[Cleetus94]

Got our new motors and just in time. We had a summer car cruise going and our three new motor officers were stoked. The whole department met up at a local restaurant for breakfast. The motor guys made a big showing arriving together. Pulled in dismounted and only one forgot to put the kickstand down. Did I mention the restaurant has glass windows alll the way around?

Fast Forward one year and I get to go through the motor course. Aced the course (great instructors) and I'm on the road. So, being the good motor cop, I start banging traffic. I stop this guy and dismount as I shut the bike off. REMEMBER: SHUT THE BIKE OFF FIRST THEN LET THE CLUTCH OUT. Dumped the bike and told the guy to drive away.

 

[thedog]

now THAT's a bad day - thanks for sharing, most wouldn't

 

[vjpointman]

embarrassing moments

I made a carstop on a small truck with a rack over the bed. The rack was holding long copper pipe used for plumbing and it was sticking over the back of the triuck. I got off on the high side away from traffic and walked around the front of my bike.

I walked into the pipe that was stcking out of the rear end of the truck about face high. The pipe caught my left cheek. When I made contact with the driver he looked at me and his eyes got real big and his mouth dropped open. I saw him looking at where I had clipped the pipe and I turned his side mirror towards me and I could see round circle on my cheek that was bleeding.
I straightned up and told him today was his lucky day and to get out of my city.
I had to haul my tail end to the ER and get it cleaned and patched up.

I drove around for a few weeks with a round circle on my cheek It looked like ringworm

 

[fresnohog]

Try having your bike parked at the curb, in the gutter, juuuust enough upright to have the breeze from a passing car blow it over. I am standing beside it running radar flagging down cars watching it go over. Don't think that one didn't get a few honks.

 

[Martin64]

fresnohog....shoot me an email. I'm a member of the 144thFW there on McKinley.

 

[Guest]

A couple from me:

When I was in motor school, I was practicing the keyhole. The idea is you ride through a five-foot wide lane, make a circle within 18 feet, and ride back out. Everyone drops the bike on this one. I was certainly no exception. The first thing they teach you in school is how to pick the bike up. I dropped it this time on its right side. I got the bike up then, “WHAM!”. I’d forgotten to put the kickstand out first, and just threw it over onto its left side. Everyone else was laughing so hard they almost dropped their bikes.

A couple years later I went to the instructor’s school. The way it works is that the first week you ride and they test your skills, and you practice giving demonstrations and lectures. The second two weeks, an operator school is overlapped, so you teach those people, supervised by the course instructors. So during the second two weeks, you get very little riding in. However, we could take the bikes out and ride during lunch, when the operator students could not. The down side of this was most of them stayed at the training course, so there were lots of witnesses, therefore a lot of the instructors wouldn't ride, since they wanted to maintain that aura of invincibilty. I never figured anyone thought I was invincible anyhow, and I like to ride too much to let the bikes just sit there. Another guy and I would spend our lunch hours playing follow the leader through the various patterns. One of the cone patterns is a “T” with the leg and each arm six feet wide. It’s used to teach making a start with an immediate 90 degree turn to either the left or right. Right before class resumed for the afternoon, with almost all the students standing there; I came into it fast, with the intention of making a balanced stop, then a left turn. This looks sharp when it’s done right, because the bike goes over about 10 degrees, before you start to move forward, and you sort of catch it with the clutch. I came in just perfect. The problem? I had only got it into neutral, rather than first. The Police Road King's acceleration in neutral is not sufficient to make the turn. “WHAM!” Right in front of the whole bunch, and it busted the clutch lever for good measure.

Harris

 

[toddlerp]

Not embarassing for me but for him...

We were sitting along the curb this Thanksgiving season waiting for dark to fall and the Christmas parade to start. Well, for about an hour or so police were ridding up and down the 4 lane wide street preparing it for the festive procession.

All was well until one officer on a Kawasaki meant to do a 180 and head the other way. Unfortunately the bike must have had differeent ideas and fell to the ground half way throught the turn. Needless to say the crowd of a few thousand, who were anxiously awaiting entertainment, and cheered for more. I felt bad for the officer, especially since he was required to keep riding up and down the street if front of his new fans until the start of the parade.

 

[sdb29]

I've got two that happened quite a few years ago:

It was a Friday night and we were working an enforcement detail in an area that had a lot of heavy traffic caused by "cruising". Hundreds of cars going back and forth, hundreds of people driving, walking, loitering, etc. Around 9:00pm I saw a violation on a car passing me in the other direction (undivided road at this point) I made a 180 to go after the violator and dropped the bike on the left side right in the middle of the intersection. Just in case anyone hadn't seen me do it I managed to hit the siren on the way down to attract everyone's attention. I also managed to pin my foot under the primary cover and couldn't get up until an UC narcotics officer ran up and lifted the bike off my foot.

A couple of months later I was in the same area and had stopped an unregistered auto. A wrecker was on scene and was towing the violator's car away. The wrecker was one of those flatbed types where the rear bed of the truck pivots downward and the auto is winched onto the flatbed. The tow truck operator had just winched the car onto the flatbed and was just about to return the bed to level when the winch failed. The unoccupied violator's auto rolled down the ramp and hit my parked bike,totalling it.

We had no spares, so I was back in a car for the rest of that season.

 

[K-POPPY]

the clutch is on the left!

Im not a cop, But thought I would share one.
One beatiful October day this fall, I thought it a good idea to take the bike to the bank to cash my check. Upon completeing my banking,the cute little teller that usually waits on me was leaving. In fact, we walked out together. After saying goodbye, Ithought to myself; "WOW, what a great opportunity to impress her with this ear splitting loud bike I have here!" I mounted the bike and knowing that the "cool factor" needed to be there, leaned back as far as I could with out falling off , hit the stater button, [ mind you, my left hand is still at my side.] and soon realized the bike was in gear! Im not sure but I think she heard me yelp as my shins struck the handlebars. I proceeded to go through the correct starting procedure, and rode away in shame. Upon returning home, I called my bud who is a very seasoned rider and told him of my slick moves. After he stopped laughing, his reply was "wait till you try to take off with the kickstand down!"

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

I am not a Policeman but some friends I ride with are and here is their moment in the books:

Two cops are picking up new department roadkings. These bikes have the ABS system.

You guessed it, the guy in front decides to test the ABS and gets rammed by the guy in back.

Those guys are taking abuse for that stunt daily for over a year now.

 

[tlr]

Thanks very much for sharing. My sides are splitting. Some great stories here. :roflback:

 

[BB06FLHX]

I am not a bike cop but I am a cop and it is nice to see that we al screw up on occasion. Being in a cruiser I can get away with a lot more than the bikies can.


Stay safe out there.

 

[motor275]

oops

As a motor officer we had a lot of special assignments and escorts. One day my team was assembling by Gallier Hall in New Orleans. This was in front of the review stands with the mayor and all kinds of other big wigs there.
We had a custom and that was when a motorman dumped his motor we would hit the siren. Well low and behold here I come riding high and pull up in front of my buds. I put down mt left foot and hit diesel or oil on the ground, my foot slips and so does the bike - dumped on the side . Now of course all the sirens of about 10 bikes are going off at this time and all the big wigs are looking around to see what the hecks going on. Within 2 seconds I had the bike up and was back in the saddle. This was the quickest I ever picked it up and I start lookig around too to say what not me.:chopper:

 

[motor275]

Barry

My buddy Barry is a retired motorman and he told me this tale. One day he is escorting the mayor and they pull into the back of the Superdome. Well Barry gets off the bike and leaves it running. He starts walking back to the other motors and the bike jumps in gear (suicide clutch), the bike is heading straight for the dome with Barry chasing it . Lo and behold it plows into the ramp leading into the Superdome seconds after the mayor went in

 

[stinkymay]

Thanks

I'm not a police officer but I ride a 2002 FLHPI and love it, Just wanted to tell all you motor officers thanks for the job you are doing and to let you know that you have our prayers every day.

Had to put Harley Wings on my tanks because people where slowing down and moving over every time I went down the road.

Keep the shiney side up and ride safe.

 

[Budweiser]

I was down in Myrtle Beach on lunch break on my bike when from the
opposite direction was a motor shooting radar. Apparently an unlucky
sole was going to receive an invitation to the local court house on this day.

I watched in amazement as he took the same bike I ride and brought it
to my left of the center of the road and within one lane snapped the bike
around like it was a dirt bike. I was for the most part impressed with this
move and had the opportunity to speak with the officer that next day at
lunch time at a local sub shop across from the HD dealer.

I told him as to what I had seen the day before and asked how the hell
did he do that move with out dumping it. He laughed and said “What
ever you do DON’T LOOK DOWN” . I thought at this point since
I had his ear I would get a few pointers and we shot the bull for a few
minutes and what a wealth of information this man was.

I’m happy to say I have not had the pleasure of having to pick mine off
the ground yet but a few of my friends have been impressed with the
way I can maneuver my bike in tight situations.

Now if some one came out with a training course like that for anyone
to take, I would be the first on line to go. Even after 20 years on the road
I know there is still a lot more to learn about what my bike can and can’t
do.

Till this day it still impresses the sh!t out of me to see you guys ride.

Crank: