For The Motorcycle Riders

[Pappy]

This guy is good, and he's on an 800+ pound bike...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=502407046492436

[cabinetman]

He is very good. He did a bit of draggin', but got no faults. I've been to a few of those events, and the cops that do that aren't just your bike cop off the beat. They practice this stuff for these competitions.

If you watch his head and where he is looking throughout the course, he is looking much ahead of the front of the bike, getting set up as he goes. It's a dance between balance, throttle and the brakes.

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[Stytooner]

I used to think I could ride. Now I'm not so sure. He didn't even hit a cone with the saddle bags. That is excellent coordination, timing and balance. Thanks for sharing this, Pappy.

[Pappy]

C-Man, you're right that the officers that compete in these events spend hours upon hours practicing and developing their skills. The techniques are taught to, and practiced by, all motor officers. These guys just take it a lot farther. Some of them, like Donnie Wiliams in the video, travel across the nation to compete. The trips are funded by donations or their own money, not their departments.

Williams also owns a motorcycle safety cours company. There are some Officers in Florida that have a company called MotorPro that offer a training DVD as well as personalized training courses.

Lee, I'm with you. I've been riding almost 50 years and wouldn't even think of trying that.

[cabinetman]

Their events are mostly attended by LEO's, but also draw a good civilian crowd. It also serves as a fundraiser for C.O.P.S. in "T" shirt sales, food, trinkets, patches, and pins. Around here they also have demonstrations of K9's, which is always interesting.

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[gsmittle]

Wow, that's amazing. I've seen something similar at horse shows, but there you have another brain helping you out. Usually.

g.

[Stytooner]

Horse's are not programmed to be totally against cones. The rider was.This video just shows what one Cop might be able to do. You cannot run from that kind of precision.

[dbhost]

Their events are mostly attended by LEO's, but also draw a good civilian crowd. It also serves as a fundraiser for C.O.P.S. in "T" shirt sales, food, trinkets, patches, and pins. Around here they also have demonstrations of K9's, which is always interesting.

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Since I live fairly close to the Johnson Space Center, you are going to define LEO to me... Around here it means Low Earth Orbit... And although that bike has a certain amount of mass to it, I kind of doubt it has a subtantial gravitational field...

That riding however is pretty awesome. I would figure that would be doable, although tough, on a sport bike... The fact they can do this sort of stuff on a monster of a machine like that is just stunning...

[cabinetman]

Since I live fairly close to the Johnson Space Center, you are going to define LEO to me... Around here it means Low Earth Orbit... And although that bike has a certain amount of mass to it, I kind of doubt it has a subtantial gravitational field...

Law Enforcement Officer

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[gsmittle]

Since I live fairly close to the Johnson Space Center, you are going to define LEO to me... Around here it means Low Earth Orbit... And although that bike has a certain amount of mass to it, I kind of doubt it has a subtantial gravitational field...

That riding however is pretty awesome. I would figure that would be doable, although tough, on a sport bike... The fact they can do this sort of stuff on a monster of a machine like that is just stunning...

I dunno. The bike looks massy enough to have detectable gravity. I get more impressed each time I watch him.

g.

[Pappy]

Couple of more videos of Officer Williams.

Slow ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFmudpnzOcQ

This is the maze from a camera mounted to his headlight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah7eb_LBM4U

Riding tandem tethered to a bike ridden by fellow officer Kevin Cordell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7AkpPaUbJ8

They placed second in the event.

[cabinetman]

I've been to some of those events, and that's some fantastic riding. I'd almost bet Donnie did some trials riding as a kid.

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[sailor55330]

No doubt he's very good at staying in the friction zone and using the rear brake to stabilize at low speeds. Also as pointed out, watch his head. There is no truer statement in riding than you go were you look. I have not tried it personally, but I have been told by members of LE that the big HD bikes are actually fairly forgiving at low speeds as compared to other bikes. The tethered guys are the ones that get me .