Florida wants your bike........

HB 137 allowing the government to permanently confiscate and sell or destroy at their volition a motorcycle (with no compensation to the owner whatsoever) doing 30mph over the speed limit...passed into law. Florida motorcycle bill changed last minute By the Staff of Clutch and Chrome March 17th, 2008 A law which many consider discriminatory towards motorcycle riders has been voted into Florida law. The bill, HB 137 which was born from Miami politician State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera's ride along with local police, takes effect on October 1st, 2008. It allows police to confiscate a motor vehicle if the rider is caught speeding 30 mph over the posted limit and further penalties of jail sentences of 5 to 10 years as well as suspended motorcycle endorsement for 10 years, all depending on the number and severity of the offenses. The bill was originally introduced to target motorcycles but a last minute amendment was made altering the law to apply to all vehicles. However, the language regarding the loss of motorcycle endorsement wasn't altered and has many motorcycle action groups concerned. State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera introduced the bill last November after witnessing speeding sport bikes weaving in and out of traffic as well as some riders performing stunts on Miami's highways. Although few action groups attended the House infrastructure committee discussing the bill, those that did were allowed short statements and asked no questions by any members of the panel. The lobbyist appearing for ABATE of Florida stated his organization opposed the bill and made a request for stiffer penalties for those who violate motorcycle right of way causing injury and/or death to the motorcyclists. The issue was not addressed. here's the specific law information: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/SEctions/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=37239 I believe Florida is gonna see a lot more high speed chases involving sportbikes. :headshake

Did they remove the stunting part of the bill too? 30mph over? That sucks! I hoped they would have gone for 50mph over. It is so easy to go 30 over on freeway ramps. Grrrrrr...guess I am going to vacation elsewhere with my bike from now on. And I really enjoyed my recent vacation and planned to make it an annual event.

Well they just double the chances of having high speed motorcycle chases in FL. Good job keeping everyone safe :thumbup: Stuff is getting stupid these days...being able to confiscate bikes and cars for street racing and shit is getting ridiculous. Fines, possible jail time...yes. But to take peoples property is stupid and should be against the law to do. Hell it should be in the constitution.

This is really gonna suck after it takes effect, and am pretty sure that the police department will be auctioning the bikes off to make money for their own purpose(just got a handbook about the police departments and community update at one of my schools which showed a new mobile command center with a 60 inch LCD TV on the side of it, that really is gonne help them improve the safety of the streets) and I also think that cops down here in miami will lie just to take bikes away. This really is illegal!!, and the fact that its only against bikes it says everything, this is a crime and the ABATE and Carlos Lopez should be held responsible for it. So can someone post Carlos info again, really wanna know now where he lives...nice big and harmless protest at his house can spice up some community alliance against this bullshit theft scheme. Well just to let every 1 know...this is 1 rider who isn't stoping for the law anymore!!!

Well they just double the chances of having high speed motorcycle chases in FL. Good job keeping everyone safe :thumbup: Stuff is getting stupid these days...being able to confiscate bikes and cars for street racing and shit is getting ridiculous. Fines, possible jail time...yes. But to take peoples property is stupid and should be against the law to do. Hell it should be in the constitution. I agree with you they will have more riders taking off and not pulling over for shit, if they would have before. Some freaking idiot State Rep just opened up a can of worms not knowing what he just started with all the riders. So when others in cars drive 30mph more they get fined but not have their car confiscated, shit they can kill others with cars, on a bike you’ll probably just kill yourself.

They will do this to the wrong person, and it will end up being challenged on the basis of constitutionality....It will be overturned!

They will do this to the wrong person, and it will end up being challenged on the basis of constitutionality....It will be overturned! Yeah, Tom Cruise with his 75k Ducati!!!!

Yeah, Tom Cruise with his 75k Ducati!!!! :laughingr :clap:

Wow....

i guess this is one way to make people run!

Can you say lawsuit. This is gonna turn into a supreme court battle sooner or later. Leave it up to florida to find a way to piss every rider in the state off. Titus

as i read it cars can also be seized for the 30 over. it was just the endorsement loss that wasnt carried to the cars. so why not take a car drivers liscense? not that life is fair but really, florida sucks for even more reasons now... like sport bike issues are one of the most important problems down there? so now cars albeit fewer than bikes but who knows yet, will be going "shit 30 over they gonna take my car fuck th@" and make a run for it..... and almost all bikes th@ would of pulled over for a ticket will now say fuck th@ and ftp...

what kind of gold plated ducati costs 75 grand?

Without knowing much about FL law, I would guess that they already have a forfeiture clause for class a,b, & c vechiles if caught over 30 mph the posted speed limit OR reckless driving. I really dont think this would be turned over on constitutionality. It isn't targetting any one class of person (besides speeders). I think it will be more of a leverage charge where the DAs will drop this charged for a guilty plea on the remainder speeding etc. Just my $.02.

Isn't FL taking cars that people are caught street racing in? Or is that CA?

Well this is my opinion on that law:thefinger:thefinger:thefinger

what kind of gold plated ducati costs 75 grand? (ahem) Only the baddest m@ther f#!&ing factory produced sportbike on two wheels! :hmmm: Its the closest thing to a MotoGp bike, that only some can buy, that is factory produced. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z158/mrcroom/rr.jpg

(ahem) Only the baddest m@ther f#!&ing factory produced sportbike on two wheels! :hmmm: Its the closest thing to a MotoGp bike, that only some can buy, that is factory produced. no way croom...this is the baddest m@ther f#!&ing factory produced sportbike on two wheels :shifty :lol: http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh40/lammanhdung6789/MVF46.jpg http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/daxyireh/MVF4CC1.jpg

:lol: The F4 312 is definetly a very close #2 in my book! :bowdown: Damn these expensive bikes :yumyum:................

I have to agree with John on this one, the MV is definitely the sickest 2 wheeled machine on earth. I like the duc, but that mv is just bad ass. Titus

Well just to let every 1 know that yes there is a way that florida will take your car away, its only if you commit a felony n ur car stays in the inpound for over 6 motnhs. my friend got caught street racing on his car at 145 on a 65 limit highway, spent 1 night in county jail n his car was inpounded, 3 days later he got it back, and no license suspension, this was his 5th time in jail for this so now he has a hearing where the judge is simply going to say if we get you again ur license will be suspended for 1 year***noticed he has been caught on same highway 5 times in less then 2 years, and he had to pay almost 2k each time to the lawyer***, basically florida is making a lot of tax money of gas atm, being its over 3 dollars and almost 4 dollars per gallon, they can make the law to also confiscate ur car n suspend you license but public transportation is available but not used that much down here(miami), Takin cars off the street will also mean less toll money which they manage to put about 3 extra tolls on the florida turnpike which made no difference what so ever, which where said to improve the traffic(yeah right), this law its stated on a website that "anyone caught going 30 over the limit" but they meant anyone on a motorcycle, and notice how only your motorcycle endorsement is taken away and not your license, if the law was to be fair it would affect cars in the same way and all types of licenses, this is a simple scam by the florida politics to get does bikers who are always speeding and running away from cops, but they are basically punishing every 1 for it.....so how about those car drivers who do the same, whats the difference?....most ppl don't drive bikes, and about 99% of ppl do drive cars...besides it a lot better for you to pay taxes on gas, plus tolls, then to simply buy a bus/metro rail ticket to get around miami for the price or less of a gallon of gas.

I have to agree with John on this one, the MV is definitely the sickest 2 wheeled machine on earth. I like the duc, but that mv is just bad ass. Titus Hey, let me sell you a helmet to go with your new MV Agusta :hmmm:.................................:laughingr

Hey, let me sell you a helmet to go with your new MV Agusta :hmmm:.................................:laughingr I get my tax return tomorrow (supposedly) so I'll see if I have enough left after I pay my school loan. I should be able to tell you something tomorrow. :thumbup: Titus

I get my tax return tomorrow (supposedly) so I'll see if I have enough left after I pay my school loan. I should be able to tell you something tomorrow. :thumbup: Titus :lol: I was just playin around with ya man! This lid aint eatin nothin, so its no big deal it you cant get it. ;)

I live in Florida and i ride with a couple of pretty experienced riders. We were discussing this today and to me all it does is entice motorcyclists with the knowledge skill and power on the bike to just run. Your average cop is not catching anything 750 and above given the road, time of day, etc. The only thing is know when and when not to run.

I live in Florida and i ride with a couple of pretty experienced riders. We were discussing this today and to me all it does is entice motorcyclists with the knowledge skill and power on the bike to just run. Your average cop is not catching anything 750 and above given the road, time of day, etc. The only thing is know when and when not to run. Even a 600 is going to destroy a crown vic, just make sure you get off the highway quick enough.

First of all, it's a bullshit law. It's sadly funny, as the rest of the world moves closer to freedom, the US gets more like a Communist Country. Secondly, don't forget Florida has a bunch of Troopers and Local Police in Hemi Chargers - still no match for a bike, but a shitload faster then a Vic. They will break 150mph. I suspect, just like most laws, it will be enforced EXTREMELY subjectively. As a 36 year old with no visable tats, a clean record and a nice haircut, I bet I get treated quite a bit differently then a 23 year old with a eyebrow pierced and a sleeve down both arms .... There was a time, in a car I went exactly 200 miles in an hour and 56 minutes. I have a couple roads now that I can break 150 the right time of day and never see another vehicle. IF I get popped and lose my ride .... I can't claim ignorance of the law. At this point in my life, I probably would not attempt to elude. "probably"

WTF is wrong with florida? seriously i dnt even live there n im getn pissed about this..

sucks for you guys. thats what you get for talking shit about "oh, its soo cold today. its going to dip to 80." when we are all freezing our asses of in 30 and below temps. the cold isn't looking so bad now huh?

sucks for you guys. thats what you get for talking shit about "oh, its soo cold today. its going to dip to 80." when we are all freezing our asses of in 30 and below temps. the cold isn't looking so bad now huh? hahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahah :funny: MN still sucks, but now not as much as "OTHER" states.....FL :thefinger screw political laws aimed at bikes... i bet a HD rider doing 60 in a 30 on ramp wouldn't catch that flack as a SS rider. I think that it's sad the US is becoming more and more strict. Even our second amendment is under pressure thanks to CA and soccer moms united around the nation. man even in MN we have hemi charger cop cars..... still a 6 will out accel to 130, out brake, out handle... just hit some backroads and bye bye poe poe. Not that i'd run or anything like that :shifty

wow and i thought the laws and cops in Arkansas sucked:infrandom

Isn't FL taking cars that people are caught street racing in? Or is that CA? In California. I guess this means I'm staying out of Florida. Good thing I'm all the way over here in Arizona. And whoever said this is going to make people want to run is totally right. If I was going 30 over and looked behind me to find a crown vic with his lights on...I downshift to 3rd, and I'm out. I love my bike too much. :thefinger

If ur Mature enough to ride a motorcycle, be Mature enough to follow the law! How hard is it to understand that! You know the law, and what will happen! If u go 30 over I wouldn't feel sorry for you at ALL! If you love your bike, and riding then step up and don't jeoperdize it.....plain and simple! Keep speeding on the track! Just my 2 cents! Be safe!

If ur Mature enough to ride a motorcycle, be Mature enough to follow the law! How hard is it to understand that! You know the law, and what will happen! If u go 30 over I wouldn't feel sorry for you at ALL! If you love your bike, and riding then step up and don't jeoperdize it.....plain and simple! Keep speeding on the track! Just my 2 cents! Be safe! So are you saying that we should just close our eyes and follow the commands of elitist old men profiting off of us? This country was founded by defiance and by people that were sick of the so called "LAW" that for some reason you value so much... I just wish... that somehow more people would open their eyes to this BS and stop thinking on your level... Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. -Ben Franklin Laws like this make me wonder why I am in this country in the first place...

what kind of gold plated ducati costs 75 grand? The Ducati Desmo....... RR The top of the line 1098 basicly

NO SH*& I live in Texas and jus hearing about this pisses me off. Damn Im glad we dont have to deal with that.:bowdown: Good Luck Florida riders,if you run hopefuly you make it. WTF is wrong with florida? seriously i dnt even live there n im getn pissed about this..

It sucks but what can you do about it?:?? Have to just deal with it I guess....

The Ducati Desmo....... RR The top of the line 1098 basicly Not even close. The 1098 is a v-twin, production based, bike. The Desmo RR is a V4, MotoGP based, bike. About the only similarities are the Desomodromic valve control and that they're both built in Bologna.

The Palm Bay, FL police department has seized many, many bikes already. They even took two of the bike seizures and made them undercover patrol bikes with flashers in the headlights etc. A lady I work with is a former Melbourne Beach cop, and her husband is a Palm Bay cop. The two bikes they used are a Ducati 998, and a 05 or 06 Yamaha R6. So NOW if you run in Palm Bay, you better hope another two wheeled beast doesn't come up on you and get your tag # at least. I agree with the above post that our country is moving more toward a very controlled, capitalist based, oppressive plutocracy (where the weathly rule). We have gone from a representative democracy based on libertarian principles to a technology laden, sick, twisted version of Orwell's 1984 novel about "big brother" watching you. This law, if presented to our founding fathers in the purest form of property seizure, would probably be laughed at and considered unconstitutional on the gounds of illegal search and seizure, as well as cruel and unusual punishment. Hey, maybe we do have a chance to get this overturned???

I read that the sportbike riders didn't even sow up to protest. There's no exception, so if a car pulls up to you and points a gun at u...and u are trying to get away the cops clock u 30 plus and take your bike. wtf. a car tailgating u , u speed up same scenario.

The Palm Bay, FL police department has seized many, many bikes already. They even took two of the bike seizures and made them undercover patrol bikes with flashers in the headlights etc. A lady I work with is a former Melbourne Beach cop, and her husband is a Palm Bay cop. The two bikes they used are a Ducati 998, and a 05 or 06 Yamaha R6. So NOW if you run in Palm Bay, you better hope another two wheeled beast doesn't come up on you and get your tag # at least. I agree with the above post that our country is moving more toward a very controlled, capitalist based, oppressive plutocracy (where the weathly rule). We have gone from a representative democracy based on libertarian principles to a technology laden, sick, twisted version of Orwell's 1984 novel about "big brother" watching you. This law, if presented to our founding fathers in the purest form of property seizure, would probably be laughed at and considered unconstitutional on the gounds of illegal search and seizure, as well as cruel and unusual punishment. Hey, maybe we do have a chance to get this overturned??? So what you are telling me is instead of having 1 "DANGEROUS" motorcycle speeding to get away, they're putting DT bikes to try and get the plate? Cop riders better be fuckin amazing riders because that doesnt make sense. All in all, the law is bull shit if you asked me. But i cant say the majority of riders around this way didnt bring this upon themselves. To say that a lot of riders dont have a "god complex" almost would be lying to yourself. I kno whenever i ride, if there is a cop that im coming up on, i slow down and either hang tight or gradually pass him. However i've seen numerous times where bikes see the cop, slow down for a sec and then say "fuck it" and blow by him knowing he isnt going to catch him. Now if u get your bike confiscated you cant say you didnt know. So before yo do anything for now on, kinda think about it. I kno i do.

I called Rep., carlos Lopez Cantera was told the bike confiscate part didn't make it, and there were already laws concerning running from cops and confiscateing bikes. Basically speed, tricks, and flipping tag made the new law. I have a copy of it.

i didnt read this whole thread but ive heard so many different versions of this so far. some say the law went through some say it was overturned. id like to find out what really happened with this. I called Rep., carlos Lopez Cantera was told the bike confiscate part didn't make it, and there were already laws concerning running from cops and confiscateing bikes. Basically speed, tricks, and flipping tag made the new law. I have a copy of it. could you post up that copy for us? its gonna suck when i move back down south to ft.lauddy when im done with school in daytona. the cops in broward and dade county suck ass.

Update: It looks like we spoke too soon folks. While this bill has passed committee in the Florida House of Representatives, it hasn't yet been voted into law. Let's hope it isn't. Florida Bill HB 137, pre all-vehicles amendment: F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S A bill to be entitled An act relating to offenses committed while operating a motorcycle; creating s. 316.1926, F.S.; providing additional penalties for certain offenses committed by a person operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle; requiring that the person be taken into custody; providing for seizure and forfeiture of the motorcycle; providing for revocation of the person's privilege to operate a motorcycle; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 316.1926, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 316.1926 Motorcycle offenses.— (1) When a law enforcement officer charges a person with reckless driving in violation of s. 316.192 or exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more in violation of s. 316.183(2), s. 316.187, or s. 316.189 while operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle, the officer shall arrest the person, take him or her into custody, and seize the motorcycle, which shall be subject to forfeiture under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act. (2) Upon conviction, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, the court shall revoke the person's authorization and privilege to operate a motorcycle for a period of 10 years and order the person to surrender his or herdriver's license. (a) If the person holds a Class A, Class B, or Class C driver's license, the department shall issue a replacement license, valid for the remainder of the person's unexpired license period, without the endorsement to operate a motorcycle. (b) If the person holds a Class E driver's license that is not restricted to motorcycle operation only, the department shall issue a replacement license, valid for the remainder of the person's unexpired license period, without the authorization to operate a motorcycle. (3) Revocation of the privilege to operate a motorcycle under this section shall not prohibit or restrict the issuance or renewal of a driver's license for purposes other than the operation of a motorcycle. Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2008.

yeah see i was told that it wont take effect till october. but when it has to get voted in it will most likely not pass. i forget where i saw it but there was a congress(i think) meeting or something like that about this proposed law. the notes on the meeting had alot of strong points. like the penalty for speeding and wheelies are going to be harder and stricter than things like drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. if this does go into effect its just gonna cause more havoc than florida will know what to do with.

every rider in FL should just take off their plates and go beat the shit out of every cop car they see :arsenal damn i play too much gta:bounce

that game is the shit

dude i know, not hijacking this shit but GTA 4 is amazing

CS/HB 137, Engrossed 1 2008 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0137-02-e1 Page 1 of 3 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to operating a motor vehicle; creating s. 3 316.1926, F.S.; creating additional offenses regarding 4 motor vehicle operation; amending s. 316.2085, F.S.; 5 requiring an operator of a motorcycle or moped to maintain 6 both wheels on the ground at all times; requiring that the 7 license tag of a motorcycle or moped be affixed 8 horizontally; amending s. 318.14, F.S.; providing 9 additional penalties for certain offenses; providing for a 10 specified fine and revocation of the person's privilege to 11 operate a motor vehicle; providing an effective date. 12 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14 15 Section 1. Section 316.1926, Florida Statutes, is created 16 to read: 17 316.1926 Additional offenses.-- 18 (1) A person who violates the provisions of s. 316.2085(2) 19 or (3) shall be cited for a moving violation, punishable as 20 provided in chapter 318. 21 (2) A person who exceeds the speed limit in excess of 50 22 miles per hour or more in violation of s. 316.183(2), s. 23 316.187, or s. 316.189 shall be cited for a moving violation, 24 punishable as provided in chapter 318. 25 Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 316.2085, Florida 26 Statutes, is amended, subsections (3) through (6) of that 27 section are renumbered as subsections (4) through (7), 28 respectively, and a new subsection (3) is added to that section, CS/HB 137, Engrossed 1 2008 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0137-02-e1 Page 2 of 3 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S 29 to read: 30 316.2085 Riding on motorcycles or mopeds.-- 31 (2) A person shall ride upon a motorcycle or moped only 32 while sitting astride the seat, with both wheels on the ground 33 at all times, facing forward, and with one leg on each side of 34 the motorcycle or moped. However, it is not a violation of this 35 subsection if the wheels of a motorcycle or moped lose contact 36 with the ground briefly due to the condition of the road surface 37 or other circumstances beyond the control of the operator. 38 (3) The license tag of a motorcycle or moped must be 39 permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be 40 adjusted or capable of being flipped up. 41 Section 3. Subsection (13) is added to section 318.14, 42 Florida Statutes, to read: 43 318.14 Noncriminal traffic infractions; exception; 44 procedures.-- 45 (13)(a) A person cited for a violation of s. 316.1926 46 shall, in addition to any other requirements provided in this 47 section, pay a fine of $1,000. This fine is in lieu of the fine 48 required under s. 318.18(3)(b), if the person was cited for 49 violation of s. 316.1926(2). 50 (b) A person cited for a second violation of s. 316.1926 51 shall, in addition to any other requirements provided in this 52 section, pay a fine of $2,500. This fine is in lieu of the fine 53 required under s. 318.18(3)(b), if the person was cited for 54 violation of s. 316.1926(2). In addition, the court shall revoke 55 the person's authorization and privilege to operate a motor 56 vehicle for a period of 1 year and order the person to surrender CS/HB 137, Engrossed 1 2008 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0137-02-e1 Page 3 of 3 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S 57 his or her driver's license. 58 (c) A person cited for a third violation of s. 316.1926 59 commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in 60 s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. Upon conviction, the 61 court shall impose a fine of $5,000, revoke the person's 62 authorization and privilege to operate a motor vehicle for a 63 period of 10 years, and order the person to surrender his or her 64 driver's license. 65 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2008.

If ur Mature enough to ride a motorcycle, be Mature enough to follow the law! How hard is it to understand that! You know the law, and what will happen! If u go 30 over I wouldn't feel sorry for you at ALL! If you love your bike, and riding then step up and don't jeoperdize it.....plain and simple! Keep speeding on the track! Just my 2 cents! Be safe! LOL Did u know Allstate won't even insure a bike that races on the track,even if it's street legal.

Why is it if I'mout riding doing the speed limit or 10 over cars feel the need to fly by like they are racing me.GET REAL.

For those that are worried about their bikes while heading out to the track. Just get a rashed set of plastic, or obviously race plastic, a crappy tank, and pull off race tires off of Ebay. It's much cheaper doing it this way, and there's no reason why you should go down anyway. As for the Florida law. Lets all hope it doesn't pass for those that live in that state, but I hope people don't choose to run. You'll either be donating your organs earlier then planned, or simply give the rest us a bad reputation while you sit in jail. :headshake

I read that the sportbike riders didn't even sow up to protest. There's no exception, so if a car pulls up to you and points a gun at u...and u are trying to get away the cops clock u 30 plus and take your bike. wtf. a car tailgating u , u speed up same scenario. HAHA theres gona be a lot more brake checking...slam the brakes let them slam theres and maybe they'll get rear ended by a popo :arsenal

I looked at the ride2die website last night so I don't really plan on doing 50 mph. that was sick.

that sucks wont be going to fl anymore

that sucks wont be going to fl anymore I wonder how it will effest out of staters. But then other states will probably follow. Such as the fla. and Ca. no smoking in a building. Especially if riders keep tricking, excessive speeding, and running from the law. It's probably a matter of time b4 it's a nationwide deal.

I wonder how it will effest out of staters. But then other states will probably follow. Such as the fla. and Ca. no smoking in a building. Especially if riders keep tricking, excessive speeding, and running from the law. It's probably a matter of time b4 it's a nationwide deal. that is true, guess we have hope others dont follow

But then again the original bill was for 30 over. And doing 50 over speed limit ie. 120 in a 70 mph is pretty fast. or 85 in a 35 mph school zone. I guess the north Fla people could just ride to Ga. and let it out...LOL.

its funny reading alot of comments in this thread. IMO unless your from broward, dade, or palm beach county then youll never understand what south fl riders go through everyday. i honestly dont think the rest of the state can compare with the people you gotta share the road with unless your situated near or around another one of the major citys in north and central fl.

its funny reading alot of comments in this thread. IMO unless your from broward, dade, or palm beach county then youll never understand what south fl riders go through everyday. i honestly dont think the rest of the state can compare with the people you gotta share the road with unless your situated near or around another one of the major citys in north and central fl. I've driven a tractor trailer there....Today, in Tallahassee, I'm rolling south on a 4 lane highway 27. A car comes to a red light waits for a car but steadily moving is turning right to south on the highway I'm on. He starts forcing me towards the car in the left lane. I lay on my horn and look at him like he's stupid. He was probably on the damn cell phone. I'm doing the speed limit on my bike. Normally doing the speed limitor even 10over cars pass by like they want to race.....get real. LOL

(long story short) on my k4 gs500f in Panama city , Fla. everytime i turned around I was getting pulled like 5 times in a month. I received one ticket. One night I was pulled over for no taillights.I reached ino my pocket pulled out myold taillight bulbs.I had just replaced them w/ new ones.I was told to start my bike again,now allof a sudden my taillights work. They said they would check me for warrants, I advised I had none. They asked how I knew I told them I was current military, and ex law Enforcement. I then told them the codes they used and the dispatchers response by translateing the police codes. wtf......lol.

haha i agree with this response, this is bs!!!

So I wrote Hon. Carlos Lopez-Cantera a letter.. and he wrote back! My orig. letter is at the bottom, and his response is at the top. "Lopez-Cantera, Carlos" wrote: Dear Mr. *****: Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding HB 137, Offenses Committed While Operating a Motorcycle. I think you may be misinformed regarding the affects of this legislation so let me start off by clearing up the facts. My legislation was approved by the Florida House of Representatives and by the Florida Senate with only one legislator out of 160 voting against the bill. The bill does the following: The bill increases the penalties for speeding 50 mph or greater over the posted speed limit. This applies to any motor vehicle not just motorcycles. There penalties for first, second and third time offenders. First time offenders will face a $1,000 fine. On the second offense a person will face $2,500 fine and a one year license suspension. A third time offender will lose their license for 10 years and have to pay a $5,000 fine. Additionally the bill addresses motorcycle stunting and requires that a rider keep two wheels on the ground at all times. This bill has gone through the Legislative process. There were several committee meetings in which members of the general public could testify for or against the bill. I worked closely with members of ABATE, the AMA and motorcycle manufacturers to come up with the final version of the bill. Where were you during that process? If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Sincerely, Carlos Lopez-Cantera State Representative, District 113 -----Original Message----- From: robby*****@******.com [mailto:robby*****@******.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 5:01 PM To: Lopez-Cantera, Carlos Cc: robby*****@yahoo.com Subject: From 'Write Your Representative' Website Robert ***** Merritt Island,FL 32952- (***)***-**** 05/14/08 5:01 PM To the Honorable Carlos Lopez-Cantera; Way to go. You have successfully found a way to pinch more money by fining people, and what better group of people than motorcyclists! I understand politics is a tough game to play, and that you can't possibly please everyone, but hey, if you're going to put the hammer down on motorcyclists, then hammer everyone else too. Why not make it a $1000 fine for cars who squeel their tires from the light? Maybe the driver who talks on their phone, eats a cheeseburger, and steers with their knee seems safe to you, so lets leave them alone. On the other hand, older drivers who have no business behind the wheel should be fined $1000 for the first offense, and $2500 for the second, and why not give them a felony too (that always gets votes). On a more serious note, I think our country is moving more toward a very controlled, capitalist based, oppressive plutocracy (where the weathly rule). We have gone from a representative democracy based on libertarian principles to a technology laden, sick, twisted version of Orwell's 1984 novel about "big brother" watching you. This law, if presented to our founding fathers in the purest form, would probably be laughed at and considered unconstitutional on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment. Thanks again for doing your part, your Honor. Robert *****

And, again I wrote him a letter in response: Thank you for your reply, your Honor. I am not an attorney, and I also work 50 hours a week in addition to taking a full load of classes. Sorry I couldn't make it. It has to be tough being a politician and trying to please the greatest number of people possible, while being ethically correct. Oh, and by the way, yesterday I witnessed an 85 year old man in his Mercedes rear end another person. After holding up traffic for 15-20 minutes he still had his hands on the wheel, 10 and 2 o'clock. If they are going to complain about us, I'll go ahead and return the favor. But really, I DO appreciate your reply. That shows a professional touch I was not expecting. Respectfully, Robert *****

There is no way in hell i'm doing the speed limit. It's freaking suicide. The reason we go faster than everyone else is to avoid dumb ass cagers. speed limit is an easy way to get run over cuz you know some dumb ass kid in his lil POS honda civic isnt doing 75. I'm not gonna lane split doing 130 but 100mph+ on the highway is standard. I just bought a new radar/laser system for my bike. Hopefull it's worth every penny.

its funny reading alot of comments in this thread. IMO unless your from broward, dade, or palm beach county then youll never understand what south fl riders go through everyday. i honestly dont think the rest of the state can compare with the people you gotta share the road with unless your situated near or around another one of the major citys in north and central fl. are all those your cars????

Welcome to the Hawaii law thats working so well...... basically they closed down the ONLY legal racecourse on Oahu. Then street racing got bad so they did this ANY vehicle over 30mph OR going over 80mph your getting your lisc pulled and going to jail. Just sucks cuz the cops usually only hit "non islanders" with the full extent of that law. This place is very "look out for one another" I will say florida took it one step farther and made it so they can crush your vehicle at thier discresion

I believe Florida is gonna see a lot more high speed chases involving sportbikes. :headshake I agree unfortunately...

Stuff is getting stupid these days...being able to confiscate bikes and cars for street racing and shit is getting ridiculous. Fines, possible jail time...yes. But to take peoples property is stupid and should be against the law to do. Hell it should be in the constitution.[/QUOTE] It is in the constitution, the right of private property... unfortunatly that document is of no use anylonger. The government is taking what ever it wants and giving it to whom ever it pleases for whatever reason it sees fit. Private property is a thing of the past... soon the lightbulb police will come take your house, the air police will fine you for breathing heavy, and a consumer advocacy group will take your business for charging money to consumers. dont worry, we will soon be paying 70%+ taxes and no one will even be able to buy a bike....

Stuff is getting stupid these days...being able to confiscate bikes and cars for street racing and shit is getting ridiculous. Fines, possible jail time...yes. But to take peoples property is stupid and should be against the law to do. Hell it should be in the constitution. It is in the constitution, the right of private property... unfortunatly that document is of no use anylonger. The government is taking what ever it wants and giving it to whom ever it pleases for whatever reason it sees fit. Private property is a thing of the past... soon the lightbulb police will come take your house, the air police will fine you for breathing heavy, and a consumer advocacy group will take your business for charging money to consumers. dont worry, we will soon be paying 70%+ taxes and no one will even be able to buy a bike....[/QUOTE] This is even better! Where your HOA can sell your house for you if your grass is too long. :thefinger

I'm no political expert, but I think if that law is for real.. you may as well run from the cops, you'll get the same consequences anyways lol.