Dirt Bike Dickheads

[TheDemonLord]

So I'd hate to be a regular Joe on a small adventure bike getting lumped in with these guys. This rhetoric in the story has me concerned with how the public will treat motorcyclists if they class them as criminals not worthy of respecting the road rules when driving around them.

Consider poor Jeff, returning home from his morning shift at BP on his CRF250 when a Police car turns in front of him at the intersection they mentioned.
Just sayin.

Kinda like how a bunch of Law abiding Kiwis got screwed by one Aussie fuckwit, who never should have been given a license...

Glad to see you having sympathy for us LFOs

[Laava]

So I'd hate to be a regular Joe on a small adventure bike getting lumped in with these guys. This rhetoric in the story has me concerned with how the public will treat motorcyclists if they class them as criminals not worthy of respecting the road rules when driving around them.

Consider poor Jeff, returning home from his morning shift at BP on his CRF250 when a Police car turns in front of him at the intersection they mentioned.
Just sayin.

The alternative story is Levi is riding a stolen bike from where he pinched it and sees a cop and then somehow rides right into the front of it.
Hmm.

I both ride and drive a lot and have never had any difficulty identifying a genuine motorcyclist. Anybody riding like a cock in traffic deserves everything they get.

[F5 Dave]

Yes so you are exactly who I am not talking about.

The general public might just be able to make a distinction between a patched up gang member bikie, a sportbike and one of those dirtbike looking things but they are all noisy smelly motorcycle riders like what they read about in the paper.

[Berries]

I think the lack of helmet gives it away.

[Grumph]

So I'd hate to be a regular Joe on a small adventure bike getting lumped in with these guys. This rhetoric in the story has me concerned with how the public will treat motorcyclists if they class them as criminals not worthy of respecting the road rules when driving around them.

Consider poor Jeff, returning home from his morning shift at BP on his CRF250 when a Police car turns in front of him at the intersection they mentioned.
Just sayin.

The alternative story is Levi is riding a stolen bike from where he pinched it and sees a cop and then somehow rides right into the front of it.
Hmm.

in the SI, the organised tour groups are at times difficult to distinguish from the dirt bike rabble. Open road passing etiquette - and safety - are disregarded.

Often the only way to quickly distinguish what you're dealing with is that the tour groups tend to wear several grands worth of gear in multi colours.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if one day a member of the general public mows a group down.

[pritch]

in the SI, the organised tour groups are at times difficult to distinguish from the dirt bike rabble. Open road passing etiquette - and safety - are disregarded.

Often the only way to quickly distinguish what you're dealing with is that the tour groups tend to wear several grands worth of gear in multi colours.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if one day a member of the general public mows a group down.

It's not only tour groups. Before 'health and safety' intruded there were annually here an Easter egg and a Christmas toy run. I did one off each and thought nah!

[F5 Dave]

I think the lack of helmet gives it away.

Thank you for proving the point. Nowhere in the story does it say if the victim was or wasn't wearing a helmet.

The story is written in such a way that one is lead to assume this guy was breaking the law. Maybe he wasn't. But the take away for the general public is he likely was and likely the next time you see a bike with a high plastic mudguard they are one of those guys.

I don't want to be collateral damage from this attitude.

[Berries]

I hadn't read the story, was just suggesting how you can tell the difference between a 'dirt bike dickhead' and someone riding a legal dirt bike on the road.

Now I have read the story I cannot see any implication that this was a deliberate move by the Police, in fact it says they tried to avoid it.

My daily ride has a flappy front mudguard but this story gives me zero cause for concern. There is quite a difference between a solo rider on a CRF with his lid on riding ‘normally’ and someone on the back wheel dragging his dreads through a red light while giving the W salute or whatever to the rest of the possie. I think most motorists can see that difference.

[PrincessBandit]

Ha, latest I saw on the way home from school this afternoon - dirt bike with a car rego plate bolted to the rear
The scrawny rider was wearing trackies and sneakers, but hey, he had a helmet on...

[caseye]

Ha, latest I saw on the way home from school this afternoon - dirt bike with a car rego plate bolted to the rear
The scrawny rider was wearing trackies and sneakers, but hey, he had a helmet on...

Hoped you mowed em down for good measure Princess.
Saw one of these muppets come off at 2 mile bay here in Taupo, cut off a car, copped it's right front guard, skidded on his shorts across 50-100m's of tar seal on his Kevlar skin then was helped back onto the bike by one of the other 3 and they took off. No helmet, a singlet, shorts, sand shoes, they're bullet proof aye!
Hope the car driver isn't going to be targeted, but these cowboys being what they are I'd not be surprised if they were.
He went across the opposing traffic and was actively avoided by 3 oncoming motorists.
Moments before they had been carving up traffic on the rear wheels, passing left and right, across the whole road, wouldn't give a flying fuck!
Pity is he probably off Scot free, though I hope the gravel rash gets him. One less to worry about.

[PrincessBandit]

Must admit I was going to 105 him but there was no answer to the phone line and the online service wanted Rego, make, model, colour of tge “car”. I didn’t proceed as i though it would be too weird to put the rego plate then type “dirtbike” into the rest of the details

[R650R]

We now have a renegade group of three amigos in Napier now. Hard to say if they’re stolen bikes or just young dumb and brave.
Anyhow nighttime waiting outside Burgerbar no lights one on footpath two on roadway pulling wheelies for all their worth. And this is in a street where it’s a bit narrow, high crown and you always get people pulling out suddenly or doing uturns.
Fast forward couple days and same trio on city end of beach reserve ripping past family’s and all along cycleway.
If their not stolen I’m kinda impressed at their rebellion against the rules but fear my tax dollars may be funding them a chopper ride soon to ED…

[pritch]

It would seem that since the police in Auckland decided to do nothing the idea is catching on.


https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...bike-nightmare

[R650R]

It would seem that since the police in Auckland decided to do nothing the idea is catching on.


https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...bike-nightmare

Good read Pritch, some interesting info there. It seems like the modern police management structure and practices is the problem. Individual cops are prevented from using their inistive and community tip offs to target offending. It sounds like they’re not allowed to investigate anything without written direction.

Funny though in another stuff article Police have psychic powers that the stop oil mob are going to be flying themselves to Wellington roads again. That sounds like the protest mob is ringing up in advance for protection so they don’t get bashed by angry commuters.

I don’t even have the access to stuff that the cops have but if I wanted to I could ID those three lads in about five mins of searching social media # wheelie # ftp # CR450 etc or just hang outside maccas for five mins and see them in same clothes.

Stuff talks about an imported “subculture” but I disagree. This sort of stuff has always been here. Me and my mates did dumb stuff around town on 250 screamers. But the cops didn’t mess about them. A foot patrol stepped out into road in CBD and in no uncertain terms told us to F off home before we had an accident or someone picked a fight. One of the lads already had a let off from no licence and cop recognised him so that was their leverage. So we complied, good old fashioned policing is all that required.