From my local Everett, WA newspaper:
Cops end biker's 140-mph thrill ride
By Jackson Holtz
Herald Writer
Published: Friday, May 18, 2007
It is the sort of thing the Washington State Patrol hopes it doesn't see again - particularly when out trying to reduce motorcycle deaths statewide.
On Tuesday, flashing police lights didn't slow a 21-year-old Mukilteo man as he raced down I-405 near Bothell on his shiny blue motorcycle.
Instead, the man decided to play the rabbit.
With a turn of the wrist, he powered his Suzuki and took off, reportedly reaching speeds close to 140 mph.
"It was almost like he took a breath, slowed fractionally, and then he nailed the throttle and blew by us like we were standing still," trooper Kirk Rudeen said.
Troopers gunned their patrol cars, but the man accelerated and wove between cars. On the ground, the troopers eased off.
What the man didn't know was that several hundred feet above, a State Patrol aircraft was playing the fox.
"You can't outrun our aircraft," Rudeen said.
Pilots in the air led troopers on the ground to the man, who was trying to hide between two cars in a Bothell parking lot. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of eluding police, a felony.
His motorcycle was impounded as evidence.
The man was snagged as part of an ongoing effort to push motorcycle safety, Rudeen said.
As temperatures warm and gas prices rise, more people are turning to the two-wheelers for pleasure and transportation.
Enthusiasts say riding is fun, easy on the environment and a good form of transportation.
But 80 percent of motorcycle fatalities occur when it's sunny and dry, between April and September, Rudeen said.
In 2006, there were 82 motorcycle fatalities statewide, a new record.
Since Saturday, two Snohomish County riders have died and a third person was seriously injured in motorcycle crashes in Snohomish and Whatcom counties.
Police say the two who died were not licensed to operate motorcycles. Alcohol was believed responsible in one of the crashes.
It's a few people who can spoil the fun of riding motorcycles for everyone else, enthusiasts say.
"It angers me when I see any kind of motorcycle being used irresponsibly," said Bill Davidson, president of the Motorcycle Safety Company that runs training classes in Everett.
"We can't teach common sense," he said.
Sport bikes such as the one the Mukilteo man was riding during Tuesday's chase are high-powered, fast machines modeled after racing bikes, said Thad Stanley, sales manager at Everett Powersports.
New sport bikes on the showroom floor retail from about $8,500 to $12,000. Speedometers max out at 180 mph, but most bikes top out at about 150 mph, Stanley said.
Every customer at the Everett store is given a brochure for training classes, he said.
The man who police say rode his motorcycle at speeds reaching 140 mph Tuesday lists as his address a $1.2 million view home in Mukilteo, according to court papers. He has a history of traffic problems.
In March 2006, he was cited in Lynnwood for driving without a license and playing his music too loudly on his sound system, records show.
A month later, he was stopped doing 80 mph in a 60 mph zone in south Snohomish County, according to court papers.
He paid the traffic fines in both of those cases, but spent much of last year in Chelan County courts beating back a charge alleging he was a minor in possession of alcohol.
The Mukilteo man was freed on bail after his felony arrest Tuesday.
Law-abiding motorcycle riders love that their bikes are fuel efficient, easy to park and provide access to carpool lanes on clogged freeways, Stanley said.
Mostly, though, they're fun.
"There's nothing like riding a motorcycle in the open air," he said. "It's a great thing."
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Surprisingly, it isn't bashing sport bikes, just the individual.
Only 140 though? Must not have been a Hayabusa or a GSXR1000.
Topic: Cops end biker's 140-mph thrill ride (Read 1789 times)