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Message started by Susan on 09/21/04 at 18:29:03

Title: 205 mph!
Post by Susan on 09/21/04 at 18:29:03

Have you seen this??
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Motorcyclist Arrested For Driving 205 MPH

Sep 21, 2004 7:58 am US/Central
Wabasha, Minn. (AP) With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a Stillwater motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 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."

Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.

After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward.

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.

A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.

Tilley did not return calls from the newspaper to his home Monday. A working number for him could not immediately be found by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said.

Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety said unless Tilley was wearing the kind of protective gear professional motorcycle racers wear, he was courting death at 200 mph.

"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."

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by gitarzan on 09/21/04 at 18:34:26

In a perverse way, my hat's off to him, even though it was pretty stupid.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by gitarzan on 09/21/04 at 18:38:16

Motorcycle news, mostly grim: :-[
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=motorcycle&btnG=Search+News

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Paladin on 09/21/04 at 20:31:37

People that deliberately endanged others' lives do not deserve to remain in civilized society.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by cowboylukas on 09/21/04 at 21:32:15

The fastest I have ever gone is 85 on my Savage, I could not even imagine going over 200!

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Greg_650 on 09/22/04 at 03:01:16

The fastest that I've ever gone on any bike is 117 on my XS850, and that was only once...a long time ago. Since then my Savage has been up to 85 twice just to check tuning and mods. The rest of the time, I try to be legal.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Savage_Rob on 09/22/04 at 06:04:26

My initial take was that this occurred on an isolated stretch of highway, so he was basically endangering only himself. However, Murphy's Law seems to always be in effect so I would definitely agree. This sort of stunt should only be attempted on a dedicated track - away from any public traffic. Doing it on public roads is hazardous and just serves to raise our insurance premiums and make all motorcyclists look stupid and dangerous to the rest of the public.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Jon on 09/22/04 at 10:13:24

The dynamics of the ride on a motorcycle change at 100 mph, handling can get weird. A bike with a regular windshield will get floaty like the tires aren't in constant contact with the road. Little pavement cracks can send a wiggle through the frame and make you momentarily unstable---BIG pucker factor. If you've had your LS WFO with a tail wind, you know what I mean. If you haven't, it isn't worth the risk. Get a dirt bike and ride off road, the adrenaline rush is the same, but it's safer.

Ricky Racers with the aerodynamic fairing, and speed rated tires and suspension, are much more stable going fast. Big-bore sport bikes will do 140mph right out of the showroom, some possibly closer to 170. It wouldn't take too much tuning to go 205. I think road-race track speeds these days go well past that on the straights.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Russ on 09/22/04 at 14:06:36

As for the rider you can say he's either very brave or very stupid..........yikees, I don't even know if I could hold on at 205 mph. Talk about over driving your sight. He's young - hopefully he's learnt some sort of lesson and will be punished accordingly. We all do some crazy things when we're young. Some crazier than others.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by gitarzan on 09/22/04 at 19:28:43

Greg_650 wrote:

I once went 105 on an RD350. Shortly after I changed the front gear for more bottom. After that it was 95mph tops. However it got there quicker. :D

I take my Savage to 85 mph on the way to work.

Most of the way is slow and go, slinky-style traffic along the interstate towards downtown for about 5 miles. :P

Then I peel off onto a nice long banked cloverleaf onto another interstate going outbound from the city's center that is much less busy and always moving along at clip that's always about 10 mph above the limit. I hit the apex and let it rip... ;D The cages are going 75+, so I better be moving with the flow or better to keep from getting run over. So I just bend forward, racer style and leave the throttle wide open... Another 1 1/2 miles and I'm rolling into my home away from home. And finally awake.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Paladin on 09/23/04 at 01:30:30

Back in '81 I took my GS450E from L.A. to Seatle and back. Leaving L.A. I ran I5 to 'Frisco. Like you, I had to do 85 mph just to keep from getting run over. But it was not enjoyable. Leaving 'Frisco I got onto two-lane backroads and cruised 45-50 -- and got 80 mpg.

I ride to enjoy the freedom and scenery. If I want to go someplace fast I fly. I have no complaints with those who want to ride fast -- but the public highways are not the place.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by klx650sm2002 on 09/23/04 at 02:37:27

I usually ride at about 60, I once did 145 on an 1170GSX, 15 years ago and 130 in a car, wouldn't dream about doing it now.

Clive W :D

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by savagethumper on 09/23/04 at 11:17:36

I guess everyone has done the magic "85" on their Savage. That's the fastest I'v gone on mine. Just to try it once. I rarely get over 65 on mine regularly. I have a video of a guy on a Yamaha R1 doing 179 mph on the freeway. Traffic and all. The camera was mounted on the tank. The fastest I've been on wheels was in my friends modified 02 Vette. 146 mph for a brief period. That car could do 180, but he hasn't done that yet. Too much sense. You can check his website out:

http://tigersharkcorvette.com/

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Savage_Rob on 09/23/04 at 13:32:37

I don't think I've done 85 on my Savage yet though I know I've done 75+. The fastest I've ever gone was 126 on my old KZ750 about 15-16 years ago. It was smooth for a bit and then I thought it was gonna fly apart it shook so much. Scared the heck outta me. I have no reason to ever repeat anything like that again.

Title: Re: 205 mph!
Post by Jon on 09/23/04 at 23:36:25

From Usenet <rec.motorcycles>:

The following was posted to the Triples list. No verification on whether it is true yet. Scan of the ticket is included at the bottom.

***paste***
All right, I was the one who got the ticket and it is time to clear some things up. For one, I was riding a 2003 Honda RC51, "heavily modified" with 2 Brothers slip on pipes and, well thats all the mods I have unless you count the "I stop for wh***s" sticker. Next, the bike wasn't impounded, it was towed so it wouldn't be in the roadway. Ok, on to the tickets. 205...uh no. I am personal friends with the owner of "Hitman Motorsports" and tonight, Sept. 22, we did a top speed run on his dyno, in 6th gear, and maxed nearly 60mph slower than I was arrested for. The "no motorcycle endorsement" is because my licence was expired, I do have a motorcycle endoresement for all you people digging into me about that. The stop watch method may be accurate at times, but this is un-conceivable for my motorcycle to approach 205. Honda's RC211v, which is Honda's MotoGP race bike, 5 cyclinders and 268 horespower, just broke 200mph on the track within the last week. And we are talking about a 1/2 to 3/4 million dollar bike. And for you gear-heads, I had on Joe Rocket Boots, Shoei helmet, Leather gloves, Ballistic coat, and leather bottoms. Also, both of us were arrested, and no, the slower one did not get a warning, he was ticketed for 111mph on a F4i. I hope this clears things up for everybody, I am just sick of everyone saying things about what they dont know, making me look like this horrific person. People speed, and if anyone knows anything about the "Flood Run" (which was the ride I was on, which by the way benefits the Gillettes Children Fund) I would be a hell of a lot more concerned about the 7,000 bar-hopping motorcyclist out on the road. 99% of the people you hear things from are misinformed. If you have questions, I will answer them. And one last note, this is information you don't know, the pilot who clocked me, was clocking me, the F4i, and flying his plane at 110mph all at the same time. Think about that for a second.
****end paste****

http://tinyurl.com/4r8ra

Title: BULL SH*T
Post by johnnycrash on 09/26/04 at 17:58:35

Whether or not the person just quoted was the actual perpetrator, thank you for injecting some common sense and actual FACTS into this ridiculously exaggerated (but oft-repeated) story.

205mph on an RVT???? Oops, I'm sorry, 205 on a "Honda 1000?" (lol)

No. No. NO. Only someone who knows absolutely nothing about sportbikes, like your average cop, would believe this. It makes for a sensational headline and a great fish-story/urban myth, but it's all wrong wrong wrong. Not that anyone seems to care in their haste to criticize this admittedly irresponsible rider.

No mention was made how this skycopper determined that the two points of reference were so EXACTLY 1/4-mile apart that hundredths of a second were required to obtain an accurate calculation--at altitude, no less! As noted, this was a public highway, NOT a dragstrip. Nor was any mention made whether or not this guy passed math class in the 4th grade. Obviously, he didn't.

I'm not going to say it's "impossible" for a low-revving V-twin bike like the RVT to attain those speeds, because the minute I say that someone will prove me wrong. But in reality, it's extremely unlikely. It usually takes a highly modified GSX1300-R to achieve those speeds. 200+ is an elite club, and RC51's are (as far as I know) practically unknown in this lofty circle.

I wasn't there, so I can't say what really happened, and I certainly don't condone this kind of stunt on a public highway, but let's get real--the overwhelming evidence indicates that the police officer was either grossly incompetent or simply lying.

Before you go repeating stuff like this, do the following:

Check the facts.
Do some homework.
Excercise some common sense.
Most importantly, CONSIDER THE SOURCE. The media and the cops are notorious for getting it all wrong, wrong, wrong. Like in this instance. "Honda 1000..."

I hope the following:

1. That the rider learned his lesson and restricts such activities to closed tracks in the future,
2. That the ticket gets thrown out in court,
3. And that the journalists and police officers involved are held accountable for their grossly irresponsible actions.

NONE of which is going to happen. Nevermind, just keep telling the story and ooh-ing and ah-ing over the number 205.

JC

Title: Re: BULL SH*T
Post by Paladin on 09/26/04 at 19:13:43

johnnycrash wrote:

....
I hope the following:

1. That the rider learned his lesson and restricts such activities to closed tracks in the future,
2. That the ticket gets thrown out in court,
3. And that the journalists and police officers involved are held accountable for their grossly irresponsible actions.

NONE of which is going to happen. ....

1. I doubt will happen.
2. SHOULD happen *if* the ticket was actually written as 205 mph. That the bike was going 140+ does not matter if the ticket was written for 200+ and it can be proven that it is physically impossible for the bike to exceed 160. I had a buddy in the Air Force (late '60's) who was written up for "noisy mufflers." The mufflers were under his bed and very quiet. That he has no mufflers did not matter as that was not what the ticket was written for.
3. Dream on!