Put your feet down!

[fallenarch]

Ok, so I just got a ticket...

Riding up to a stop sign in my small town. I can see the intersection for a full block... no vehicles, humans or animals anywhere near it.

I slow down to the lowest speed I can balance at (almost stopped), and proceed to make a right turn.

Yep, I get stopped for not making a complete stop at a stop sign. It's true... I was going <1/2mi per hour and didn't put my feet down.

I know it's the law, but geez.

Putting your feet down at every stop you roll up to (even those with no people or other vehicles) is a real pain... I dunno.


Thoughts?
Sean

Apparently there was at least one other car around!

BTW: I can put my foot down without stopping too.....

 

[Audiomaker]

Apparently there was at least one other car around!

BTW: I can put my foot down without stopping too.....

Yes... Yes there was. But a block over, not on the street and hiding.

Here's the real crap...

I could probably get a lowered ticket just by going to the judge and saying "I just didn't put my feet down" or whatever.

The problem with a small town is that this...and every other Oregon State Trooper based here would have it out for me.

40 in a 35 would become 55 in a 35. My pipes would suddenly become violations. I'd never be able to meet friends at a local bar without taking a breathalyzer even if I never had a drink... etc.

The people who don't already know me by name around here certainly know this bike already. There's only like 10 sport bikes in the whole area and I'll give you a guess how many turbo busas there are.

This town has city cops and state. The state-ers (as they are nicknamed) never seem to do anything except give moving violations... never seen one doing anything else. Disgusting really.

Anyway... yeah ... couldn't make life better even if I beat the ticket. "State Police" has such an appropriate ring to it.

(sigh)
Sean

 

[TallTom]

Yes... Yes there was. But a block over, not on the street and hiding.

Here's the real crap...

I could probably get a lowered ticket just by going to the judge and saying "I just didn't put my feet down" or whatever.

The problem with a small town is that this...and every other Oregon State Trooper based here would have it out for me.

40 in a 35 would become 55 in a 35. My pipes would suddenly become violations. I'd never be able to meet friends at a local bar without taking a breathalyzer even if I never had a drink... etc.

The people who don't already know me by name around here certainly know this bike already. There's only like 10 sport bikes in the whole area and I'll give you a guess how many turbo busas there are.

This town has city cops and state. The state-ers (as they are nicknamed) never seem to do anything except give moving violations... never seen one doing anything else. Disgusting really.

Anyway... yeah ... couldn't make life better even if I beat the ticket. "State Police" has such an appropriate ring to it.

(sigh)
Sean

If it makes you feel any better. They live in other places besides Oregon. Sorry dude. Just act like it's a new tax or something I guess.

I can aslo come to a complete stop and not put my foot down. Never gotten a ticket but for all I know I may have to put a foot down also. IDK...Never thought you had to do more than stop.....lol.

 

[red1100cc]

Yes... Yes there was. But a block over, not on the street and hiding.

Here's the real crap...

I could probably get a lowered ticket just by going to the judge and saying "I just didn't put my feet down" or whatever.

The problem with a small town is that this...and every other Oregon State Trooper based here would have it out for me.

40 in a 35 would become 55 in a 35. My pipes would suddenly become violations. I'd never be able to meet friends at a local bar without taking a breathalyzer even if I never had a drink... etc.

The people who don't already know me by name around here certainly know this bike already. There's only like 10 sport bikes in the whole area and I'll give you a guess how many turbo busas there are.

This town has city cops and state. The state-ers (as they are nicknamed) never seem to do anything except give moving violations... never seen one doing anything else. Disgusting really.

Anyway... yeah ... couldn't make life better even if I beat the ticket. "State Police" has such an appropriate ring to it.

(sigh)
Sean

i have a half a dozen slow race trophies you can borrow to take to court.
i have not only stopped feet up, but have stopped and gone backwards a few feet. (always wanted to go simipro trials )

Oregon just passed a motorcycle profiling bill, if you think you right, fight the ticket. if you ran the sinn, just freakin pay it. your guilty. the officer WILL show up to court. don't play that game its dumb.

in the end; if your right your right. if not, pay the piper.

 

[880jedi]

I've been to Oregon a dozen times on the bike to visit my folks, and worry the entire time of getting a BS ticket like that.

 

[busabobh]

Same thing happened to me, I think the cop was following way back to see if he could get me speeding. An armpit of a place called Sheridan Co.,this is the sort of thing that makes people hate cops, and want to run.

 

[TallTom]

I've been to Oregon a dozen times on the bike to visit my folks, and worry the entire time of getting a BS ticket like that.

I thought Fla was the only place they did this kinda stuff. It is a helmet free state. I was at Daytona nonessential which is a slow crawl 90% of the time. So in that heat and traffic we don't always wear a helmet. My g/f at the time drove a bagger. She got waved over by a cop on a bicycle (not kidding) who gave her a ticket for not wearing eye protection.

 

[chrias]

If you rode a trike would you still have to put your foot down? ???

 

[Audiomaker]

i have a half a dozen slow race trophies you can borrow to take to court.
i have not only stopped feet up, but have stopped and gone backwards a few feet. (always wanted to go simipro trials )

Oregon just passed a motorcycle profiling bill, if you think you right, fight the ticket. if you ran the sinn, just freakin pay it. your guilty. the officer WILL show up to court. don't play that game its dumb.

in the end; if your right your right. if not, pay the piper.

Motorcycle profiling bill? Hmm.

Let me be clear. I am guilty...technically.

On the other hand, I know what rolling a stop sign is, and I didn't do that.

I went from about 30mph to the sign, grabbed the front brake.... down to almost zero (now using rear brake), checked the intersection at "balance speed" before going over the line, then proceeded.

I wasn't stopped, but I was pretty darned close to being stopped, and I think most hear know what I mean. I was going about as fast as my 88 year old grandfather used to be able to push his walker before he died.... painfully slow.

What's the difference?

Well rolling a light (not coming to a complete stop) to me is where you slow for signs that you don't really intend to stop for.

What I did was make a stop that for all purposes was an intentional stop while keeping just enough forward roll to allow me to keep the bike upright without putting my feet down. As most of us know, that can be slow enough that someone could almost reach out and unscrew your air valve cap.

So the difference is in the discretion of the officer. The point of the law is to make the roads safer, and I can promise you that what I did was not less safe than putting my feet down.

When I get angry is when the purpose of the law is abused to generate revenue or inflate egos.

I ride around on this 215hp turbo Hayabusa and don't break the speed limit the grand share of the time... it gets frustrating. Cars pass me all the time because I'm trying to be law abiding, yet I eat a $246 ticket because a police department that does next to nothing in the area needs a nicer coffee room to sit in while showing off their quotas?

I'm libertarian and yes, I get really excited about unappropriated taxes.

Really, peeing on a tree in a forest next to a road is illegal too and we now live in a country where a person should piss their pants in their car for FEAR of punishment? The idea is that people should not consider forests as approved public restrooms....OK...makes sense, but if someone has really got to go (ever been there?), should they soil themselves and vehicle? That is why officers are given discretion.
Now if the officer is excited about the unfortunate condition of your bladder because it makes their life better at your expense...even though you are already paying their salary, then is this really what the people need? I don't think so. "I'm sorry but it's the law" and all the versions of that I've heard over the years are usually the fallback line for simply being a jerk and a leech on humanity.

That said, I am friends with a lot of cops, and a lot of cops get it. It's the one's who don't... the fraternal "us against the public" cops that I just can't stand.

At the same time, as a bar owner... I've witnessed at least 3 times where a cop was getting sexual favors in their patrol cars to sway their "discretion" in regards to an intoxicated female. Real heroes. Ya. Happens all the time.

Sean

 

[Tim99ws6]

I don't see the big deal. You rolled the stop. Did you come to a 100% complete stop? You are admitting no, so there's no big deal. The "put your foot down" law may be enforced differently in each jurisdiction, but why not put your feet down, STOP, and then proceed? Are your feet tied to the side of the bike and therefore unable to touch the ground?


I'm not sure how this made it's way to such a discussion. Your admission of guilt in the first post was enough for me? ???

 

[GoldenChild]

balanced speed is equal to guilty, never admit that to anyone..Speed is movement of a object. Stopped is not moving period,not in motion.

 

[1busa]

It is a law, you must come to a complete stop and place your foot down. Does it make sense to do this on a deserted road with no traffic of course not but neither does sitting at a red light for 2minutes when there is absolutely no traffic in sight. The rules are the rules They dont have to make sense or be agreeed upon and untill they are changed we just gotta deal with them. Do i do it most of the time? No, just like everybody else says they crawl to a stop balance and keep going, but when i see a cop in sight i make sure my foot touches and my bike is not moving at all and I'm sure you will too from now on.

 

[TallTom]

It is a law, you must come to a complete stop and place your foot down. Does it make sense to do this on a deserted road with no traffic of course not but neither does sitting at a red light for 2minutes when there is absolutely no traffic in sight. The rules are the rules They dont have to make sense or be agreeed upon and untill they are changed we just gotta deal with them.\QUOTE]

This is also what judges are for.

 

[TallTom]

Preach on it brother.

They get on power trips once the badge goes on and forget that we operate on common sense.

 

[Audiomaker]

I don't see the big deal. You rolled the stop. Did you come to a 100% complete stop? You are admitting no, so there's no big deal. The "put your foot down" law may be enforced differently in each jurisdiction, but why not put your feet down, STOP, and then proceed? Are your feet tied to the side of the bike and therefore unable to touch the ground?


I'm not sure how this made it's way to such a discussion. Your admission of guilt in the first post was enough for me? ???

I was the first one to admit my guilt. I never argued that I wasn't 100% stopped.

I was suggesting that I feel there is a difference between "rolling a stop", and coming to a speed so slow that you're spending at least as much time at that stop sign as any car would, looking around just as much, but with just enough roll so that you don't have to put your feet down. I never said it was legal, but in my eyes there is a difference between the intent of "rolling" a sign, and respecting the sign, yet dealing with the physical nature of the vehicle.

I would bet anyone who has ridden a motorcycle for years has done this umpteen times. No, their legs are not tied to the bike, but it is more work and a bit more of a risk of dumping the bike when you have to put your foot on the ground. I personally have dropped bikes at lights and stop signs more than any other way over 30 years (about 10 times to 2 actual getoffs), and it's not because I don't know how to ride or stop... it's just the nature of a stop.

Crap, I almost had it happen 2 days ago... put my foot on some loose gravel and had to muscle the bike up from a 30 degree angle.

So technically illegal... of course.

Did the cop need to overlook that obviously I was respecting the intersection... not in my opinion.

Sean

 

[outlawbusa]

No foot down here

 

[VaBusa]

Been putting my foot down every time since this thread Well, perhaps there was one time when I forgot

No need to give 'em any more reasons to pull me over...