Wheelies and police response - what is the typical fine?

[benTL]

Hi, new member here. I have a few bikes prone to wheelies - TL1000, RSV4, Kawasaki 636 (stunt sprocket). Could you guys please post experiences being pulled over for doing a wheelie? Is a dangerous driving charge the typical police response? This is in New Zealand.

Thank you

[caseye]

Hi, new member here. I have a few bikes prone to wheelies - TL1000, RSV4, Kawasaki 636 (stunt sprocket). Could you guys please post experiences being pulled over for doing a wheelie? Is a dangerous driving charge the typical police response? This is in New Zealand.

Thank you

Yep! It's dangerous!:facepalm::facepalm:

[Laava]

Apparently, they're not big or clever! But on the police response thing, good luck with getting let off, it's not a crime unless you get caught!

[pritch]

There are probably as many opinions as members, but the opinions of Scumdog and Rastuscat count more in an instance such as this.

[Stylo]

Hi, new member here. I have a few bikes prone to wheelies - TL1000, RSV4, Kawasaki 636 (stunt sprocket). Could you guys please post experiences being pulled over for doing a wheelie? Is a dangerous driving charge the typical police response? This is in New Zealand.

Thank you

Been there. Years ago I pulled a wheelie on my 2 month old XL500 down the main St of Howick. Feb 1980. I was told I rode through a zebra crossing on my back wheel on my brand new bike. I was only a boy, 18 years old. Two cops saw me. Knock on the door a few weeks later and I'm off to court. Turned out the two cops were Husband and wife but, they were in different cars, both of them HQ Holdens. The 253 V8 Belmont. I'd only started shaving my chin back then and balls my hadn't long dropped. I was 17 when I bought the bike new.

Turned out the Husband said one thing and the wife said another in front of the Judge. Judge dismissed it and I got away with re-sitting my license and a $200 fine. Re-sat my license and..failed. Good luck mate. Be interesting to see how you get on.

[scumdog]

Yah could be given a rev up by the cop and a ticket for 'something' (Used to be my approach is the situation suited.)

Or off to court for careless use

Or if conditions are relevant a dangerous driving court appearance (Say for doing a wheelie down a busy street with people crossing the road, cars pulling out of car parks etc)

Also depends whether the cop actually sees you or somebody makes a complaint.

[Gremlin]

As said, specifically a dangerous charge would be related to circumstances/environment. It would be a hard one for them to make stick if it was a country road, clear visibility, and no-one around. Do it on a suburban street while school children are leaving and well... do I need to go on?

As to other charges, there are a host of them at their disposal. Sometimes what you're charged with depends on the officer, from the point of view that some will have "go to" charges, as knowing every law and charge in and out is somewhat unlikely. There are catch all type offences, like operating a vehicle in a manner likely to cause nuisance or offence. Stings you more financially than demerit and you avoid court by paying up. See it as a you got caught, now you're punished, now bugger off and behave.

The heavier the charge, the higher the burden of proof which correlates to the amount of work they have to do. Sometimes the cop wants to drill home a point, other times they've got bigger fish to fry, but you've annoyed them enough to earn some attention.

There is no certainty in what you get charged with because of the variety available and the circumstances, but, if you're caught breaking the law, then expect to be punished. If you're worried about how it affects your licence/job/family, then reconsider breaking the law? ;)

[Katman]

And if it goes to court, there really are cops out there who will blatantly lie under oath - just to secure a conviction.

Believe me.

[Berries]

Wheelies are cool and a good one shows a decent level of skill. Just keep doing them and tell us what you eventually get charged with.

[rastuscat]

Wheelies are cool and a good one shows a decent level of skill. Just keep doing them and tell us what you eventually get charged with.

Nice one, Centurion.

Ask OAB about him, me and wheelies. Chuckle.

[benTL]

The reason I was asking is they gave me a dangerous driving charge and minimum is loss of licence for 6 months.
I was going to please not guilty because it was in an industrial area of the city at midnight with no other traffic around. And its not really dangerous if you know what you are doing and are very experienced.

[benTL]

Yep! It's dangerous!:facepalm::facepalm:

If you read the legislation there is dangerous, reckless, careless - the police need to pick one.

[caseye]

If you read the legislation there is dangerous, reckless, careless - the police need to pick one.

Wow, he really knows his stuff.
Do the crime/wheelie, do the time.
:motu:

[onearmedbandit]

Nice one, Centurion.

Ask OAB about him, me and wheelies. Chuckle.

Better work stories, just doing my part! Still dine out on that story haha.

But yes I've had everything from 'save it for the track, now off you go' to 'you can choose, careless or dangerous'.

[mulletman]

Better work stories, just doing my part! Still dine out on that story haha.

But yes I've had everything from 'save it for the track, now off you go' to 'you can choose, careless or dangerous'.

Ive seen some of your work and none seemed careless or dangerous :shifty::D

[pritch]

The reason I was asking is they gave me a dangerous driving charge and minimum is loss of licence for 6 months.
I was going to please not guilty because it was in an industrial area of the city at midnight with no other traffic around. And its not really dangerous if you know what you are doing and are very experienced.

OK, if you need your licence, you need a lawyer.

[FJRider]

... because it was in an industrial area of the city at midnight with no other traffic around.

Often industrial areas do have staff coming and going at all hours of the day and night ... night-shift, staff working on urgent jobs, security staff ... etc .. ;)

Plenty of accidents happen ... because one of the riders/drivers thought they were the only ones on that bit of road. But they thought wrong.

And Plod are always suspicious of hoon's in/on any manner of vehicles in industrial areas late at night.

[onearmedbandit]

Ive seen some of your work and none seemed careless or dangerous :shifty::D

Luckily I've had some police agree, in fact I'd say the majority.

[roogazza]

I can recall in mid seventies pulling a bike over,
I said," nice wheelie but go do it somewhere else , not on my patch "!!
(He had tried to do a runner too, but I had a 202 Belmont !). :laugh:

More paperwork as Police, MOT just wrote tickets. :shifty:

[Gremlin]

If you read the legislation there is dangerous, reckless, careless - the police need to pick one.
In order of severity, least to most:
Careless - no mandatory disqualification period
Dangerous - 6 month minimum if guilty
Reckless - 6 month minimum if guilty

Yes, if you want to fight you'd probably be best to engage a lawyer. You see plenty of police and lawyer chats as something gets worked out before it goes before the judge, not something you get without them. They can then argue mitigating circumstances like the area, time etc. Yes, prosecution/police decide the charge, sometimes it can be negotiated down, your history etc.

[eldog]

Often industrial areas do have staff coming and going at all hours of the day and night ... night-shift, staff working on urgent jobs, security staff ... etc .. ;)

Plenty of accidents happen ... because one of the riders/drivers thought they were the only ones on that bit of road. But they thought wrong.

And Plod are always suspicious of hoon's in/on any manner of vehicles in industrial areas late at night.

Plenty of stuff happening around where I work during the day and night.
Let alone people doing wheelies and burnouts-they happen often as well.
generally only for a few minutes when it’s isolated which has been fine.
the super modified were so cool.

its the people who are oblivious to their surroundings who should be more careful.
seen professional drivers drive straight across intersections no looking .....

Not too many wheelies apart from the ‘gangsta types
small bikes, no rego, WOF etc, no helmet, no gear, no respect, all over the road.

yet no accidents only the odd tyre blowout.....

any given day, I can be careless, dangerous and reckless for myself.

[ellipsis]

...whats the big thing with wheelies...never been able to suss the mindset in 47 years off being a twat with a motorcycle...I've always wanted the front wheel back on the road asap if it lifted...oh well...

[swarfie]

I can recall in mid seventies pulling a bike over,
I said," nice wheelie but go do it somewhere else , not on my patch "!!
(He had tried to do a runner too, but I had a 202 Belmont !).

Must've been a bloody slow bike ;)

[onearmedbandit]

...whats the big thing with wheelies...never been able to suss the mindset in 47 years off being a twat with a motorcycle...I've always wanted the front wheel back on the road asap if it lifted...oh well...

I'll bite, it's the feeling of balancing on one wheel for me, it's quite an amazing sensation. I treat them with respect however.

[roogazza]

Must've been a bloody slow bike ;)

yeah mate haha , think from memory it was a trail bike .

( Old grey HQ holdens with a red cherry on top, but my own personal record was never losing a race/chase hahahaha. People who know me, believe that.) :woohoo::woohoo:

[rastuscat]

Careless Driving

Were the actions those of a careful and prudent driver? The penalty is up to $3000 max, and the court may disqualify. It's heard in front of JPs, not a judge. Fines generally go around a few hundred dollars.

Dangerous Driving

This is basically Careless Driving which may have been dangerous to a person (not the driver/rider). The Police would need to prove that there was someone else around. They were if they saw you, so it seems proven.

$4500/3 Months Prison/Both, minimum disqualification 6 months.

Reckless Driving

Basically Dangerous Driving with intent. Intent can be inferred from the circumstances. A wheelie of any degree normally is considered to infer intent.

$4500/3 Months Prison/Both, minimum disqualification 6 months.


The cop has a choice to make, normally based on


Time
Place
Circumstances (who else was there)
Actions of the rider/driver


Often but not always, the riders attitude determines the outcome.

[benTL]

Thank you to those who wrote informative responses. Here is the outcome so anyone else knows what to expect. Although there was no traffic or houses around, the wheelie ran for quite a distance. My initial charge sheet was for careless driving but when arriving at court it had been changed to dangerous driving. I think the police try a higher charge first then may negotiate it lower if you plead guilty and save the court time. But for wheelies it seems like dangerous driving is the standard charge and not sure why it was initially only careless. Therefore I plead guilty and lost license for 6 months, no other fines, but must visit a probation centre. Was told that a work license can be applied for immediately (no stand down period) and I can be back driving cars as soon as paperwork is processed and a $1200 fee paid.

Through this experience I found that police don't have cameras in their cars like USA. I was hoping there was video to clarify it was a low speed wheelie using balance point. But to people unfamiliar with riding the police report would make it seem like Marquez on the back wheel along a straight past the chequered flag.

[caseye]

Thank you to those who wrote informative responses. Here is the outcome so anyone else knows what to expect. Although there was no traffic or houses around, the wheelie ran for quite a distance. My initial charge sheet was for careless driving but when arriving at court it had been changed to dangerous driving. I think the police try a higher charge first then may negotiate it lower if you plead guilty and save the court time. But for wheelies it seems like dangerous driving is the standard charge and not sure why it was initially only careless. Therefore I plead guilty and lost license for 6 months, no other fines, but must visit a probation centre. Was told that a work license can be applied for immediately (no stand down period) and I can be back driving cars as soon as paperwork is processed and a $1200 fee paid.

Through this experience I found that police don't have cameras in their cars like USA. I was hoping there was video to clarify it was a low speed wheelie using balance point. But to people unfamiliar with riding the police report would make it seem like Marquez on the back wheel along a straight past the chequered flag.

Blah BLAH blah, wot a load of shiet.
Balance point? Ha, evil kanevile here everyone, he even knows before he does it twice what it's going to cost him.
Thing I don't like, this fuckwit is still able to ride on our roads thinking he's somehow exempt from the rules and of course chance!:facepalm:

[Bonez]

Blah BLAH blah, wot a load of shiet.
Balance point? Ha, evil kanevile here everyone, he even knows before he does it twice what it's going to cost him.
Thing I don't like, this fuckwit is still able to ride on our roads thinking he's somehow exempt from the rules and of course chance!:facepalm:Well Laava has no idea how to judge tyre wear so I'm guessing it is a Auckland thing.

[sugilite]

The day I sold my RZ500 I pulled a horn mono, then stopped further up the road for gas. A cop stopped beside me and asked why I had done that. I told him I had sold the bike and was celebrating (18 years old).
He just said, OK then, oh by the way, I have an FJ1100, want to go for a ride next Weekend?
Some cops are really good, and others not so much. Luck of the draw. I got off plenty just by being honest as the reasons why, and being courteous helped too.
BTW, I should never of sold that bike :no:

[sidecar bob]

Must've been a bloody slow bike ;)

Probably a Velo.

[Drew]

Been pulled over once for a wheelie.
Was a good one if I do say so. Cop asked why I did it. "Cant bullshit ya, I was showing off to that other guy on a bike".
"Well don't from now on. Off ya go".

[Gremlin]

Are you sure there is no minimum stand down on dangerous until getting a work licence? I recall 28 days? I think careless had no stand down minimum.

Also, you have the time filing the work licence, waiting for it to be scheduled etc. I think the court also doesn't like too many work licence applications in each sitting etc.

[rastuscat]

Are you sure there is no minimum stand down on dangerous until getting a work licence? I recall 28 days? I think careless had no stand down minimum.

There's a mandatory stand down for 28 days for some offences, mainly related to EBA and non-compliance offences.

Dangerous isn't one of them.

[R650R]

The reason I was asking is they gave me a dangerous driving charge and minimum is loss of licence for 6 months.
I was going to please not guilty because it was in an industrial area of the city at midnight with no other traffic around. And its not really dangerous if you know what you are doing and are very experienced.

How did this all pan out for you?
As someone else said industrial areas may look deserted but are usually not. Forklifts with no lights popping across road to other job sites or b trains backing out of driveways etc....

On a side note while detailing bike I noticed rear tyres maximum load rating. It’s exceeded by combined weight of rider and gear if front wheel off the ground...
Could explain why some mint looking wheelies suddenly go haywire...
Mind you in fourth gear at xxx km/h some interesting maths could argue the air resistance drag is taking some weight...