Went out for a 175 mile cruise through lower Alabama today instead of going to work. Had a great time, left after lunch and went up through Florala over to Evergreen and Georgiana, back down through Brewton and finished up cruising back home down SR4. I needed gas so I stopped at the last gas station before my house about 12 miles away and as I pull in I see a FHP car and a Sheriff car. As I'm sitting behind a lady waiting for the pump the trooper walks over and motions me to turn off the bike. Asks for my DL and registration and says my bars are too high and he's going to write me a fix it ticket. As he's running my DL the deputy comes out and starts asking about the bike. He's like a kid in a candy store. Says the bars looks kick ***.....LOL. That's when I tell him the trooper is giving me a fix it ticket for them; says they're too high. He just rolled his eyes and tells me to have a safe ride home and leaves as the trooper is handing me the ticket to sign. So, I ride home rotate the bars back to what I think is shoulder level, throw the wrench in my pocket and run into town to get one of the local cops to sign off on the ticket so I can go pay the $10 tomorrow. As luck would have it just as I get into town two of the local cops are at the gas station so I ask them if they can sign off on the ticket and show it to them. They look at the bars and say they're about 2" too high. No problem, I pull the wrench out of my pocket and tell him to let me know when they are low enough, as I'm doing this he asks if I'm the guy that got rearended across the street a few months back, "yep, that was me. I just got the bike back a couple weeks ago." Tells me how lucky I am I didn't get hurt, compliments the bike and then starts telling me about his Road King and how he's thinking of putting a 103" kit in it because it just doesn't have the pickup like a Dyna. After he signs the ticket he says "don't forget to use a little locktite when you get home and push the bars back up". I pass these guys everyday, they know my bike and they've never had an issue with it, I guess he was reading my mind. Less than 10 minutes after I got home I had the bars back to where I like them and in the morning I'll go pay my $10 penance.
Not really any point to my rambling I was and am in the wrong, I'll pay the price and continue on in the wrong until it's time to pay again.

 

I'd ask them to get the tape measure out and show me, wtf, just looking at it and saying it's too high....

... unless it's within your pain tolerance... then what the heck... right?

 

Like we all know some cops are jerks, some aren't. Seems you got one that was and a few that weren't.

As I've mentioned before, I know more than a few people in law enforcement. Most of them have been told, "write tickets for anything you can, we need the money".

 

They are definitely too high by the letter of the state law, hands can't be above the shoulders; mine are about ear level just below eye level. I didn't feel like bitching at him and giving other stuff to look at like my exhaust which is illegal, my smoked lenses which ain't exactly kosher, no plate light etc. etc. I smiled said my yes sirs and got him out of my hair as fast as he would move. I knew a trooper was gonna write at some time, every local cop and deputy I've ever talked to has always had good stuff to say about the bike and never questioned any of what could be more than a couple non-moving violations.
It's all within my tolerance level. When it gets outside of it, I'll change the bike to the way the state would like it. Until then I'll rock the 16s, loud exhaust, smoked lenses and enjoy.



Yea, I guess that was mostly the point of my rambling. There are cops out there who are the letter of the law type and those who overlook some relatively minor stuff if you're not being an azzclown. For the most part around here the Sheriff department and the local cops seem to be the latter while the troopers have a reputation for being the former. Many of the local cops I know in the area think the same way about them.

 

Well, some guys aren't MC friendly like state troopers for some reason.. but local cops all love my bike. LOL its great. Funny story though indeed. Glad everything worked out.

 

There's nothing like a happy ending...

 

Isn't there something else this trooper can do like arrest a criminal or arrest a drunk driver, but a biker siting at a gas station doing absolutely nothing. I can understand if you were creating a ruckess, but damn for getting gas. Either his boots are to high or the chin strap on his cowboy hat is to tight. Or could it be the bow tie?? My guess is all the above. Glad the local cops liked, but notice they don't have the getty up/pee-wee herman stuff on.

 

12 years... 10 bucks... That comes out to 83 cents a year for that foolish mistake. I sure hope it was worth it!

 

LOL, I'll start saving for the next one.

 

10.00 non moving ticket Not so bad at least you still have what you want