Pulled Over and actually enjoyed it.

Use the following experience of mine and an example, and odds are, you'll have as pleasant of a pullover as I did.........

I was just pulled over for the first time on my bike just a few minutes ago on my way home by a Sherrif. It was on a two lane road, and I was about a mile and a half away from any cars doing about 50-ish in a 35. I saw the lights off in the distance behind me and and immediately knew it was for me. I didn't even get the slightest urge to run (that would be retarded.) I immediately slowed down, put on the signal and turned into a bank parking lot. By this time, the cop was a few car lengths behind me. I stopped, turned off the bike, took the keys out (in a way that he could see that I took them out) and sat them on the back seat. I slowly got off the bike, took off my gloves and helmet and set them on the tank and waited for him.

He got out of his car, and the following happened........

Officer - "How you doing?"
Me - "Good."
Officer - "You know why I pulled you over, right?"
Me - "Yes sir, about 10-over".
Officer (smiling) - "Well, a little more than that. Do you have your license with you?"
Me - "Yes sir, do you need my registration and insurance.?"
Officer - "No thanks, just need to check for your endorsement."
Me - "Sure thing." - Handed him the license.
Officer - "Just sit tight for a minute so I can check for any warrants."
Me - "No problem, take your time."

.......two minutes later..........

Officer - "Okay, nobody wants you, here you go." - Handing me my license back. "Ride safe, and have a good night."
Me - "Will do, thanks."

That's it guys. I have to say that it was actually a pleasant pullover. Be friendly, courteous and polite to the officer and he (should) be the same way back. I know that I'm blessed with having great police officers here in Las Cruces, NM (never have had a bad run in with a officer before.....and I've been pulled a few times before - in my car.) But I'm sure this will work in other places too.

I will suggest one thing though. (heard this from my friends dad who is also an officer) Taking off your helmet before an officer gets out of their car helps to relive/eliminate tension. Walking up to a stranger in a helmet is a little tense and feels awkward to those unfamiliar with bikes or that aren't around them as often as we are. When people see your face exposed, you seem more approachable, therefore there's no tension between the rider and the officer. This way it keeps everyone calm and relaxed.

I was speeding though, I'll admit that, but didn't get a ticket (which I'm grateful for.) If I did get a ticket, I would be bummed, but at myself. I even remember thinking as I saw the lights behind me "Damn, look what I got myself into."

Just wanted to share my little experience and a little tip that I remember hearing from an officer.

Ride safe guys.

Yea, they can be really cool at timies. I'v had experiences like this before also. Puts a big smile on your face the rest of the day. Good tip abotu the helmet though, never woulda thought about that.

I like to hear stories like that.  The helmet thing is new to me as well.  About two and a half years ago I was pulled over on my Katana doing 91 in a 65.  Thats 26 over and is considered reckless driving.  I was very polite to the officer as he was to me.  Got a ticket for speeding and not one for reckless driving, which could have cost me my license, and I was able to go to driving school instead of paying the ticket and nothing on my record and no insurance increases.  But what really surprised me was that the officer seemed to be more concerned about my safety than the fact that I had broken a traffic law. 

I've never been pulled over anywhere except the crap town of Sussex with the mean old oinkers. =/ Police everywhere else are normal people I guess.

Turning the bike off and taking the helmet off are good ideas but police prefer you to stay on the bike with the kickstand up. With the bike off they know you're not going anywhere and they feel safer with you on the bike at a disadvantage.
 
Btw-I got 2 more weeks in the academy then I'll be on the street. It's been a long 20 weeks.

quote:

ORIGINAL: wickedhx

Turning the bike off and taking the helmet off are good ideas but police prefer you to stay on the bike with the kickstand up. With the bike off they know you're not going anywhere and they feel safer with you on the bike at a disadvantage.

Btw-I got 2 more weeks in the academy then I'll be on the street. It's been a long 20 weeks.

 
In my four years, we wanted you off the bike everytime.  Where are you from?

I don't think getting pulled over any time is a "pleasant" experience, but it's better when you don't get a ticket. Just remember that sherriff has you in his memory and he might not be so merciful next time.
I think cops would rather you get off the bike when they stop you. The first time I got pulled over I turned off the bike, but stayed on with my helmet on. The officer gave me instructions to get off the bike and remove my helmet. The second time I got pulled over I automatically did this, and I didn't get any flak for it. Just make sure you don't make any suspicious moves, and keep your hands in plain sight and out of your pockets 'til he asks for your license. Better yet, don't do anything to get pulled over and you won't have to worry about it.

Good stuff Blue Fox. I have never been pulled on my bike, but it will happen im sure. When it does i hope it goes something like that. I know i'll pull over asap and take off the helmet and remove my keys. I think it you try to be respectful to the officer and show him that you are no threat, your life will be much easier. You admit to him you knew you were wrong, and offered up all your driving info (insurance, registration, etc), pretty much putting yourself at his mercy.

Had you acted differently im sure you would have gotten a speeding citation !

As pleasant as you may EVER be, sometimes the cop already has decided you are getting a ticket LONG before you even stop. I ALWAYS stay respectful (I'm too aware to not know the cop is pulling me over) and will pull over before the cop even catches up to me (in the car or on the bike). I speak with respect and even sometimes try to make them laugh. Only been pulled over once on the bike...and the cop wrote me a ticket (speeding 77 in a 45). I didn't take my helmet or gloves off or take the key out either. Would that have "helped" me get out of that ticket, I doubt it. But my method has let me out of SEVERAL tickets (I'd say at least a dozen). On the flip side though, I've been written SEVERAL dozen tickets.

I was talking to an officer down in Florida last week (business trip) and I got to telling him about my bike.  Well luckily for him, he had a bike too so he was cool about it. 
 
Anyways, he straight up told me that when bikes run from cops on the interstate it's policy to stop pursuit within 20 seconds if they don't look like they will cooperate.  Now on the flipside of that, whenever a sportbike does get pulled over for ANYTHING they hand you a ticket. Period...so you fellas better be careful! 
 
Don't expect any warnings, Foxxy you're lucky as hell you got off so easy.  I got pulled over the other day doing 15 over and the officer didn't want to talk to me or anything, took my license and insurance and wrote me a ticket from his car.  He didn't even want to stand next to me for some reason. 

Thanks for the helmet tip.

Ya, whether or not you get a ticket seems to have more to do with who is pulling you over then what you are doing wrong...

quote:

ORIGINAL: WoodyRR

As pleasant as you may EVER be, sometimes the cop already has decided you are getting a ticket LONG before you even stop. I ALWAYS stay respectful (I'm too aware to not know the cop is pulling me over) and will pull over before the cop even catches up to me (in the car or on the bike). I speak with respect and even sometimes try to make them laugh. Only been pulled over once on the bike...and the cop wrote me a ticket (speeding 77 in a 45). I didn't take my helmet or gloves off or take the key out either. Would that have "helped" me get out of that ticket, I doubt it. But my method has let me out of SEVERAL tickets (I'd say at least a dozen). On the flip side though, I've been written SEVERAL dozen tickets.

haha. I do the same thing. If i know i f***ed up in front of a cop in the first place it was my fault, i just pull over before they even get to me !

Kinda funny story happened once. Big wreck on the interstate and i was heading back to college from a break. Traffic was bumper to bumper at a stand still for about 2 hours. I was stopped right at the off ramp, about 10 feet past it. Well i was tired of waiting, saw a cop parked at the bottom of the ramp and didn't think anything of it. I get in my car, back up about one car legth, go do the ramp and bam i get a ticket. Wrong way on the interstate, i thought to myself you gotta be f***ing kidding me. After she wrote me the ticket she wrote me out some detailed directions to skip down a few exits and get back on the interstate... some people....

granted i've never been pulled over on my bike. but i would have assumed that it would be best to stay on and suited up....just to turn the bike OFF. i can see where that would look good AND bad. if you stay on and suited up w/ the bike off and keep you're hands on your hips, or tank.....somewhere in plain view so they can see you arent moving for anything. but at the same time you look like you may be ready to take off again if you stay suited up, unless you place the key on the rear seat, and to Bluefox....that was one great idea i'll keep in the event i ever DO get pulled over.
 
but i feel also that if you are dismounting the bike infront of the officer, you could appear that you want to take off. as someone said somewhere above, you are at somewhat of a disadvantage ON the bike (if you were to for some insane reason, attack the officer).
 
just my 2 cents. not trying to spark any interenet arguements, lol. since its been going on enough on here lately. i feel the above IS usefull info in the event it ever DOES happen to anyone though.

pull over, turn off bike, take off helmet, stay on the bike , keep hands on the tank and you'll be fine

not to thread jack........but once again we are on the cop topic. it is very annoying that sportbikes have that bad reputation. i have not been riding very long, only have 2,500 on my first bike......but i notice that whenever i do see a cop, i get quite the shitty look, hard stares, and its because of the stereotype that "we" have i guess. i never knew about it before, lol. but now that i have a bike, i can see it. and i just saturday took a 2.5hr trip to a neighboring state and along the way cops were running radar. i was doing maybe 5 or 10 over and didnt get pulled over. but i was extremely nervous of it as i passed. i'll note that i LIVE IN MD. so the other two arguing threads going on in "off topic" right now had me nervous. i mean......if you're doing 5-10 over in you're car right next to me and im doing the same on my bike.......i felt i was going to get popped for speeding, not the car. and i felt that way all b/c of what just happened here in DC on the beltway. as if the guy that caused the havok on the beltway was me b/c im a fellow sportbike rider. i just see now what people on here complain and bitch about so often as far as being stereotyped. its a pain in the ass. i have not been pulled over yet, rarely speed. but i W/O A DOUBT get shitty looks and hard stares.

I usually go 5-10 over whenever I'm riding on my bike. I've never had a problem with the police although everytime I see one I get nervous cause getting pulled over would suck since I'm still on a permit.

shitty looks and hard stares from the cops, and all the ladies drop thier jaws even when they are right next to thier significant other.... than again i ran a red light ( bcuz the light wouldnt change for me and there was no cross traffic ) with a cop in the parking lot who was to busy writing a report or something to even look my way even though i know he heard me bcuz his window was down and i have full akro...

i just got pulled over for the 1st time on my bike a few nights ago, i was riding with a few buddies back from hooters, and we were all by ourselves on this really nice strech of road popping wheelies and what not.  i was at the front of the pack and i popped a nice lil wheelie (about 35 mph in a speed limit of 45). and alla  sudden a cop was parked on the oppisite side of the road back in some parking lot... to be honest i thought about running but a few blocks ahead where some nasty train tracks, and at 120 or however fast i would have been up to by than...they would not have been looking to good. plus, all i would be running from was one ticket so i pulled of the main street and turned my bike of just like ya said ( making sure he could see me do it). he came up to me being an asshole and said "why would you do that, why?" with a mean tone, and i just camly said whilie taking of my helmet. "becasue it was fun." right when i said that and his entire demeanor changed, he became very laid back. and asked me if i would rather have a lecture or a ticket, and i said "i would love a lecture", turns out the guy rides too. He said the only reason i didnt get a ticket was because i could have ran and got away from him easily and i was polite. And i just smilied and said, yah i sure could have gotten away but if i dumped the bike it would not have been worth it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jaynd

......but i notice that whenever i do see a cop, i get quite the shitty look, hard stares, and its because of the stereotype that "we" have i guess. i never knew about it before, lol. but now that i have a bike, i can see it.

I've noticed these stare-down too, but here is some food-for-thought.........

How would we notice that a police officer is staring us down if we weren't staring right back at them?

......And if we were in the cops shoes, noticing a group of motorcyclists staring us down, wouldn't we stare right back?

Makes you think a little.

lol good point blue

i had a bike cop pull up next to me on my way to work the other morning. look over @ him, he looks at me and i say "nice bike, those thing smust be comfortable" he smiles and said " yea im on it all day it better be" then he said something that shocked me " i got a 929 sitting at home" he told me to becareful and dont let him catch me pullin any wheelies . i agreed and rode off , one of the nicest bike cops i have ever met.

yes sir, no sir usually works for me.

Ever think that maybe, not always, the cop staring you down is actually checking out your bike and seeing if you got any mods done to it.  I do this all the time. 
 I've pulled up next to many sport bikes at traffic lights, in traffic , etc and given a compliment and many times left the rider sitting there speechless.  I guess all cops have to be a$$holes and the ones that aren't must be defective or something  lol.
Me personally I've stopped out with sportbikes on the side of the road, on a beach access, or in a parking lot before many times.  At first they always think the worst and one will finally come up to ask me if everything is ok and when I tell them I got a cbr at the house and just wanted to check out the motorcycles the whole groub breaths a sigh or relief and we generally chat for a few.
I know a lot of cops that ride motorcycles in thier off time work out of cruisers, so I guess you never know who's looking at you  lol.

its funny you said that rtb i had a cop following me yesterday and im like ah what ever keeped going he pulls up next to me i look over and he rolls his window down and yells out to me " hey nice bike". i think people forget that officers are peoples family freinds and they ride motorcycles to or are bound to know someone who does.

me i have never been pulled over but my msf instructor was a ex-police officer and he told me to take your helemt off and keys and set them on the ground next to the bike an leave your hand clearly visible at all times.
 
hey guys ride smart and be safe out there. running just to get out of a ticket isnt worth your life or any one elses

blue fox...you're so full of crap...
you know it didn't happen like that...you know you got away with no ticket because he took you behind the alley and did some "child predator" stuff to you! admit it!
 
muhahahahha...
 
you know...back in the day...like 3 years ago...i blasted through a bunch of cars who were busy trying to kill each other to get to a safe opening on the highway...and a CHP who was roadside giving out tickets actually chased me down...yes i was going very fast but i had to get out of there...
 
he was oohhhh sooo mean...and screamed and yelled at me, blah blah blah...took my license, ran it (clean record baby...)...then came back and said be careful with your riding...
 
in retrospect...was he yelling cause he was mad at me or was he yelling cause we both couldn't hear crap on in the carpool shoulder? IDK...