First ride in Ont, very poor experience with OPP

Just moved here from BC last month. rant on.....

I bought a very nice 08 CBF1000A last friday and got her insured and plated that day. Over this past thanksgiving weekend during a few beers, I connected a fuse block, my autocomm, 12v outlet, GPS, MP3, along with a voltmeter and thermomoter built into a radar detector.

So I go on my first ride yesterday to the Blue Hill ski area with my 10 yr old daughter with me. Everything was great, good weather, great bike, and wonderful company, etc etc.....

We pull into a supermarket in Collingwood on our way home to Angus to get some milk. As I get off the bike an OPP officer approaches and asks me if I had a radar detection system on the motorcycle? I said yes sir, I just installed it last night. He said it was illegal here, I told him I just moved from BC and I was not aware of such laws, and these things are legal there and this was my first ride.

He said I need to take it. I told him I can disable the radar and he could take the laser pickup and that I'd still like the digital voltmeter and exterior temp guage the device had.

He said in a blunt NO, I'm taking it all. He then proceded to tear off zip ties all over the bike using a pair of vise grips. I told him I could take it off using side cutters as to not damage anything that its tied too. :ddog It didn't slow him down.. A warning to remove would have sufficed, and I could have sold it to someone where they are legal or kept it if I moved back to BC. He wouldn't have none of that, and kept pulling and twisting away.

So he cut it all off, put it in his car, and then gave me a 170 dollar welcome to Ont slip. :huh I said "really, I have less than 40kms on the bike in this province and totally unaware about this radar thing."

I probably don't have grounds to fight, but I'll be going to court with it just for an explaination why the guy had to be such a douche!!!!!

rant off.....

Cheers,

Ken

Radar detectors have been banned here for as long as I can remember. The OPP never seem to have a sense of humour.
The police in Ontario have no money in their budget but always have the best and newest radar guns.

That pissed me off just reading it! What an ignorant....ah what's the use. There's a reason they chose their profession.

It was pretty frustrating.. First time in my life I watched someone to do something of mine where I had no recourse.

I'm a 23yr still serving Military veteran and helicopter mechanic by trade. When I installed the harness from the handlebars back to under the seat and into the fuse block I did it so it was a very clean install and was often zip tied to the existing motorcycle harness.
The dick has no mechanical skills what-so-ever and was just pulling and twisting on every zip tie with his oversized vise-grips even down between the tank, triple trees and dash.

None of it was necessary, IMO.

You may be right... This is the Mission Statement from the OPP home page..... Hmmmmmm

the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) commits to working continually to earn the confidence of the citizens of and visitors to Ontario—a confidence that will not be taken for granted. The OPP fulfills this commitment by providing the best and most professional service, possible, and by striving to build a culture of trust.

I guess Officer J. Gee was a model police officer yesterday.

Thats why I mentioned in my first post that I probably have nothing to fight about. But it didn't have to be handled like it was. He had several options...

Give me a warning
Give me a ticket
Let me take the gear off and leave
Leave the indication but give him the laser, and a warning
Leave the indication, give him laser and give me a ticket.
Let me take the gear off and give me a ticket.
Let me take the gear off, keep it and give me the ticket.
Let me take the gear off and destroy it with his 8in vise grips then give me a ticket...
Or let him practice his zip tie removal skills, while pulling on the bike harness and scratching my handlebar riser, and give me a ticket. yeah.. that's it.

Thanks for the stunting concern, but I won't be needing to read that.

Read it anyway!
Your interpretation of stunting is likely much more narrow than theirs.
Really, read up...

.

Take a bill for the repair work to the court. Ask the court if its okay for the OPP to damage your bike under the circumstances in such a way as to have the Officer explain the procedure and the need to execute the procedure in the manor it was conducted.

In a situation like that pull out your phone and take a few pics or video it, make a great youtube kinda thing.
People act different when a camera is pointed at them... good or bad
But as for the ticket I would fight it even if it is just a fine, it goes against your driving record and insurance can go up etc... While in there just as if they had the right to remove it and damage you bike in doing so.

First off, ya hes was definitely being a dick, IMO he should not have been performing surgery on you bike, big liability issues if he cut something wrong off!, but no different than many off the asshole stories about the RCMP lately, dicks are available in every profession. I know a couple OPPs fairly well, good guys, but Im not sure Id get a break from them either.

I have lost a couple radar detectors in the past, fortunately just plugged into my truck, but the took them on the spot and gave me a nice award to go along with it, I knew what I was risking. No harm in going to court to have your say, but unless things have changed, it just a fine, no points, noting against your driving record or insurance.

On the stunting, Im still waiting to get nailed for standing on the pegs, not so far, knock on wood.


Bummer day though....welcome to Ontario


Cheers, Todd

Yup, no warnings here, but I don't think he had any business taking it off in that manner. Unfortunately that's probably the only thing you can gripe to the cops about. Some of my family from the east coast have had similar incident's here.

And I second the notion that you should read up on stunting. Standing up to ride over an obstacle is stunting now - they'd rather you crash instead. Taking a hand off the bars to scratch your ass is also stunting.

Welcome to Ontario, the police state!

If you're into some serious dirt biking, look up SCORRA. Fun club, and lots of riding minutes from Barrie. Of course make sure you've got a plate/insurance, and join the OFTR, and your bike is less than 95 Db otherwise the OPP will be having another talk with you.

P.S. Hi Step!

Sorry about your experience with the OPP. There are some decent ones out there but you obviously met up with one that was the Asshat posterboy.
Ontario goes have a lot to offer other than the OPP, notably a lot of great ADVR's.
Hope your experince here get's better.

I would definitely take it to court for no other reason then to expose this cockroach for what he is. If you have any pics of your install and setup take those along and snap a few of the after product.

Go into court well prepared and this cop should be leaving the court house feeling pretty shitty about himself

I got just a ticket while driving my Mom's car while they were out of town (she asked me to ) with expired plates. They were 7 days over and he just gave me a fine, so I paid it and away I went. Or so I though till I had to renew my insurance and they count that against me. Not that it went up or anything but it is a strike on my record. I only found out this after I got a speeding ticket and went to fight it with a traffic lawyer.
Rant over

While I agree that ignorance of a law doesn't equate to amnesty, it is possible to actually adhere to a law and not be a major asshat about it. I empathize with the OP (NOT the OPP) about this situation. There are MANY laws that differ from region to region, it's hard to know what's what for a while.
Fight it, I say, at least to vent your feelings.

Guess what he does with your bike when he catches you doing 51km/hr over.....
Not sure what happens in BC.

He's an idiot. My cousin got pulled over since he had one that was turned on in his luggage i n the truck of his car. He told the officer he knew they were illegal here and that is why he stored it away till he got back home to where the were legal. Didn't matter to the cop. Sorry to say there is not much you can do. There are the non detectable kind but then the manufacturers just make new detector detectors. Were screwed no matter how you look at it. All the years i had and used them saved me soooo much money i figure if i get a few tickets now i am still wayyyy ahead of the game

What do they do (in Ontario) if you install a garage door opener on the bike, and just let it cycle/emit as you drive down the road?

Granted, whether we are aware of each provincials rules or not, breaking the law is breaking the law I guess, our fault for not checkin before travelling between provinces, much like going into a different county I suppose.

However...

The Primary reason for having the OPP, RCMP, etc, is public saftey. Officers ARE NOT trained on the wiring harness of each manufacturer, and how could they be? If he messes up your rig, and then expects you to drive the speed limit moments after, he has put you at risk in my opinion, and at the risk of others on the road.

If he wanted it removed, he should have had it towed, and done properly, of course this would have meant more work for him.
Or, get you to remove it for him, which would have been the best/nicest approach. This "Mulit-tools Multi-tool" is not intended for, or rated for automotive repair. Is there such a rating? I don't know, but it sounds good.

He has tampered with your bike, plain and simple. He does not, and cannot name the purpose of each wire he is cutting the ties close too, and harming the insulation on any one could quite possibly mean you harm down the road, and not be able to trace the event back to this officer.

When looking at risk, always look at the "worst case scenario", anything less is turning a blind eye.
He has put you at risk by not being a certified technician, or having any training to remove this item. They do not.

If you go to court, play the safety card. Yes, you broke the law without intent. However, he has knowingly put you at risk, and further logic by individual officers needs to be prevented.

So say MFS!!

Ride safe, and fight it to the point it costs you money, cause it really is a no-win situation but F-em all anyway!

Have fun...

OK, the constable was a dick. there, I said it.

Now, I gotta know, how did you get to Ontario? Did you drive? Have you ever driven into
Ontario?

If yes then you must have seen the signs that say in very clear terms that radar detectors are illegal.

Having said that, I laughed at the cop who got all excited when he saw my empty GPS mount in my truck.
"What rides there?" He asked
"my GPS"
"you sure you don't keep your radar detector there?"
"Nope, don't own one and never have. Besides, I grew up in this province constable and I am well aware of your laws."
"Any alcohol in the truck?"
"No."
"Any in the back?"
"No, and that would be perfectly legal if there was as it would be out of reach. Anything else?"
"have a safe trip."

I don't know what the road block was about but the shakedown was silly.