Running from the Cops on a Sportbike – A Tale from the Hardside

There's something about the very thought of a police officer that sends a lot of sportbike riders into fits of cold sweat and general uneasiness, and our subject is one such person. He's not alone in his sentiment, but he reacted on it and it cost him dearly.

With bikes that are capable of triple digit speeds in just a few seconds we all end up breaking traffic laws-a lot. Sometimes it's on purpose (FYI: third gear standup wheelies down the free way are illegal) and often by accident (speeding), but either way it's easier to get into trouble on a bike than in a car.

When the inevitable flashing lights appear behind you there are two options: pull over and take your medicine or take off and hope for a clean getaway. While the latter seems attractive it's also dangerous and carries severe consequences. And the odds are stacked heavily against you.

We look at one man who rolled the dice and tried to get away. That decision forever changed his life...

"But sure enough, his lights came on. As I was pulling over I kept thinking 'This can't be happening, this can't be happening.'

"The issue was that my license was under suspension, and I knew if I got caught I'd probably go to jail and wouldn't be able to get my daughter.

"The next thing I knew I was on the side of the road with the cop behind me. As soon as I saw him get off his bike I dropped the hammer and was gone. The weirdest thing is that the blue sky had turned totally black-not literally of course, but the crazy adrenaline and emotions made my perceptions go all out of whack.

"I was flat out at 140 mph for a few miles, then got off at my exit and ran the red light. I didn't expect the cop to be so close, but he was. I tried to lose him on city streets and blasted through a number of red lights. It's a miracle I wasn't killed in the process, but I got lucky.

"With my mouth full of cotton I started asking myself, 'Why did I do this?' Actually, all sorts of weird things started going through my head as I was going 130 mph in a 35 zone.

"At the next intersection another cop was waiting for me and I knew I was fucked. Still I tried to get away and had a plan-I'd go near a school and hopefully the cops would back off because of the danger. Well...that didn't work.

"I headed back towards the freeway and noticed a bike path that led off into the brush so I took it. The pursuing bike cop stopped when the pavement ended and I thought for a second that I might be able to still get away. But as I rode as fast as possible through sand and stones a fence appeared and I knew it was all over. Within five seconds the cop who I thought had stopped was on top of me with his gun to my head.

"I was cuffed and stuffed in a cop car after getting roughed up a bit and antagonized. All I could think about was my poor daughter waiting for me to pick her up, and here was my dumb ass in a cop car."

"My lawyer told me I was facing three years, with a minimum mandatory 16-month term. I'm on my second appeal now and things are looking a little better. But there's still a nine-month sentence that I might not be able to shake. And the worst part is knowing that I chose this instead of just getting a stupid ticket and the bike towed.

Now I'm $15,000 in debt to the lawyer, facing a mandatory prison term and I'm a felon. I'll probably lose my house and my job, and I won't even be able to hold my daughter. My life went from 'all good' to 'all bad' in one swing of the bat."

Beware
"Sooner or later everybody screws up. Take your chances if you want, but you'd better think twice. Your life can change in a big way. This is just the beginning too. My life will never be the same again.

"Hell, I almost wish I had lost it all and died during the chase instead of dealing with this shit."

How Tough Is Your State?
Florida may take the cake for having the fiercest motorcycle laws. Recent legislation mandates a minimum $1000 fine and license suspension if either wheel is not in contact with the ground. After the third offense the convicted has a lifetime license suspension and mandatory jail time.

Regardless of your state's laws regarding wheelies, evading is always treated as a serious crime. If you're caught trying to ditch the police you can count on similar charges to Johnny's, as well as a laundry list of traffic violations to rub salt in the wounds.

The easy solution is to simply pull over and take it like a man. Otherwise, you could end up in jail "taking it" in a far less desirable way...

Update
Johnny's sentence was handed down as we went to press. not only will he be residing in the county jail for the next 14 months, but he'll also have 250 hours of community service and $9000 in fines upon his release.still feel like chancing it?