Yes we're targeted, but...


But not only by the Police. The media are our worst enemy. There can be ten car accidents and the only accident that you (the public) hear about is the one involving a motorcycle. The media paints the (bad) picture of motorcycles for the public, the public form their opinion from this, and the government responds to this. The police are just the goons who enforce the governments decisions.

etepsnewo's picture
Joined: 2008-06-26
User offline. Last seen 10 years 23 weeks ago.
Are we targeted?

I live in a metropolitan area in a state that just passed a more strict helmet law with MC club predictions of major harassment for all bikers. In light of that I am happy to report that I have driven my motorcycle 32K in the past 34 months as a daily commuter and recreational rider and have never experienced anything less than courtesy and respect from every law enforcement officer I have seen.
Several officers have even driven over to talk motorcycles with me when I am stopped in parking lots etc. On the interstate several have dropping in behind me in their cars for extended distances while traveling in the rain or heavy traffic protecting my backside from careless motorist. They can stay back a safe distance and no one in their right mind pulls in in front of a HP or police car so that works out great and is much appreciated. They never got close enough to read my tags and they stayed behind me until I exited so I am sure they were concerned about my safety.
A local city motorcycle officer volunteered to work with 15 of our Riding Club members and guests for 6 hours on a Saturday morning to help us improve our safety and handle techniques. That was priceless and shows the deep concern many officers have for the motorcycle community.

I am sure it is possible that many have not had the same experience as I. Just like with cars, what you drive or how you drive, can make you more prone to scrutiny. Some officers I have talked to have said things implying they think high powered sport bikes are more likely to be involved in accidents. That is because these officers are seeing many more bodies being pulled from the woods because the motorcyclist were riding those super bikes way beyond their capabilities. I came on a grouping of three tire burnout patches on a country road just last weekend not far from my home while riding. The smell of burnt rubber still strong. About a mile further I had to stop for the the ambulance and rescue trucks blocking the road. After loading the ambulance it soon left the scene with no lights or siren on. The bike was torn to pieces laying in the field on the outside of the curve. A few hundred feet away other riders sat on the ground next to their parked bikes with a look of shock on their faces. That was a very sad scene.

Ride careful!

ScoobyDoo's picture
Joined: 2008-07-02
User offline. Last seen 10 years 21 weeks ago.
etepsnewo, I couldn't agree

etepsnewo, I couldn't agree more with you. The person who wrote the first post. You sound like a truck driver not a motorcycle rider cause I am a truck driver & thats what we say ALL the time. etepsnewo is so right on many levels, It might just be your area though. I read somewere that I think either the Gov. or Sen. of Hawaii is trying to banned Motorcycles in the USA completly!!!

Yes I know impossible, never happen but wait... Isn't that what they said about Gun Laws???

Look be careful don't race, take your time, mind the laws & there won't be any legal reason why a cop will bother you, Keep the shinny side up brother.

Not around here on the Mississippi River....

I've been trying to get our small town police department to "target" the motorcycles that I have to listen to every evening and weekend when the weather is good for being outside or to have the windows open. No such luck. Ol' Barney doesn't seem to want to pick a fight with the big bad Harley bikers. Or maybe it's because more than a couple of our "finest" are loud pipe jerks themselves.

ScoobyDoo's picture
Joined: 2008-07-02
User offline. Last seen 10 years 21 weeks ago.
There are 2 types of bikers,

There are 2 types of bikers, there is the traditional biker who belongs to a biker gang were the main requirement is a Harley Davidson & they can get rowdy, then there is the new bread of biker who ride a bike for fun & to "Ride to Work". I am of the 2nd bread my self. I am sorry to here tour town is having these problems, but please don't steriotype "Bikers" as a whole not every biker lives in your town & drives a Harley. We pay a bit over $4 a gal for a pathfinder an old one that takes about $60 to fill opposed to $12 to fill my bike that will take me almost 300 miles.

Scooby Doo

It depends on the rider

I read and hear all the time about the complaint "They are picking on me".

Just because they are going tripple digets, popping wheelies in traffic, make a lot of noise or try to out run them.... They make things hard on everyone.

I have been riding for a long time and I don't get stopped very often. I don't think riders are targeted - but individuals are who give them a reason.

I think the media tends to be unfair. No matter who is at fault they always assume it's the fault of a speeding biker. They tend to not take into concideration the people on cell phones that run us over or run us off the roads. People who run stop signs or play beat the bike.

I admit, some riders go too fast, but so do a lot of cars.

I think the media is a lot more harsh when it comes to bikes than the officers of the law are.

I am a full time police

I am a full time police officer with Union City PD and was a full time police officer with Atlanta PD here in GA. I dont know of any officer, nor have I heard of one who 'targets' motorcycles. I have alot of fellow officers who belong to the Blue Knights and ride often. I dont feel that it is necessary to refer to officers as 'goons' as the anonymous poster did. If you ride within the law then you wont have any problems. Not here anyway. See ya' on the road.

Big Mo
Big Mo's picture
Joined: 2008-07-12
User offline. Last seen 10 years 22 weeks ago.

I live a short distance from the Dragon at Deals Gap and as far as the officers in our area go, they are pretty easy on motorcyclists in the local area. As far as the Dragon is concerned, they are a little tighter on law enforcement there. I believe mostly because of the funding from the state to patrol it now, but also, putting the funding aside, on the weekend we have alot of out of towners who are very intimidated by the "Dragon" and all the stories they've herd. They are also very unfamiliar with the road and the kind of terrain we have here in East Tennessee. So I can't really blame them there. No matter what they say, I think, "FOR THE MOST PART" these officers really do want to see motorcyclists have a good time and ride safe as well as enjoy roads like the Dragon. I work with a part time police officer in my area who also rides, and I was told as long as you're not riding foolishly in a populated area they try to let as much slide as they can. I personally have only two years in the saddle but try to obey the traffic laws and ride smart, and I have not been stoped one time. So I am pretty happy with the officers in my area and do not feel targeted at all, so far. Though I also do not fit the typical biker persona clad in leather with long hair and a beard to my belt crusing on my ground pounding H-D. Not saying anything bad at all about this type of rider, each is to their own, But no one can honestly tell me their is not some stereo-typing going on in some areas of this great and just country. GO VOLS!

ScoobyDoo's picture
Joined: 2008-07-02
User offline. Last seen 10 years 21 weeks ago.
To the officer that posted,

To the officer that posted, keep in mind that each individual has there own personal experiances with law enforcement & I agree if you don't ride stupid & obey the law of the road there won't be any problems. But I have myself had an officer who had a bad day & took it out on me, & I "On my dead parents grave god bless them" didn't say or act in any way that would warrent the behaiviour that officer had with me. What am I to do? You the officer have the power to ruin my life, calling & complaining only goes as far as "Just another person pissed that they got cought doing something wrong" I too have family in law enforcment & 1 that was a pioneer in the Homicide Div. I have seen both sides of the coin.

I don't see what's the rush to get places anymore, the faster you ride the chance of you dieing is greater, I love loud Pipes & God Bless HD, but we all need to be a bit more responcible for our actions on the road they dictate our future in congress when they pass new laws against us.

Please understand these are my views & oppinions & I understand that not everyone will agree with me or like what I say but opinions are like a$$ho/es, "everyones got 1 ;)"

Scooby Doo

Anonymous (not verified)
would that be rye, whole

would that be rye, whole wheat pumpernickel or white bread?

Joined: 2008-07-16
User offline. Last seen 10 years 21 weeks ago.
Immature riders, not really the media, are to blame...

After all, the media merely reports what they see and hear. How can the uninformed cage driver or person on the street think any different when they see a photo in the newspaper or report on TV about another motorcyclist killed by a car? It is the riders that do wheelies and triple-digit speeds down the highway and ride drunk that make the Law take a long hard look at us. A former co-worker of mine was questioned by the Ft. Riley, KS, Military Police as to why he had left post at 120mph. They just happened to see his bike parked as the base of a scenic overlook after losing the sportbike that managed to outrun them and escape onto I-70. His speedometer didn't register above 80mph on his old KLR. He watched the bike flee, and figured they were just trying to make someone pay. Of course, about an hour ago, a fellow mechanic came to me and told me that someone from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) was driving around the TX National Guard parking lot taking photos of all the bikes that are parked outside. When confronted, the person drove off quickly. Was the driver interested in the bikes, or looking to get them banned from ABIA property? Some people just don't like motorcycles in general, and so it is our responsibility as motorcyclists to change our image. There will always be a few bad apples in the bunch, we just have to deal with them.

Ok, I am off my soapbox. I hope we all had a good Ride To Work Day, I know I did.

Nelly (not verified)
I don't feel targeted

I don't feel targeted, but I am not your typical "biker". I ride a loud HD, but it was my husbands. I'm a 50 year old widow. The cops here (suburban Minneapolis) gave me a bit of crap when I first started riding, but I also did stupid things when I was learning. Now they just smile and wave. The only thing is with some of the new noise ordances, I predict they will be cracking down on the loud custom pipes. Especially along the river in some of the more touristy spots. I may need to have the pipes toned down at some point. But if you want to show off and draw attention to yourself, you need to realize the cops may also be watching.

Joined: 2009-06-10
User offline. Last seen 9 years 26 weeks ago.
Idaho cops are human too.

I haven't had any issues with the Idaho police - city, county or state. Being a helmet optional state has its perks - and its responsibilities. I agree that the media has a tendency to be a bit more prejudicial towards bikes, BUT they also seem to go out of their way to publicize the Mortorcycle awareness events that are very common amoung the many bike clubs we have in the area. We do have a fairly large group of motorcycle policeman here in the Boise area on all those NICE BMWs. I have talked with many and they all agree that if you are hotdogging it they WILL pull you over. That being said they also say that they do not target the run of the mill biker.... Keep the shiny side up - and watch out for the cagers.

Joined: 2010-08-10
User offline. Last seen 8 years 16 weeks ago.
You are so right about this

You are so right about this we are being targeted. The media just makes it so bad for us. I think we just have to live with this. I do not like but we do.

Joined: 2010-08-13
User offline. Last seen 8 years 16 weeks ago.
I never run into issues with

I never run into issues with the police at all. The police that i know are fans of riding. This is what i love so much. Not sure what the issue is.

Joined: 2010-08-15
User offline. Last seen 8 years 1 week ago.
If you run a background

If you run a background check on the ones that make those accidents be sure they have antecedents. Police should do something about justice, where is it? Innocent people die for nothing!

Joined: 2010-08-26
User offline. Last seen 8 years 15 weeks ago.
I don't think the media or

I don't think the media or the police targets the bikers, the reason why there are more motorcycle accidents on he news it's because most of them are deadly. You can't deny the fact that some bikers are a trouble for the car drivers while in traffic, racing like crazy and putting themselves in danger. Every car driver i know fears motorcycles collision, and it's not because his safety would be endangered, it's because the biker wouldn't stand a chance if he rides at high speed. In the driver's case the auto insurance quote would be enough to pay for the car damages, but only a miracle could save biker's life. As long as you ride within the law's limits no one would target you.

Joined: 2010-10-06
User offline. Last seen 7 years 23 weeks ago.
You are right

You are right. Everybody is focusing on mainly two-wheeler accidents, but there is lots of four-wheeler accidents also occur almost in every day. As we all know that accidents are the root causes of huge damages that might be financial, so that one should make a claim to compensate the damages. If any one is facing such problem then he/she can contact with personal injury attorney Louisiana as quickly as possible. The services, which they provide, can be satisfactory enough.

Joined: 2011-07-08
User offline. Last seen 7 years 20 weeks ago.
Yes i totally agree with

Yes i totally agree with this blog that Bike Riders mostly targeted from the Government and its rules and policies. But i think it is right because some riders rides their bikes very careless and wreckless and this carelessness causing accident and mostly riders pay the huge amount, mostly their lives. So please try to adopt Government Policies and safe from unhappening situations.Thanks.