Motorcyclist travels 166 MPH on Thruway

[47of74]

Stupid people are stupid;

He went 166 miles per hour on his Suzuki motorcycle, and the Saratoga County man lived to tell the tale!! But State Police say he was lucky!

Troopers spotted the motorcycle traveling that fast going south on the New York State Thruway in Ravena just a little before 1:00 this afternoon. The first trooper called off his pursuit due to the high rate of speed, but police were eventually able to catch the driver in New Paltz. When the driver was told how fast he was going... he told troopers his motorcycle could easily go over 190 MPH!

[AtomicKitten]

1. I haven't had a speeding ticket in many years but as I recall

... the fine is calculated by how many miles you were driving over the speed limit.

Suffice to say, this guy's in deep shit.

[CreekDog]

9. Nope, the expensive ticket was the best possible outcome

the more likely thing did not happen.

[AtomicKitten]

10. Nope what? I'm not clear how your response relates to my post.

But, hey. Okay.

[CreekDog]

12. just reacting to your saying "he's in deep shit"

sure he is. but driving that fast on a bike on a highway, he probably should be dead.

so the ticket is actually lucky. he's lucky to be alive to get it.

[AtomicKitten]

14. Okay, I feel ya. He is damn lucky he remained upright.

[snooper2]

28. Nah, some people know what they are doing..

I've been to about 155-160 but that was it on a CBR600 F3..


I'm nowhere near as good as the greatness and god that is known as, "Ghost Rider"
He can ride wheelies at 220 MPH


Here he is playing with the cops-
Ghost Rider Dusts Swedish Police

&feature=related

[CreekDog]

34. yeah, you know what you're doing like Dale Earnhardt did?

it's risky. if you pretend it's not, it just comes off as hubris.

[snooper2]

37. of course it's risky, everthing has a level of risk

Even wiping ones ass LOL...

Some people are just more capable than others...

I.E. Ghost Rider!

[CreekDog]

39. yes that might be risky if you did it at 160 mph

if not, not so risky.

[Aerows]

47. And at the end of that video

You see he damn near caused a massive accident. Yeah, it's so incredibly awesome to take risks and risk other people's lives in the process. The cops, other drivers, himself.

I see nothing godlike about that. I just see enormous stupidity and a reckless disregard for everyone else on the road. That's as dangerous as driving shitfaced drunk, I don't find that "godlike", either.

[snooper2]

51. No, he didn't "almost" cause a massive accident, he made the corner and the cop in the Volvo

didn't ,

Cop wrecked into the other car...

I think the cop is the one who needs some driving lessons

[Posteritatis]

2. "It's okay! Red lights are green when you drive fast enough!" (nt)

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. LOL @ going fast enough to shift the wavelength to green.

[rocktivity]

3. New Paltz -- where I went to college

Last edited Wed May 2, 2012, 11:28 PM - Edit history (1)

the contact high from the marijuana fumes must have slowed him down!


rocktivity

[Meiko]

5. For driving at that speed

he could be charged with more than just speeding, reckless driving comes to mind. I suppose it depends on the state laws.

[markpkessinger]

7. Not to mention reckless endangerment n/t

[Raine1967]

20. he's in deep doo doo:

From the article:

Charlton is now facing several charges, including Fleeing Police 3rd, Reckless Driving, Speeding, and Operating Out of Class, since he did not have a motorcycle license. He is currently in the Albany County Jail on $20,000 bail.

[freethought]

6. This is a surprise how?

A Suzuki Hayabusa, it is said, can break 190 mph flat out on a straight path. Every once in a while I will be driving on the highway at 60 mph or so and one, sometimes 2 or 3, of these "rice rockets" will go flying by me like I am standing still. I have often wondered what kind of carnage would ensue if one these guys wiped out at that speed.

It does not surprise me on bit that this guy was trying for that speed. I wonder if they just plain arrested him. Isn't there a speed at which a ticket is replaced with handcuffs?

[panopeagenerosa]

8. carnage

depends on the mass of the two intersecting bodies. A fly on your windshield leaves behind 5,000 grieving widows and orphans but feels not a thing. You are merely annoyed.

I'm also assuming he wouldn't have been able to get up to that speed on a motorway that was bumper to bumper capacity at the speed limit. That's when the really bad pile ups happen, generally in low visibility. But definitely have him tested for drugs and committed to a psych ward for observation if only to keep his family from suing your jurisdiction for negligence.

[snooper2]

29. Sure you can, if you are good, or a god like Ghost Rider!

As I noted above Check this video, you can see what it feels like running 170-180 through cars LOL


42.6 miles, 68 km, in heavy traffic under 15min.. I would say this is the best driving ever performeded in heavy traffic.. I would like to see anyone do the same.. LOL

Category:
Entertainment

Tags:
ghost rider uppsala run stockholm sweeded suzuki gsxr 1000 1300 race stunt wheelie hayabusa bad ass
License:
Standard YouTube License

[Blue_Tires]

45. This guy's rush hour commute is just as crazy:

[snooper2]

46. That shit at about 5:30-6:00 minutes is absolutely insane!

I was literally putting my hands up in a stopping motion and backing up in my chair...

Fucking inches if that...

[justabob]

19. one of the scariest things I have dealt with driving

.... a herd of those effing rockets, eight to ten bikes, going at *least* 100 mph, swarmed through traffic going 60-70 mph on a ten lane urban highway at night. They zipped in, out and and between the cars, and were going so fast that you literally couldn't see them. It was absolutely terrifying. I don't ever want to deal with that crap again, irresponsible assholes. I can't believe that their swarm didn't cause a massive pile up, that highway is awful even before adding idiots at high speed.

[Blue_Tires]

21. When I lived in suburban D.C., they would drag race all night outside my apartment window

and the funny part was right at the end of their drags (which was near the on-ramp of the highway) was an office of the Maryland State Police...

I went to the office and raised hell after my 100th sleepless night...

Me: "Don't tell me y'all aren't hearing this shit all night..."

MDSP: "What do you want us to do? The superbikes are too fast to pursue, and they'll simply go around any roadblock we put up..."

Me: "Set up a spike strip or something..."

MDSP: "Uh, at those speeds the rider will surely be killed and the state of Maryland will get sued."

Me: "Do I look like I give a fuck?!"

(the conversation didn't go quite this way, but you get the general idea)

[Zalatix]

26. "Lemme guess, the cameras in this area are designed to catch what again?"

That's what I would ask them.

[justabob]

30. at what point

At what point do we draw the line? Vehicles that go too fast to be caught by traffic officers are, or can be, a menace.... a threat to public safety. I am not big on banning things, and I do like to go fast myself (in a car) and appreciate the growl/purr of a nice, powerful engine, but are there limits? Should race speed worthy vehicles be sold to the general public? Is it moot because mechanics can make all the necessary adjustments to get around any restrictions? I know PDs like speeders to get their money, but if the cops can't catch them, doesn't that become a problem? As noted, all those guys have to do is hit another gear and they can get away ticket free without even trying very hard... never mind fleeing from bigger crimes.

on edit... verb tense

[Spike89]

35. Nothing outruns radio waves

This guy was caught. Don't believe there is a police force without radios. The reality is that in most places/circumstances the police won't engage in a high speed chase because they then also become a danger to bystanders and can cause the suspect to become even more reckless. The speed at which they break off a chase varies, but virtually every bike of at least 650 cc can exceed the limits pretty easily. Add in a bike's ability to lane split and in fairly heavy traffic, even a smaller bike could evade capture.

[justabob]

40. yeah

I thought about high speed chase restrictions, esp in urban areas. I suppose it is just one of those things we have to live with. I do still hate them (the crotch rockets) though. I would much, much rather come upon an orderly convoy (is that the right word?) of leather clad guys on Harleys.

[Spike89]

41. I think gang or murder is the right plural

I'm often a leather clad guy on a Harley-style cruiser.

I've seen plenty of stupid stunts (done a few in my youth too) performed on a huge variety of motorbikes and hot rods. I've even seen a station wagon doing in excess of 100 mph on an urban freeway. All that said, the crotch rocket jockeys I see on the road are almost as likely to be riding unsafely as not. Thirty years ago those same guys were on cafe' racers.

The problem is less the equipment but rather too much testosterone and youthful belief in their own invulnerability.

[justabob]

42. lol

I think you are correct re testosterone vs equipment... also age. Haha... I have been known to push my wagon into triple digits, though not in the city and not in traffic, and not with anyone with me. Much younger, and in a different wagon I did a lot of dumb stuff, at speeds way too high for anything resembling safety, or sanity.

I am biased against the rockets for a lot of reasons. I hate the way they look, I hate the way they sound especially, and I hate how many (though not all) of their owners behave. I still wouldn't get on a Harley and go for a ride, but I do love the sound of them.... the deep throaty sound vs the high pitched whine of the Japanese bikes. I suspect I would fit in better with a harley gang than a street racer swarm too. LOL

[JHB]

23. I've seen the immediate aftermath of a wipe-out at lower speeds than that...

I recall the dismembered arm pretty clearly. The fellow did not survive the crash.

[freethought]

27. I saw the aftermath of a motorcycle crash once.

It was well after the incident and the police were already on site. The body was already covered by a white sheet, much of it stained red with blood. I don't know the type of bike involved. Once thing I do remember was that the victim's sneakers were many yards downrange of where he and his bike finally came to rest. It was truly a horrible scene.

To make it even more interesting (lacking a better word), was that the wipe out had happened on what used to be the deck of I-93 southbound in Boston and it was causing a huge backup on a Sunday. This was all before the "Big Dig" had started. I recall being ticked off when I initially was caught up in the backup. Then I saw the accident scene. It shut me up pretty quickly.

[hifiguy]

38. Years ago, I was hammering along at 100+ on

a section of interstate that gives new meaning to the term "limited access." A guy on what must have been a Kawasaki Ninja - this was years before the Suzuki Hayabusa was available - came up behind me and sat about six feet off the right rear fender of my Trans Am GTA and drafted me. We played fox and hound at 115-125 mph for a while, and eventually he pulled up alongside of me, looked over and gave me a thumbs-up, cracked the throttle on his bike and literally walked away from me even though I was doing 115-120 at the time. He had to have touched 150.

The serious Japanese racing bikes, for that is what they are albeit in street-legal form, are staggeringly, almost incomprehensibly fast. They will even outrun Ferraris, Porsche Turbos or Lamborghinis. Lots of horsepower and not that much weight = megaspeed. And then the hard-core maniacs will tweak out Hayabusas or Ninjas for 220+ mph. Amazing.

[Edweird]

52. According to some in this thread he should flown off the road uncontrollably or burst in flames

or something. Because, ya know, motorcycles can't safely go fast or whatever.....
I'm sure he killed a bus load of toddlers just down the road and you missed the carnage.

[hifiguy]

59. LOL

This was up in northwestern Minnesota in the middle of the summer. There wasn't a "busload of toddlers" within 50 miles.

The high-end Japanese superbikes are, in essence, racing motorcycles with some creature comforts and the lights/accessories necessary to make them legal to ride in public. You and I know that these bikes are made for the express purpose of going this fast. Some don't.

[flvegan]

11. While I agree he's an idiot, I fail to see how he's lucky.

Operating a bike (or car) within the machine's limits and within the pilot/driver limits is what it is, illegal or not.

Lucky is that he didn't get cut off/plowed into by some dipshit in a Camry too busy Facebooking/Tweeting/texting to pay attention to what they were doing while driving their machine.

America and her puritanical speed limits.

[jberryhill]

17. Driving on the Autobahn...

You really learn to take a good look in the outside mirror before contemplating changing into the left lane to pass.

You can be barreling along at 70 mph, come up behind someone doing 60, but that little black dot in the mirror will turn into a full grown porsche before you get a wheel over the line.

[flvegan]

18. And you have to consider

that lane change by the lorry while you're doing 120 mph before the driver makes that change. It's called thinking. Something one should do while piloting a 2 ton piece of flammable machinery. God forbid.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. You can't expect people to be able to judge vehicles approaching at 166 mph

It's so far above the normal and legal speeds of vehicles that it's unreasonable to say that the person 'in the Camry' is the 'dipshit'.

And notice this guy did not have a motorcycle license. He's the one who was risking killing himself, or maybe someone else, from reckless behaviour.

[Edweird]

55. Anyone tweeting/'facebooking'/whatever while driving is a dipshit regardless of who is around them.

[Blue_Tires]

44. What I loved most about the Autobahn was the two hard-and-fast rules:

1. Trucks always keep on the right

2. If you are not passing traffic in the lane to your right, you are going too slow and that's your sign to change to the right lane for awhile...


Things could be so much better on U.S. highways if these rules became commonplace...

[jberryhill]

65. I couldn't figure out why so many towns are named "Ausfahrt"

[tabasco]

58. If you're doing 70mph on the autobahn, you better be in the far right lane

and stay the hell out of the passing lane.

[hifiguy]

62. Damned straight. The Polizei on the Autobahn

will ticket your ass to the tune of several hundred Euros if you are poking along in the middle or passing lanes. Germans take lane discipline extremely seriously indeed.

[valerief]

13. What an asshole cyclist. nt

[provis99]

15. these idiots take themselves out of the gene pool on a regular basis:

here's a recent Motorcycle Rambo finishing himself off in a high speed chase with the cops:
http://news.yahoo.com/video/tulsakjrh-22220480/motorcyclist-killed-in-high-speed-chase-28781635.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Ftulsakjrh-22220480%252Fmotorcyclist-killed-in-high-speed-chase-28781635.html

[Auntie Bush]

16. Can you imagine what a hunk of torn up red meat he'd look like if he ever had an accident?

What a fool!I'm surprised he's lived this long. Did he ever stop to think what would happen to the car and it's passengers should he hit one?

[Rex]

24. Driving at that speed in public will eventually be lethal.

You stop seeing the lines at 145mph and everything is moving turtle slow...2 ton turtles. Thankfully I grew out of that habit as a teen and lived and did not hurt anyone.

Foolish in the extreme.

[Bake]

25. Too fast for two wheels.

One piece of gravel on the highway and he's a greasy spot on the pavement. Apparently he has a death wish.

Bake

[Liberal_in_LA]

33. and he didn't have a motorcycle license.

[Edweird]

63. So you believe that the motorcycle is uncontrollable at that speed? That it will fly off the road

from a piece of gravel? You don't think the engineers that designed the machine to go that fast were competent to do so?

[Bake]

66. Engineers? Whatever. Do you want to trust them with your life?

Maybe the bike could take it IF THE RIDER IS A PRO.

I know I took a curve on a bike at 100+ mph years ago and it scared me to death. Had there been a loose chunk of gravel in that curve, I'd be dead today.

Bake

[Edweird]

67. So, you got scared in a curve and therefore no else can ride fast.

LOL

[Bake]

68. Nope, but I have a family to support.

If you want to ride like an idiot, by all means feel free. I have other responsibilities. If nobody else depends on you, by all means ride as fast as you want to. Just don't say you weren't warned if you end up a greasy spot on the pavement. Let me guess, you don't wear a helmet either.

By the way, there ARE speed limits, by the way, in case you give a damn.

Bake

[Edweird]

70. Of course, anyone that rides faster than you is an idiot.

Contrary to your assumption, I have quite a collection of full face helmets and protective gear for street, motocross and Downhill/Freeride mountain biking.

I've always been a maniac and though I've 'mellowed' in my old age (I'm 41), I still make 20 somethings look sorry. Unlike you, I have no family to support - I'm divorced with no children. I don't fear death, but since I have no family to speak of other than my sister 1500 miles away, I do worry about being merely disabled.

Even my 'day job' is insanely dangerous - I have been and always will be an adrenaline junkie. That's just the way I'm wired.

This isn't about 'family' or whatever - you stated that he was going 'too fast for two wheels' and that one piece of gravel would do him in. I don't believe either of those to be true.

[Bake]

73. 166 mph on a public highway is too fast, whether it's 2 wheels or 4.

But it's far more dangerous on 2 wheels.

I like to drive fast as much as anybody. I had a '97 Supra that loved to run at 150+ without breathing heavy.

Whatever. I hope you live long enough to slow down a little bit. At 166, this guy was a danger not only to himself but to others.

Bake

[Edweird]

76. That is your opinion - which you are of course completely entitled to -

but it has no bearing on the physical reality of the situation which is that the motorcycle is perfectly capable of traveling safely at that speed. It is DESIGNED for those speeds, which is why they are uncomfortable at city street speeds. You opinion is at odds with the facts.

As far as myself - I am hopelessly addicted to adrenaline, dopamine and endorphins and would rather die than grow old.

[Rex]

77. Why are you so hostile?

That is just an opinion. We get it, you have a death wish. Whatever, please just make sure not to take anyone with you. I don't give a shit if you do 210mph, just try not to hurt anyone.

[Edweird]

79. I try to express myself in the clearest manner possible.

It comes off as a lot more 'dickish' than I intend, but in the end it's who I am. I guess I'm just an asshole. That's just me being 'matter of fact' - 'hostile' would be noticeably different.

[IDemo]

71. I've ridden since the late 70's on a variety of bikes

There's a common misconception among many that a single piece of gravel or small rock will mean the end of a bike at high speeds, but if anything, the gyro stability of the wheel and tire combination are much greater at highway speeds. It's going to take much more to cause the deflection of the wheel of any modern bike traveling in a straight line ( and yes, I've been a slow-goer on the bikes for the past 25 years).

[Bake]

74. The key there is "straight line."

In a curve ... whatever.

I still maintain that 166 on two wheels is too damn fast for a PUBLIC HIGHWAY. And yes, I rode bikes for years.

Bake

[IDemo]

78. I've also encountered gravel in the curves

and it's still going to take more than one piece to cause any noticeable traction loss. At any rate, not even the pros are cornering at 166.

I'm agreed that going above the 'prevailing speed' on a public road is inadvisable.

[NickB79]

31. Sounds like a coworker of mine, only he does it in Minneapolis, MN. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

32. he looks like the guy in Scooby Doo

[Edweird]

36. If I had a motorcycle (or car) that would do 190 - I'd do it.

That's just how I am. I wouldn't do it on a freeway during rush hour or on a city street...

The clucking authoritarians above are amusing.

[Aerows]

48. What about the other people on the road though?

What's the difference between that and driving shitfaced drunk? Both are reckless as hell and cost lives. Is that "authoritarian clucking" to you, to point out that there is no difference in doing that than there is in driving drunk?

[Edweird]

50. Yes, it is. I have gone well into triple digit territory - but not on crowded roads.

There are places where you can drive fast and not put others in danger. The time of day (night) also plays a big role.

Driving fast is not at all equivalent to driving drunk. I have no idea where you got that from. If anything, it's the polar opposite as the adrenaline heightens your perception and reaction time.

[Aerows]

54. I've been well into triple digits, too

When I was very young and foolish I went 135 on the interstate in my Mazda RX-7. Looking back, it's a miracle I didn't kill someone.

Driving recklessly, meaning at extremely high speeds, IS much like driving drunk because it can cost other people their lives right along with the person driving at such high speeds. You don't HAVE to drive drunk, and you don't HAVE to drive 135 mph.

The people that do that kind of thing, myself included when I did it, are too young, too cocky and entirely too sure of themselves for their vehicles. Hubris, arrogance and being convinced you are such a great driver it will never happen to you is what costs people lives.

[Edweird]

57. Your motor skills and perception are impaired while driving drunk. There is no analogy.

Using "it can cost other people their lives" is specious at best. Many, many things - which bear no similarity or relation to driving drunk - can cost other people their lives. In fact, it could be easily extrapolated, that driving at any speed at all 'can cost other people their lives' and therefore is like 'driving drunk'.

[MineralMan]

43. People who do that stuff on a regular basis

will likely die doing it. That kind of speed on an public road of any kind is living a death wish. Someone will pull into your lane to pass a slower vehicle and you will run into that person. Even if they check their mirror carefully, the closing speed when a vehicle is going 150 mph or more is dazzling, and a normal driver will NOT compensate for it.

[Aerows]

49. And they cost other people their lives, too

I can't imagine a 500 lbs bike doing 150 NOT taking out several people along with the reckless, foolish driver.

[MineralMan]

53. Yes, they often do. Sometimes, though,

they just take themselves out of the gene pool. Tragic, either way - and avoidable.

[Aerows]

56. As I mentioned up thread

I went 135mph in my car on the interstate when I was young and foolish. It's a miracle I didn't kill someone.

There is no way in hell I would have been able to stop had someone pulled out in front of me. The young and foolish, though, rarely listen to people who survived long enough to get out of the young and foolish stage!

[hifiguy]

61. Depends entirely on the road.

I've done 125 for an extended period on a stretch of divided interstate where there were virtually no entrances or exits for miles, and where one could see a mile or two ahead down the road. Only a vigorously stupid operator error could lead to an accident in such conditions if one is driving a properly maintained high-performance car or motorcycle.

[tabasco]

60. Stupid motherfucker with no concern for the safety of others

He'll do the rest of us a favor when he kills himself.

[Fumesucker]

69. The same is true of people who text while driving..

[tabasco]

72. I agree.

Why the sarcasm?

[Fumesucker]

75. Perhaps it might be that I realize no one is perfect?

You'd wish death on a really significant fraction of America, I disagree that doing something stupid necessarily deserves death.

I ride a motorcycle and a bicycle both, I'm at far more risk from texting drivers than most people on the road and yet I don't wish death on texters, I wish they would pay attention to their driving, not die.

[tabasco]

80. I race motorcycles.

But not on public roads. Anyone with careless disregard for others' lives -- IMO, the world is better off without them.

[4th law of robotics]

64. Motorcyclists ought to be more responsible

when you inevitably wreck and die you should be going at a speed that leaves some of your organs intact for someone else.

Going 170 means he'd be catfood if he wrecked. Completely useless to anyone.