Oh, so it wasn't all about oil after all, then...

Ha, yes; good point. It applies either way.

I bet the locals don't go horsing round the ramps and sliproads on that
stretch. The machine-gunner was jittery and only had a day's training on
that weapon, afair - hardly surprising a half-baked, half-trained,
spooked soldier let rip at a car which he had no reason to believe was
other than yet another suicide bomber.

I find it hard to say I wouldn't have done the same in his position.

C'est la guerre and all that.

 

Full screen applications. There's an option in Messenger.

 

Champ scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Where was that then? My recent experience is that everyone is doing at
least 75 in a 70 and that's before you get overtaken by some mad
trucker doing at least 80...

 

Champ says...

Make that a triple Oi!

 

this was my experience also (all over Florida).

 

Hmmm. On the California interstates I was easily the fastest thing on
the road at 80mph. There was some other stuff doing 70ish, I guess.

Compare that with doing 75 on a British motorway, when the only things
slower than you are the trucks.

 

[snipped]

That's tame compared to I-280. It seems speeds of 100 mph are common,
the limit is 65 mph. So much so that the law was recently changed. The
first offense is something like 700 USD fine. A second offense of >100
will get you a 1,000 USD fine and your vehicle gets impounded. It's
really disconcerting to be hauling down the road on your bike at 80 mph
and everyone is passing you.

 

<keeps quiet>

 

I don't know how long it takes to get it back, but you get to pay
something like 300 USD for towing and storage fees in addition to the
fine.

I'm sure if you kept coming before the same judge, s/he may have
something to say about your driving habits. But it does sound good
though. Say 1 January you buy a speeding card. When you get pulled the
copper punches it and you go on your way. It'd be more fun that way.

 

Champ scribbled on the back of a napkin:

That surprises me - La Americaine and myself where hauling her stuff
from California to Florida recently, doing about 75 pulling a trailer
and got overtaken left, right and centre by just about anything that
moved.

And that was before we got to the really empty stretches of road in
places like Texas and Arizona where the loud pedal seems to slowly sink
to the floor by its own accord.

 

They used to sell "books of 10 tickets" in Montana at one point.
I was offered it by the copper who stopped me for speeding.
I Was doing 95mph in a 55mph highway.
I got a ticket.
$5 for "wasting a natural resource"...
I liked Montana.

Officially the speed was 55mph at all times. However, as the
entire state of Montana has the population of Milton Keynes
(or thereabouts), sanity prevailed and they decided that
"a speed appropriate to the road conditions" was all that
was required during the daytime hours. They still had to
ticket you with *something* though or lose federal funds
for highways, so they would just give you the $5 fine, no
record (felt like I was giving the copper a $5 bribe) and
I was offered a book of 10 so that you wouldn't be delayed
too long the next time I was stopped. When I inquired what
an "appropriate speed" was on the road we were on, I was
told not to take it too far above 120 or 125. mph.

 

My brother (non biker) now lives in the states. A brief summary:
-American cars are shit; he had a Pontiac and couldn't park on a hill
because the handbrake wouldn't hold it in place;
-they drive bang on the limit (even when overtaking) and when it rains
they may as well be on bicycles.

Having been to vist (LA), I am frightened to see how few of them ride bikes.

 

Or when you're on the M4 where everyone slows down behind a Plodmobile
and then suddenly speeds up as they inch up next to it and see it's
ModPlod.

 

Or WS Atkins.

 

The amber lights normally give them away at a distance unlike paramedic
cars.

 

No, you are right. Also the cost of insurance would skyrocket as well.

LOL.

 

Wasn't Montana the state where carrying a gun and an open beer
at 120mph on the highway was likely to be considered not worth
a ticking off?

I vaguely recall some cheeky scamp or other making a tv item
about it. Possibly Theroux on TV Nation, but icbw.

 

Rich Hall, iirc.

--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/KH500A8/TS250C
|_\_____/_| ..75073../..18420.../..3184./.19406
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4 PM#5
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11 WG*
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4
'^' RBR Landmarks: 12 Pts: 220 Miles: 914