Au contraire.
Posted on 06/06/2005 8:12:11 AM PDT by Responsibility1st
Rico Lamar Porter doesn't have a license to drive, but apparently he thought he had a license to fly Wednesday afternoon.
Porter, 27, of 25 Dyer Drive, Hickory, was arrested after leading state police on an eight-mile, 170-mph chase on traffic-congested Interstate 70.
That's no misprint. Commonly referred to as a sport bike or "crotch rocket," an aerodynamic motorcycle like the one Porter was operating is capable of speeds of around 200 mph.
Trooper Martin Gonglik was running radar about 4:20 p.m. near the Dunningsville exit of the highway when he clocked Porter going 120 mph.
Gonglik activated the lights and siren on his police car and attempted to stop Porter, but the motorcylist instead took off. With the trooper in his marked police cruiser in pursuit, Porter weaved in and out of eastbound traffic.
At times, he drove on the berm to get around vehicles. And not surprisingly, Porter didn't use his turn signal during lane changes.
Porter got off the highway at the Centerville exit and momentarily lost control of his slick speedster. Gonglik swerved to avoid a collision, hitting a guard rail. Porter again tried to flee, going south on Route 481, but ended up hitting the side of the police cruiser. Porter, who was wearing a helmet, was slightly injured and taken to Washington Hospital for treatment.
District Judge Jay Weller initially thought police had made a mistake when he read the criminal complaint filed against Porter.
"When I asked about going 170 mph, he just nodded his head," Weller said of Porter. "He was very forthright about everything. He said he just got the bike two weeks ago and hadn't even made the first payment."
Porter told Weller that his bike-riding days were over.
"He said it was a good thing that the trooper caught him because he probably would have killed himself," Weller said. "He was trying to catch up with some friends. He wondered why he caught up with them so quickly, but they had seen the trooper and slowed down."
Porter was arraigned before Weller on charges of reckless endangerment, fleeing and eluding police, driving with a suspended license, having no registration, having no insurance, driving off the road, not using his turn signal, failing to drive at a safe speed, speeding, careless driving, reckless driving and not having the vehicle inspected. He was placed in Washington County Jail on $2,500 bond.
A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday before District Judge Curtis Thompson.
No but the people that drive them are. Especially if they're young.
Consensus among motorcyclists is that the 205 mph reported speed was bogus, high yes, but the bike in that episode could not do 205. Rider plead to something lesser. If he had contested it, the airborne means in us for the determination of speed would have been shown to be invalid and lots of other tickets would have been tossed out.
Old motorcyclist wisdom: You can out run the Mustang, but you can't out run the Motorola.
I know of one in Memphis where a guy (a corporate Vice President) talked someone at a gathering in a Friday's parking lot into riding his new Triumph 750 Triple. He told they guy he had experience with bikes, but he didn't tell him it was dirt bikes. He didn't have a helmet, and took a passenger with him who wanted to go but didn't know him. Ten minutes later he t-boned a little old lady in a Cadillac making a left turn. He left a skid mark at least 150 feet long (rear brake only, of course). Witnesses said the two riders flew up in the air as high as the power lines. The little old lady's passenger was killed too.
I don't believe an unmodified bike will do 170 on a dynometer or even a test track, let alone heavy traffic on the interstate.
"It actually scared me because I never saw them coming."
That's what gives methe shivers too. I keep an eye on all my mirrors (SUV) all the time so I know where everyone is at so I have an escape. Everyone once in awhile there's someone that will go by going twice the speed of anyone else. It's amazing some of these cars and bikes don't get hit by normal lane changes they can come up so fast.
205 takes at least 77 percent more energy than 170, on the same motorcycle (205 squared divided by 170 squared)
Damn, that's scary just to watch.
Depends where you're heading. You can't scramble officiers to remote areas any faster than the bike can get there. Speaking hypothetically, of courses.
???
It would have to be a dynamometer with a wind tunnel attached, since they only measure force (or horsepower).
Uh, you'd be surprised (speaking hypothetically)
I don't know this for sure, but I may know the guy who submitted that video. He's submitted videos to a number of web sites.
Speedometers are nortoriously "optomistic," although if this is an earlier 'Busa that's had just a bit of work done, then 200MPH+ is quite possible.
They guy is nuts...
Mark
I think "this guy" passed me just a few miles west of Needles, CA about 9 months ago. I was doing 80 and he zipped by me like I was standing still.
Au contraire.
LOL
Psst. 205 squared divided by 170 squared = 1.45
Secondly, its not a matter of KE but rather power vs drag.
cool! I want one for my 56 year-old frame!
Before the manufacturers put limiters on them, the Kawasaki and Suzuki were both clocked by motorcycle magazines on test tracks at over 190MPH, and IIRC, one hit 197MPH.
However, the EU threatened to slap a 100% tarrif on the bikes if they could exceed (I believe) 300KPH, so they added limiters to keep the speed "down to" about 180 - 185 MPH.
Mark
Ring ding ding ding ping
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