205 mph earns biker citation

[bungbung]

From St Paul Pioneer Press (www.twincities.com)

Posted on Tue, Sep. 21, 2004



R E L A T E D L I N K S
• 205 mph earns biker citation
• The faster lane




205 mph earns biker citation

Speeding ticket may be Minnesota record

BY HANK SHAW

Pioneer Press


Al Loney couldn't believe his stopwatch.

The Minnesota State Patrol pilot had been flying near Wabasha on Saturday afternoon, watching a pair of motorcycles racing each other along U.S. 61. When one of the bikes accelerated dramatically, Loney was ready — clicking his stopwatch when the cycle reached a white marker painted on the roadside.

A quarter-mile later, he clicked it again. It read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be an astonishing 205 mph.

"I was in total disbelief," Loney said. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."

The bike was moving nearly twice as fast as Loney's airplane. 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.

Several law enforcement sources said Tilley might have set the record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history.

No comprehensive records are kept, but 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, the son of a Washington County sheriff's deputy, did not return calls to his home Monday.

Few vehicles can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. Only a handful of cars, such as the Dodge Viper, the Porsche Carrera and several Lamborghinis, can hit the 200 mark. But many of the so-called "crotch rocket" motorcycles popular with young men can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can top 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said.

State trooper Steve Stromback, one of the officers who arrested Tilley, said the biker was taking part in the semi-annual Flood Run, a motorcycle rally that started in Hudson, Wis. The ride, in which thousands of bikers participate, raised money for the Gillette Children's hospital this year.

Stromback said most of the participants obey the law, but added that police cited another eight bikers for driving more than 100 mph last weekend. Speed demons show up every year, Stromback said, which is why the State Patrol had aircraft and extra troopers in the area.

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 riding at such a velocity.

"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."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff writer Rick Linsk contributed to this report. Hank Shaw can be reached at hshaw@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5257.

[bungbung]

What is the margin of error for a hand timed run of 4.62 seconds, from an airplane?

[vifferman]

What is the margin of error for a hand timed run of 4.62 seconds, from an airplane?

About 4 seconds?:sly:
I've read quite a few of these sort of articles this year, and the media in the US love using statements like: "crotch rocket" motorcycles popular with young menand "speed demons" and other silly emotive statements like that.

[jrandom]

Given that the motorcycle in question was, presumably, a CBR1000RR, and we're probably talking fresh out of the showroom here, it's not even geared to do 300kph, IIRC. Certainly not anything over 320.

You'd think it'd be easy enough for cops to check this kind of thing.

At the very least, if I was the chap in question, I'd use the fact that his vehicle wasn't even capable (with standard gearing) of spinning the wheels at that speed, let alone actually pushing along that fast, to defend the ticket.

[Juan]

Just got to be the fastest haven't they.......

[Devil]

Given that the motorcycle in question was, presumably, a CBR1000RR, and we're probably talking fresh out of the showroom here, it's not even geared to do 300kph, IIRC. Certainly not anything over 320.

You'd think it'd be easy enough for cops to check this kind of thing.

At the very least, if I was the chap in question, I'd use the fact that his vehicle wasn't even capable (with standard gearing) of spinning the wheels at that speed, let alone actually pushing along that fast, to defend the ticket.

Unless it was modified...

[vifferman]

At the very least, if I was the chap in question, I'd use the fact that his vehicle wasn't even capable (with standard gearing) of spinning the wheels at that speed, let alone actually pushing along that fast, to defend the ticket.

But what would be the point? Unless the fine was per mph over the limit. And then he'd lose his bragging rights as the fastest biker ever busted, Man!

But you're right. Firstly, you've got the huge margin for erro in the way it was measured (but of course, the cops won't admit to that, "The pilot was a professional stopwatch clicker, skilled at this sort of thing.") And if you read up on the "200 Club", it's just not that easy to do 200 mph; you need a serious amount of horsepower (the articles I read suggested that 225 was a sensible minimum), and the conditions have to be just right. Not something you can just do on a whim, and if the guy didn't have a license (which it sounded like), it's doubtful he had the right technique, gear, etc. And it sounds as though he wasn't wearing leathers, so you'd have to factor in extra wind drag. (Unless he was nude or semi-nude, like those other two eedjits...)

[jrandom]

But what would be the point? Unless the fine was per mph over the limit. And then he'd lose his bragging rights as the fastest biker ever busted, Man!

Surely if the speed stated on the ticket was shown to be impossible, the citation would be invalidated?

Doesn't make much sense for a judge, in the face of a complete lack of valid evidence, to say "well, you must have been goin' pretty gosh-darn-dangit fast anyway, so I'm-a gonna fine y'all *real* good regardless!", does it?

[vifferman]

Surely if the speed stated on the ticket was shown to be impossible, the citation would be invalidated?

Doesn't make much sense for a judge, in the face of a complete lack of valid evidence, to say "well, you must have been goin' pretty gosh-darn-dangit fast anyway, so I'm-a gonna fine y'all *real* good regardless!", does it?

From what I've heard, that could well be the case, in some jurisdictions!

[Bodge]

"A quarter-mile later, he clicked it again. It read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be an astonishing 205 mph."

Cough Bullshit cough.....

"With minor modifications, they can top 200 mph."

Cough Bullshit cough.....

My throats too sore to go on....

[jrandom]

From what I've heard, that could well be the case, in some jurisdictions!

Ah, the Land of the Free.

[Mongoose]

But what would be the point? Unless the fine was per mph over the limit. And then he'd lose his bragging rights as the fastest biker ever busted, Man!
...)

Ya gotta wonder who would lose the bragging rights, the rider or the cop?

[Artifice]

With minor modifications, they can top 200 mph

is nitrous a minor modification?

Tilley, the son of a Washington County sheriff's deputy

sounds like he knew enough to challenge the tickets authenticity in court.
bet his daddy wasn't happy.

[gav]

Apparently it was a modded RC51, kid works for a drag shop that specialises in supercharging. But i dont very much that a supercharger would be a bolt on for a RC51, NOS maybe but very doubtful, what did Colin Edwards manage at Hockenheim? around this speed wasnt it? Dont see how you could get an accurate measurement when he cant keep up with it?

[vifferman]

Apparently it was a modded RC51, kid works for a drag shop that specialises in supercharging. But i dont very much that a supercharger would be a bolt on for a RC51...

Nah, very doubtful indeed.