Stupid questions people ask you when stopped

[Cjsgptx]

I bought my XRL last Saturday, couldnt be happier. Well i have to ride it 100 miles back home, i got asked some pretty stupid questions. Never got asked that when i was on the sportbike.....

1. Is that thing street legal?
2. You need to help me push you out of the parking spot? ( okay i know i aint the tallest dude alive but damn, it one of my dream bikes.)

Why do Dual Sports/ Adventure bikes get all the attention?

Chris

[Mambo Dave]

Originally Posted by Cjsgptx

I bought my XRL last Saturday, couldnt be happier. Well i have to ride it 100 miles back home, i got asked some pretty stupid questions. Never got asked that when i was on the sportbike.....

1. Is that thing street legal?
2. You need to help me push you out of the parking spot? ( okay i know i aint the tallest dude alive but damn, it one of my dream bikes.)

Why do Dual Sports/ Adventure bikes get all the attention?

Chris

I don't get that much, but I do get stares from just about every policeman when they see it - until they see the turn signals and/or license plate. DS's just aren't that common in major metropolitan and suburban areas.

[BK.RD.RNR]

Originally Posted by Cjsgptx

Why do Dual Sports/ Adventure bikes get all the attention?

Chris

Maybe it's inspirational to the uninitiated.

Who wouldn't like the idea of jumping on a motorcycle that can take you to the backwoods to explore areas that many may never see, then bring you back?

...Isn't that why you bought it?

[squad314]

20 years ago just after I bought my second Harley I pulled into work one evening when I was off duty. A number of guys came out to check it out and one of our Job's notorious Bigmouths arrived. Elbowing the guy beside him and speaking Loud enough to get everyone's attention, Bigmouth points to the air cleaner cover and says...

"What does this mean '80 cubic inches Fatboy'?"

Me..."80 cubic inches is the engine displacement, it's 1340 cc's and Fatboy is the model name"

BM laughs and sarcastically says..."Fatboy? That's kind of fitting isn't it?"

Me..."That's right and when Harley Davidson makes one called a 'F***ing A**hole' I think YOU should buy one"

The group erupts with laughter and Bigmouth is left sneering at me nodding his head with an "Ill get you" look on his face. I smile politely with an "anything else?" look on my face and he leaves red faced.

[bwalsh]

I had a kid tell me the other day, after seeing me putting my gear on, he has a bike. OK.
Said it's a 750Vstar and he has had it up to 120mph. OK.
He got it, didn't know who to ride, so he watched Youtube videos to learn. OK.
Said he got caught without a MC endorsement and got in big trouble with the law, lost his license, etc. OK.
I said you should take the MSF course at the local community college when you get your bike back.
Said he did. He said he now wants to take the experienced rider course because he wants to learn how to do wheelies. I told him they won't teach him how to do wheelies. He said, "yeah, I figured." I hurried up and got the hell out of there! What a TFM!
The sad part is, he's the nephew of a friend of mine...

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by bwalsh

I had a kid tell me the other day, after seeing me putting my gear on, he has a bike. OK.
Said it's a 750Vstar and he has had it up to 120mph. OK.
He got it, didn't know who to ride, so he watched Youtube videos to learn. OK.
Said he got caught without a MC endorsement and got in big trouble with the law, lost his license, etc. OK.
I said you should take the MSF course at the local community college when you get your bike back.
Said he did. He said he now wants to take the experienced rider course because he wants to learn how to do wheelies. I told him they won't teach him how to do wheelies. He said, "yeah, I figured." I hurried up and got the hell out of there! What a TFM!
The sad part is, he's the nephew of a friend of mine...

Ummmmmm Late at night, fairly thick fog, I did what I have to say was a pretty damned good wheelie.

Cops really don't seem to appreciate a good wheelie like normal people do. Young cop about half my age comes up and yells at me: "Do you feel really smart, or really stupid right now?"

I said "Ummmmmmm"

Then the radio comes on and I have expired plates....

He mutters something about 'Jesus Christ"


he takes my Lic and goes back to the car.

A few seconds later comes running back and says he's gonna let me slide on the reckless driving because he's gotta go to a domestic violence call.

Honeslty, I felt pretty damned smart at that point, I got out of a reckless driving, expired plate AND probably a DUI as well.

[ATH]

Originally Posted by xymotic

...
A few seconds later comes running back and says he's gonna let me slide on the reckless driving because he's gotta go to a domestic violence call.
...

My wife was pulled over a number of years ago for speeding (small back road). Policeman asks for license and registration. He returns to his car to check it all out.

Suddenly, she sees the lights go on and he takes off, obviously on another call ... with her license and registration.

She sat there shocked, not knowing what to do. A few minutes later he returned and handed her back her papers along with the ticket and a sheepish "Sorry."

[duck]

Back when I was 20 and stupid I was HAULING ASS in a buddy's Chevelle SS in the two way left turn lane in the middle of a five lane road to get by traffic. I have no idea how fast I was going but I was going about as fast as a punched 454 would let me.

I saw a Seattle PD car several blocks ahead in the right lane and hoped that he hadn't seen me in his mirrors. I slowed down immediately and took the next right, then a left, parked it and waited about five minutes.

When I got back on the main road and went a few blocks, sure enough, he was off on a side road waiting for me. He pulled in behind me and lit me up. My two buddies and I were headed back to the dorm from the head shop where we'd just pitched in together to buy a ginormous 3 foot bong. It was in the passenger compartment and way too big to hide from the LEO if he came up to the window so I got out and met him between our cars.

I don't think he knew how fast I'd actually been going earlier because he didn't seem extremely upset with me. While I started giving him a line of bullshit about it not being my car, blah, blah, blah he got a call over the radio, handed me my license, told me to slow down and took off to respond to whatever it was. Phew!

[Wisconsinkris]

Originally Posted by duck

It was in the passenger compartment and way too big to hide from the LEO if he came up to the window so I got out and met him between our cars.

In Wisconsin the LEO would have drawn his gun on you if get out of your car.

[PFFOG]

Originally Posted by xymotic

...................

Honeslty, I felt pretty damned smart at that point, .................... AND probably a DUI as well.

I hope in retrospect, for at least the last part, you feel dumb now.

[Riteris]

Originally Posted by Wisconsinkris

In Wisconsin the LEO would have drawn his gun on you if get out of your car.

Duck said it was back when he was " 20 and stupid." That might have been some time ago when cop protocol was different.

He is older now.

[Tuna Helper]

Five or six years ago I was heading home on my cb750 when I saw a state cop on a bike at a crossroad waiting to turn left. I thought that it was out of place to see that in town, and put it out of my head. I get down the road almost to the next light and he's right behind me with his lights on. I wasn't speeding or riding like a squid, so I had no idea why. It turns out that my headlight was not lit, and I showed him the switch and explained that the detent was worn out and sometimes I accidentally bump it when using the kill switch. He let me off with a warning on the promise I would fix it to stay on all the time.

I haven't done anything about it, other than checking that it is still on. I sometimes use the kickstarter, and turn off the light when I do to get more power to the ignition.

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by xymotic

Honeslty, I felt pretty damned smart at that point, I got out of a reckless driving, expired plate AND probably a DUI as well.

.

[duck]

Originally Posted by Riteris

Duck said it was back when he was " 20 and stupid." That might have been some time ago when cop protocol was different.

Yup, back around 1980.

[quasigentrified]

i was on the little ape (sportcity 250) running errands and pulled in for gas off of lake shitty way in north seattle when lo and behold: road king with the attendant weekend warrior rider, decked out in the full hd catalog and sporting facial hair groomed to magnificence in a seattle salon.

he looks pointedly at my little blue scoot. "you ride that? you some kinda faggot?" it was a pretty unconvincing delivery. i grew up in lewis county, and when lc folks cast aspersions on your presumed heterosexual status there, they say it like they mean it. this dude called me a "faggot" the way i'd expect a dentist or bank manager to call me it, with a little querulous note at the end.

"i ain't gonna run errands on a road king, BRO," i said, "and if you're asking, between you and me, i'm not the one with the pirate drag costume ball i need to get to." (i blame a certain aprilia forum for bringing that response to mind..)

he sneered at me. "hey, we all like to ride. don't be a dick," i said, but he totally ignored me. he also blasted his pipes good and loud as he left.

most harley types in the area are nice guys (and gals), usually from the big software houses and cop no attitudes. the baggers and cruisers you meet riding 101 around the peninsula are friendly to a fault, and the only danger is that they'll let you get back on your bike drunk