On the lighter side of today's news, a motorcyclist in Minnesota was given a speeding ticket near the Wisconsin border for going, get this, 205 mph:
On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61.When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph.
"I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."
My favorite line in this story:
The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider, 20-year-old Stillwater resident Samuel Armstrong Tilley, for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license — and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.
My least favorite line in this story:
"I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 miles per hour," Swanson said. "But it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure."
My father was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident when I was about 11 years old, so I've always been very cautious if riding one, but you can't help but admire the guts of this guy, if not the brains.
I can't admire anything about him right now. Jess and I are lucky to be alive today; some damn fool in a Buick ran a red light on Monday and totaled our car, nearly flipped us over.
We escaped with only minor sprains and aches thanks to seatbelts and airbags, and because we rammed into the side of her car as she sped through the intersection. If we had entered the intersection even a fraction of a second earlier, she would've nailed us right in the passenger side door, and probably killed me.
Posted by: Catsy | September 22, 2004 at 09:54 AM
The Trooper may have saved his life. A couple years ago, in Oregon where I used to live, a man bought his son one of these new high powered street bikes and the young boy went right out and tried a high speed nose stand just like they do in the movies. You guessed it, the results were horribly predictable. I ride a motorcycle and try to stay focused at every moment, like they taught in the class I took recently. Do I speed and take chances even yet. Us hypocrites are a dime a dozen. 205? Unbelieveable. Hopefully this young man live to grow up and be a resposible adult, maybe run for office and .... well, who knows?
Posted by: blogbudsman | September 22, 2004 at 10:01 AM
Sorry to hear about your accident Catsy. That's truly awful.
Driving unsafely is not something I admire in general (my father is quite frankly very lucky to be alive...that lesson is etched into the fabric of my being)...it's just that this lunatic went so far above and beyond what would be considered "safe" he defies the usual finger wagging and (although he should have his license taken away) just makes my jaw drop at the sheer nerve of it.
Posted by: Edward | September 22, 2004 at 10:17 AM
We'll be okay--at this point we just need to find an attorney to represent us, since she's claiming she didn't run a red (despite witnesses to the contrary) and her insurance company is not negotiating in good faith.
That said, I don't think she has any business being behind the wheel of a car; I seem to remember a glimpse of her chatting on a cellphone before the impact.
This fool on the motorcycle just... defies explanation. Sounds like that trooper saved /someone's/ life that day.
Posted by: Catsy | September 22, 2004 at 10:33 AM
(although he should have his license taken away)
I would think he'd be jailed for reckless driving. At least, when I had my license suspended for driving 90 in a 55 back when I was young and foolish, I was told that I was lucky I wasn't charged with reckless and sentenced to 30 days. I suppose that could've been just a scare tactic or something specific to California, though.
But I'm still wondering about the patrolman's watch. Have they verified that this guy's motorcycle could actually be capable of going 205 MPH?
Posted by: kenB | September 22, 2004 at 10:36 AM
kenB - "But I'm still wondering about the patrolman's watch. Have they verified that this guy's motorcycle could actually be capable of going 205 MPH?"
Now there's a true blogger for you. kenB's probably right, it wouldn't take too much a hesitation stopping and starting the watch, or whatever hand-eye coordination responsible. Probably won't affect the judgement though.
Posted by: blogbudsman | September 22, 2004 at 10:50 AM
Yeah, I don't think anyone needs a stopwatch to tell the difference between 65mph and waytoodamnfast. :>
Posted by: Catsy | September 22, 2004 at 10:58 AM
Re: motorcycles. Two things.
He refuses to ride a motorcycle in traffic. Says it's too dangerous.
Posted by: double-plus-ungood | September 22, 2004 at 11:05 AM
But I'm still wondering about the patrolman's watch. Have they verified that this guy's motorcycle could actually be capable of going 205 MPH?
Yeah. What's the big deal? he was probably only going 180 or so :).
On the other hand, if he was accelerating through the quarter mile he was going faster than 205 at the end.
Posted by: Bernard Yomtov | September 22, 2004 at 11:32 AM
Yeah, there are motorcycles that go around 195 MPH stock. Lightly modified ones could easily go north of 200. Suzuki and Kawasaki were in a race (heh) to put out the first production motorcycle that could best 200, but legislation in Europe (boo!) made them agree to self limit their powerplants and aero packages to 185MPH.
As an avid motorcyclist, I can attest that there is danger in the sport. Whether its "too dangerous", or whether you give much weight to the inevitable medic/doctor/nurse you will meet that must tell you their hoary tales of donorcycles is of course subjective. As is the sheer joy that is to be experienced by operating such a machine proficiently. Not fast, or recklessly, but proficiently, which I guess is subjective all by itself. :-)
On the street, I wear close to $1000 dollars worth of gear and equipment that will ensure I have the highest chance of survival should I fail to meet the motorcyclist's goal of "keeping the shiny side up" due to my own actions or others. The fastest I've gone is in the 140 territory, and it wasn't on the open road. I'm like Edwards, I have to sit back and admire the sheer courage it had to take to keep that throttle twisted to 205mph off of a closed track. Yeah, he's crazy, but he'd probably be a good fighter jock.
On that note, I'm leaving with my wife on my Suzuki Bandit to head over/down to Gatlinburg from Indianapolis this weekend to celebrate our 7th. Highway 129 (the "Dragon") in particular is legendary for great scenic beauty and techincal difficulty of its layout. Its sure to be a hoot, and I have fresh tires for the occasion!
Posted by: Neolith | September 22, 2004 at 02:17 PM
I'm sure that the rider will frame the ticket and have both ;)
140 Neolith? Not bad. I hit 150 in two places, once on the autobahn (and I had to move over for a Porsche) and a number of times on the Nurburgring. Isn't it amazing? Over 120 and stuff looks like its backing up to you rather than you catching up to them.
Congrats on your 7th and happy riding!
Posted by: crionna | September 22, 2004 at 02:54 PM
Ditto on the congratulations on your 7th anniversary, Neolith.
You and Crionna...you both crazy...
Posted by: Edward | September 22, 2004 at 03:05 PM
I'm truly surprised how lightly some of you guys are taking this.
This guy might as well waving an assault weapon at people on the highway.
As far as I can tell this guy is a danger to all of us.
Posted by: Blue | September 22, 2004 at 03:15 PM
Wait a minute: this is a rare moment, and should be cherished:
BLUE AND I AGREE! ;)
Posted by: hilzoy | September 22, 2004 at 03:20 PM
No kidding. But then, I might be accused of being just a mite bit oversensitive to the subject at the moment.
Posted by: Catsy | September 22, 2004 at 03:24 PM
I imagine a totally deserted road when I picture this incident and say I admire the nerve of this guy. Yes, I can imagine scenarios whereby he injures someone other than himself (I've acknowledged he's not the quickest spark plug in the engine), but we know he's home safe and no one was injured, so it's safe to wonder in awe at his audacity.
Posted by: Edward | September 22, 2004 at 03:35 PM
Good God, Hilzoy, you're right. I never thought the day would come. Can we save this thread as one of those historic moments?
Posted by: Jesurgislac | September 22, 2004 at 04:07 PM
This guy might as well waving an assault weapon at people on the highway.
Force = Mass X Acceleration and our "hero" weighs 600 lbs. Compare that to a Camry that weighs 3400 lbs. That says to me that a Camry at the speed limit has close to twice the destructive capability of this guy at 205mph.
You cagers with your cell phones, pets, screaming kids, radios, food, sodas, babbling passengers, books, make-up, GPS systems etc. etc. drive me crazy sometimes. You are the ones in a vehicle with 6-10 times the destructive force of a motorcycle (not to mention a pedestrian or bicyclist) paying much less attention (as Catsy can attest) to driving.
Assault weapon indeed ;P
Posted by: crionna | September 22, 2004 at 04:37 PM
140 Neolith? Not bad. I hit 150 in two places, once on the autobahn (and I had to move over for a Porsche) and a number of times on the Nurburgring.
150 indicated or actual, crionna? I saw 120 on the clock at my first (and only, so far) trackday, but I figure that only works out to about 110 in reality.
And Neolith, the Dragon's supposed to be great, but come out to the Bay Area and crionna or I can show you some real roads... ;)
Posted by: Josh | September 22, 2004 at 04:49 PM
Crionna, I'd be just as irritated (or more so) if it were a guy in a car driving at 205 mph.
As my grandmother was killed by a speeding motorcyclist (27 years ago: this is not a pity-me comment, I'm just saying) I'm kind of aware that while cars are more lethal, motorcyclists are quite lethal enough.
Posted by: Jesurgislac | September 22, 2004 at 04:57 PM
Jes, my point (and I have personal anecdotes too*) is that most of today's cars and drivers** are more dangerous than anyone else on the road when operating their vehicles at legal speeds, much less at 205***.
In fact, there's probably a good comparison there between the attention your average driver pays to driving and the attention your average voter pays to discussions of real issues.
Josh, my guess too, indicator was pegged over 155.
*Which, by the way, does nothing to lessen my feelings for your loss.
**Apologies for the earlier "cager" reference.
***This is not to say that I advocate slower speeds. Quite the contrary, I advocate the correct speeds that require more concentration on the part of all drivers, better enforcement of traffic laws and fines that deter law-breaking rather than operate as a government revenue source.
Posted by: crionna | September 22, 2004 at 06:34 PM
Crionna: Heh, what I noticed is that the faster you go, the narrower the road physically appears. Its the oddest thing, but its like the actual vanishing point off in the horizon is closing in on you. The other thing I've noticed on most 100+RWHP bikes is that even at high speed, the acceleration is still so hard that the sensation is almost exactly like pressing the fast forward button on your VCR. The difference between say, 60 and 80 is hardly noticible at all, but 100 to 120 is like an exponential difference.
My 140MPH was at indicated ~155, but I have a GPS verified speedo error of 10%. I have no idea why motorcycles have such sloppy speedometers. I've always kind of assumed its a liability thing, so the inexperienced riders always feel like they are going faster than reality, but I honestly don't know, and it sucks mentally calculating how fast I'm going at any time. Though I guess I have gotten pretty good at it.
Josh: Yeah, I've heard Cali is king for the roads. My dream ride is to go out south through Vegas, wind up in LA, and cruise from there to as far north in California along US 1 as I care to go, exploring side roads and canyons as time and interest permit. That actually was our plan for this year, but work demands have forced me to severely cut back on the scale of the trip. I figure the california and back trip would take 2 weeks at least to do right. 3 weeks optimally. I could do it in less if I trailered the bike out there, but that's just so... ewww.
Rest assured, if I make it out there, I'll look you guys up. What do you guys ride? I've got a 01 Bandit, 91 Yam FJ1200, 85 interceptor, and 82 Suzuki GS850. I only trust the bandito and FJ for long distance work though.
Posted by: Neolith | September 23, 2004 at 03:20 AM
I could do it in less if I trailered the bike out there, but that's just so... ewww.
Heh, we'll get along fine....
My ride's a 1999 Triumph Sprint ST.
Posted by: crionna | September 23, 2004 at 03:31 AM
I agree with Blue.
Crionna, you need to check your physics. It's not F=ma that's important here, but KE(kinetic energy)=.5mv^2.
600 pound motorcyle at 205 mph =~ 1.3 x 10^7
3400 pound car at 65 mph =~ 7.2 x 10^6
So the motorcyclist packs almost twice the energy of the car. The Camry would have to be going a little over 85 mph to pack the same punch--which, I admit, is not all that unlikely.
Nonetheless, I would much rather be T-boned by the Camry than the motorcycle in this case, since the Camry's driver wouldn't become 150 pounds of high-velocity meat coming through my window, pretty much guaranteeing my demise even if I had side air bags. And the smaller cross section of the motorcyle would concentrate its punch into a smaller area of my car, raising the changes of penetration.
Considering how much twitchier a two-wheeler is at 205 than a sedan at 85, the guy was guilty of murderously reckless driving and should never, ever be permitted to drive anything again, IMO.
Posted by: Dave Trowbridge | September 23, 2004 at 01:03 PM
I have no idea why motorcycles have such sloppy speedometers. I've always kind of assumed its a liability thing, so the inexperienced riders always feel like they are going faster than reality, but I honestly don't know, and it sucks mentally calculating how fast I'm going at any time. Though I guess I have gotten pretty good at it.
There was an article about this in one of the mags in the past couple of months... I think it's pretty much liability and the fact that the manufacturers realize that some people might change the gearing and thus hose the speedo. You can get a Yellow Box to correct the stock speedo. I've got a cheapie bicycle computer sitting around that I'm going to install which will give me a fully-accurate speed reading.
I could do it in less if I trailered the bike out there, but that's just so... ewww.
Like crionna said, we'll get along just fine. Although having recently driven across the Great Basin, it'd suck mightily on a bike. So boring...
I've got an '01 F4i, but I've been lusting after a Bandit 1200 for some time now. Mmmm, torque.
Posted by: Josh | September 23, 2004 at 03:14 PM
Eh, it depends on the details of the situation. There are many places in Indiana where you could get away with tripple digit speeds without endangering anyone but yourself, if you wanted to. And if we're just judging by how much damage a wreck would cause, are you for stripping the driving rights of all drivers who exceed or meet 85 MPH? What about Hummers? They get suspended at 65 or what? But my thought? Get yourself to the track if you want to be a fly boy and learn how to do it properly.
Wow, a Sprint... my dad almost got one of those this spring. Beautiful machines. What's the reliability like?
I've been aware of the yellow boxes for awhile, several of the guys at maximum-suzuki swear by them. But, boy are they expensive for what they do.
Heh. The boredom is part of the adventure! I just did a to and back to NYC to visit a friend, and I-80 through Ohio has got to be the most boring, god forsaken stretch of road this side of Nebraska. But you do get a cool out of body in-the-zone kind of mentality going on.
I love my Bandit. Its fast, handles reasonably well, and is comfortable enough to go 850 miles in one sitting (my personal record so far). Its the jack of all, master of none type of bike, which is what you want in a daily rider. I have it jetted and piped, so it sounds nice, and I've thought about doing some suspension work, but its so capable for daily use I am leary of spending the moolah on it. If I want to burn up a road I take the Intercepter anyway.
Posted by: neolith | September 24, 2004 at 12:54 AM
Good point, Neolith, although my recommendation (to the extent it was based on reason rather than emotion) was based not only on the likely damage but the higher probability of an accident with a motorcycle at 205 mph vs a sedan at 85.
But you are absolutely right about going to a track: that's the only responsible place for such speed.
BTW, if you want to understand part of the reason for the emotion behind my comment, this essay will help explain it. I have co-existed with motorcyclists on a dangerous mountain road for almost nine years of four-wheel commuting, and while most of them are quite responsible, I get tired of having to compensate for the idiots.
Posted by: Dave Trowbridge | September 24, 2004 at 12:13 PM
I have co-existed with motorcyclists on a dangerous mountain road for almost nine years of four-wheel commuting, and while most of them are quite responsible, I get tired of having to compensate for the idiots.
Dave, if it means anything to you, I know a bunch of motorcyclists (myself included) who refuse to ride Skyline and 9 precisely because of the idiots you're talking about.
Posted by: Josh | September 24, 2004 at 03:09 PM
What's the reliability like?
I'm not crionna, but I do know of a guy who managed to put over 100k miles on his Sprint. He had one major breakdown in that time, but he seemed pretty happy with the bike.
he boredom is part of the adventure! I just did a to and back to NYC to visit a friend, and I-80 through Ohio has got to be the most boring, god forsaken stretch of road this side of Nebraska. But you do get a cool out of body in-the-zone kind of mentality going on.
Ha. I've driven the length of I-80, and let me tell you, Ohio has nothing -- nothing! -- on Nevada. 6 hours of brown earth and scrub brush. The desolation of it is kinda cool for the first hour or two, but then that goes away. The only thing that kept my girlfriend and me sane on our drive was the iPod loaded up with 18 days' worth of music.
Posted by: Josh | September 24, 2004 at 03:18 PM
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
All of you preachers of the evils of unsafe driving need to SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!
You only WISH YOU had the massive cohonies to pull back that throttle in top gear and watch as time and space merged into a blur of adrenalin and fear.
REST ASSURED-THIS GUY IS GOING TO JAIL.
FOR THE MAXIMUM PENALTY PROVIDED BY LAW.
But what an AWESOME STORY!
"Uh,how fast you ever been?"
"Oh,I got a modified pickup up to 120 mph.,how about you?"
"Oh,I got a ticket going 205 mph in a 65 mph speed zone and it was published worldwide."."
"Oh."
Posted by: GIMMEAHAMMER | December 21, 2004 at 08:04 PM
Just happened to come across this site by chance. (Speed) is a dying thing to be sampled by less and less people of the world due to worldwide legislation.
Posted by: BREN | March 01, 2007 at 12:11 AM
thanks mate
Posted by: gimmeahammer | March 01, 2007 at 12:14 AM