When the cager is a policeman

[Lil Buddy]

I have 80 miles on my scoot and 50% of them were because of the first day of the MSF practice.

So you have been on the road for 40 miles? Maybe the cop was not as close to you as you think. When I first started riding, I though everybody was riding my tail, then I realized that the mirrors just made it look like they were closer then they really were. They were no closer then they would have been if I were in a cage.

Either way, it made you feel uncomfortable. Give it some time, go to your MSF class and your comfort level will come up. In the end, nothing happend....... just move on and keep riding.

[walky08]

Walky08 I think you just let your nerves and inexperience get the best of you.I live and work in Simi Valley and ride my scooter daily.I also am fairly new to riding and have gotten a case of the jitters a few times.What I have learned is relax and enjoy the ride.Simi police have never given me a problem nor have i ever felt like I was being followed because they happen to be driving on the same road, usually I get a nod and a smile.Lighten up and you will get alot more pleasure out of you buddy isnt that what you bought it for?

BTW Patty, I have never seen an International in town. Hope to see it one of these days!

I have had a lot of glances, claps from children in my neighborhood, thumbs up from fellow women riders and nods from male Bikers. It is awesome when this happens and I enjoy acknowledgements. Life is beautiful. let us not dwell on this anymore and hope for the best in all of us.

[digital-entropy]

Not my WORDS! It is a quote from somewhere in the newspaper.

With all due respect, if you can't reasonably cite the quote, don't claim to have read it at all. Especially with the type of claim you are intimating.

-----

I read on a forum somewhere that cops love to tail scooterists for no reason -- confirm / deny.

[cadillaczac]

I too ride in Simi almost every weekend (for those who do not know Patty is my mother) and so does my girlfriend (Tricia) and my stepdad. I'll be the first to tell you, if a cop was after a scooterist it'd be me. Not only do I look like I belong im an outlaw motorcycle club, I don't give a second glance to the police. I have never had any problems with the cops in Simi, other than the ones who harrased me when I was younger riding my BMX bike (Last I heard those cops have been forced into desk jobs or retirement).
I believe most cops turn the other cheek to motorcycles and scooters, realizing we have enough to worry about not to be harassed. To make a long story short, I suggest focusing on the road, be aware of your surroundings, and if you have nothing to worry about, don't worry. It will make riding that much better and allow you to enjoy your scooter. As the song goes "Don't worry be Happy."

[walky08]

i have made no claim to have read it. read again.

[BuddyRaton]

Judging by some of your previous posts you do not yet have your endorsement. If this is not the case I stand corrected. Do you at least have a permit?

If your riding without your endorsement or learners permit...well you have nothing to whine about.

So..no answer..can I assume no permit or endorsement then?

[walky08]

I don't know fro m where you get that impression. Have a permit have a plate, have registration, have insurance, have everything BY THE BOOK
And no debt on the scoot.

[DennisD]

Judging by some of your previous posts you do not yet have your endorsement. If this is not the case I stand corrected. Do you at least have a permit?

If your riding without your endorsement or learners permit...well you have nothing to whine about.

So..no answer..can I assume no permit or endorsement then?

OOHH OH! Call on me, I know the answer!

YES, I DO HAVE AN ENDORSEMENT!

Is there a the prize?

[walky08]

I too ride in Simi almost every weekend (for those who do not know Patty is my mother) and so does my girlfriend (Tricia) and my stepdad. I'll be the first to tell you, if a cop was after a scooterist it'd be me. Not only do I look like I belong im an outlaw motorcycle club, I don't give a second glance to the police. I have never had any problems with the cops in Simi, other than the ones who harrased me when I was younger riding my BMX bike (Last I heard those cops have been forced into desk jobs or retirement).
I believe most cops turn the other cheek to motorcycles and scooters, realizing we have enough to worry about not to be harassed. To make a long story short, I suggest focusing on the road, be aware of your surroundings, and if you have nothing to worry about, don't worry. It will make riding that much better and allow you to enjoy your scooter. As the song goes "Don't worry be Happy."

Hope to see you around!

[Portland_Rider]

It's getting late around the country and many riders have or are turning in for sleep. Time for all good riders to take their MEDS so that no one sleep walks out to their scoot and then goes full-throttle around their town while still sleeping.

It has been surreal.

[DennisD]

Good night JohnBoy.

[TVB]

Good night, Jim Bob.

[digital-entropy]

i have made no claim to have read it. read again.

So your friend read it.

That is no better, and you are making claims that you heard secondhand with absolutely no evidence to support them. It is clear you have an automatic prejudice against the police. While others may have encountered situations which would validate them, you have not.

If your experience shook you this much then I would encourage you to get off the scoot and onto a bus.

I am going to assume that because you only have eighty miles your inexperienced showed and that the cop was concerned enough to check you out*.




* no, this may not be fair but it is as fair as the assumptions made by the OP

[DennisD]

If your experience shook you this much then I would encourage you to get off the scoot and onto a bus.

Ohhhhh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't listen. I read a story about things that have happened on buses in California. And did you see what happened to that one in that old Clint Eastwood movie?? I think it was The Gauntlet. I forget where the story was but I read in the dentist's office while I was waiting to have another root canal.

Do you know how much they charge for root canals now?

Anyway, the buses are really dangerous and I'm not talking about the people but some story about the maintenance of them and how they blow up and stuff. Sounds like it happens a lot. My new pot of coffee is ready now so I'm going to get some more coffee and I think that movie about buses is coming on tonight. You know, Speed with Keanu Reeves and that gal that married Jesse James.

But I would stay off of the buses.

Do you walk much? A good pair of walking shoes is really not that expensive and its all so organic and you know, healthy like. But, the sidewalks are pretty crowded and you never really know the people you are walking with and that can be kinda risky you know if you come up to a cross walk and the light says NO! and then you have to wait in a crowd and you might have this big purse and you don't know anything about all those people. I don't know if I'd walk when you think about it.
Probably best to stay on the scooter.

[bigbropgo]

cops are not out to get you. he was not picking on you for sure. the mirrors on your scooter are not as accurate representation of distance. he might be responding to information on his computer and did not see how close he was. you turned and he did not follow. your still ok and you will continue to learn every ride you take. or...... sell your scooter. people will not see you from time to time. they will be to close. and YES some people think scooters are stupid toys. ride safe and ride often but don't ride scared.[/list]

[digital-entropy]

Ohhhhh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't listen. I read a story about things that have happened on buses in California. And did you see what happened to that one in that old Clint Eastwood movie?? I think it was The Gauntlet. I forget where the story was but I read in the dentist's office while I was waiting to have another root canal.

Shit, you're right. You know, I was assaulted randomly while waiting for the train in San Francisco. Get on that scooter, and if you see a cop or zombie, open it WOT and don't look back until the tank runs dry.

[Portland_Rider]

Ohhhhh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't listen. I read a story about things that have happened on buses in California. And did you see what happened to that one in that old Clint Eastwood movie?? I think it was The Gauntlet. I forget where the story was but I read in the dentist's office while I was waiting to have another root canal.

Shit, you're right. You know, I was assaulted randomly while waiting for the train in San Francisco. Get on that scooter, and if you see a cop or zombie, open it WOT and don't look back until the tank runs dry.

A couple of illegal aliens actually did try to assault me at a MUNI bus stop on Market Street near the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Fortunately, I was able to push off my attackers and then run and jump head first into the window of a taxi. You guys are right, California buses aren't safe either.

[digital-entropy]

A couple of illegal aliens actually did try to assault me at a MUNI bus stop on Market Street near the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Fortunately, I was able to push off my attackers and then run and jump head first into the window of a taxi. You guys are right, California buses aren't safe either.

Aliens, huh? What kind of spacecraft were they flying?

Also... are you sure they weren't zombies?

[Portland_Rider]

A couple of illegal aliens actually did try to assault me at a MUNI bus stop on Market Street near the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Fortunately, I was able to push off my attackers and then run and jump head first into the window of a taxi. You guys are right, California buses aren't safe either.

Aliens, huh? What kind of spacecraft were they flying?

Also... are you sure they weren't zombies?

IA's don't fly spacecraft. Come to think of it, maybe they were illegal zombies too.

Goodnight MB.

[digital-entropy]

A couple of illegal aliens actually did try to assault me at a MUNI bus stop on Market Street near the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Fortunately, I was able to push off my attackers and then run and jump head first into the window of a taxi. You guys are right, California buses aren't safe either.

Aliens, huh? What kind of spacecraft were they flying?

Also... are you sure they weren't zombies?

IA's don't fly spacecraft. Come to think of it, maybe they were illegal zombies too.

Goodnight MB.

I'm curious how you knew they were "illegal". For that matter, how do we know you aren't?

[Portland_Rider]

Aliens, huh? What kind of spacecraft were they flying?

Also... are you sure they weren't zombies?

IA's don't fly spacecraft. Come to think of it, maybe they were illegal zombies too.

Goodnight MB.

I'm curious how you knew they were "illegal". For that matter, how do we know you aren't?

Because I'm not brainwashed or intimidated by politically-correctness and I'm not blind. Your PC dogma may rule in SF. It doesn't rule me and it doesn't work online. You don't know that I'm legal or not. Then again it doesn't make a difference what you know or don't about me. How do we know you're not a monkey tapping on a keyboard?

I'm curious to know why you'd even ask such questions.

Really, goodnight MB forum. As I posted earlier, it has been surreal.

[jmazza]

Wow. Quite a read. Almost better than the Late Night at MB thread.

I think we've beaten the topic to death here and tempers have flared a bit throughout. The OP has gotten some very solid advice as well which I hope he takes. There are LOTS of things on the road that can be very unnerving. It's not only a responsibility but a NECESSITY to get used to them in order to survive on a 225 lb scooter. Being followed by a cop is the least of our worries.

How we got from there to aliens, legal or otherwise, is a ModBud mystery!

Let's keep further replies more on topic- any other arguing can be done through PM's.

[BuddyRaton]

I don't know fro m where you get that impression. Have a permit have a plate, have registration, have insurance, have everything BY THE BOOK
And no debt on the scoot.

Just askin',

Is it proper to freak out because a cop is behind you?





WHY RED IS RED!

[laxer]

It does make me a little anxious when I'm in a cage or on the scoot and a police officer is following me for awhile. However, I am not one of the "I hate cops, they're out to get everyone, make life horrible, blah blah blah" nonsense believers. If everything is in order and you're not breaking any laws, just keep on keeping on, it shouldn't completely mess up the rest of your day. And, if you do happen to get pulled over because you did something wrong, thank the officer for putting his life on the line and keeping you safe everyday for $15 an hour.

[ScooterDave]

I am still shaking.

I was going on LOS Angeles Avenue west to my MSF class on my Buddy. Suddenly the patrol car appears behind me. I immediately looked at my dial and it showed 45-that is the limit. I kept at that speed,intermittently looking at the dial and the rear mirror. He was still following me at eh same speed. he only left when I made my left turn to go to the riding range place in Simi Valley.

I felt harassed and i wondered, if they don't see any probable cause to stop you... Why did he have to do that? This experience cost me the second MSF class attendance since I could NOT ride that afternoon. I was angry and nervous and a wreck for the whole afternoon, thinking how unfair it was. I wonder:

Did he not know that the scoot was street legal and wanted to make certain (i have plates)?

Did he want to provoke a mistake?

If he did not see anything wrong, why did he keep at it?

Should I complain?

-- It is unfair when you are doing the right thing to be harassed like this by the police.

BEWARE Los Angeles Avenue (Simi Valley) drivers (cars or MCs), police is over the place this pre-Halloween week, issuing tickets for “blinking while driving”.

Get the F---K out of my back and target those “texters while driving”. I have seen a lot!

Still enraged

You are still enraged? I am still laughing.

Are you serious? A cop followed you for 4 minutes and you consider that harassment? Should you complain? Hell yes. Hire a lawyer and tell them a police officer was behind you for 4 minutes and nothing happened and you are upset about it. I would love to hear how that conversation goes.

The cop was probably running your tags and their computer was slow. You knew you were legal but, the rest of the world does not know that. He was just doing his job. Who knows and who cares exactly what he was doing. If the fact that a police officer drove behind you for a few minutes is enough to keep you from attending the MSF course, there are more issues here than can be addressed in one post.

Good luck.

[beeporama]

Having just finished the MSF course, I have to comment on the irony: in the second class they should talk about how to deal with tailgaters!

If what happened rattled you (and I definitely hope you'll grow out of the nervousness with experience) then pulling over is a good idea. Let the tailgater pass.

I've been tailgated by cops while in a car. It may or may not have had to do with being on a scooter.

[Portland_Rider]

Wow. Quite a read. Almost better than the Late Night at MB thread.

I think we've beaten the topic to death here and tempers have flared a bit throughout. The OP has gotten some very solid advice as well which I hope he takes. There are LOTS of things on the road that can be very unnerving. It's not only a responsibility but a NECESSITY to get used to them in order to survive on a 225 lb scooter. Being followed by a cop is the least of our worries.

How we got from there to aliens, legal or otherwise, is a ModBud mystery!

Let's keep further replies more on topic- any other arguing can be done through PM's.

[Portland_Rider]

Walky,

I don't recall you mentioning another rider in any of your posts on this subject being with you. Was there another rider with you when the police officer was tailing you and if so what was that person's take on all this? In Oregon, permit holders are required to have a licensed motorcyle/scooter rider with them on a separate vehicle that is following.

[Dooglas]

That is an Oregon rule. In Cali - no passengers, no freeways, daylight hours only.

[Portland_Rider]

That is an Oregon rule. In Cali - no passengers, no freeways, daylight hours only.

When I rode on my permit, at times I found that rule too restricting and at other times I really appreciate it. Ideally, I'd like to see that rule in Oregon relaxed so that a permit holder can at least practice a bit maybe very close to home by themselves. Yeah, I know it would be too complex to work out in practice.

[Lookin' To Scoot]

This whole drama sounds like what my wife called an "inexperience freakout". When she got her Buddy last spring, if someone was behind her she would get nervous. So she'd pull over/off the road and let them go by. When the coast was clear, she would continue her journey.

Walky, if you are uncomfortable get off the road. You're going to do a lot less damage to yourself and your scooter by stopping and taking a few deep breaths rather than continuing on in an emotionally unstable state.

You are an inexperienced rider and I'm guessing that was pretty evident to the cop. Perhaps even to the point that he was following you for the simple reason to make sure you were competent enough to be on the road.

Chill out. Get some experience riding in nonthreatening surroundings before you venture out into situations that have potential to turn out badly.

[DennisD]

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear is printed on both of the mirrors on my Stella and probably should be on Buddy mirrors.

http://dza.colorado.edu/~class/Phys4510 ... Mirror.htm

[LisaLisa]

Main Entry: nu•bile
Pronunciation: \ˈnü-ˌbī(-ə)l, ˈnyü-, -bəl\
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from Latin nubilis, from nubere to marry — more at NUPTIAL
Date: circa 1642
1 : of marriageable condition or age
2 : sexually attractive —used of a young woman
— nu•bil•i•ty \nü-ˈbi-lə-tē, nyü-\ noun

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nubile

Hottie??

Tee hee- no comment on "hotness", but...
No matter how much I flatter myself, I know I'm obviously older than the 19 year old he was expecting.

[DennisD]

Main Entry: nu•bile
Pronunciation: \ˈnü-ˌbī(-ə)l, ˈnyü-, -bəl\
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from Latin nubilis, from nubere to marry — more at NUPTIAL
Date: circa 1642
1 : of marriageable condition or age
2 : sexually attractive —used of a young woman
— nu•bil•i•ty \nü-ˈbi-lə-tē, nyü-\ noun

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nubile

Hottie??

Tee hee- no comment on "hotness", but...
No matter how much I flatter myself, I know I'm obviously older than the 19 year old he was expecting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Origin:
1990–95; hot + -ie
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source |Link To hottie
Main Entry: hottie1
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a sexually attractive person; a very good-looking person of the opposite sex
Etymology: hot + (cu)tie
Usage: slang

Main Entry: hottie2
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a hot water bottle
Usage: slang

At my age quite often the #2 hottie is preferable to the #1 hottie.

[Portland_Rider]

At my age quite often the #2 hottie is preferable to the #1 hottie.

Are you sure this nice gal modeling Scorpion Helmets can't help you out better than your hot water bottle? Scroll down a bit to the video window. BTW, I think that she lives here in Portland.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/62 ... n-EXO.aspx

[DennisD]

There's a brain in there somewhere that must be dealt with.

[polianarchy]

I'm locking this thread now. I'm sure y'all can find somewhere else on the internet to make immigrants and women feel unwelcome.