1st ticket on the kat

[jono237]

So i got my 1st ticket on any bike for that reason and usually i wouldn't care and id pay it but on this one i decided to fight it. Let me explain what happened up to the ticket. I was coming to a turn on a back road and the speed is 45 so in all honesty i was doing 50 but i was a sunny sunday morning and no traffic on a back road so i thought 50 was more than acceptable, by morning i mean 9 am when no one is even up yet. So i take the turn which i have taken a hundred times b4 as its the road the local motorcycle dealer is on and exiting the turn i begin to get the wobbles so i was told by a stunt guy that wrks at the dealer to correct that you have to take the weight off the front tire or crash as im sure we have all seen on youtube more than once. So in order to accomplish this you must go full throttle and this is my 1st time ever experiencing this so i was scared shi***ss but it worked and i recovered. However immediately after the turn is a steady downhill then right back uphill but full throttle down hill didnt help much as i accelerated very fast Now i saw the cop sitting at the bottom of the hill but not really much i could do either full throttle or crash ( crash not being a option). So from his location he is semi hidden if you dont know where they sit but he cant see the events before the full throttle aka the wobble. he then pulls out after me so i pull over and he sais " your living up to the name on your jacket" my jacket sais ROCKET. At this point im like are you kidding me i just cheated death and in turn am gettin a ticket for it. So he was like you were doin 91 in a 45 and i said nothing. after a few tickets im my car over the years it dosnt matter what you tell a cop its an excuse unless your a female so i just take my ticket and im on my way but im gona fight it but really unless the judge is a rider or the cop is they are gonna see my story as a excuse and slap the ticket on me anyway.

[Dfurgi]

that sucks dude, but i guess all in all its better to pay a ticket then drop the bike on a turn

[jono237]

yea im all for a ticket over a crash that if i would walk away from my bike would definitely not, but i live in pa and in pa they have a point system and this ticket is a 5 pointer and with 6 points you lose ur license o and the lowest ticket you can get is a 2 point ticket so pretty much thats not a problem cuz i wont get another ticket but from the insurance point of view i wont be able to afford to drive when they see this.

[pournstarr]

you could prolly opt for that no-point ticket that judges love giving out since they get a nice fat profit from it. there are no points, but the fine goes up to like $450 when all is said and done. see if the prosecutor will allow that, as i'm in NJ and not sure about PA.i can't remember the exact name of the offense, maybe someone else can jump in and help out.

[strn365]

Seems like a ticket is a cheap replacement for possibly your life.

[Kreylyn]

If you have not had a driving violation in the last 3 years, your state may allow for a "prayer for judgement" on some speeding violations... basiclly, it's a "we'll overlook it this one time, but if it happens again both count!".

The high speed may not allow for this unless you can negotiate it down as well.

1 thing is certain, go speak with the distric attorney BEFORE the court date.

Krey

[Psycho1]

You had to accelerate to 91mph to get rid of a wobble?

[parkze]

Fight it and see about getting the points lifted if that is what your worried about. When I was 19 I got nailed for doing 105 in a 45 in my 300zx on my way to college. If you live in pa you know that is more than 6 points and if you are issued 6 points in one incident you lose your license for 90 days. I fought it and had to pay my fine but no points were issued so I would not lose my license. I just explained that I needed my car to get to and from school and work. I never even had to go into the court room, we worked it out in the front yard of the court house with the cop. I don't think they really care as long as the state is getting their money. Also I think the first time you have 6 points as long as it is not all from one incident you can take that written test thing to drop your points down.

[jono237]

it took me less than 3 sec of full throttle to reach 91 and i was scared of goin down so i wanted to make sure i lived. ive only had my motorcycle license less than 3 months so when i can avoid it i dont speed as i have no business goin that fast even if i was an experienced rider.

[tmk7c9]

Did he write you ticket for 91? or did he already knock some of the speed off and write it for 65 or something?

If he knocked some off (happened to me last time) you should probably consider yourself lucky pay up and just move on.

If he wrote it for 91, you should probably consider yourself lucky to still have your bike, and not spend the night in county.

You can try the "wobble" defence, but I doubt a judge will buy it, especially if he doesn't ride. To him, you're just another wheelying sportbiker squid whose wreckless and needs to be taken off the streets. He doesn't know the difference between you and a flip-flop wearing "Gixxer" frat boy.

Personally, i'd lawyer up if you intend to fight it. Otherwise you could end up with the full fine, and some court fees.


PS. Balance or replace your front tire. Katanas shouldn't wobble.

[jono237]

in pa you cant go to jail for speeding so good there and the reason for the wobble was to be honest my fault for not checkin it sooner but and under inflated front tire and a loose rear tire it has since then been fixed. and he didn't give me a break and to be honest i never saw my speedo go over 75 but hey im not gonna get into a he said with him cuz he'll win. And no court fees in pa so if i lose i pay the same as if i dont so ill take my chances. Dont get me wrong im happy that both me and my bike are here to tell the story but if this goes as is im not going to be able to ride as the insurance will be too much between bike and car so bike will have to get stored as i live in a state that has snow in the winter.

[The CyberPoet]

I was coming to a turn on a back road and the speed is 45 so in all honesty i was doing 50...

So far, so good. With typical speedo error, you were probably doing 45-46 in the real world.

So i take the turn which i have taken a hundred times b4 as its the road the local motorcycle dealer is on, and [on] exiting the turn i begin to get the wobbles

Unless there's a defect in your tires [cupping, scalloping], the bike's geometry (bent frame) or suspension (defective forks), this should never happen on a Katana -- are you sure it was headshake and not the ground having rippled pavement?

so i was told by a stunt guy that wrks at the dealer to correct that you have to take the weight off the front tire or crash as im sure we have all seen on youtube more than once

This is BS advice on any Katana or other medium- to long-wheelbase bike (and on most types of motorcycles that don't come from the dealership with a steering damper), and is very apt to get you killed at some point. Stunt guys are not really the ones to listen to for advice on how to ride safely (duh!).

The correct answer on any long-wheelbase bike is to yank in the clutch and get off the brakes (go neutral on accelerating/decelerating inputs), loosen up your hands a little (so the bars can shake in your hands' looseness instead clamping down and having it shaking your arms & having your muscles feeding into the cycle), then steer as needed with your torso... It'll calm down in a matter of a second or so unless you take the weight off the wheel. The geometry of the Katana is such that it naturally clamps down on head-shake.

So in order to accomplish this you must go full throttle and this is my 1st time ever experiencing this so i was scared shi***ss but it worked and i recovered.

For about 1/2 - 1 second on those bikes that do need to lighten the wheel to stabilize it (certain Buells come to mind). It doesn't take much time to settle down a wheel again...

IMHO: your best bet is to sign up for an advanced riding course (or the basic MSF BRC if you haven't taken it), take it, take the proof of the course to the judge and ask for leniency based on bad knowledge & circumstances. I'd also get the bike corrected, whatever the reason is for it doing that.

Even as a rider, were I a judge, I wouldn't cut you any serious slack on this ticket with the basic explanation you posted -- it was the wrong reaction for the wrong reasons at the wrong time and for the wrong duration... It just tells me that you're dangerous to yourself, and thus probably dangerous to others as well at times [nothing personal, just calling it how I see it].

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[H-2 CHARLIE]

Well jono ... Bet your glad he did not give you addvice how to whellie it might hurt more then the money going out the window // ... Ride safe and dont take chances

[Duo Maxwell]

So i got my 1st ticket on any bike for that reason and usually i wouldn't care and id pay it but on this one i decided to fight it. Let me explain what happened up to the ticket. I was coming to a turn on a back road and the speed is 45 so in all honesty i was doing 50 but i was a sunny sunday morning and no traffic on a back road so i thought 50 was more than acceptable, by morning i mean 9 am when no one is even up yet. So i take the turn which i have taken a hundred times b4 as its the road the local motorcycle dealer is on and exiting the turn i begin to get the wobbles so i was told by a stunt guy that wrks at the dealer to correct that you have to take the weight off the front tire or crash as im sure we have all seen on youtube more than once. So in order to accomplish this you must go full throttle and this is my 1st time ever experiencing this so i was scared shi***ss but it worked and i recovered. However immediately after the turn is a steady downhill then right back uphill but full throttle down hill didnt help much as i accelerated very fast Now i saw the cop sitting at the bottom of the hill but not really much i could do either full throttle or crash ( crash not being a option). So from his location he is semi hidden if you dont know where they sit but he cant see the events before the full throttle aka the wobble. he then pulls out after me so i pull over and he sais " your living up to the name on your jacket" my jacket sais ROCKET. At this point im like are you kidding me i just cheated death and in turn am gettin a ticket for it. So he was like you were doin 91 in a 45 and i said nothing. after a few tickets im my car over the years it dosnt matter what you tell a cop its an excuse unless your a female so i just take my ticket and im on my way but im gona fight it but really unless the judge is a rider or the cop is they are gonna see my story as a excuse and slap the ticket on me anyway.

Dude....punctuation....spelling.....ow...

I'm no grammar freak, but ow, my brain.

-Duo

[jono237]

sry for the grammar i was in a hurry to get it all out.

And Cyber im not gona even try to claim to know even a tenth of what you know but it did work thank god and im glad ur not my judge