Got caught speeding yesterday

[pookamatic]

Was on my way home on I495 after riding some backroads with a friend. It was starting to get dark and I only had my dark shield with me*. I had a feeling that I was pushing the limits of speed and it just didn't feel right. Then as I was hitting the off ramp, lights. No shoulder on the ramp so I acknowledged the officer and continued to a spot where we could stop safely. This was gonna sting.

Shut it off, took off gloves, left helmet on, stayed on bike, got information ready, and ate some humble pie.

Good evening sir. The reason why I pulled you over was you were going a bit fast back there. I got you doing 87 (65 mph limit, although most travel 75)... any reason for the rush?
No.
Where you headed?
Home (< 0.5 miles to go).
Gave him DL/reg and insurance (he didn't ask for the insurance).
OK - sit tight for a minute.
Two minutes later he comes back...

Alright sir, I'm gonna let you off with a warning. I understand this is the season to get out and have fun. 87 is too fast, but not crazy. Dozens worse than that today alone. I appreciate you pulling over and cooperating. Slow it down a bit and be safe. Have a good night.

I shook his hand, thanked him. And rode home doing exactly the speed limit.

*Note to self: Put a pair of clear goggles under the seat.

 

[Red Wazp]

No ticket?? Clean living!

 

[FIZZER6]

Lucky.

I'm confused. If you could barely see because of the dark visor, why would you go faster than usual in the dark?

 

[PosterFZ6]

Lucky.

I'm confused. If you could barely see because of the dark visor, why would you go faster than usual in the dark?

x2

Makes no sense.

But what do I know. I have lapse in logic as well.

I was crossing through a deer country and my logic was instead of going slower I was doing 80mph. My thinking was "hey if I am going to crash into a deer i might as well do it at a faster speed so I can 'cut through' that rat with hoves."

 

[outasight20]

You got really lucky man. Next time if you can't see you should slow down not speed up

 

[Yasko]

I love my transition shield.:BLAA:

 

[pookamatic]

It was getting dark. My logic, flawed or not, was to get home before it got more dark. Perhaps I should have just got behind a pack of cars and putted along with them. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[lawlberg]

That's the main reason I retired my helmet with the tinted visor to the passenger helmet. I still have young eyes that can usually handle glare/squint past it, and I'd much rather be squinting against the sun on my morning commute than blind riding home at night.

I've used that logic before, it was getting stormy and I wanted to beat the rain clouds to my house I've occasionally pushed it when I felt the first few drops - which as everyone knows is when the road is most slippery and a terrible idea. Felt like a squid when I got home, but I was dry.

 

[FIZZER6]

Other than to look cool. Never understood tinted visors.

I have a clear visor and a set of biker sunglasses that I can wear in my helmet comfortably. 24-hr setup...plus it's nice to put the visor up at speeds under 40mph without getting a bug in the eye!

 

[PosterFZ6]

Other than to look cool. Never understood tinted visors.

I have a clear visor and a set of biker sunglasses that I can wear in my helmet comfortably. 24-hr setup...plus it's nice to put the visor up at speeds under 40mph without getting a bug in the eye!

I wear RX glasses.

It's a choice of seeing well vs squinting.

A tinted shield, (I like polarized, since it stops only 1 fstop of light), allows me to wear rx glasses and not squint.

 

[zackattack784]

Work for me involves riding there during daylight and coming home at night. I got a bell helmet with transitions shield. Best decision I ever made. No longer do I have to swap shields twice every day! .


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[FinalImpact]

Other than to look cool. Never understood tinted visors.

I have a clear visor and a set of biker sunglasses that I can wear in my helmet comfortably. 24-hr setup...plus it's nice to put the visor up at speeds under 40mph without getting a bug in the eye!

Hmm - I feel quite the opposite - one of the best investments ever made. Although its not a dark tint either.

OP - nice catch and release.. .. ..

I had mine on my first year of riding. So far so good.

 

[zackattack784]

Hmm - I feel quite the opposite - one of the best investments ever made. Although its not a dark tint either.

OP - nice catch and release.. .. ..

I had mine on my first year of riding. So far so good.

I don't like wearing sunglasses under my helmet, not comfortable for me, so a tinted visor is the only way to go!


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[GTPAddict]

Glad you go you of that one!

I have a helmet with an integrated sun visor. This work good for me since I also wear prescription glasses, so sunglasses are not doable.

HJC IS-16 Solid Full Face Helmet - BikeBandit.com

 

[pookamatic]

I definitely prefer dark visor/no sunglasses over clear shield with. No extra stuff on your face and one less step to gear up/down. I also have light sensitive eyes. On high glare/brightness days, I will sometimes wear both dark shield and sunglasses. I've had ocular migraines in the past and will do anything to avoid them.

 

[DownrangeFuture]

I do the tinted visor because I wear glasses. I tried getting the transitions lenses in my glasses but apparently you can't buy visors that aren't UV resistant. At least not for AGV helmets.

When I wore contacts I just stuck some sunglasses on during the daytime. But now I'm not allowed to wear contacts at work for safety reasons, so having contacts is out. I'm looking into lasik but apparently I'm at that weird point where my eyes aren't bad enough for insurance to pay for it, and they're not good enough to pass the DMV's eye exam. Although I believe it's unfairly biased towards people with astigmatism. My actual eyesight is 20/25 which is well within the 20/40 you have to have to drive without glasses, but because of the backlit test they do it's all one big blur. Even the big letters.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

LOL..I had a LEO thank me for pulling over too, and I have heard others say the same. Just another confirmation that A LOT of riders run. Just shows to pay off that riding legal will pay off in most cases.

As far as why some of us elect to wear a fully tinted shield is that it helps keep your face from scorching from the sun, and helps keeps the temps down. A little bit helps. No different than people getting their windows tinted for their vehicles. You could easily wear sunglasses while driving and save yourself the money of getting your windows tinted. Same anology wearing sunglasses and having a clear shield.

I carry a pair of clear safety glasses in my tail bag. Usually not that bad, my night riding is limited to surface streets and not very long. If I know that I'm going to be riding a great distance at night, then I make sure I have a clear shield with me.

 

[Baci]

pook!! thats awesome, sounds like you had some good karma. I was pulled over not too long ago in my new car at the speeds you were doing and only got a warning as well. It has made me very concious of my speeds on the bike since warm weather = lots of radar traps.

Vegas - I like the idea of the clear safety glasses. Then if i get stuck at work late one night I will be covered. Cheaper than leaving a clear lens at the office.

I have just been using a clear lens with some super thin and light glasses BUT the polerization makes things a lil blurry(I see rainbows). Plus they can slip down sometimes, rare but not something you want to adjust at speed.

 

[patrickb37]

Guess it varies by person. I'm a lot more comfortable using a tinted visor and use it when I can (summer). I use a clear visor w/ sunglasses in the winter months when I need light & dark visibility. For me the sunglasses are a lot easier to fog up in the morning as well.

 

[pookamatic]

LOL..I had a LEO thank me for pulling over too, and I have heard others say the same. Just another confirmation that A LOT of riders run. Just shows to pay off that riding legal will pay off in most cases.

This was my favorite part, too. My wife asked, "Why would he thank you?" I said, "Well on a bike pulling over is only one of the available options..." When asked what I meant by that, I replied, "Prepare for, LUDICROUS SPEED!!" and then proceeded to make the "bbrrrrreaaaaaa BRWEREEEEAAAAHHHH" sounds out of the room. She told me to shut up before I had a chance to get into fourth.

Simply pulling over, being polite, having a fully legal setup, and complete documentation ready goes very far when it comes to being in the good graces of the law. This is especially true for bikes.