They got pulled over for no reason??
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DieselTech
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Yeah I'm just waiting for them to pull me over for no reason! That's about my luck anywho!
I found as long as your legs are moving, they seem to just smile & wave.
I did pass by a cop the other day at 40mph & was not pedaling & kinda got the stink eye from him.
I found as long as your legs are moving, they seem to just smile & wave.
I did pass by a cop the other day at 40mph & was not pedaling & kinda got the stink eye from him.
In this case one guy apparently didn't have the prerequisite pedals, but park officer didn't seem to know that until he called in to his supervisor.
This reminds me of the old days when a highway patrol officer would pull a whole group of motorcycles over just to check that everyone's helmet had certification stickers.
This reminds me of the old days when a highway patrol officer would pull a whole group of motorcycles over just to check that everyone's helmet had certification stickers.
Smaug
Well-known member
I dunno, a quick Google seems to support the cop in that it was illegal for them to be riding on state park trails unless they're in Class 1 mode:
"Maryland considers e-bikes the same as regular bicycles if the motors are no more powerful than 750 watts and can’t go faster than 28 mph. But e-bikes are prohibited, with some exceptions, on hiking and biking trails in state parks and forests. Exceptions include the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail in Baltimore County and the Western Maryland Rail Trail, but in both cases e-bikers must be pedaling when motors are on and can’t use pedal assist at speeds of more than 20 mph."
Source: https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.c...s-on-bay-region-parks-trails/#google_vignette
I guess if they'd been in cars that would have been ok. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't hear anything about a trail. I was thinking the officer is saying they can't ride there bikes on the park road?
He doesn't seem to care if they were pedaling or not, but only that they had pedals. That much I can understand.
Smaug
Well-known member
Earlier in the video, he said he saw them come off of a trail, which he was sure was illegal for them to be riding on. After talking to someone back at HQ for awhile, the officer seems to have learned that it is OK if they have functional pedals. (having given them the benefit of the doubt that they were in Class 1 mode, since he probably couldn't prove one way or the other)
In the end, he gave a written warning to the guy on the Sur Ron dirtbike with no pedals. (SurRons will go 40 mph easily; they are closer to motocross bikes than eBikes)
He could've written them all tickets, as their bikes weren't Class 1 and they just came off of a trail where only Class 1 was allowed. He was embarassed, because he didn't know Class 1 eBikes aren't considered "motor vehicles". (and it's understandable, because they DO have motors; it's just that the law defines them just like regular bikes)
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I just got off a 15 mile ride around town with some ebike police.
I told them about this conversation lol...
They laughed and said to me...Don't ride like an idiot and don't attract our (the police) attention by riding like an idiot and
they will not bother you....then pne of them wanted to race me LOL
Anyway...I suppose my point is...the police in every place in the USA will pretty much form their own
limits and things they will let ride and let go.... I'm just gonna ride low and slow around town and pedestrians then go out in the country and
open up the throttle
I wonder though..what do some idiots get out of curb hopping and riding around pedestrians while going 35 miles per hour?
Then another ebike officer said to me... Natural Selection will eventually get the idiots.
I laughed and said he was right LOL
Ya'll Ride Safe & Have a Great Day!
HP
I told them about this conversation lol...
They laughed and said to me...Don't ride like an idiot and don't attract our (the police) attention by riding like an idiot and
they will not bother you....then pne of them wanted to race me LOL
Anyway...I suppose my point is...the police in every place in the USA will pretty much form their own
limits and things they will let ride and let go.... I'm just gonna ride low and slow around town and pedestrians then go out in the country and
open up the throttle
I wonder though..what do some idiots get out of curb hopping and riding around pedestrians while going 35 miles per hour?
Then another ebike officer said to me... Natural Selection will eventually get the idiots.
I laughed and said he was right LOL
Ya'll Ride Safe & Have a Great Day!
HP
DieselTech
Well-known member
Ok since you were riding with gustave, what kinda ebike these cops ride? Are they riding the GMC Hummer EV AWD ebike? I'd like to have 1 of them. Thanks.I just got off a 15 mile ride around town with some ebike police.
I told them about this conversation lol...
They laughed and said to me...Don't ride like an idiot and don't attract our (the police) attention by riding like an idiot and
they will not bother you....then pne of them wanted to race me LOL
Anyway...I suppose my point is...the police in every place in the USA will pretty much form their own
limits and things they will let ride and let go.... I'm just gonna ride low and slow around town and pedestrians then go out in the country and
open up the throttle
I wonder though..what do some idiots get out of curb hopping and riding around pedestrians while going 35 miles per hour?
Then another ebike officer said to me... Natural Selection will eventually get the idiots.
I laughed and said he was right LOL
Ya'll Ride Safe & Have a Great Day!
HP
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nah brother they were riding Aventures with no mods. I used to ride with them when i had the aventure and tried to get them to let me mod one of them with the dual batterie, but they didnt go for that LOL
There is one who will race with me that wants to build his own...ima working on that one
DieselTech
Well-known member
Yeah I heard these police bikes are pretty warmed over, compared to the stock configuration ebike. Yeah I think the Police version GMC HUMMER EV is running dual 40amp controllers ,dual batteries & dual motors. I bet it's a beast for a 26" fat ebike.nah brother they were riding Aventures with no mods. I used to ride with them when i had the aventure and tried to get them to let me mod one of them with the dual batterie, but they didnt go for that LOL
There is one who will race with me that wants to build his own...ima working on that one
Well, thanks for clarifying that. I think it still was potentially an illegal stop based of his conversation with the riders. Not only did he not know Class 1 eBikes were allowed, it's obvious he doesn't know class 1 from a banana. I give him credit though for doing the right thing and letting them go on their way with no citations.
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unfortunately the small town police here didnt get expensive toys
I havent seen them out much this summer.. they have had them for 2 years now.
I never see them out in the winters since they've had them LOL
DieselTech
Well-known member
Wonder what a police department's do with their old ebikes? I forsee lots of good parts! He he!unfortunately the small town police here didnt get expensive toys
I havent seen them out much this summer.. they have had them for 2 years now.
I never see them out in the winters since they've had them LOL
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I'm a nightmare in traffic court. I started riding in a time when the police were serious about pulling motorcycles over for anything. In 1968 at the age of 15, after only having a motorcycle license for one month, my license was suspended for one month, because I had already gotten 2 moving violations. 15 yr old's were only allowed 2 violations a year. Being a rookie I paid them, but during the suspension I got 5 more tickets all at once. No license, riding while license was suspended, no helmet, no inspection sticker, and no insurance. I didn't have my wallet on me at the time, which explains some of the tickets. The location was in the alleyway of the apartments I lived in. I pled not guilty on the assumption I was on private property. I didn't really know for sure. In the trial the the cop said I was guilt of all these charges. I made the the claim about the alley being private property. The judge ask for the book of recognized municipal streets, and alleys, and they handed to the cop on the stand. A couple minutes later I saw sweat start breaking out on his forehead. He finally looked at the judge, and said, it's not in here your honor. The judge looked like he just ate a lemon, and declarer me not guilty.
That was then this is now. One of my most notable successes was being one of only 2 people in history to successfully beat a camera red light ticket in Garland Texas. They never want to see me back there again. I was about to expose in court the camera red light company for collecting millions of dollars for the city illegally by falsely claiming the intersection didn't begin at the stop line. They tried to claim that the intersection began at a line parallel to curbs of intersection. The actual statute said that was only the case in absence of a stop line. When I pointed that out to the CRL employee, he said in his office he didn't care, his guidelines said differently. I had to pay $75, plus another$175 to appeal his verdict in a real court. The camera red light employee knew he was going to lose, and after asking the judge to postpone my trial 3 times, the judge finally dismissed the the case, but too late, I had already called a local tv station explaining what kind of crooked mess the city was involved in, and they sent a film crew that was waiting outside the courthouse when I came out to interview me. I was able to show them my original uncashed check for the whole amount that the court returned to me, and explain on camera why I prevailed, and what the city was involved in for world to see.
That was then this is now. One of my most notable successes was being one of only 2 people in history to successfully beat a camera red light ticket in Garland Texas. They never want to see me back there again. I was about to expose in court the camera red light company for collecting millions of dollars for the city illegally by falsely claiming the intersection didn't begin at the stop line. They tried to claim that the intersection began at a line parallel to curbs of intersection. The actual statute said that was only the case in absence of a stop line. When I pointed that out to the CRL employee, he said in his office he didn't care, his guidelines said differently. I had to pay $75, plus another$175 to appeal his verdict in a real court. The camera red light employee knew he was going to lose, and after asking the judge to postpone my trial 3 times, the judge finally dismissed the the case, but too late, I had already called a local tv station explaining what kind of crooked mess the city was involved in, and they sent a film crew that was waiting outside the courthouse when I came out to interview me. I was able to show them my original uncashed check for the whole amount that the court returned to me, and explain on camera why I prevailed, and what the city was involved in for world to see.
Oh, so the police are riding illegal bikes too lol.
DieselTech
Well-known member
Yeah I cant remember which police department's all recieved these juiced up ebikes. I think NYPD or Pennsylvania & possibly Texas recieved the 1st 300 bikes off of the assembly line.
I've only been pulled over once on my eBike, and that was about 2 months ago, after 10 years, and 24,000 miles on this bike. This guy had enough experience to know what he was doing. This is how it went. First thing he said was, the reason I pulled you over is because you changed lanes back there without signaling. I was going about 35 mph, the posted speed limit, at the time. That was true, and it made the stop legal. I almost laughed, but tried to look concerned, I knew he didn't pull me over because of that. Then he said, is this a motorcycle? No sir, it's an electric bicycle. Oh, ok? Then he got to the real reason he pulled me over, he wanted to run my license to see if I had anything outstanding, which I didn't. He came back and said ok, you're all good to go, just remember to signal when changing lanes. As I was leaving I told him every time I signal a right turn people wave at me, and he laughed.
Smaug
Well-known member
I seem to remember cops being real jerks in the 80s and 90s. Almost every time I got pulled over, the cop was on a power trip and immediately talking down to me. I was a teenager, but respectful, so there was no reason for it.
Nowadays, it has swung too far in the other direction. People are disrespectful to cops, cops remain respectful and let people get away with too much.
I've been pulled over only a few times in the last 10 years, (not on an eBike) neither of which I can really complain about. I was completely guilty in all cases. Was let off with a warning and a lecture on one, ticketed on the other. Most cops are doing an excellent job these days, and I only wish there were more of them, as people are driving like @$$holes these days.
One thing of particular benefit to EVERYONE was when Chicago was putting cops in the passenger seats of semis with a camera and a radio. They would look down into cars for drivers looking down at their phones while driving. If so, min. $200 ticket. That could have fixed Illinois' budget problems right there, while making everyone safer. (especially cyclists and motorcyclists)
Another thing they could do is what they do in Denmark (?). Make the traffic ticket fines proportional to the person's income. One company owner was caught speeding BIG-time in his Porsche. Ticket was something like $60k. Make it hurt the same for everyone. Meanwhile, the McDonald's store manager may only pay $30. That will knock down the rich entitlement a notch, right? That money would go 100% into transit infrastructure. (roads, MUPs, protected bike lanes, public transit...)