Thumbs Down From A Leo Makes Me Wonder..

[fjrchooser]

I'm riding along a long 55mph straight following some gentle curves in farm country the other day and take the opportunity to pass some farmers. They've been disturbing my clean air and ruining my sight lines at 45-50 mph for the last few miles of no passing zones so it was high time.

I do this gently mind you, 5th gear roll on to maybe 70 or so. Don't like to lolligag out there and need to take evasive action with a pickup along side if a deer decides to jump out.

Make my pass(es) and pull back in just as a couple of oncoming cars top a small rise a half mile ahead. I move to the far right side tire track as I usually do for multiple oncoming vehicles and the second one is a state trooper. Great ! I'm still bleeding speed but am relieved to see I'm only a hair over 63 mph.

Cops arm comes out the window as we are passing and gives the thumbs down. WTF ! A Harley loving cop dissing my Feejer I'm thinking !

My arm flys up on its own to flip him off at the same time I realize he's just warning me to slow up.

It took some quick & fancy brain-hand coordination to convert the nerve signals into a thumbs up before the original was displayed but I pulled it off. Barely.

So anyway, I'm wondering. Am I getting too attached to the Feejer or are all those nose-in-the-air non-acknowledging Harley riders finally getting to me ?

 

[Rogue]

Could have been a "I know you have a fast bike, keep it easy around me".

 

[twowheelnut]

You should call the station, find out who that cop was and thank him for not writing you up! He prolly had you pinged, but just maybe thought he couldn't get turned around safely/quickly enough to come after you.

Either that or the donut shop was about to close...

 

[Thug]

He was just saying g'day....

 

[FJRocket]

Got your attention and got you thinking, didn't he! I think that was the point.

Another lucky day with LEO! B)

 

[MIFJR]

Move to Michigan... all the Harley riders wave at me.

I've even had a few come up and ask a bunch of questions to me... especially when they see the windshield retract. Riders are riders... and it's pretty easy to pick them out of a crowd, but I even get the looks from the chopper guys.

I'm usually tooling along at about 10 over, but not zipping in and out of lanes. And the last LEO I saw got behind me and rode there for a few miles of curves to see how the bike handled. I waved when he turned off and he wave back.

I think the thumbs down was just a friendly reminder to keep it at a sane speed. And I'll take a friendly reminder rather than one of those tickets in the mail any day. :blink:

 

[XJRGUY]

Maybe the dude wanted a good chase on his hands, and was disappointed that you weren't going warp 7?!?

:blink:

 

[fjrchooser]

And I'll take a friendly reminder rather than one of those tickets in the mail any day. 

Hell yeah, me too. I was just surprised by my own reaction, I'm usually pretty level headed.

MIFJR,

I DO live in Michigan. Fully 2/3 of Harley riders do not wave. It happens so often I'm beginning to be able to tell who will or won't wave and only been wrong twice that I can think of lately. And I'm always the initiator...

I didn't think I took it personally (until the LEO incident, good thing my hand wasn't numb) but I fear its the beginning of the end of the motorcycle brotherhood if it continues. Pretty soon only people on like type bikes will be acknowledging each other, until that too breaks down cuz their not dressed right or some other petty reason.

 

[trinibob]

what you all need to do is ride along on some of the poker runs like i do.

show them boys that we (non hd riders) are not all a bunch of wheelie popping feet draging gastank sitting 20yr old brats.

then you might get more friends on hogs waving at ya like some of my budies.

like joe here been rode hard and put away wet but still good people

see the feeger fits right in

more fun that day

 

[snowmonkey]

I went on a Poker Run last saturday with some friends, (18) Harleys and a Honda cruiser. I had a good time in the tailgunner position, playing catch up. It was like herding sheep.

 

[Centerline]

Tailgunner after a bunch of Hardleys?!?!? Did you ever get out of 2nd gear?

 

[snowmonkey]

  Did you ever get out of 2nd

Of course, but only after I would let the herd of Harleys get out in front of me 'bout a mile or two. Then I would catch them, make 'em tighten up and then drop back again. Or I'd pass the whole bunch, put a little distance between us then pull over and wait for them to pass by and play catch up again. It was the only way to fly with a bunch of sheep. I mean hogs.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

I would say you have a minor case of thin skin. The thumb down was a signal to drop the speed a notch. He might have been going to lunch or to a rendezvous. TJ

 

[MikeYork5]

Ya shoulda flipped him off - its always a great idea to flip off cops!

 

[Ignacio]

Ya shoulda flipped him off - its always a great idea to flip off cops!

Dude! Really. Please try and find threads that are newer than 19 months old to resurrect. Please show some self control.