First LEO contact…
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Posts
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So yesterday morning I decided to take a trip out to some twisty roads going toward Mt Rainier. I figured traffic would be light, and I could just cruise on in, turn around, and take a different route home.
So I get to this DINKY town — I mean, if you blink, you literally will miss it. I’m first thinking to look for a restroom and then I’ll be on my way. Don’t see one, and then quickly realize I’ve run out of town. So I take a highway that heads in a different direction, looking for a place to turn around. I see a WA state patrol up ahead that has some one stopped, and I signal and pull over some 100 yds behind them. I check my options as the pulled-over car takes off, and the LEO turns around and heads toward said dinky town, passing me going the opposite direction. So I’m unfastening my helmet when I see something moving in my rearview mirror. I turn my head and see the patrol car behind me on the side of the road, and he’s out and asking me to take off my helmet, and hand over my license, registration, and proof of insurance. I take the helmet off, then get my license out, then ask if I can move farther off the road to put the side stand down so I can get the reg and insurance card out of my rear cowl. Fine…
So he checks my documents, and then comes back and starts to tell me why he stopped… Seems ALL my turn signals and reflectors (or lack thereof) are illegal. He didn’t even give me a written warning, as he saw that I’d made an attempt to get the bike more visible (his first question was whether I’d bought the bike new). Anyway, I have a Hot Bodies undertail kit (installed by previous owner) to which I’d added LED strips for additional light, and I’d added red reflective tape (which is actually DOT approved, but only for commercial vehicles) to the tail and license plate… Still not good enough. He basically stated that not only do I need to install DOT-legal blinkers, but I’d have to disable or remove the LEDs that I added… Bummer.
Jury is still out on whether I can change them over to steady-state marker lights. But I thought it might be instructive for some one else who lives in a state that has adopted the Federal DOT standards… Here’s pics of my bike in its current configuration… (sorry, they’re big)
Get yourself a cold beverage and read this: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/49cfr571.108.htm
Look at “Table IV–Location of Required Equipment [All Passenger Cars and Motorcycles, and Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles, Trucks, Trailers, and Buses of Less than 80 (2032) Inches (MM) Overall Width]”
You need to understand that a lot of bikes were designed with these “modded tailsections” originally from the factory but they had to alter them for the US market. There’s a reason for that.
The bottom line is that if you want to do modifications to your vehicle that make it straddle the line between what’s street legal and what isn’t, you can’t say that the LEO who ticketedd you for it was a dick (which it’s a good thing you didn’t). You’re asking for it.
Call it a lesson learned.
It’s called revenue generation. Sorry , I have seen a lot worse here. Matter of fact that’s probly one of the more well lit sport bikes I have seen. Barring the tiny strips on the front. However if they are bright enough then it still should not matter. To have two LEO’s on the same strip…. you ran into a “trap” where they are looking for anything to pull ya for. Cage or not.
Yeah my friend that I ride with from time to time has a black r6 with all the reflectors removed and it looks dead sexy, but I do enjoy being visible and legal.
That’s one reason why my bike is bone stock. Stock pipe, stock blinkers, stock lights, hell I didn’t even trim the rear fender/mud guard at all!
Tickets = too expensive.
Ben
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