Two reasons: First it's basic math and hand/eye coordination. At a cruising speed of 200 mph the bike was moving at a rate of approx 1 football field every second. The plane was also traveling at an unspecified speed. I personally don't know anyone who can catch a dollar I drop between their fingers let alone accurately time a vehicle traveling at a football field a second.

Second reason is because the bike was reported to be normally aspirated -- no turbo, supercharger or juice. With the air/drag #'s our bikes have it isn't possible to hit over 200mph without over 200hp. And for every mph over that the hp/mph ratio goes up -- wind is THE bee-yatch! Since the report stated he was doing well over 200 on a non tricked bike the cop obviously either lied (no, say it ain't so) or wasn't able to accurately record the dude's time.

I'm not saying he wasn't speeding -- just that his speed wasn't accurately recorded.

Here's my own experience with the 'timing' police. I had an 81 VW diesel rabbit back in '86. A GA state trooper pulled me over and said I averaged 87mph on a 1/2mi section he was timing. The fact is you could've chucked that car over a cliff and it wouldn't have done 87mph with a tail wind. I damn near got thrown in jail because I called him a liar (like 100 times) and some other unpleasant things. First and only time I was ever discourteous to a cop -- but he really acted like an *** the entire time so I didn't lose any sleep over it. I took it to court and the judge, who admitted to have owning a d-rabbit, dismissed the charges. I couldn't leave it alone and mentioned that the cop had been a real jerk. Judge said he'd hate to believe the trooper wasn't being professional and that was the end of that.

 

i thought that the article said that is was modded..im sorry.

a simialr thing happened to me a while back in my stratus RT...i pulled out from the stop light, and the unmarked car going the other way turned around and nailed me...he said "from the point where i turned around you were going at least 100 miles per hour"...he let me go after i said "sir, im sorry for driving like a jacka$$"...yes, he made me say that...but later that day i measured the distance...that he specified...it was about 700 feet...if my 2002 Rt coupe could reach 100 in 700 feet, that would mean that my RT would also run something like a 10 second quarter mile...lol

but i do agree with you margin of error...what i thought is that it was a modded bike and was timed by radar...perhaps were thinking of different items?

 

Here we don't have to stop for unmarked cars -- it's actually against the law for them to mess with you. They gotta call a marked patrol car. If the marked car didn't see you do the deed then both have to show up for the court case and that's how you get out of those. Your laws may or may not be similar.

Anyway the incident I was referring to happened last year in Minnesota during some charity drive event. It was reported that usually the cops don't bug anybody doing under 100mph for the event but that this dude was screaming past everybody. You know how it is -- one dummy spoils it for everybody.

 

oh..the one i was speaking of was somewhere in the north western us, but it was a guy riding all by his lonesome on some long back road...he was caught by aircraft radar...and they organized a roadblock some 50 miles ahead to catch him...evidently he had been given a ticket a few months prior for going like 165 in a 35 zone in a lambo, and was hit with soemthing like 200ish in a 55...they referred to the bike as being a "heavily modified street performance bike"...

and here in MI and when i lived in PA..the unmarked cops are no different than marked cops...

 

92 in a 55, that's what I was clocked at. It was only 6 seconds of fun!

I passed three cars on a two lane road. One was an unmarked cop!

D'OH

Went to court and thought since I had no speeding ticktets that I'd get off with a slap on the wrist.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

The judge called me up and he glanced at the paper work, He said, "This is excessive, Do you want me to postpone this so you can get a lawyer?"

I said no. He said "SIT DOWN!"

Ohhh nooooooooooo I thought..


After two complete court changes the cop who pulled me over left.

The paper notice I had in my hands was now like tissue paper.


The DA called me up finally. I went up to him and he showed me the paperwork.

He said what's this all about. I said I was stupid and I just got a new bike and that was it.

He wrote on the paperwork $275 and CS. CS=COurt supervision. He said how do you feel about that.

I said I feel fine.

Judge called me up, and I said guilty and wrote out a check for $275


Yikes! Was not funny then but It's a good story now!


I now do track days and don't worry about tickets. That $275 could hae been payment fro two track days!

Live and Learn as they say........

 

wow..you got off easy...a guy at another forum got a 99 in a 50 or so...and he got jail time.!!