Question for the cops

DavidWhite

DavidWhite

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While riding on 94 west almost to Madison, WI there was a couple state troopers going about 10mph down the highway slowing down traffic and being a general PITA - it wasn't a DUI stop because they never actually stopped - but what were they doing? Eventually they just turned off their lights and left.
 
I very briefly considered just cruising past them on the shoulder but decided they probably wouldn't appreciate that. I expressed my extreme displeasure instead by honking profusely. They probably cost me an hour of time - I could have made it to Dubuque tonight.
 
I've seen this tactic...they go back and forth with lights on in front of traffic on a highway just before an exit and they watch for who hits the exits and the pull them over for a look see.

I've run across it a few times, usually on a Friday or Sat night.
 
The few times I seen them it was only for a few minutes.

DavidWhite said:
I very briefly considered just cruising past them on the shoulder but decided they probably wouldn't appreciate that. I expressed my extreme displeasure instead by honking profusely. They probably cost me an hour of time - I could have made it to Dubuque tonight.
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DavidWhite said:
While riding on 94 west almost to Madison, WI there was a couple state troopers going about 10mph down the highway slowing down traffic and being a general PITA - it wasn't a DUI stop because they never actually stopped - but what were they doing? Eventually they just turned off their lights and left.
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There might have been debris on the road ahead - or some other temporary problem ahead - and they were slowing traffic to allow a road crew or another cop to clear the road. I believe they are called rolling roadblocks
 
Tony_Scarpelli said:
I've seen this tactic...they go back and forth with lights on in front of traffic on a highway just before an exit and they watch for who hits the exits and the pull them over for a look see.

I've run across it a few times, usually on a Friday or Sat night.
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There was a guy sitting at one of the exits but he was just stopping traffic while staying in his car - the next 3 exits there were no cops so I'm not really sure what the point was.
 
I've seen them do the rolling slow roadblock thing around here a few miles before a construction crew that's finishing picking up in the median or a tow truck trying to get out of the median with a vehicle on the flatbed. You typically can't see the thing they're slowing traffic for. Or you catch a glimpse of it up ahead if traveling uphill and can see the road that far ahead.
 
I have never seen peace officers doing rolling roadblocks for entertainment value- and it does not look all that fun, anyway!
 
SCCutler said:
I have never seen peace officers doing rolling roadblocks for entertainment value- and it does not look all that fun, anyway!
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Unless you are a few off duty NYPD cops on motorcycles...;)
 
A few years ago there was a funeral for a cop killed in the line of duty in central NE. Several cop cars coming from Omaha decided to do a rolling road block on I 80 on their way from the funeral. They slowed down to 45 and the speed limit was 75. This went on for 200 miles backing up the interstate for hours. They were fired.
 
If you roll up on a bunch of cops with their lights on perhaps a better tactic would be to let them do their job? I'm trying real hard to see a positive result from honking your horn at them and am comming up empty. Little help?
 
Flipping them the bird is protected speech. Blowing your horn inappropriately is citable though (Wisc. statute 347.38).
 
Everyone was honking. About the first half hour I wasn't too upset - I kept thinking they were going to do a DUI stop at some point but they just kept going - really slow. Right in the friction zone on my bike, so I had the clutch pulled about 1/4 way in for an hour. I was not a happy camper, and neither was anyone else.
 
I would guess there was something (or someone) ahead which required a clear road. I've seen this done for VIPs. The fact that you were in the slow-down, but only saw traffic stopped at one of the exits is odd, though.

(I've been wondering when you were going to make your return West. Seems like you used up your weather luck on the way East.)
 
I'd have pulled off and gotten something to eat. No fun clutching for hours. Probably not good for the bike either.
 
That, and stop and go and slow traffic is a perilous time for bikes. Cager doesn't see the stopped bike ahead, WHAM! Happens all the time. Happened to your loyal participant, last time I sat in stop and go traffic.
 
Yep. When we've encountered large traffic jams while on the bike, we've pulled onto the shoulder, shut down and relaxed for a while. Less stressful on us and the bike, and less opportunity for someone to do something stupid and kill us.
 
Don't we fly so we can avoid all of that nonsense on the ground? Traffic jams and road construction and rolling roadblocks don't look as bad from the air as they do on the ground.
 
Gary F said:
Don't we fly so we can avoid all of that nonsense on the ground? Traffic jams and road construction and rolling roadblocks don't look as bad from the air as they do on the ground.
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Actually they do look bad from the air but I just laugh.
 
Years ago I lived in W. Orange NJ. I think Reagan was in the WH but whoever it was, someone who rated secret service protection lived or visited near us. So from time to time we'd run into some state or local police roadblocks when trying to get home.

Anyway, one afternoon we found our exit blockaded by a couple of local officers. We knew from previous experience not to bother to ask what was going on because they wouldn't say anything. Then it started to rain and rain hard, but these guys had to stay out in it, blocking the exit until somebody passed by. They were not happy and probably didn't have clue what was going on either. This went on for 10 minutes. No car or motorcade ever came as is often the case in these operations - another route was taken. Then after a little radio chatter the two soaked officers got in there car and headed for a local bar I'm guessing. I really felt bad for them.

Highway patrol work looks like it sucks except when it's dangerous.
 
I don't worry about clutches on motorcycles. They're cheap and incredibly easy to replace.
 
jesse said:
I don't worry about clutches on motorcycles. They're cheap and incredibly easy to replace.
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If it's a dry clutch, I'd be concerned. If a wet clutch, no problem.
 
How many bikes built in the last 30 years have a dry clutch?
 
Why do you say that? All of the conversions for belt drive primary on the V-twins use a dry clutch. Harley used dry clutches for more than 60 years. I think all of the K model BMW's (with the boxer engine, longitudinal) used a dry clutch.
 
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ronnieh said:
Why do you say that? All of the conversions for belt drive primary on the V-twins use a dry clutch. Harley used dry clutches for more than 60 years. I think all of the K model BMW's (with the boxer engine) used a dry clutch.
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Huh, the ones I'm familiar with are racing bike conversions, they are quite grabby.
 
All of the popular companies that make belt drive conversion for the big twin primary use an open primary with a dry clutch. As mentioned the K series BMW used a dry clutch through I think about 1992. Harley used them for both the Sportster (through early 70's) and the big twins into the I think late 70's. However for street application the wet clutch IMO is much superior.
 
The racing application you refer to MIGHT be the dry type slipper clutches that slip on deceleration preventing engine braking from causing the bikes to be unstable in throttle roll off.
 
ronnieh said:
How many bikes built in the last 30 years have a dry clutch?
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Many Ducati bikes until the last few years had dry clutchs, all BMW bikes up until the lastest designs used dry clutches. My 2003 BMW R1150RT had a dry clutch, I traded it with 82k on it, but I was mindful not to overheat the clutch.
 
ronnieh said:
The racing application you refer to MIGHT be the dry type slipper clutches that slip on deceleration preventing engine braking from causing the bikes to be unstable in throttle roll off.
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All of the wet clutch supersports now have slipper clutches as do many sport touring and adventure bikes. Both of my present bikes have wet slippers.
 
hmmm. Had a county officer go past, make a U turn, and follow me today as I was comig back from flying.
Now come on. It is 10:30 Sunday morning and I am a 70 something year old man driving a shiny, and very red, diesel pickup, putzing along about 45 in a 55 zone.

Dunno what his issue was but I wasn't playing by his rules. Empty (mostly) country secondary paved roads.
So at each stop sign I stopped and looked both ways for a long ten count, then nailed it. Of course he tried to keep up with me in the black suburban with push bars, and lights, and I spoze about a quarter ton of equipment in the back end, but he didn't have a chance (800 foot pounds of Duramax torque) The computer kept the wheels from spinning and I just squirted away from him. Then at 55 (which came really fast) I would let off the throttle, tap the brakes to give him a brake light flash, touch 'resume' on the cruise control and sedately cruise right at 54 to the next stop sign (every mile in that stretch)
After 6 miles he sat there and watched me fly away and turned around (sigh - just as I was having fun)
 
Bill Watson said:
Years ago I lived in W. Orange NJ. I think Reagan was in the WH but whoever it was, someone who rated secret service protection lived or visited near us. So from time to time we'd run into some state or local police roadblocks when trying to get home.

Anyway, one afternoon we found our exit blockaded by a couple of local officers. We knew from previous experience not to bother to ask what was going on because they wouldn't say anything. Then it started to rain and rain hard, but these guys had to stay out in it, blocking the exit until somebody passed by. They were not happy and probably didn't have clue what was going on either. This went on for 10 minutes. No car or motorcade ever came as is often the case in these operations - another route was taken. Then after a little radio chatter the two soaked officers got in there car and headed for a local bar I'm guessing. I really felt bad for them.

Highway patrol work looks like it sucks except when it's dangerous.
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Possibly Tricky Dick. He lived in Upper Saddle River for a while.
 
Bill Jennings said:
All of the wet clutch supersports now have slipper clutches as do many sport touring and adventure bikes. Both of my present bikes have wet slippers.
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I did not mean to imply that wet slipper clutches were not used. In fact as you said they are quite prevalent. I was just commenting that perhaps the dry clutches that Henning said were not good for street use might have been the dry slipper clutches used in racing. Terrible thread drift but my only point was that dry clutches were quite streetable and that IMO the wet clutch is better for street applications. Dang, what a thread drift or perhaps an actual hi jack. My apologies.
 
All of my Guzzi's have dry clutches. Couple of my BMW's do as well. Pretty sure Ducatis are dry.
 
DavidWhite said:
While riding on 94 west almost to Madison, WI there was a couple state troopers going about 10mph down the highway slowing down traffic and being a general PITA - it wasn't a DUI stop because they never actually stopped - but what were they doing? Eventually they just turned off their lights and left.
Click to expand...

If that went on for like an hour, I would guess there was a hugely oversized load ahead, road striping, or some other type of operation ahead that couldn't allow traffic to pass.

I had to do a few of those, and they sucked, big time. I hate driving along at 10mph as much as you do.
 
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