Ducati Monster Forum

So, I got pulled over the other day by CHP.  It was nothing serious.  I mentioned the experience on another forum and had a fairly negative response to what the CHP officer did, so I wanted to get some input from the DMF crew.

Scenario:

I'm in the far left lane (4th lane? The lanes increase and decrease coming out of Long Beach) on the 710 Northbound going about 70mph, splitting with free-moving traffic (everyone was just about the speed limit).  I come up behind a CHP officer on a BMW, but instead of staying towards the right of the lane he's in the left third.  I'm not even used to this, because normally I'll see two CHP officers on BMWs or Harleys riding side-by-side.  As I'm coming up he doesn't indicate that he's moving elsewhere so I just stay on the right third of the lane and pass him.  I get a little ways ahead of him and then he shoots up alongside me.  No lights, he just pulls closely alongside me at 70mph and taps me on the shoulder three times, asking me to pull over.  He stops ahead of me in the shoulder, not behind -- I don't know if that's SOP but it seems like an officer safety issue to me.  Anyway, I hit the killswitch, take the key out and put it on the gas tank, and then go to the other side of my bike for a little chat with the  [leo] ...

The issue that people griped about was the officer tapping me on the shoulder.  They claimed it was unsafe practice and could have caused an accident.  I felt perfectly safe when it happened, if a bit surprised that he would do it instead of turning on his lights.

What are your thoughts?

What does it matter what anyone else thinks?

You were OK with it.

it kinda depends on his reach

people want to discuss touching a motorcyclist while riding fine, but let's not turn this into a cop thread.


how do you not notice someone getting close enough to you at that speed to tap your shouder?

if i get this right, you passed a chp officer going around 70mph on a road that probably only has a 65mph limit on it? 

there really isn't much to be said here, that wasn't the best move to do..

my main thing would be if the leo or you crashed because he tapped you on the shoulder rather than put on the lights and siren well that would be totally on him.

I don't know if I'd "gripe" about it, but I think it's an unsafe practice to tap any stranger on the shoulder if they're not a riding buddy of yours.  I wouldn't want to defend that move in court if something happened, which it easily could have.  If he wanted your attention, he could have flagged you down or lit you up.  

That said, it turned out ok in this instance and it didn't bug you.  He obviously thought that if you were comfortable enough to pass him (and he probably observed how comfy you were on the bike) that a tap wouldn't freak you out.  It's kinda his call.  So it's a no harm, no foul thing.

And part of me thinks it's kinda cool in a brotherhood-of-bikers sorta way.   [moto]  

Cop or not I think I would flip if I looked over and someone was riding close enough to touch me.

I think the danger is less him touching your shoulder and more how close he rode to you to be able to do it.

ummm...I could see how some might be a little freaked out by being tapped on the shoulder on the bike at 70mph....a less comfortable person might have freaked out and locked brakes, but you didn't....a judgement call by the LEO after you comfortably scooted by him I guess...

in my bestest Tony Orlando voice..... "tap three times on the shoulder if you want me.... twice on the pipe, if the answer is no...."

quick question.... was his name officer Larry Craig?

HA ^
i know I would jump like crazy if someone taped me on the shoulder.
Totally unexpected. what if that "jump" bumped the bars enough to move me
over a foot into him? Doesn't seem the safest idea, i would rather be lit up.

Normally I'd be pissed...but you had already passed him at 70mph in his lane. IMO he should be pissed at you.

I dunno, cops around my neck of the woods can frequently be seen passing people at 70. Our freeways here travel pretty fast under normal conditions (ie, whenever there isn't snow.....and even when there is snow, traffic is usually going 70+).



I would have been startled and a little annoyed with him tapping me on the shoulder, but you kalifornians are crazy with your lane splitting.

I wouldn't be so much freaked out at a LEO tapping me on the shoulder because I know the type of training they receive, they're probably some of the smartest riders on the road.  A riding stranger however doing this, not the best idea.

I would however be freaked out if this were the fellow who tapped me:
(http://www.customizedgirl.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/erik_estrada2.jpg)
 

When I'm on my motorcycle I expect my lane rights to be observed when I'm at speed. I don't like anyone, especially someone I don't know, passing me in my lane. Strangers have no idea how I ride, and if I may move to the other side for no reason (that's apparent to them at least).

From the cop's perspective, a stranger passed him in his lane going 70. That just seems unsafe to me. It's one thing for a cop's partner to do that...but a stranger who doesn't know the cop's riding style...and the cop doesn't know the proficiency of the stranger...it would have pissed me off if I was the cop.

It wouldn't make me mad if I was in a car because if the stranger on the moto make the beast with two backsed up...it won't hurt me, only him. Different story if I'm on a bike and both of us are taken out.

<20 mph....no problem. 70 mph is a bit different.

+1  That just seems like you are asking for a ticket.  AND... splitting at 70 when everyone else is going that speed is squidly.   I never found the need to split at anything above 40 or so.  One person doesn't look in their side view mirror and at that speed, you are done.     

+1. IMO, you were asking to be spoken to. I wouldn't have been splitting at that speed, and if I felt I needed to pass him, I wouldn't do it in his lane.

Regardless of riding preferences, what he did in my opinion was wrong, but since nothing came from it (IE: you freaking out and swerving = accident) you probably don't have a leg to stand on legally.

I do tend to split lanes at speeds greater then some would find appropriate, and I gotta tell ya, if I felt something touching me at 70+ mph, I'm not thinking about wtf it is, I'm flooring it because I'd be spooked it's a car.

So imo -1 for the cop, +1 for keeping your cool, sucks you got a ticket, and I have no idea how you guys ride in LA.  I been there twice, make the beast with two backs that is all I gotta say.

Thanks for all the input.

1) It's not a cop thread.  I don't argue what he did was wrong and there's no legal action to speak of because there was no ticket.

2) I actually noticed him coming, but as I mentioned, I figured because there were no lights he was just going to pass me out of spite.  ...And then he tapped on my shoulder.

3) I highly value the comments from those who say I was in the wrong for (A) passing him in his own lane and (B) splitting at the speed I was doing.  I hadn't considered either of these to be unsafe practice based on previous learning and my observation of the situation.  I'm now intent on not passing in the same lane unless I get a clear hand signal to do so.  I'm sure it's a different discussion for a different thread, but I'm not 100% sure it would make much of a difference if a car turned into me on the freeway at 40mph versus 70mph.  I would imagine both would cause severe injury.  He was a little concerned that I was barely speeding, but there's another issue at play in my chat with the officer which I won't bring up on the boards.  Regardless, I will incorporate not splitting at "full speed" into my typical riding practice. Normally, I will only speed about 5-10mph above the speed of straffic.  Rarely did I split when traffic is at or above the speed limit... and now I won't do that at all; it's completely reserved for slowed traffic (which I feel is more dangerous, anyway).

4) I didn't catch his name.  In the few times I've ever been pulled over I tended to ask, but this is the first time I've been pulled over by CHP on a freeway (other time was on PCH for a fix it ticket in HB 'cause I hadn't put on my mirror).

5) My personal opinion, which one of the first posters mentioned was most important, is that I am OK with it.  I made a judgement call on his riding position and anticipated his movement, and likewise I'm sure he had been paying attention to me before I was even in front of him and decided to do what he did as a result.

Again, thanks to all.  This is a great community.

A little late but:

-technically you didn't have to stop unless he illuminates his forward facing red light
-it's good that you did anyway
-yes, it's a huge officer safety issue that he stopped in front of you. he may have thought you would bail after he got off his bike but still a no-no.
-the CHP has some odd officer safety tactics so I'm not surprised.
-as others said, splitting at 70 MPH is not cool. If traffic is flowing at 70 you should be able to do lane changes to get around cars like everyone else.

I don't know... we lean over all the time and hit kill switches... if he really wanted to pull you over, he should have done that instead of tapping you on the shoulder.  ;D

Really?  I've never done this.  I've never even heard of this.

Oh, and splitting a lane to pass a CHP officer in excess of the speed limit just isn't a good idea (think English understatement here).

Seriously, I have heard many stories of people doing this... even some old racer stories on this topic... however, from my perspective... when with a bunch of buddies... you pull up to a stop light... smile at your buddy and lean over and click off his bike... pretty funny.   ;D   I have heard of it done while in motion.. and have mistakenly done it to myself.... lol ... but I was not honestly saying a cop would ever do this.

You forgot to add in the part where you hit your buddy's kill switch juuuuuusst as the light is turning green and everyone (but him) is starting to pull away.

;D

Ohhh, you mean hitting someone else's kill switch.  I though you meant people were accidentally hitting their own kill switches.

Pardon me for a moment...

 [coffee]

Keeping on track with the question, I think that if someone tapped me on the shoulder while I was riding that a startled reaction could cause an accident or at the very least an unsafe reaction. That doesn't seem right, but it also doesn't strike me as anything more than that since it was an officer.

The speed limits are higher in various places, so passing at 70mph may have been fully legal. Someone may have already made that point as I only glanced at the thread. Speed limits here in AZ are 75 on the highway. My feeling though is that if I've not been waved by when I come up on another motorcyclist, I'll switch lanes to pass.

There are some instances where that's illegal however - like when you're in a no exit car pool lane where you can't exit the lane legally until you reach a marked location.

i'm assuming it was a "friendly" chat, then.... no cite?

 [coffee]

+1 passing a cop IN HIS LANE is a dumbass move to say the least.  the tapping is an insignificant part of the story. 

Correct.

<threadjack>
Kill switch is always funny! But the ultimate is taking the keys out and dropping them on the ground. The rider then has to get off his bike to pick them up.  ;D

</threadjack>

you should limber up. i drop my gloves all the time, and can lean down to grab one, carefully leaning to swipe it. (luckily its always close by)

Saw a guy try this on a Moto Guzzi.... he dropped the bike and came about 3 inches from taking out a line of 8 Ducs parked side by side... the only thing that stopped it was the leg of the guy next to him.... ouch.

again, i can only grab a glove that slides off the tank, i know my limits. I'm also only in the mid-20's, so i'm still fairly limber. (not tree-climbing limber, but limber enough).

kids... [roll]































































































 ;D

i mean really. ever tried yoga?



me neither.

This whole story seems rather odd to me.

Passing a CHP in HIS lane above the speed limit ? ....What's up with that ???

Anyone tapping me on the Shoulder at 70 mph ( other than a very experienced riding buddy) to me is NOT cool IMHO .

Won't be a problem since I ride alone 99% of the time anyway .

Glad it turned out ok for the OP.

Dolph

 I would agree that it was wrong in hindsight on the officers part. But what you learned from the experience was far more valuable.

However, the moment that happened, I figured you didn't get ticketed before you mentioned it.

(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/porschaholic/troll-web.jpg)

sounds like a case of poor judgement all around.
glad it was a learning experience rather than an accident.