I have just got back from Jet Washing the Bike and was followed most of the way back by a Bike Cop. We get to my street and he beckons me over (little toot). I pulled over and he asks where I live and I point to my house (we are in front of it) He asked for all my docs and I couldnt produce then and there but told him hes welcome to come over and I,ll show him all the paperwork for the Bike. He accepts and over we go…In and out in two minutes with everything spread out on His Seat. Radio Check…all in order…so I was interested as to why I was pulled over for future reference, my riding ? my Can ?..No!!
He then very favourably tells me there is a mounting “stop offensive” going on as the sportsbike (especially Yamaha) are being stolen and reffited with what looks like private plates and being used to transport drugs and sometimes weapons and they are mounting a perge to remove this scum off the streets. (ra ra biker cop) Cheers all round !!!
After a bit of banter …londonbikers gets mentioned and I ask if he wouldnt mind me sharing the info. He said
“Tell them all that its not a case of noisy cans…small plates or whatever…its to solely try to regain the stolen bikes before they are torched and to capture the contraband”.
So…NW1 IS HOT…and all for the right reasons !!
After filling him in as to what LB,s all about and the large scope of people from all walks and carreers he says" sounds good" “I,ll give it a go”
Big Thanks then from me to him and him to me and off he goes !!!
Yea Baro, there r decent cops about, I pulled away from lights at Upper Thames st, doing about 50, when a cop on bike pulled alomg side me and was mouthing summut to me, anyway we stopped at lights, and he said ‘are u fu**ing stupid? your doing 50, got small plate and black visors, and I’m behind you’ well no real answer to that, so I said I was stupoid. He just warned me saying there r loads cameras about, and it’s not worth gettin banned for. So now I always look to see if there r any cops on bikes about before I speed off
I think I’ve mentioned to a few of you guys already how popular the R6 / R1 is with the Yardie lot at the moment, nicked to order (at gunpoint usually), used to carry out shootings, carry drugs and weapons.
Good to see a pleasant interaction with a Rat Barro, they can surprise us and be pleasent sometimes
Same thing happened to me on Nine Elms lane coming in to work. Black visor, yoshi tri and postage stamp sized plate… doing about 70 in a 30. I had ear plugs in and wasn’t looking behind me so he must of followed me for about a mile !
Bike copper didn’t look too impressed when he signalled for me to pull over ! He chilled out during “the lecture” and only did me for my plate apparently because lots of bikes are being used to commit crimes and the cameras can’t read small plates (ANPR or whatever it is… ). Seems like they all have a good reason for pulling over bikers…
I have now gone from a 6X4 plate to a 7X5 (with a tint)…
I do mind being stopped. Its like the stop and search rights police have over all of us. If you were walking down the street and some copper ran up behind ya, put one hand on your shoulder and then asks you loads of questions.
If you’re not doing anything wrong you shouldn’t attracr police attention.
What annoys me is the time it takes for them to verify you own the bike, its insured and the like.
I understand that they are just acting on orders, but to be fair as soon as Barro took off his lid, (if that in itself were not a clear give away) it would have been plain he’s no yardy.
With 3 bikes nicked in the last four years and the last one used in an armed robbery I would be happy to be pulled over every day if I new it was getting somewhere!
Not just Yardies that are knicking them though mate.
I know I’m a bit biased but I have no problems getting pulled over to check my docs - after all if it was my bike that had just been pinched I’d want it pulled. I know it might take 5 or 10 to sort everything out but I have no problem at all with it.
No offence mate but the old Stop and Search is something entirely different and it is not a case of coppers having a hold over you with it !! If it wasn’t for S&S then this city would be in a right old state (well, even worse) - but that is a different subject alltogether.
That’s good to hear Barro! Did you see in MCN this week that the R1 and R6 are in the top five most stolen bikes, and the area with the highest number of thefts is North London! Please becareful out there guys, don’t stop for anybody, but the Police!
I think it’s good that a proactive approach is being taken to this issue, I for one want to know that my assets and well-being are being protected by the enforcers of the law in this country! It’s all too easy to say we don’t like being pulled over, but come on! If we weren’t then how would the thieves ever be tackled? I welcome any Police officer to pull me over if he thinks I am on a stolen bike, this is what I pay my taxes for, enforcement!
I have generally got good views about the police at the mo, we were up Frith last night and must have seen 20 coppers stop, in and out for coffees etc, all of them were polite, ignored our dubbull yellah parking , zorsts etc, just wanted to chat about bikes and stuff
I wouldn’t mind being pulled to confirm ownership, no probs with that at all
I would be happy to be pulled over too if it was to verify the bike’s ownership and to check that it was properly taxed and insured etc. Even my two scorpion cans are road legal orificer :
TBH, it is allways when you are late, but behaving that you tend to get a tug for a document check. I have every sympathy with the police they are doing thier job, I have every sympathy with the motive, its just allways so inconvinient! I ride a bike to get where I am going, to not sit in traffic and to get on with the important things in my life, like riding my bike.
What I don’t want is the :-
“Is this your vehicle sir?”, “Do you have a licence sir?”, When I have done sod all to warrant a tug. For me this is an infringement of civil liberties. When you get your sixth tug in a week for nothing more then riding a motorbike lets see how much sympathy we have still for this policy.
Please bear in mind all comments on this post by me are made out of frustration, I need a ride.
