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Seeing a low-speed lowside crash on Mulholland isn’t exactly a rare event with so many inexperienced riders taking to the infamous twisty SoCal roadway. Caught on video though, this Kawasaki ZX-6R was surprised to see one of CHP’s finest waiting for him around the apex of a turn. Showing his greeness to trail braking, our protaganist grabs a fistfull of brake, and promptly tucks the front tire in front of the officer. Check out the video after the jump.
UPDATE: We’ve gotten further information that Thomas Destories wasn’t on a motorcycle when he shot at the speed camera van, instead he was driving a truck at the time of the shooting. He was however on a motorcycle when he was arrested, and was armed with a gun and ammunition at that time. Thanks for the tip Stacey!
Thomas Destories, a 68 year old motorcycle rider, has apparently shot to death a speed camera operator in what police are calling a ride-by shooting. After opening fire on speed camera operator Doug Georgianni’s van, Destories turned himself in to the local police department. He has subsequently been charged with the first-degree murder of the 51-year-old camera operator.
“I’m sorry. I was going to turn myself in,” Destories, 68, told police. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”
During the incident five shots were fired at the marked Safety Camera van. Three were grouped on the window of Mr Georgianni’s seat. Police found a magazine for a .45-calibre pistol in Destories’ front pocket when they arrested him. The police haven’t said what Destories motives were for the attack, although it would seem obvious that the motorcycle rider wasn’t too fond of speed trap cameras.
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Earilier this year BMW replaced the F650GS, its single-cylinder go anywhere bike, with de-tuned version of the F800GS. This also meant a shift from the single-cylinder motor, to the 800’s parallel twin. Police and military buyers have apparently groaned loud enough to BMW that they are bringing back the old F650GS, but under the g650GS model name.
The reasoning behind this is that police and military buyers still have plenty of old F650GS’s in their fleet, as well as plenty of spares for them. Instead of having to build support chains for a new model like the new F650GS or another brand, they would much rather keep on trucking with their tried and true single-cylinder workhorse. BMW apparently was happy to oblige.
The G650GS will be identical to the old F650GS, which means 50hp, 40lb/ft motor, laced with a 19″ front wheel, and five-speed gearbox. Price is rumored to be about 15% less than the 2007 model, which is an added bonus. The G650GS will also be available in the American markets.
This video really speaks for itself. The blooper reel starts around the 0:44 time mark. The big take-away here is if you’re running from the French Police, get onto a dirt road as soon as possible…baguettes optional.
It wouldn’t be the weekend if we didn’t bring you Japanese police officers showing their slow speed motorcycle handling skills, and choreography prowess.
Source: Someone needs to talk to them about this uniforms though.
Our poor friends down under are about to get a further crackdown on what can and cannot be done out on the asphalt. The Aussies are set to put into place a series of roadside microphones to crack down on offending and unrestricted exhaust pipes. Similar murmurs are also being made back on the Queen’s Island.
The fully automated systems have been in development for the last three years and are now set to be rolled out in several states and territories down under. According to a report in Australia’s The Newspaper, the camera-based system utilises a set of microphones to record noise levels and, when the set threshold is exceeded, a ten second video is stored and a ticket automatically generated. Apparently the machine can hold data for up to 10,000 tickets before it needs to be reset.
Source: PistonHeads via RSVzone
There are rumors that soon even thinking about a wheelie will be illegal. Ok, George Orwell…you win.