The older I get the more I hate the popo....and lose respect for them. Been pulled over about 15 times and about 7 of them have become tickets...so I guess I should appreciate that. For ALL SORTS of reasons. Funny thing is I'm 5'8", and usually pretty meek but my wife says I grow 4" when the man walks up to my window...can't explain that....they just rub me wrong, and I think anymore they are just out to generate revenue. Really interested how its gonna be once I get the fenderless, chopped windshield, loud exhaust, really low roadster on the road.
My 38 is pretty much legal with the exception of the exhaust. I don't get hassled even tho I drive with a heavy right foot and whip the ponies a bit. I did get a Police escort out of Prescott early one Sunday morning after a Flametric Subs show. I left burnin down the alley, squared the turn onto the street with the throttle and romped it to the red light just as the Po-PO rolled up on the cross street. I know they didn't "witness" anything but they had to hear the rumble! Hey Nick, Got my grenade. Wanna see what this pin thingy is for?
That sucks Jay. I thought those CHP pickemups were just for DOT enforcement. I've only ever seen them pull over big rigs. Your guy must've had a hard-on for bikers. Did he ask for your number? I've been pulled over at least a dozen times by CHP for my YOM plate. For some reason the plate number comes back as 'no record on file', they would call in the vin and radio would come back with the plate number. It was a pain but I never got cited.
My cop neighbor told me that they will pull someone over for some minor "fix-it" so they can check out something else that looks suspicious. They can't pull you over just because they have a "feeling" you're a bad guy. They need a reason.
For a cop, the vehicle code is your friend. It's amazing all the laws they can pull you over for. Mostly to check the interior of the vehicle, registration and license status. However, cop an attitude and it can be your worse enemy.
A while back I got pulled over and got a warning because my license plate was 'partially obscured' I was in a '53 Chevy pickup with the plate in the original position under the left tail lamp, and I guess the bumper blocked part of the plate. The cop told me I needed to move the plate to the center of the tailgate. I thanked him and went on. I've driven around the same small town more than once in hot rods that weren't even close to legal and never got hassled, so I guess I've been lucky.
Nope! my pick up has red dot tail lamps, no bumperss, no front plates, well seat belts are a sore subject with cops around here. Thats about it but I'm working on it.
That is simple when I am cruising through some small town minding my own bussiness and no one knows me I am rift raff, the rest of the time I am just a hoodlum. It is all about perception. One time me and a bunch of my buddies were riding from the Bay Area to Reno for a few days of fun and excitement. We were taking as many backroads as we could for whatever reason. We came upon a lady and here little kids broken down out in the middle of nowhere. So we stopped and once she got over being afraid of us we made a roadside repair to her car and then followed her into this little town she was from. We were good folks all of a sudden. I had spent a night in the pokey in that same town for some monor infraction prior to that little event. But the day that we fixed the young ladies car we were golden. Its all about perception. Shad As a rule I don't like cops. It probably comes from my mispent youth. Anyway my dislike for cops is a basic generalization. There are cops that I think the world of, they have treated me more than fairly.
I was in a '53 Chevy pickup with the plate in the original position under the left tail lamp, and I guess the bumper blocked part of the plate. The cop told me I needed to move the plate to the center of the tailgate. Glad you only got a warning. My license plate is the same way on my truck ('46) but, if ticketed, I would fight it since it came that way from the factory. I also have no seatbelts and only recently installed a right hand tail light for safety reasons, though in Florida you can't be ticketed for that particular reason since again, its factory.
Absolutely ignorant statement. I have several cop pals and a son that's a police captain. When he was a patrol officer, he was pulling down over $125k per year. All the cops I know have either great cars (some are actually hot rods) or neat boats, or big-ass tag axle motor homes towing $60k SUVs behind. Ya need to understand - cops have to do paperwork when they pull you over, so I'm not sure what this OP's cop problem was, but the cop sounds a bit like a turd - reflector? license illuminator? maybe his wife had a headache this morning? dj
Years ago I was driving thru the burbs one Friday night about 10:30 with my best girl beside me, doing 30 in a 30 cause I know better in this part of town and got lit up anyway. Very young cop comes up to the door, asks for lic and reg and tells me I have a tail light out. I get out of the car and walk to the back and they're all lit up bright. I look at him kinda quizically and he says "it was out when I stopped you! By the way, what kind of car is this anyway?" ahhhhh............the real reason comes out. We spent about 10 min talking about my car, when he had to go - he got a real customer as some kids went by the other way at about 60 mph. Nice kid too! Other than that I have not been hassled at all, especially since I've gotten older and greyer....I don't know if that's a respect thing, or a "don't want to hassle with some old guy's lawyer" thing! And all of my cars are always legal and insured properly.......but I live in a state where they don't really mind that stuff too much, we have no yearly inspection or smog checks.
Hot Rod: Seatbelts, fire extinguisher, kill switch, safety glass, but it lacks a license plate light, the center of the windshield is less than 6" tall (not sure if that's legal or not)? Plus I've been driving with open headers from day one which was three and a half years ago. Bike: No mirror, no speedo, open pipes, and not only does the plate lack a light, its actually vertical and wrapped around the back of the transmission. So far the cops haven't harrassed me one bit with either vehicle.
Funny this should come up today, as I just got back from the Kripple Kart's yearly MOT (ministry of transport) safety and roadworthiness inspection. Every car over four years old over here has to have this annually, and I'm glad to say she passed with flying colours. No certificate, not allowed on the road, end of. You also can't get insurance and road tax (a legal requirement) without one. Paul
I live in a small town thats 25 MPH everywhere. Police with radar are all over the place and write tickets constantly, mostly to nonresidents. I know that and drive accordingly. I also have dogs and grandkids and I'm glad they enforce the rules and know most of the cops anyway. That said I've never been pulled over while driving a hot rod as an adult. Can't say that when I was a teenager. I try to have my cars legal and leave the hauling ass to the Interstate Hwys. The only tickets I've gotten in the last 20 years have been with daily drivers not hot rods.
Many years ago I was driving on El cajon Blvd in San Diego. My roadster was close to legal, I thought. I am doing the speed limit, 35 mph. When I got lit up. At the time I was 31 years old. An old SDPD walks up and I know I am dead meat!! He has a vehicle code book that is literally worn in half!!! He writes me a 3 page fixit ticket!!!!
Yea it sucks when a cop just has to try and find something wrong with you just so he can say he wrote up a ticket today ! They really do have to have so many inspection tickets and speeding tickets a month or they get all kinds of heat ! I know a few cops and they ask if they can give me a warning once and a while to help them out . I say yea because when I am caught doing something I am not suppose to be doing they will be easy on me . I try to just stay on their good side to keep peace . I don't really see why they gave you a ticket for that since you weren't driving the bike at night ! I do have a cop friend that is a Drug Enforcement Officer and he gets paid $95,000 a year ! Not in the state I live in but the next one down from Pa. I do know what he does but I really wouldn't want his job when they go and do a BIG DRUG BUST ! Those guys carry machine guns and the cop carries a 9mm . The cops just have to do what they are told like any other job ! I always try to look at it that way so I don't get too pissed off ! Retro Jim
The local constabulary could cite me for scrub height violation(which should be remedied soon) and no front tag.I recently scored a 40's tag with the clip on year so....Legally,in 1947 Maryland only offered one tag which is my loophole...and it gets that #!!!^&!!!4 "street rod" labeled tag off of the truck. The ijjuts are ferreted out and educated by the crowds,not the law.No problems. We're very fortunate in these parts to have great law enforcement.Most own specialty cars and are among all of us,so it's a respect thing across the board?
REALLY ??? 125 grand a year for a patrol officer Not here in this little town. Nowhere else much either I bet. Arizona must pay a LOT better than most. .
I havent gotten pulled over in the Pontiac,the only thing illeagal about it in my state is it doesnt have license plate lights. However, before I got the 51, I drove a 77 Ford F100 that was given to me by an old man. I got pulled over twice, once for going too slow.. and once for taking a free right turn. I know, i know, im a bad ass.
Highly doubtful. NJ has the highest paid Police/Patrol Officers at between $45,802 and $87,413. While North Carolina has the lowest at between $30,445 and $42,842. Back to what the OP asked, "Is your Hot Rod legit", in a word..... NO
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