[OreoGitorio]

this one time, i jumped over 15 cars in traffic & did a back-flip over all of em. Vince pulled me over but only gave me a warning, it was pretty sweet.

true story.

[KillBill]

WOw, you got some mad skillz brotha

Cool officer too

[elwood206]

Originally Posted by VinceF2

..


So when I ride on the job its in my polyester uniform, a leather jacket, leather gloves and a 3/4 helmet... I've accepted this although I would love to see more gear become mainstream in the LE bike world... When I ride on my own it's in either codura or perf'd leather.... full face and gloves...

Just curios,
Can you wear the full helmet on the job, or do you have to wear the 3/4?

[dhuze]

Originally Posted by VinceF2

................ I know I get razed wherever I go with the Police BMW... "When are you getting a real bike?" "Too bad it's not a Harley"... whatever... I just answer with "As long as I can ride I don't care what it is..." that usually is all it takes to quiet them..........................

You should tell them it's hard to do your job when your job when you are broken down on the side of the road.

[VinceF2]

Originally Posted by elwood206

Just curios,
Can you wear the full helmet on the job, or do you have to wear the 3/4?

Right now the only "approved" helmet is the 3/4... I started the process of getting a flip up full face approved with my old Chief... he was open to it... then he left... and the new Chief is busy getting settled... in time I will approach him as well... I even designed some "cop like" black and white graphics in photoshop to show possilities... I figure the flip ups would be better then nothing... and would still allow for interaction with the community...

So ya... thank you to all for the positive comments... I don't take much of these threads personal... although sometimes it isn't easy not to ya know...

faster... I work in Ashland... we have the 650 dual sports... we have two large state parks we patrol hence the bike choice by our old Chief... I know Cambridge has the full dress BMWs which I'm told are real nice... Some out there might have seen / met my father in law at the track on one of our bikes... he took it to a BMW track day last year... for "training" he raced one of the Woods old ZX6r's for a bit... another non-typical motorcycle cop...

and ahhhhh Oreo... I will neither confirm or deny your story... ummm ya...

[a13x]

Originally Posted by elwood206

Just curios,
Can you wear the full helmet on the job, or do you have to wear the 3/4?

I've heard / read that LEO Admin's feel Fullfaces make the Officers seem 'less approachable' and 'inhuman' compared to a nice, smiling, open faced wearing cop. I can see the merit in that argument, as I love the Darth Vadar effect my fullface with a black shield gives me, but it completely throws Officer saftey out the window.


US LEO's (sure Vince has used this argument) need to look at their British counterparts. The motorcycle cops in the UK wear full courda suits, bright green (visibility), ride reliable modern bikes, and utilize fullface flipup helmets. So they can just flip the front up in slower situations and when talking with the public.



Hey Pete remember that day we wore full leathers and rode about Boston going 10mph around corners and hanging way off while revving the shit out of our bikes (clutch in of course). mwahahha

[KillBill]

[quote=VinceF2;355178]

just want to start by letting Bill know that we are required to take a 40 hour course wich is similar in many aspects to the MSF course in order to be certified as a motorcycle officer in MA...

Thanks for letting me/us know. I agree with you 100% on the stereotypes. A lot of people do not realize that people who ride street bikes can be businessmen like myself, lawyers, doctors the list goes on and on.

Bias will ALWAYS exist. Education can correct or prevent some of that mindset

[Josephd14]

When asked about looking like a racer/trouble maker I would ask if the majority of the people they scrape off the road in Gear, or t-shirts and shorts?

I think what someone ment earlier Was that maybe all Officers should be Educated about Motorcycles, not just the Bike Cops..

JoN <fasterthenu> I believe the Word "CrotchRocket" Is a bannished word on here..

And does anyone else see the resemblence here?



Just kidding..

[Wishbone]

sweet comparison

and sorry i should have said "dickmissle"

[OreoGitorio]

Originally Posted by a13x

Hey Pete remember that day we wore full leathers and rode about Boston going 10mph around corners and hanging way off while revving the shit out of our bikes (clutch in of course). mwahahha

That was the best 100% legal slow-speed street race EVAR!

"GET OUTTA THE WAY!!! CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE RACING?!?!?! DAMINT, YOU MADE ME PUT MY FOOT DOWN!!!"

[VinceF2]

Originally Posted by josephd14

And does anyone else see the resemblence here?



Just kidding..

You all know I grew up watching every CHiPs episode... and have the CHiPs 2000 movie on vhs

da daaa dada daaaaaa

[KillBill]

Joseph, you are right. An educational course on motorcycles would suffice. To that point, maybe giving a basic educational course to new cagers could be beneficial as well?

[elwood206]

Thanks for the info about your helmets. I can see very slight difference made in "approachability" but that would appear to pale in comparison with the safety concerns, have you ever been hit in the face with a bug or road debris while on the job wearing your 3/4? I cant imagine riding highway or anywhere in bug season with anything less than full face.

[VinceF2]

Originally Posted by elwood206

Thanks for the info about your helmets. I can see very slight difference made in "approachability" but that would appear to pale in comparison with the safety concerns, have you ever been hit in the face with a bug or road debris while on the job wearing your 3/4? I cant imagine riding highway or anywhere in bug season with anything less than full face.

Well luckily I don't have to do much highway riding on duty since we don't have any highways in town... although I have responded at speeds on it... and have taken a bug here or there and it sucks...

The full face would have come in handy at the Marathon today though... that rain was like needles...

last year I was part of an escort with some MSP bikes leading the marathon heads through the course after the race was over... the trip on the pike home that night would have also warranted some better protection... at least on the Harleys they have a windshield to deflect some of the weather.... although I personally will take the stopping and handling of the BMW over a windshield anyday...

[joeswamp]

Originally Posted by VinceF2

...just want to start by letting Bill know that we are required to take a 40 hour course wich is similar in many aspects to the MSF course in order to be certified as a motorcycle officer in MA...

So when I ride on the job its in my polyester uniform, a leather jacket, leather gloves and a 3/4 helmet... I've accepted this although I would love to see more gear become mainstream in the LE bike world... When I ride on my own it's in either codura or perf'd leather.... full face and gloves...

I've heard that course is kinda tough actually. When I took the MSF ERC last time the instructor was telling us about one time when he watched it... All the students had to do these crazy aggressive maneuvers on zero ground clearance Harleys, and at one point he made them all ride up a dirt hill. The guy said it was fun to watch them all go down one at a time.

It does really surprise me how US motorcycle cops are required to wear so little safety gear. To me that little helmet and the thin fabric of the pants (pretty much guaranteeing a bad knee injury on any getoff) is just crazy for someone riding around for several hours, and it doesn't set a good example to other motorcyclists. Seems like grounds for a department getting sued by an unnecessarily injured officer.

Keep up the good work Mike, really great to hear your point of view.

[Kham]

the non jackass cops also have to understand the "jackass" comment. if the shoes don't fit then don't wear it. when we run into jackass ones we feel the pain. when you run into the punkass bikers i don't believe you feel the same pain. when people don't apreciate what they do does it hurt like if your wallet is being empty by having to pay the tickets? don't think so. we're on the shorter end stick. no im not the punkass biker.

[LiononaLeash]

speaking from an experience last year... or was it the year before? Getting older now.

I was riding with a friend and we were both in full protective gear. A guy on a Z1000 in shorts, no shirt, helmet on the helmet holder, rips past us and a cop was around the next bend, so he pulls all of us over. So the idiot that blew past was the whole reason we got pulled over.

The cop asks if the three of us are together I told him that 2 of us are together. I asked him to guess which of us are together. Even though we were going faster than the speed limit too, he guessed right and let us go and the guy with no shirt was left behind. I don't know if he got ticketed. We went on our merry way.

I disagree with the stereotype of cops out there. In 15 years of riding, I've never been stopped without good reason, with the exception of that cute LADY state trooper that wanted to chat bikes with me at 2am one time a LLLLOOOOOOONNNNNNGGG time ago. I thought about how small she was compared to me, but I thought again to myself, "I bet she's trained real good and she could probably kick my butt."

I briefly thought that I would ask her for a date out, but I was seeing someone at the time. Glad I didn't because the person I was already seeing ended up being my lovely wife and have a couple of kids.

[TheIglu]

There is a pretty hot cop in my town. Blonde, yummy (from driving by).

Perhaps I should toss on my Vanson's and borrow someone's "sportbike".


I've never been stopped for anything unjust. Had my nuts suck up into my throat a couple times thinking I was busted, but I think usually wearing black Cordura suits, non-flashy bikes, stock directionals, stock exhaust and a myriad of other contributions really help the LEO's think I'm not a menace to society. Besides, you really think the first thing a cop thinks of when he/she see's a ugly white/teal/pink KLR650 with knobbies and a milk crate strapped to the back go thumpin by at 20 over is "Those darn kids!". More like "Wait....what just happened?".

I'd rather not cause trouble, fit into any segment or look the part. Some of my bike choice/gear choice/equipment choice is directly influenced by that. I'm usually the guy at the end of the line of bikes trying to distance himself after the group pisses someone off. I know lots of bikers in my family, grew up with them and know that people won't like us as long as there is 1% of bikers being morons. Since that number is more like 75%, I'd rather not provoke, entice, badger or give any reason (just or unjust) for a cop to have to pass judgement on how much of a threat I am.

I'll save them the choice, go rippin by quietly on an ugly bike with the knobbies howlin and we'll both have a happier day.

[TheIglu]

You guys watch out for Vince, he raced an EX500....that means trouble!

[Hoser]

I think Southboro Cops ride BMW's.

[OreoGitorio]

Originally Posted by TheIglu

You guys watch out for Vince, he raced an EX500....that means trouble!

YEEEE HAW!!! EX MAFIA!!!

[VinceF2]

Originally Posted by Hoser

I think Southboro Cops ride BMW's.

nope... they're on Harleys...




I'm pretty sure we're the only ones in the area...


The EX was fun... but I like the FZR on the track even more...

[Hoser]

I think I might have seen you last year........I waved before I realized you were a Cop, and you waved back which got me all screwed up.

Allot of times when I wave to a Cop they give that UGLY HARLEY RIDER FACE.....that better than thou scowl. They must all practice "The Face" in the same mirror.....

I saw a couple of Boston Motorcycle Cops getting on the Mass Pike heading back today. The first thing I thought was "They must be real Bikers, because that ride is going to be miserable"

[jimdixon]

You know what--- you better dress for the crash... not to be too negative here, but you are the only one who cares. If you get stopped by the LEO's, let them know your all about safety. If you look like a racer so be it. It doesn't mean your dragging your knee. No matter what your wearing, gortex or leather, you always want to strive for the best protection.

[richw]

My problem with the entire system is the artificially low speed limits on
almost all NE 2 lane roads.

I have highways in my town posted at 25. School buses and cement trucks routinely doing 2x the limit.

The original posted limit being justified by exceeding this limit was a danger to the community at large is now a total joke.

So the LEO's are asking for derision when they give tickets because no one is in danger.

Note this does not apply to me and the Gixer who would be still exceeding reasonable posted limits like 55