Fugged with two riders...

[BulletTrain]

Was rollin' past a gas station and saw an R1 and a ZX9 at the pumps fillin' up. I whipped in and pulled up to them pretty swiftly with this serious look on my face. They had that, "Ahhhh Hell, what's he gonna fug with us about?" looks on their faces. They started takin' off their helmets and lookin' all smug. I rolled the window down and said, "Ya'll know you can't ride those today, right?"

They looked at me like WTF?

I said, "Dammit, if I've got to work and can't ride then ya'll can't either!" and grinned. Both of them got these obvoius looks of relief as they figured out that I was just fuggin' with 'em and havin' fun and they cracked up laughin'.

We talked a little bit about bikes and ridin' and they left out headed to Birmingham to watch the bike races. My ass went back to work, rollin' the streets.

I did give 'em my business card and tell 'em to holler at me sometime and maybe we could ride somewhere together.

Folks, I know that some popo fug with sport riders for fun. I'm not talkin' about fuggin' with 'em "in fun" like I did today. I
m talkin' about the cops that get personal satisfaction from catchin' and hookin' up sport riders. Some that I work with actually see me differently now that I have a "crotch rocket". The thing is, MOST of them really don't give a crap either way and then there are those of us who ride just like you. I gotta say, though that based on my experience on both sides since buyin' the busa, there are more cop haters on bikes than bike haters in cop cars. At least around where I work/live.

I try to wave at every sport rider I see on the road when I'm workin'. You know, as a good will gesture. I try to make 'em realize that not every cop that you meet is sizin' you up for a stop. Some of us just like checkin' out yer sweet bike. The thing is, maybe... MAYBE 1 out of 50 sport riders will actually wave back. Most either act like they don't even see me and totally ignore me, or they just watch to see if I'm turnin' around on 'em. Not even return as much as a fuggin' nod in response to my wave/two finger salute. WTF?

All I can say is no wonder some cops enjoy writin' sport riders if they get the same treatment I do from 'em. Hell, the Hardley guys just about fall off their mounts to wave at the popo. The snob job I get doesn't make me want to write tickets or stop sport riders, but it is sorta aggravatin'.

I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this. Do you wave at the popo when you see 'em? More specifically, if a popo waved at you would you wave back? If not, then please explain to me why not. I'd really like to know what these guys are thinkin' when the popo waves or "salutes" instead of fuggin' with 'em and they won't even acknowledge the gesture. Puzzles the shid outta me!

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[BigDawg_03Busa]

Honestly Bullet, it may be that some have been harrassed before and aren't sure if you're waving or scolding.  Personally I'll wave at anyone that throughs up a hand or paw (kids, dogs, puppies, cats, harleys, sportbikes, scooters, mopeds...guess that's it...oh yeah 10-speed & mountain bikes also).  I've gotten more discrestion about speaking to harley riders though.  Their hands don't go up, my hand doesn't go up.  But as for cops, man I had a nice convo with 4 officers at a license check one morning.  One asked me if I'd take him for a ride and I laughed and told him "It's against the rules for me to ride another dude on my bike, but I'd be happy to let him take it for a spin"  They got a little trip out of that.  Guess there are some bung holes in all arenas including sport bikes ya know.



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[Charlesbusa]

Sorry bullet, but experiences riders have with cops are always negative. For example-cops don't pull you over to say,"Good job on not speeding". They pull you over to give you a ticket. If you waved at me, I would probably think your telling me to slow down or something.
Personally I have run into more corrupt/a$$hole cops than good cops just keeping the peace. Probably because the good cops don't mess with you. But that doesn't change my experience dealing with the police.

Don't get frustrated though, if more cops had your attitude. More bikers would have a better attitude. Just remember, all that happens to you it is a wave not returned. To bikers its harrasment, undeserved tickets, or worse.

 

[vincent]

The last time a cop waved at me and I waved back, he ended up turning around and throwing the lights on. Once I pull over he drummed up some BS about me speeding and tailgating all at sometime. Then said that I was being a smartass by waving to him when he pointed at me saying that I knew he wanted me to stop.
Sometimes its easier to just keep to yourself and go wherever it is your going

 

[sageronin]

BT ... the first part of your post had me ROTFL for real

As for waving ... I wave at all bikers including the patrol bikes. I've never seen an officer in a cage wave at me or acknowledge me while on my bike ... not in uniform anyway. Lot's of civilian cagers do give me a wave or a thumbs up and even yield to let me by and get a better look at my bike I'm sure. I ride back and forth to work as often as possible and on any given day on that 110 mile round trip I'll see 5 or 6 officers. Once on a particular hot day in stop & go rush traffic ... I tried to get the officer's attention as he was in the next lane to me. I was going to ask him if I could ride on the shoulder as my temp gauge was rising, but he actually ignored me !
Anyway ... bottom line for me, I've had more good experiences than bad experiences with police officers and I'll definitely return a wave!!

 

[flyboy]

I always wave back at the popo. I know a few popos around here and they are all nice guys. I also work with some of them from time to time. Just don't disrespect them and every thing will be fine.

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[grabntwist]

Not sure, about why people don't wave back. I ride with several local and state police officers that I'm friends with. I'll have to ask them. I acknolegde popo in my town because I know many of em'. Otherwise I'm going wayyyyy to fast and need to make that quick exit of the road I'm on errrrr............ uh..... that is before I see any lights

 

[rob t]

your in a freegin cop car. you are the last thing i want to see on a ride. lmaoyou are no longer bullettrain you are now a cop in a cruiser .with ballbusting powers

 

[monsterspeedfreak]

Hey Bullet......I never wave at popo, cuz they never wave at me.....even if they did, I'd probably think I was gettin pulled over or somethin.
Last Sunday, I was out ridin:
Turned on to a side street not far from my house, accelerated up to about 50mph and without warning at all.....a cop pulls out from a cross street right into my path.......had to get on the binders so hard that I thought I was gonna either go over, or hit him......shoulda seen the oh shid look on his face....priceless.....then he flicks on his siren and speeds away..........man that ticked me off.......if he had a pulled out 1 second later, that woulda been it for me.....at least he coulda stopped before flyin into the middle of the road....oh well...that's over.
Another reason I wouldn't wave is cuz yer the only popo I've ever talked to who doesn't treat me like poop......every time I've been pulled over, I get the f'n once over like you wouldn't believe, and I'm always nice to them.
Anyways......if it was you I'd wave for sure Train....any other....no chance!!!

 

[scottybusa]

Train.............I'd wave...........hell, up until a couple years ago, I'd get about 1 speeding ticket a year........about 10 to 20 mph over the limit. I don't drive any slower, but seem to have gotten lucky. I'm the nicest guy you'll ever pull over....never try to get out of it.......just take my lumps and go on with life. Shake the officers hand when he's done doing his duty and try to drive slower.(seldom works!!) Since I've been riding, I haven't seen too many popo's, but would wave if one ever waved at me!!! (I've known quite a few popo's who drive fast like I do.......great guys.......wave away!!!)

 

[Busa-Chris]

Hey Bullet, I wave...cause I have done remodels on so many of their homes...they know me and my busa,,,but I have only stoped once in my life...and the two officers had me sit on a curb while try'n to pick-up on my girlfriend...haa haa..all in all though, I get along with almost everyone..there are alot of cops that race on track !! VERY FAST..almost MY SPEED

 

[VaBusa]

I always wave with that kind of "sh*t, glad I slowed down and you didn't catch me speeding" stare...sort of gratifying!

Michelle's thinking "ha! You didn't catch me AGAIN!"

Really, I do wave to cops if they wave to me...we have a lot around here with chips the size of Montana on their shoulders, so I don't just offer up a wave for the hell of it...I see several offer up a wave when I pass while riding the Busa or in the Stang...I always wave back at them...

 

[mctrull]

I usually wave at the cops that I see doing something like helping someone, got put on sh*t detail(just to let them know they are still appreciated), or if it looks like they are having a bad day. I have never had one wave at me on the bike but, if they did I would wave back. I try to treat them like everyone else in traffic but, I do look for them when I am speeding.

 

[BulletTrain]

Some interesting replies. Would explain why there are so many cop haters on sport bikes. I guess it also explains why very few local riders care to ride with me... That's funny though because I don't carry my ticket book on the busa.

Thanks for the honest replies. Not what I hoped to hear, but sometimes the truth is a nasty thing. I'd rather hear it straight than not hearin' it at all. At least now I can understand why they may not wave back.

FWIW, I'm sure it's different in different areas but lately (past week or so I guess) I have purposefully been wavin' at everybody I meet on two lane roads just to see what their reaction was. I wondered if maybe everybody in this area except for the Hardley crowd disliked the popo. I gotta say that it is predominately the sport ridin' crowd that won't return the wave.

Next in line behind us are the "soccer moms". You know, the late 20 something, early 30 something chicks with two or three li'l young'uns in the SUV runnin' at least 15 mph over every time you meet 'em. Hell, they don't wave because they ain't payin' enough attention to see me wave. I'm 100% convinced that they pay just enough attention to the road and their drivin' to keep it between the lane indicator lines most (!?!) of the time.

I can't believe that sport riders would want to be classified as bein' worse at ANYTHING than soccer moms! Hehehehehe...

Actually, in sport riders' favor, of all the ones I actually get to talk to at stores and in parking lots like I did the two I told about in the original post here, so far they ALL eased up and were cool once they knew I'm a rider, too, and that I wasn't there to fug with 'em. The soccer moms? Well, on the few occasions that I subject myself to the mental anguish of actually dealin' with them, believe it or not they usually want to just beeyotch about someone else's driving!

They were either just cut off in traffic and I should go arrest whoever cut them off, or someone was speedin' and I need to go catch them.

Oh, or they had to wait two minutes to pull out from an intersection somewhere so I should be standin' in the road there directin' traffic so soccer moms don't have to sit and wait like everyone else does. All the fug they have to do all day is haul them fuggin' young'uns to (pre)school and pick 'em up and it pisses them off to no end to have to wait for traffic to pass when they leave the friggin' school!!! I'm sure all of our jobs require us to do one thing that just goes against our very nature. For me, it's havin' to interrupt the flow of traffic and inconvenience the guys and gals obviously on the way to their JOBS just so a soccer mom doesn't have to wait for a break in traffic! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!  

Ok, I'll stop now, but obviously me and Rev are on the same page with these fuggin' beeyotchs!

Again, thanks for the insight into the thoughts these riders must be havin' when they see me rollin'.

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[BulletTrain]

Here's another upbeat story just to avoid this thread turnin' into a negative thing. Wasn't meant to be negative at all, just tryin' to get some insight.

Yesterday I run up on a snake in the road. I stop my cruiser in the lane and get out to see what kind it is and get it out of the road. Ok, I'm not a "snake guy" as in ownin' 'em and playin' with 'em, but at the same time I will move them off into the woods instead of leavin' 'em in the road to get ran over. Anyway, it was just a rat snake. I get a stick and am pickin' him up to move him off in the trees when a car comes up behind the cruiser. It was a girl, maybe in her 20's. She had this look on her face like, "WTF is he doin'?" With the hand that wasn't totin' the snake I waived her around the cruiser. It was right about then that she saw what I was totin'.

Remember in the cartoons when they get scared suddenly how their eyes jump out about 6 inches from the sockets and their jaw hits the floor? Well, that's what she done. I busted out laughin'. She stops, rolls down her passenger window (after I got rid of the snake of course) and says, "Were you just playin' with a snake?!?" I grinned and said, "Nah, just movin' it out of the road so it doesn't get hit. Did you want the snake? I can probably still catch it for ya." She just laughed and said, "Ummmm, no thanks, I think I'll pass." If she'd been in an SUV I'd prolly have gotten complained on.

 

[mctrull]

Too funny, LOL!

 

[S7R4NGER]

Nice stories, BT!
I usually don't pay attention to cages. I usually don't wave back to them, because when the order to wave back reaches my brain, I am far, far away

I do thank them however, when they let me pass...
As for cops, I avoid staring at them. When they are on 2 wheels, I nod. That's it!

 

[Mikey D]

Good topic Bullet.

I nod to the Popo, tho I'm prolly the only one. I've also gotten many tickets (My last one comes off in November! Wahoo!) so as little contact with them as possible is what I desire. I've only had one LEO be an azzhole ot me.

Pulled me over, kept me waitin & gave me a stub for display of speed. I asked him if my wheel broke loose or the front lifted, he said no he just heard me go by. (I startled him as he was doing paper work) I went to fight the ticket but he never showed up.

Ah well.

I'm as friendly to the LEO's as I can possibly be. I don't think I could carry out the experiment by waving, as I am worried enough about being pulled over.

But Chris, If I ever see you out here in your LEO suit, I'm not only gonna wave, I'm taking you out for dinner!

 

[BigBSBusa]

Don't be so mean, BT!

 

[BulletTrain]

But Chris, If I ever see you out here in your LEO suit, I'm not only gonna wave, I'm taking you out for dinner!

Yeah, what are the chances of THAT, huh?