hi ppl. my project bike is a honda slr650cc. recently i've got the bike up and running and today i took it for a test ride! as yet i am uninsured and do not have full bike license. i know i'm a bad boy for doing this but i needed to take the bike around the block (a 3 mile route) to test things over. also to get a colour on my new spark plug. well now, guess what happened? yup i crashed it. no other vehicle was involved. no, just me and some vegetation. it wasn't a bad crash, however there was a little damage but nothing that's not difficult and expensive to repair. a driver saw me go flying into the hedge and called the police and paramedics. both were not needed, especially not the police! as soon as i came off i was pushing the bike home towards a footpath that leads to where i live. the paramedics checked me over and asked if i wanted to a trip to hospital but i declined since i've only got a bruised nose and one or two minor cuts. they let me go then i had to see the policeman. he gave me a seven day wonder! considering i've not got insurance or full bike license (i have a certificate of approved training for motorbikes (catergory a) and mopeds (catergory p), what do you think will be my punishment?? points and fine??

do you think i could lose my aforementioned license enabling me to ride my honda c90? i've not been in trouble with the police b4.

any feedback (except slating for being a 24 carrot gold plonker) much appreciated!

regards, gary

Shucks. That rules my comment out.


Sorry,
Would love to help you but unfortunately I have no idea.

I'm sure the others will be along soon with oodles of knowledge ;-)

So you admit you are a plonker then



enough said

Were you really riding the bike or pushing it, did the copper catch you sitting on the
seat riding the bike, engine running or were you pushing it at the time, because
someone saw you doesnt mean you are guilty, the copper needs to see for himself
as its not evidence to assume you were riding before they stopped you.

With out proof there's no case, thats the law and one for all.
If you're not sure I'd have a chat with a lawyer but dont let them rack you
in for a case and apparently they have to give you 1/2 hr free advice
could cost you + £3000 and still loose ? so a lawyer might be ok depending and
thats a big depending.


cheers

Unfortunately Chrismk, he has admitted on this forum to riding the bike and the 'copper' doesn't need to see him if there is other evidence. At least he has the honour to admit what he has done and accept the consequences. There needs to be more of that in this world and then maybe we wouldn't be in such a mess as we are. People always seem to blame anyone but themselves and try to wriggle out of anything even though they know the risks and were willing to accept them at the time. How refreshing that Kumberra doesn't appear to be like that.For god's sake though make sure you produce, even the items you do have is better than not producing at all.

I hope you have learnt by this. I think you were just unfortunate. I am sure nearly all of us here can remember times when we shouldn't be doing things, but still did anyway....Me included. Just part of the learning process.
However, knowing how magistrates are, i don't think you will get a ban. I reckon about 8 points and a large fine...A few hundred quid probably.....


Just my opinion.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Gary. You're going to be in trouble mate. sorry about that.

Dont take this as a lecture but just as something to consider. You say you were just nipping round your three mile block to check the bike and you binned it. fair enough you and no one else was hurt and maybe no property but your own.

I was riding home tonight from work and hit a neighbours dog. It ran accross the road from the field where it was being excersied and straight in front of me while i was doing about fifteen mph. I swerved and braked but caught it a good un with the side of the bike. its now dead. It was old.
Im an experienced rider and was doing only fifteen mph ( driving down the residential road to my block of houses.) Now consider if it wasnt a dog, sad though it is that its dead, but was a kid instead?

this is why the law will come down on you. and rightly so. fair enough insurance didnt prevent me hitting the dog and fair enough it wasnt my fault but the important fact is that i have a full licence so at least i had a right to be driving my bike when it happened. If you or anyone knocked my boy over and i found out you didnt have a licence id probably kill you.


Like i say this isnt a lecture just a way of understanding why this is a big deal and why you're going to be in trouble, a lot of trouble probably.

I genuinely feel for oyu as it seems you werent being a loon just checking out the bike and to be honest its something lots of us have done in the past and got away with but, like tonite with the dog, it only takes a second of bad luck for it all to go pear shaped. if i were you id get straight down the old bill shop and fess up, you're stuffed anyway by the sound of things so making things smoother for the law may go your way a bit more than if you try to drag it out in any way or lie about it.

Like i said, sorry mate, i really do feel for you.

TC........

I think its more a case of someone asking for advice from a group of people with a wide variety of motocycling experience, one serving police officer and one ex police officer with years of knowledge behind them. I think the fact that you and Steve have replied kind of shows this and the fact that you both have given sound advice also proves it was worth asking.

UNless your reply was gossip or guesswork of course.

If i might chip in my twopenneth i think the fine and points may also depend on where abouts in the country you live. I got done a couple of years ago for no insurance 6 points and £100 fine. my brother also was stopped no licence, no insurance, no mot and the bike was extremely badly deffective read no speedo, defective lights, badly leaking exhaust AND the front wheel nut was missing ferchrissakes. 9 points and £400 fine now i must admit i'm going back about 10-15 years here but you get the idea.

T.C's idea of checking the papers seems a sound idea to me.
I was charged with driving whilst disqualified by virtue of age(I was 15 at the time-25 years ago), speeding, driving without due care and attention,having no tax, mot, insurance and five other offences which I can't remember. I was only prosecuted for three offences and fined 30 quid with 3 points for a first offence.
When I got my provisional at 16 and took to the roads legally I was stopped about every six weeks for the next two years, once you're in the Polices sights you'd better stay legal or it'll get very expensive.

that is what i love about this board

you will get ribbed & at the same time can get some seriuos advice.

Steve you still owe me a pint mate not my fault the rally was cancelled

But isnt it sad that if you do own up you'll always get the hardest treatment of all
there you are all intentions of being a good law abiding citizen and next min. you
do a mister meaner, they throw the book at you as hard as they can cos they can
but they wont bother to do a drug dealer who may have caused a few deaths as
much as they will you simply cos they cant link the drug dealer, its a known fact
that minor motoring offenses are the easiet one to prosecute and always carry the
biggest penalty.

What I find odd in the UK is as TC mentioned is you can still be done even if they
didnt see you, I find this odd as I have lived else where in the past and the law
doesnt work as TC mentioned, so now Im assuming that joe public is a copper too
where does it end....... to a point I can see why they can still book you on a traffic
violation due to the complecations it would have on 'other' criminal activities.

I suppose it wont be mentioned in court that you already have learnt your lesson
by having been involved in a minor accident.....
Law is impossed by a select few who choose to abuse it like some cops I've seen
blast up and own the m/ways at rediculous, dangerous and uncalled for speeds.,
Pity a few of them spoil it for the rest of the force, some of my best mated were
coppers abroad and boy could I open a can of worms if I wanted.......
ever read that book written by some copper on the system, makes for very
interesting reading.
Just dont do it again.

Cheers

That is a very cynical view, and not quite correct. However i must agree that the motorist is often penalised more, but that is because the majority of motorists are taxed insured, and law abiding members of the public etc, and it is easier to obtain money from them. Or maybe it is becasue they have the morals and social conscience that 'criminals' don't have and put there hands up when caught, rather than try to wriggle whinge squirm moan and blame every body but themselves for thir actions.

As for the 'drug dealer' point, well unfortunately the law requires evidence. I can name hundreds of people i know have committed crimes, and they know i know....But that doesn't mean we can get them to court (especially with how the Crown Prosecution is behaving...but don't get me started on that).

Ther are bad officers, but thankfully i have never worked alongside any, incompetent and stupid yes, but not really bad. And to an extent they do spoil it for the rest of us so i can see where you are on that, but please don't tar all of us with the same brush.

And Womble, anytime you are down my way mate, i expect a call and i will take you for that drink............

TC = so was I! I was seeing if i could get you to bite back!

What i like about this board is shown in this thread. Positive replies no real condescention or posts that do nothing but have a go at someone who realises they were a bit silly, and some sound advice form experts in the field. nice one.

Just wondering if a bike theif got cought, would they automaticlly get a ban on their licence? (no insurance wise). if they don't, then why should you?

I dont have a clue, but Im interested in an answer M8

Sorry to hear about it.....

the problem is that although you might have doing carefully just to check the bike, itis hard to prove it was the case etc...

But I guess accepting you were wrong and sorry might makethe court go easy on you.


A few year back a friend got done for Drink and Driving around Xmas.
something that I am 100% again- Dont Drink and Drive.


He appeared in court and plead Guilty... etc saying it was a case of poor judgement on his part etc on how much he had t drink.


He got banned for 1 year and £1000 fine. Not that bad in my view....


Anyway good luck and let us know the outcome

I was assaulted a couple of weeks ago. To prosecute the bad guy i seem to recall there being at least two witnesses to be able to prosecute. Now in this case it may be that the feller-who-saw-the-crash's statement may not be enough, although the ambulance details could count as well.

Just an idea.

Gud luck wit your case.

The laws are different for different crimes im afraid. an assault may require more than one witness but the above offence is governed by the road traffic act ( mainly) which may require more or less evidence or more or less witnesses. As TC states its a matter of court practice, the cps, and other factors as to who gets done for what.
I agree it seems unfauir when you consider the bloke who knocked me off my bike last december - their were several witnesses of the professional variety, thats two off duty coppers, an ambulance driver and a magistrate, yet he gdidnt get done for careless driving due to a lack of evidence even though he ventured out of his lane and into mine in order to hit me. Funny old world.

Sorry to say this but which 'good law abiding citizen' would even consider taking a vehicle on the road with no licence or insurance??

I bet you not many!

I agree with what the others say - take it on the chin and accept what you get with the knowledge that no-one was hurt and no major damage was done. Sometimes we need a good kick up the erse to stop being complacent about things which can cause death even on the shortest of runs. Its not always you at fault but there are an awful lot of poor, insured drivers out there. We don't need uninsured ones too.





Minor motoring offences are the easiest to turn into major motoring offences too - you know the thing, 'I got away with it last time I'll do it again, I won't get caught.'
Before I passed my driving test I would borrow my brothers cars (with his knowledge and consent) just to go to the shop, then I would maybe just go a bit further, a quick spin. What would have happened if anything serious happened??

When I was 5 months pregnant with our daughter I was hit by a joy rider, the bastid had no licence no insurance and the car was obviously stolen. My daughter now only has one kidney, they think it was the shock of the accident that had an effect. She (and we) now live with the constant threat of kidney failure, tests, more tests and so on. That joyrider must have started somewhere - was that just a quick trip around the block??
I'm not saying you are a serious joyrider Kumberra nor that you ever would be but in my opinion a joyrider you are and you were luck it was only a hedge you hit.
I still wish you luck with the case and hope that whenever you get riding again you go through the proper channels to get a full licence and proper insurance.

Suki,

First of all, for what it's worth, I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's accident. I can sympathise greatly and I really do understand the coldren of emotions of such an experince having personally been the victim in something similar several years ago. The scars of which I still bear. I sincerely hope the deities out there cast a watchful eye over her.

Granted, my experience is all the more reason not to have broken the law because of the risks but there were subtle yet crucially important differences in the driving/riding involved between my accident and what happened when I crashed my motorbike, namely the fact that I DID NOT go out for a joyride. Suki, branding me as a 'joy rider' I take issue with. A joy rider I most definately am NOT. Never have been and never will be. A joy rider is a someone taking a vehicle (usually stolen) for a fun thrilling ride provided by reckless driving. Let me explain in more detail the events involved in my accident. I purchased my SLR650 at a silly price, spending many hours as a slave to trying to get it working again. After much cursing, foot stomping and a bottle of anadin or two later I managed to get it working. Great I thought. I rode the bike up the drive way, could only get out of first gear and wanted to take it above 5mph. I needed to do this before I put the thing up for sale, which was always my intention - I never intended to keep the bike, I just saw it as a way to make a profit. The road right outside the house is the only one for some distance, there are no turn offs to cul-de-sacs or country lanes etc... I chose a time when I thought it would be most quiet on the roads and went for the short ride. Granted, a short or long ride, at a quiet or busy time makes no difference, it was still wrong, it was still stupid, it was still illegal. But how many of you out there have illegaly taken a vehicle out for a trip round the block to test something over? How many out there have purchased a new vehicle, rode/drove it home uninsured (as carefully as they could)? Many, I know. I wasn't speeding or driving in a manner that encouraged an accident - JOY RIDERS DO THAT.

What I did was illegal and consequently I've already pleaded guilty. Now waiting to hear from the courts. I'll keep the board informed for the reason that my punishment just might encourage someone not to do the same. Before I sign off though, I just like to sincerely thank those of you whom took the time to share your thoughts. Cheers.

Best of luck mate, hope it works out in the end




I'm keeping quiet on this one...... can u tell?

Sorry to say this but which 'good law abiding citizen' would even consider taking a vehicle on the road with no licence or insurance??

I bet you not many!


You would be surprised.

I can think of several times which people i know have taken Cars etc for there Mots when it has already expied or there Insurance has run out but instead of phoneing the company they have driven down town to sort it out.

But it goes without saying that if someone is'nt properly covered they should'nt be on the road, but everyone has done something silly like that, even if its to test a bike/car before you buy it.

Accidents do happen (unfortunatly) and its usually to the people that do things like that which is a one off, not the people who we really need to get off the road , the ones who are doing it every day, No Licence/ No Insurance/ No Mot/ No Tax, they never seem to get caught and they do they could cares less with a fine, they just pay it and carry on doing the same thing.

These are the people that p!ss me off,

Anyway just thought i'd have a rant...........

I have today sent an appology to Kumberra.

I feel I went a little too far with my post last night - although I stick by what I said I think I should have chosen my words more carefully.

I again appologise to Kumberra and any one else who thought my opinion was a little strong.

Suki

Well thats the thing with a Forum everybody has there own views and opinions, as long as we all as members respect other peoples views and also take on board the advice that we hear, thats the reason Forums exsist.


I think this is one of the best board i've been on, for advice and for the people that are on here.


Kumberra,

I hope you dont get stung too bad!!!

Hey Suki, sh!t happens mate....u r allowed opinions ya know and we know u don't mean to offend, cos ur lurvly chuck

Aw Suki sometimes people need to hear what others think and thats all you did and every right to!

Kumberra, I dont believe for one mo that you are a 'joy rider' you sound sensible enough and are prepared to take your judgement, I just think that maybe you didnt think, it happened and a fact is a fact. Lets hope your fines etc arent too large and more importantly, you learn from this.

Keep us informed M8.

Thanks fazer.
Your not a bad old bird yourself hun!!

I don't often rant but when I do I get tunnel vision.

Thanks for the support and I'll try to behave in future.

Suki

I'm a bit of a boiler tho eh? (cue the bunny boiler episode....... )






P.s don't u dare start behaving..... life would be very dull

Oh ok then but only 'cause you asked nice!! :tounge:

G'day people. Plonker kumberra here, the guy who started this thread. Anyhow, been very busy fixing up crashed bike and it's now up for sale at a silly price coz i just want rid of the damn thing and besides i'll need the money for the fine. talking about that, it has now been 4 weeks since i fessed up down the cop shop and still i've not heard anything? any1 know how long these motoring offences take?? kinda annoying not knowing what the punishment will be, i mean how much the fine will be coz that screws up any budget plans i have...

so anyone out there wanna cheap slr650cc??

cheers, gary

Here's hoping they lost that pad they got when they took all your deatails etc.

If I were you I would'nt under any circumstances go about trying to find out if and
when and whats happening as you may well jog someones memory and kick start
events you're dreading, I would'nt and thats fair.

Here's hoping it all turns in your favour

Cheers

To be honest it can take ages. They have up to 6 months to issue a summons so all i can say is to be patient.
You could always call and ask them.....



Whatever happens,

good luck and i hope you don't get hammerd too much.

Kumberra Im sure you have read my post's on this subject and I just wanted to show that I am not an argumentative so and so just looking to make trouble as some people seem to think and am also quite compassionate! I am endevouring to find out just what sort of punishment you can expect for these offence's to help you out.

By the way the CPS have 6 months from the date of your confession to the offence, to lay down a summons at court which means you could actually be waiting longer than 6 months to find out what is happening although you should receive a notice of intended prosecution before then from the police.

I know you will now have the constant worry of this hanging over your shoulders and I do honestly feel for you as it will be a very hard and stressfull time for you.

anyway I will get back to you once I have made some progress

Sammye....
This is meant to be a moan but just some general information for all:

Just to clear up any misunderstanding, if memory serves me correctly an NIP is only required for certain offences, mainly driving (dnagerous, speeding etc) and parking, not document offences and would therefore not be required in this case. If it was, i would suspect that as Kumberra was spoken to by an officer it would have been given verbally at the time, but i am 99% sure one is not reqd.

Also, if one was req'd and not given verbally, then it must be served within 14 days, and that time has long sinced passed.

I hope this is of help to all if anyone is ever in an accident or such situation.





Waits to be shot down in flames by T.C the god of all things droidy......

StevePJ - Im really not that bad am I??

Sorry I think you are correct, my wording is incorrect! I meant he should receive a notice of possible prosecution before then but even that is not obligatory

No, and i apologise if you felt that was a dig at you, because it most certainly was not and if that is how it came across i can only say sorry. It's just that things like this are handy for everyone to know should they ever be in a poition when they are dealing with the law.

My wife got caught on a speed camera in a company car about a year ago, and all the forms were duly filled out and submitted.
Owing to the complete idiots working in the Fixed Penalty Office of our force, they siad the forms wern't filled out correctly and sent more to fill out, with photocopies of the original forms. They had highlighted and area to be filled out, that already had been. Anyway this was duly completed and returned. Copies kept and sent by recorded delivery. A week before the 6 months was up a letter turns up saying no correspondence received and if we didn't complete forms my wife would go to court. So, we send off all copies to them showing it had been done and the mess was at their end. As it was now over 6 months i informed them that they could no longer deal with this and if any furhter correspondence was received i would see my solicitor as i viewed it as harrassment.

So, it shows that it is worthwhile to know a little about the system and more importantly....
KEEP COPIES OF ALL CORRESPONDNACE AND SEND IT RECORDED DELIVERY.

What do you think he is looking at TC in terms of punishment??

Just from the short amount of research it seems hecould get a Minimum of 6 points (possibly for no insurance + licence endorsed for otherwise than in accordance with a licence. There might be a short disqualification and no points. There will also be fine, the amount will depend on his income.

If he has held his full licence (carwise) for less than 2 years he will go back to L status.

Also there could be a charge of driving without due care and attention due to the crash or a more serious one if the person who reported it suggests that you were driving dangerously!?

I might be realy pissed bit do i smell i a rat here? wait till i'm sober then i'll let you know!! alcohol makes you see things clearer