| Author | Message | ||
     Barker |
Motorcycle enthusiasts divided on wheelie ban Bill would specify stunt in reckless driving law By SHEILA WISSNER Staff Writer Rounding a curve at 55 miles an hour with his front wheel in the air, Jason Babb downshifted his motorcycle too late and landed on the sidewalk in front of South Street restaurant. The 2000 accident that left him with "road rash," a broken handlebar and smashed turn signal on his XL650R Honda hasn't stopped the 36-year-old Antioch man from popping wheelies. He still relishes the feat and believes it can be safe — although, in that case, he admits he was driving too fast. "I feel you still have the same control riding a wheelie as not riding a wheelie, just based upon the simple fact that it takes a split second for the front wheel to come back down," Babbs said. Others disagree, saying the practice of driving a motorcycle with the front wheel off the ground can be deadly, particularly at high speeds. "You don't have any control on one wheel. You have no way of steering or anything," said Nelda Purk, 49, an Antioch motorcycle enthusiast who thinks the practice ought to be banned. Now the Tennessee General Assembly is taking up the issue, considering legislation that would incorporate the popping of wheelies into the reckless driving law. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Vince Dean, R-East Ridge, said police can already pull over a driver for such stunts. But adding anti-wheelie language to the law will give officers assurance their cases will stand up in court. "Since it's not specifically spelled out, I'm afraid that a lot of officers tend to shy away from doing that," said Dean, who spent 27 years in law enforcement as an officer and administrator. He expects to see the measure pass both houses of the legislature and be signed into law. Law could help police Neither the Tennessee Highway Patrol nor Metro police keep statistics on wheelie-related accidents. Several in the Midstate in the past few years have resulted in death, however. In a fatal accident in August, a woman pulling out from a stop sign became disoriented when a motorcycle driver popped a wheelie, said Metro Police Sgt. Jeff Keeter. "She thought it was someone waving a flashlight in the air," he said. "She didn't recognize it to be a motorcycle coming towards her." The motorcyclist was killed in the accident. Metro police officers already stop drivers performing such stunts, said Lt. David Corman, head of the traffic unit. In the August accident, an officer saw the motorcyclist pop the wheelie. But by the time the officer had turned around to stop the motorcyclist, the minivan had already struck him. Corman said the change in the law would make it easier to write citations for reckless driving for wheelie-poppers. Devastating results When motorcycle accidents occur, the drivers sometimes wind up at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's emergency room with devastating injuries. "Unfortunately, because motorcycles are moving projectiles, we see the type of injuries one sees from a driver of a car who leaves the vehicle, who is ejected — bone injuries, spinal cord injuries and massive head trauma," said Dr. Corey Slovis, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine. The proposed law changes the reckless driving law to include a clause that a person commits the offense when the person drives in such a way as to intentionally disregard the safety or property of others or drives a motorcycle "with the front tire raised off the ground." However, it makes no mention of driving with the rear wheel off the ground, a stunt called a "stoppie" or "endo." The bill's wording also doesn't take into account that pulling a wheel off the ground can in some circumstances be a safety maneuver, said David Bloodworth, owner of Bloodworth Motorcycles in Nashville. "Gentle, judicious" use of wheelies can avoid an accident when a hazard such as a tree limb or large pothole appears in the roadway with no time to stop, Bloodworth said. | ||
| Etennuly |
Damn it. Now I'm gonna have to look into moving my hard bags to the front of the bike. | ||
| Glitch |
Squids have spoiled it for motorcyclists in Tennessee. They're getting more and more anti-sportbike year to year. Don't let the TN Law get you on the Dragon on the TN side, if you're riding with a friend you may very well get a ticket for drag racing, a very stiff fine. | ||
| Etennuly |
Make sure your Registration and insurance cards are current. | ||
| Ryker77 |
"Gentle, judicious" use of wheelies can avoid an accident when a hazard such as a tree limb or large pothole appears in the roadway with no time to stop, Bloodworth said. Just how does popping a wheelie allow a rider to ride over a large pothole. It would take a skilled rider to do such a thing. | ||
| Spike |
So wait, they're proposing a bill to ban something that's already illegal? Genius. | ||
| Etennuly |
Over the 31 years that I have been riding I have pulled the front wheel up at least a half dozen times to avoid a crash that would have otherwise happened. All but one happened on dirt roads. The one that happened on pavement was a tree limb had fallen across the road where I was exiting a tight blind corner. Of course I was hauling through the turn, I saw the limb(about 6" in diameter, a couple inches above the road surface) and had no choice but to get over the limb. The left was the top branches and the base went all the way to the ditch on the right. Too fast to stop, too late and no available avoidant path, my choice was to collide with the limb and eat pavement on the other side, or get over it. So I stood up, pulled the bike up right, pulled on the bars as I whacked the throttle, kind of all at once, the front tire came up, and the rear tire hit the limb and jumped over it kicking out sideways for a second. No problem, I had done it a hundred times on my dirt bikes in one variation or another. This kind of stuff is common during serious off road dirt riding. They can't teach it at those schools because it would lead to more crashes, not less. This is why my son is being taught how to ride off road. Then he will take the safety course for the highway. The experience from off road riding is invaluable towards one of the most important lessons in riding, how to crash. Like everything else, if you go down a few times and observe the results of low speed "soft" landings it adds to your bank of experience. Then if you can apply a small bit of control in the last second before an impact, sometimes you can adjust how or where you hit an object so that you can get over it, or at least choose how you want to hit it. I don't see any cop giving tickets for doing a wheelie to avoiding a hazard. The difference in a wheelie to avoid something, and standing it up to show off are so obviously different. | ||
| Roadrailer |
"I feel you still have the same control riding a wheelie as not riding a wheelie, just based upon the simple fact that it takes a split second for the front wheel to come back down," Babbs said. After scooping your ass off the sidewalk having crashed while pulling a wheelie, how can you possibly say something like this with a straight face. I'm all for amending the law. If you want to do wheelies, stay off the damn street!!!!  | ||
| Oldog |
The proposed law changes the reckless driving law to include a clause that a person commits the offense when the person drives in such a way as to intentionally disregard the safety or property of others or drives a motorcycle "with the front tire raised off the ground."  We are being singled out! a person commits the offense when the person drives in such a way as to intentionally disregard the safety or property of others HOW ABOUT bust the Cell phone talking, makeup applying, eating, reading not driving types in their cages who are watching the movies on the visor screens and not bloody driving. Those actions are intentional and are bloody dangerous! Killing riders and maiming them because WE cant get away from them. $hit! just what do the residents of Tennessee pay the CHIMPS in the state house for? NONSENSE UTTER NONSENSE Stop the blood letting on the streets by cagers then worry about the squids. | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
When I used to live in TN (and moving back again soon) I used to get so incensed at the public service announcements they would post. Anybody remember the "click it or ticket" radio spots about seat belts. I am so absolutely bone weary about everybody trying to save my life. AGGGHHHH. Guess what? I'm gonna die. Yep. It might be in Iraq. It might be while popping a wheelie. I might have a stroke while pinching one off on the toilet. But sure as I'm standing here, I'm gonna die some day. STOP TRYING TO SAVE MY LIFE AMERICA, because you will be disappointed someday. Yes there are all kinds of arguements for this law. I may endanger someone else. I may accrue medical expenses that society will eventually have to cover. But don't kid yourself that this is what this law is about. It is 50% nanny-state politics, and 50% we-don't-like-somebody-else-having-more-fun-then-u s. In my opinion that is what the rider vs non-rider battle is about. The non-riders don't like the riders because they're apparently having more fun then they are. "Why does he get to sport around on a motorcycle? It's not fair! I have a $50,000 SUV, and three kids, and a $300,000 house that I can't afford the insurance and heat bill on. My credit cards have been maxed out since Christmas because I HAD to get the new playstation XX, and my variable rate mortgage is about to go up. And I'm stuck in traffic between my two jobs. Why does he get to have so much fun? I wish I had a motorcycle and could pop wheelies. I'll show him!" If America (and TN in particular) honestly truly really gave a crap about saving lives, they would more rigorously enforce the laws already on the books, ie, speeding, cell phones, etc... but it's never really about saving lives. | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
In a fatal accident in August, a woman pulling out from a stop sign became disoriented when a motorcycle driver popped a wheelie, said Metro Police Sgt. Jeff Keeter. "She thought it was someone waving a flashlight in the air," he said. "She didn't recognize it to be a motorcycle coming towards her." The motorcyclist was killed in the accident. So, what, if your disoriented you should continue to pull out into the intersection? What if it HAD been somebody waving a flashlight in the air? Would she have hit them too? Oh, that's o.k., she was disoriented. | ||
| Jimidan |
ryker77 sez: "Gentle, judicious" use of wheelies can avoid an accident when a hazard such as a tree limb or large pothole appears in the roadway with no time to stop, Bloodworth said. Just how does popping a wheelie allow a rider to ride over a large pothole. It would take a skilled rider to do such a thing. Theoretically, it can be done...it is all about practice, practice, practice. When a rider sees the pothole, log, peanut butter samich, nun, small puppy, President Kennedy, or whatever, he lofts the front end with a simultaneous snap of the bars and whack of the throttle. Then just as the front wheel clears said obstacle, he hits the rear brake for a nanosecond, which slams the front wheel down where the rider grabs a huge hand full of front brake lofting the rear wheel into the air and clearing whatever it was. My method (as demonstrated in actual conditions) is not nearly as complicated though...I just freeze and hit the damned thing and let the bike do what it wants to. Broken bones will heal given enough time. jimidan | ||
| Mtch |
My method (as demonstrated in actual conditions) is not nearly as complicated though...I just freeze and hit the damned thing and let the bike do what it wants to. Broken bones will heal given enough time. just like most riders would, very few, if any, riders have the skill to avoid a tree limb or large pothole. then again if going to fast to avoid the obstacle the rider must be going too fast for the road conditions. | ||
| M1combat |
Anybody that's spent time riding dirtbikes won't have any trouble pulling up the front end to avoid something. It's pretty common when riding across country at a decent clip. | ||
| Red_chili |
I had no idea they *weren't* illegal... <snort> Not a lot to do in TN these days I guess. (Message edited by Red_Chili on March 26, 2007) | ||
| Ryker77 |
Soon alot more will become illegal. The trend started 50 years ago and will not stop. car saftey inspections/stickers, car insurance, seat belts, etc etc etc Not spinning tires, driving over the speedlimit, driving drunk etc etc etc At some point a line needs to be drawn. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Mortorman.....do you remember the Tennessee trash adds. Hysterical, The family at the drive in basically clean out their car into the drive in theater parking area. They even leave a mattress. I was almost in tears the first time I saw it. | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
Yeah, how much money do they spend on that crap. The "click it or ticket" ad always ended with that cop saying in a deep and heartfelt way "because we want to save YOUR life." Well whoopee. I always wanted to see a cop at McDonalds and smack the bigmac right out of his mouth and say "because I want to save your life." I doubt the scenario would play out as well in real life as I'd imagined it in my mind...  | ||
| Ryker77 |
Soon certain foods will be outlawed as well. I think its NYC that outlawed certain type of fats in its resturants. "If you don't get turned on to politics. Politics WILL TURN ON YOU." R.Nader | ||
| Jimidan |
They must already be illegal in KY (and Daytona, and everywhere else too) because every time I see someone do one when a cop is in the vicinity it is blue lights time. Try it in your state and let us know what happens.  | ||
| Jimidan |
Come to think of it, wheelies have been banned at every track day I have ever attended too. | ||
| Djkaplan |
At the Phenix City dragstrip in Alabama, I used to get the entire crowd in the grandstands on their feet and looking backwards because I'd always do a wheelie down the return road. Things were always wild at that strip in the early 80's. The only time I ever saw a guy get stabbed in a knife fight was at that dragstrip. | ||
| Rick_a |
It's not just squids, I've known a couple skilled, smart riders that've got killed in similar scenarios. In Florida it can be classified as either careless or reckless driving. I have no idea how they differentiate the two.
I did a wheelie at one track every time I left the pits. Nobody said a thing. One time a guy on an Aprilia RS250 joined me. |
