Demerit Points

[Hawkeye]

Had a great 2 hour ride yesterday. Went around the Inlet and along Paekak.
Thorougly enjoyed myself and had a ball.

Got home to find oldest at soccer and needing picked up. Jumped in the cage and got 1.5K's from home, came along a road that has one of those speed signs. No camera, just lets you know how fast your going.
Lapse in concentration I suppose after being out on the bike, but found the sign flashing to slow down.
Looked down at the speedo and was doing about 62k. Looked up again to find a patrol coming the other way. Thought shit, do I hit the brakes or not.
Never even got a chance before the lights came on.
Ended up with 20 demerits as he said I was doing 68 ???. My speedo can't be that far out - can it?

There are 4 of those signs in Tawa. Not one of them matches the speedo and no two are the same.
There is a range between 41 and 58 when my speedo is at 50k.

Ah well! only 2 years until they go..... bugger

[Krusti]

Now that sucks!

[Madness]

Just wait 'til they drop it to 40 in Tawa!!!. My mrs. complimented me the other day for going past one of the automated signs you referred to without it flashing at me, first time apparently.

I had a nice ride up the coast yesterday as well. The Paekak hill seems to be less popular with cagers now they dropped the limit there to 70. I kept as close to the limit as I could, considering how much FUN the hill is without traffic.

[Sniper]

Try sitting on 95 demerits for 2 years.. that sucks arse

[Madness]

Try sitting on 95 demerits for 2 years.. that sucks arse

Aerosmith; "living on the edge"
Bugger that!!! Almost worth doing the 3-months for a clean slate?????
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[jimbo600]

You law breaker you. Lucky that patrol car came along or you would have surely killed yourself.

[Dafe]

Damn, When did it go to two years? I thought it was one! Hmmmmmmm, still can't justify running yet!

[madboy]

68 in a 50? Jeez, you deserve the book thrown at you for that one.

They've taken all the fun out of those signs now that they just say slow instead of giving your real speed.

[roogazza]

Get a detector, and always , ALWAYS, slam on the pics !!!!!!!! :yeah:

[madboy]

Get a detector, and always , ALWAYS, slam on the pics !!!!!!!! :yeah:Detectors are over rated, but a useful tool nonetheless. I don't know about ALWAYS slamming on the picks, though. Not my preferred option.

[Shadows]

Ahhh shit don't they show your top speed any more??? Fucking killjoys.
I tried clocking one a couple of years ago. I found you could trick it by screaming up the shoulder then pulling out into the beam not too far from the unit. Must give it a fright or something because it would show a ridiculously high speed at first.

Mmmmm and then I wonder why they don't show your speed any more!! :slap:

[Hawkeye]

Try sitting on 95 demerits for 2 years.. that sucks arse

32 years of driving and no demerits. Never had a speeding ticket until I arrived in NZ. Got 2 in the first 6 months. But after 32 years, I'm rather pi#*ed off that I got demerits. Don't normally hoon around but I think the 2 hours on the bike had a lot to do with it.

[Hawkeye]

Get a detector, and always , ALWAYS, slam on the pics !!!!!!!! :yeah:


In this case I don't think a detector would help. Bit of an S bend. He appeared just as I looked down to look at the speedo. The sign flashing 'slow down' does not actually help. Especially since every one of the signs in the area is calibrated at a different speed. I looked down to see what the speedo was registering as he can around the bend. By the time I saw him, he had already pinged me. Slamming the brakes on would only highlight the fact that I was over the limit.
If only I had forgotten something or set the CD player up before pulling out of the drive. 5 seconds earlier and I would have reduced the speed to less than 55. 5 seconds later and I would have seen him before he got me.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Detectors are over rated, but a useful tool nonetheless. .

Or you aren't using it properly. 23 months without a ticket. Zero demerits in a month. They are rated high around here.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

In this case I don't think a detector would help. Bit of an S bend.
Yes it would. You would not have a ticket. Go off and read about the Escort X 50. I could go on for hours but you would have had plenty of warning. You have paid a fine that could have paid for half the detector. There is a guy on here that sells them. Great to deal with and the best price in the country.
They are better than you might think. Set it up when you get it. Easy to do and just drive or ride. I know a rider that sticks a bit over the speed limit and has not had to walk for years. So you work out what speed he rides at and he has zero demerit points. Talked me in to buying one and I have not had a ticket since.:not:

[Hawkeye]

Yes it would. You would not have a ticket. Go off and read about the Escort X 50. I could go on for hours but you would have had plenty of warning. You have paid a fine that could have paid for half the detector. There is a guy on here that sells them. Great to deal with and the best price in the country.
They are better than you might think. Set it up when you get it. Easy to do and just drive or ride. I know a rider that sticks a bit over the speed limit and has not had to walk for years. So you work out what speed he rides at and he has zero demerit points. Talked me in to buying one and I have not had a ticket since.:not:


Hi Gixxer, thought about getting one for a while. I've got an old bike that the screen has had to be glassed so is now painted black rather than clear.
Does the detector need a clear screen. Don't know much about them!

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Hi Gixxer, thought about getting one for a while. I've got an old bike that the screen has had to be glassed so is now painted black rather than clear.
Does the detector need a clear screen. Don't know much about them!
Hmmm The clearer the better. They work well on tints but paint will stuff it up. They need to let light pass through them. You could buy a sealed box and mount it to one side or clean the paint off a small part of the screen in front of the detector. Mount to one side cos they look behind you as well. Has saved me from sneaky plod before. They have a down side. They do not like to get wet at all. SO I made a Perspex (sp) box for mine. You can buy them for $120.00 the last time I looked. If you want more info I will look for links for you. Tomorrow cos I am off to catch some ZZZZ's

Edit That $120 is for the box. The detector is around $500.00 last time I looked

[pyrocam]

say no more (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=26540)

[scumdog]

Or you aren't using it properly. 23 months without a ticket. Zero demerits in a month. They are rated high around here.

19 years without a ticket, forever without demerits

Never owned/used a detector.

Pinged quite a few with one though.

[Sniper]

Bugger that!!! Almost worth doing the 3-months for a clean slate?????
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Wheres the fun in that? I was a menace to society so they slowed me down for 2 years rather than kick me off for 3

[Lou Girardin]

Nah, detectors don't work. I've used them for 20 years and I've had 3 or even 4 speeding tickets.
But I bet I've been speeding a bit more than that though.

BTW radar antennas work through any opaque plastic, laser needs a clear screen to work best.

[beyond]

C'mon guys,

Someone has to pay for our precious Helen's lunch, her next trip overseas,
her next hair appointment..... :bleh:

[Gixxer 4 ever]

19 years without a ticket, forever without demerits

Never owned/used a detector.

Pinged quite a few with one though.
I expect to get a ticket at some time in the near or distance future. They are not fool proof but they have helped make riding a lot more fun and stress free.
So you have never gone faster than the limit or do you flash the badge so to speak?:rolleyes: :corn: :corn:

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Nah, detectors don't work. I've used them for 20 years and I've had 3 or even 4 speeding tickets.
But I bet I've been speeding a bit more than that though.

BTW radar antennas work through any opaque plastic, laser needs a clear screen to work best.

So they work Lou........Not 100% but you are still riding so they work.............I might not have a licence, but not sure if I was over the 100kmh limit or not, on the way back from Paeroa so it has been paid for a few times over. Sorry Scumdog I am not sure if I was at 100 or 110.:confused: Don't worry you will get me one day.......<_<

[kiwifruit]

he said I was doing 68 ???. My speedo can't be that far out - can it?


its a choice of just paying the fine and accepting it,
or take it to court.
I would take it court for sure.
Its up2 you :)

[madboy]

Gixxer, I think you might be suggesting detector's are better than they really are. They rely on cops being lazy. When you strike the fellas who aren't lazy, and use instant on radar or laser, you're in exactly the same boat as the punter without one.

I've ridden for two years and I've NEVER used a detector on the bike, and yet I've NEVER had a ticket, NEVER even been pulled over. How does getting a detector help me? My eyes, brain and throttle have helped me more than any detector ever will.

A jammer would work a damn sight better I reckon... if you can get one that actually works.

[scumdog]

So you have never gone faster than the limit or do you flash the badge so to speak?:rolleyes: :corn: :corn:

No comment on the first part and never 'flashed my badge' ever.
Rarely get pulled over for anything other than a breath-test checkpoint.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Gixxer, I think you might be suggesting detector's are better than they really are. They rely on cops being lazy. When you strike the fellas who aren't lazy, and use instant on radar or laser, you're in exactly the same boat as the punter without one.

I've ridden for two years and I've NEVER used a detector on the bike, and yet I've NEVER had a ticket, NEVER even been pulled over. How does getting a detector help me? My eyes, brain and throttle have helped me more than any detector ever will.

A jammer would work a damn sight better I reckon... if you can get one that actually works.

There are degrees I suppose. As I do not sell them or have any interest in selling them and this thread had a comment made about the detector not helping I just added my opinion.
So from here on in I will start my posts with IMO.
Will that help?

Last time I got a ticket it was at night, one truck on the road. No other traffic till Mr plod appeared from behind the truck, after I passed it. It was in the bad days when they hid in the bushes. No I didn't run cos 4 km down the road was a built up area. More fool me??? Don't think so.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

No comment on the first part and never 'flashed my badge' ever.
Rarely get pulled over for anything other than a breath-test checkpoint.


Good answer. Why wouldn't you flash the badge? Hell you got to have some perks of the job. I never understand that. You hear it often...I would never do that......
Odly enough I am not ante the traffic cops in anyway. But have been in the passed. So the detector has made the playing field even and it is nice to play on an even playing field. You do a good a job and many here would agree. Why did you choose that online name?

[Hawkeye]

its a choice of just paying the fine and accepting it,
or take it to court.
I would take it court for sure.
Its up2 you :)

I'm not going to argue that I was over the top. As I said previously, lapse in concentration. I always slow down if I come up to one of the signs and it starts flashing. I don't delibrately speed but with overdrive on the cage it's easy to go over the top without realising. The sign's do make you aware.
I was unfortunate that once I realised I was over the top, he had already pinged me. All I'm saying is that my speedo was reading 62, he said 68.

Just a further update. Came past one of the signs on the way home today.
My speedo was showing 47k. The sign flashed 29 ????? What chance do you have..

[scumdog]

Good answer. Why wouldn't you flash the badge? Hell you got to have some perks of the job. I never understand that. You hear it often...I would never do that......
Why did you choose that online name?

Never even thought about the badge thing, maybe it's a sense of ethics (cue for ribald laughter from certain KB members) but I just wouldn't.

If I ever do get a ticket I'll accept it and slink off.

(and if I'm a true-blue KBer I'll rant about it on KB):Pokey:

My online name? Given to me by freezing worker mates when I worked there.

(Related to the black jersey/unshaven/long hair/Harley appearance back then.):cool:

[The_Dover]

C'mon guys,

Someone has to pay for our precious Helen's lunch, her next trip overseas,
her next hair appointment..... :bleh:


You telling me that bitch pays someone to make her hair look like that?

Must be one of those fuckin community programs where they've give blind people a job. (No offence to the blind here, thankyou PC brigade)

But as a hairdresser??

[Hawkeye]

Gixxer, I think you might be suggesting detector's are better than they really are. They rely on cops being lazy. When you strike the fellas who aren't lazy, and use instant on radar or laser, you're in exactly the same boat as the punter without one.



The one that got me must be one of the lazy ones because as the front of his patrol appeared around the corner he was already putting on the lights.
He would not have had time to ping me, check the speed and then put the lights on. So in this case a detector may have helped.

I was over the top. I got caught. Life goes on. It just ruined what had been a great day!

[Gixxer 4 ever]

The one that got me must be one of the lazy ones because as the front of his patrol appeared around the corner he was already putting on the lights.
He would not have had time to ping me, check the speed and then put the lights on. So in this case a detector may have helped.

I was over the top. I got caught. Life goes on. It just ruined what had been a great day!


Yep he was watching you before he could see your car.:shifty: It would have helped for sure

You have a good attitude.:woohoo:

Have a good one tomorrow.

[Indoo]

Gixxer, I think you might be suggesting detector's are better than they really are. They rely on cops being lazy. When you strike the fellas who aren't lazy, and use instant on radar or laser, you're in exactly the same boat as the punter without one.

I've ridden for two years and I've NEVER used a detector on the bike, and yet I've NEVER had a ticket, NEVER even been pulled over. How does getting a detector help me? My eyes, brain and throttle have helped me more than any detector ever will.

A jammer would work a damn sight better I reckon... if you can get one that actually works.

Ditto, aside from the doing the runner bit. It all comes down to time, place (most important) and circumstances.

A detector is not going to help you vs the vast majority of traffic cops out there who flick the radar on only when they see a car they think is speeding. It might help sometimes but then you have to weigh up the cost of the detector vs any potential tickets you might get.

Sounds like you definately want to get your speedo checked, almost every speedo nowadays overestimates your speed sometimes to the tune 8+ or so kmh. If yours is doing things the other way round you might have a wee problem.

[Hawkeye]

Sounds like you definately want to get your speedo checked, almost every speedo nowadays overestimates your speed sometimes to the tune 8+ or so kmh. If yours is doing things the other way round you might have a wee problem.

Yeh! That's exactly what I was thinking. Only had this cage for about 3 months but spend most of my time on the bike now. Got it so the son can learn. I need to get it checked before he gets his restricted or he'll end up costing me a fortune in tickets....:Police:

[hunt]

i too got a ticket on my bike today, didnt think i was speeding at all, my speed acording to the copper was 68 km, got the ticket rode back home,cause i was actually just roadtesting to settle my oil level, mr policeman shows up at my gate saying i was speeding again and guess what according to him i was again travelling at 68km,he let me off the second one cause i agreed to check my speedo for acuracy,seems a bit strange though all these 68km per hour traffic infringements,

[jimbo600]

Never even thought about the badge thing, maybe it's a sense of ethics (cue for ribald laughter from certain KB members) but I just wouldn't.

If I ever do get a ticket I'll accept it and slink off.

(and if I'm a true-blue KBer I'll rant about it on KB):Pokey:

My online name? Given to me by freezing worker mates when I worked there.

(Related to the black jersey/unshaven/long hair/Harley appearance back then.):cool:

Um I believe a sworn guy flashing his badge to get out of a ticket will land him in the pooh. HP enjoy ticketing other cops anyway especially if they're (the HP) are ex MoT.

[Wenier]

Yea 95 Demerits is hard to live on for a while, but i have managed. Down to 40 now :).

Ya have to admit that radar detectors (good ones) are very effective when it has the chance to work (eg, cop has radar on full time).

I actually am considering getting a radar detector cause i dont believe that all cops are as honest as we would hope. The reason i say this is i have been pulled over when i wasnt speeding according to my speedo and have been clocked at a higher speed, now usually speedos overread not underread. So i wish to have a radar to make sure an officier has locked my speed and not already got one locked in and just picked me as my car is known as a boy racers car.

[Drew]

Yeh! That's exactly what I was thinking. Only had this cage for about 3 months but spend most of my time on the bike now. Got it so the son can learn. :
In a car, your speedo is most commonly cable driven, so it rely's on spring tension for accuracy. Not effective at all, particularly if it's a bit old.
Having said that, if it is a long way out when it says 50, (lower the speed, more accurate the shity little spring is), you will most likely find it has had a gear box change, (if it's rear wheel drive, maybe just a diff), or more likely, has the wrong size tyres on it.
There should be a little sticker inside the drivers door on the b pillar, that tells you what size it should have. It may have a few options, but most likely they all have the same rolling radius.

[Drew]

You law breaker you. Lucky that patrol car came along or you would have surely killed yourself.
WAY TOO SUBTLE BRO.
You gotsta come right out wif da shiz.
Highway snakes are brainwashed, money grabbing wankers. There are always exceptions, but in my experience, very fuckin few!

[jimbo600]

WAY TOO SUBTLE BRO.
You gotsta come right out wif da shiz.
Highway snakes are brainwashed, money grabbing wankers. There are always exceptions, but in my experience, very fuckin few!

You mean those knights of the road? You are mistaken surely.

[Lou Girardin]

In a car, your speedo is most commonly cable driven, so it rely's on spring tension for accuracy. Not effective at all, particularly if it's a bit old.
.

Maybe 20 years ago. They're nearly all electronic now.