding, and that I was going 155 in a 100 zone. I tell him "yeah that sounds about right." He asks me where I was in a rush to go and I said "anywhere - I love to ride." He asks me why I was going that fast and I said "it's a motorcycle man, they're not built for comfort." I realize these are dick answers, but read between the lines and see that I'm matching his A-type personality with mine and not giving him any BS.
He takes all my paperwork and asks me if I drive a car, I reply yes. He then asks me what I do for a living, I tell him. He then asks if I need my car for work, and this is when I suddenly realize that losing my license is imminent. I kind of choke out "I need my car, yeah." Now I'm worried.
He continues to lecture me about how I'm going to get myself killed, blah blah blah, usual cop stuff. He berates me for "risking my license on a joyride" and "how could I be so senseless" and so on... I tell him straight up that I know I was speeding, I didn't have a good reason, I wasn't endangering ANYONE except myself as I'm a careful rider, and I am not gonna waste his time with BS or lies.
He pauses here, takes off his sunglasses, looks me straight in the eyes, and says "Well... I dunno what I'm gonna do here yet... I can take your license and tow your bike, and to be honest I want to. On the other hand, you didn't make me chase you, you pulled over before I even flipped the lights because you knew what you did, you had your documentation ready for me, and you're not bullsh*tting me... That goes a LONG way with me." This is when I start to feel a little more hopeful about the idea of keeping my license. He says "wait here" and goes back to his car.
I stand around for a while and wave and gesture (double thumbs up, "Atlas" poses, etc.) to all the cars passing by who have slowed down to gawk at the "stupid motorcyclist who got pulled over" - I figure if you're gonna be a spectacle, you may as well put on a show. I had a good laugh.
The cop motions me over to his car and tells me to get in the passenger side... I'm thinking "oh great, this is my ride home without a license or bike." Instead he shows me his radar, locked in at 155 and says "see that? That's you. I have it locked in. I took a picture. So here's what is going to happen. I'm going to cut you a $351 ticket for exactly 50 over, and you're going to pay the fine. If you take me to court, I will admit that I cut you a deal, and will present this evidence to the judge who will then suspend your license and fine you, heavily. So you're gonna pay this ticket or your ass is mine. That's the deal. Keep your license and pay the fine, or go to court and see how you do. Understand me?"
I reply: "Yes sir, sir. I will pay this tomorrow, sir. Thank-you, sir."
He then says "look, I know bikes are fun. I like riding them too... But I do it at work, where I'm allowed to speed!" I thought that was kind of a dick move on his part; to rub in the fact that he feels "above the law" - get bent.
Anyway, I thanked him repeatedly, tucked the ticket in my jacket, got my stuff back on, and carried on my merry way - this time only going 15 over.
Here's what I learned:
Should you speed? That's up to you. Some do, some don't, I typically do 10-15 over. In reality, it's a personal choice that involves many factors, and only you know what consequences you're willing to live with as a result of speeding... This was my first ticket in 4 years and I knowingly decided to haul ass on the mostly empty roads that day.
HOWEVER, NEVER RIDE AT A SPEED THAT WILL COST YOU YOUR LICENSE IF YOU GET CAUGHT. You have NO idea how close I was to basically destroying my career, life, and future in general. My entire life hinged on this cop's sympathy, and I got INSANELY lucky - Sheriffs by policy DO NOT cut deals.
Take from this what you will, all I can say is I'm going back to the 10-20 over the limit speeding. That was a good and relatively inexpensive lesson for me. Damn.
-Dave
Hey all,
I thought I'd share a story with you...
Last Saturday was terrific weather here in Calgary, Alberta... Sunny, about 25 C and not a cloud in the sky for 100 miles in any direction... So of course I got out on the bike. I initially decided to do a quick run to Canmore (a nearby town) and back via a twisty secondary highway: the 1A... However, I was having so much fun that once I got to Canmore I decided to continue into the mountains via the 40.
As a result, I ended up riding 4 hours and 450km... It was an amazing day with little traffic, lots of scenery, no wildlife sightings, and great twisty roads... I was really getting into it and flying at about 150km/h.
I took one break on my trip for a stretch and some photos:
View attachment 21717 View attachment 21718 View attachment 21719 View attachment 21720 View attachment 21721
I continued on my way after this short rest / leg stretch, again really getting into it and going about 150km/h...
I was about 10km out of Longview, a town at the "end" of the 40 route, when I went over a hill that I couldn't see ahead of... And what did I fly by but an Alberta Sheriff driving a nice shiny new white police charger...
I hit the brakes and came down to about 120km/h while looking in my rear to see what he was going to do... Sure enough he starts to pull a U-turn, but hasn't lit up the lights yet... I know he's after me, and I'm not dumb, so I instantly pull over, turn off the bike, and start to take off my helmet. Meanwhile, he completes the U-turn, flips on the lights, and pulls up behind me. By the time he gets out of his car I have my helmet off and license, registration, and proof of insurance in hand for him:
View attachment 21722 View attachment 21723 View attachment 21724
The Alberta Sheriffs are a specialized traffic enforcement unit... Their mandate is to issue tickets for traffic infractions on highways. They do NOT give warnings and all the folks around here know that if you get pulled over by them, you're getting a ticket. With this in mind, I tried to make it as "easy" as possible for him to cut me some slack, since he busted me at 55 over the limit and anything over 50 is an automatic license suspension, vehicle tow, 1200 dollar fine, and court date.
He gets out of his car, and doesn't even bother to ask me why I was pulled over... He TELLS me, angrily, that he pulled me over for speeding, and that I was going 155 in a 100 zone. I tell him "yeah that sounds about right." He asks me where I was in a rush to go and I said "anywhere - I love to ride." He asks me why I was going that fast and I said "it's a motorcycle man, they're not built for comfort." I realize these are dick answers, but read between the lines and see that I'm matching his A-type personality with mine and not giving him any BS.
He takes all my paperwork and asks me if I drive a car, I reply yes. He then asks me what I do for a living, I tell him. He then asks if I need my car for work, and this is when I suddenly realize that losing my license is imminent. I kind of choke out "I need my car, yeah." Now I'm worried.
He continues to lecture me about how I'm going to get myself killed, blah blah blah, usual cop stuff. He berates me for "risking my license on a joyride" and "how could I be so senseless" and so on... I tell him straight up that I know I was speeding, I didn't have a good reason, I wasn't endangering ANYONE except myself as I'm a careful rider, and I am not gonna waste his time with BS or lies.
He pauses here, takes off his sunglasses, looks me straight in the eyes, and says "Well... I dunno what I'm gonna do here yet... I can take your license and tow your bike, and to be honest I want to. On the other hand, you didn't make me chase you, you pulled over before I even flipped the lights because you knew what you did, you had your documentation ready for me, and you're not bullsh*tting me... That goes a LONG way with me." This is when I start to feel a little more hopeful about the idea of keeping my license. He says "wait here" and goes back to his car.
I stand around for a while and wave and gesture (double thumbs up, "Atlas" poses, etc.) to all the cars passing by who have slowed down to gawk at the "stupid motorcyclist who got pulled over" - I figure if you're gonna be a spectacle, you may as well put on a show. I had a good laugh.
The cop motions me over to his car and tells me to get in the passenger side... I'm thinking "oh great, this is my ride home without a license or bike." Instead he shows me his radar, locked in at 155 and says "see that? That's you. I have it locked in. I took a picture. So here's what is going to happen. I'm going to cut you a $351 ticket for exactly 50 over, and you're going to pay the fine. If you take me to court, I will admit that I cut you a deal, and will present this evidence to the judge who will then suspend your license and fine you, heavily. So you're gonna pay this ticket or your ass is mine. That's the deal. Keep your license and pay the fine, or go to court and see how you do. Understand me?"
I reply: "Yes sir, sir. I will pay this tomorrow, sir. Thank-you, sir."
He then says "look, I know bikes are fun. I like riding them too... But I do it at work, where I'm allowed to speed!" I thought that was kind of a dick move on his part; to rub in the fact that he feels "above the law" - get bent.
Anyway, I thanked him repeatedly, tucked the ticket in my jacket, got my stuff back on, and carried on my merry way - this time only going 15 over.
Here's what I learned:
Should you speed? That's up to you. Some do, some don't, I typically do 10-15 over. In reality, it's a personal choice that involves many factors, and only you know what consequences you're willing to live with as a result of speeding... This was my first ticket in 4 years and I knowingly decided to haul ass on the mostly empty roads that day.
HOWEVER, NEVER RIDE AT A SPEED THAT WILL COST YOU YOUR LICENSE IF YOU GET CAUGHT. You have NO idea how close I was to basically destroying my career, life, and future in general. My entire life hinged on this cop's sympathy, and I got INSANELY lucky - Sheriffs by policy DO NOT cut deals.
Take from this what you will, all I can say is I'm going back to the 10-20 over the limit speeding. That was a good and relatively inexpensive lesson for me. Damn.
-Dave
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