Got a speeding ticket on my PCX.

[pattomike]

I was doing 50 in a 45, and the cop did a u-turn in the middle of the road and came after me. But wait, it gets worse. Much worse. My insurance had expired less than 30 days ago. So I was cited for driving without insurance. This is a serious charge because in my state, your license is suspended if you plead guilty to driving without insurance. The fine is $131, which is paid to the court. Once the court gets the payment they send a letter to the DOT, and they suspend your license. The suspension is not lifted til you provide them with a SR-22 from your insurance provider. (the form is about $25). Once DOT receives this form, they will lift the suspension, but there is an $85 reinstatement fee. Most likely my insurance cost will go up significantly due to the SR-22 filing. It comes at a time when i am already struggling financially. I shoulda known better than take the chance of driving uninsured. I honestly didn't think the police would mess with a little scooter, but apparently it was a slow day.

[homie]

Not your fault Pat, clearly the seat caused all this bad mojo

[Mel46]

I have to say, that cop really, really had a slow day to get a scooter for 5 miles over the limit. I got a ticket for that once and fought it. (And won) The speedometer was off on my bike so there was no way for me to know it. Have the speedometer checked by a shop. I bet it will be off. Most states will throw out a ticket for 5 miles over because bikes are known for being inaccurate.

[Mel46]

5 miles over is usually a given.

[kramnala58]

A 10% variance on speed limits is usually ignored. Thus a 45 mph zone should have given the grace of 5 mph. Tough cop. Do you think that maybe he mistook it for a crotch rocket from the head on view and figured you must tear around everywhere?

Driving without insurance, ya that's a no-no. Sorry that it is costing you so much.

[you you]

I have to say, that cop really, really had a slow day to get a scooter for 5 miles over the limit. I got a ticket for that once and fought it. (And won) The speedometer was off on my bike so there was no way for me to know it. Have the speedometer checked by a shop. I bet it will be off. Most states will throw out a ticket for t miles over because bikes are known for being inacurate.

He was driving uninsured.

The policeman did his job properly.

[fish]

Sorry for your financial troubles, truly.
The rest of it?....could have been worse - enough said.

Fish

[Mel46]

Well, I didn't say the insurance issue could be beaten... or should be. Just the speeding ticket. Riding without insurance is a BIG no no.

My wife and I have had discussions about the value of insurance on our scooters, though we believe in insurance. When we had our accident on the scooters the medical part for us was worthless. I think the insurance company realized that, eventually. Most of the insurance at that time handled the cost of repairs on the bikes.

Still, consider what would have happened if we had hit a pedestrian. Without insurance it would have been much worse. We believe in insurance. I know how expensive it is, but it is a MUST. We are on a fixed income.

Where we live there are a lot of well to do people. They drive aggressively and don't worry about the cost of their actions. Insurance companies in our area regulate their costs by zip codes, so we get to help pay the cost increases caused by those idiots.

[WhiteNoise]

Oh boy, Tough times + some.
But, I can't help but say that Knowing your State Law's are strict why would you risk riding w/o insurance? And....Why go over the speed limit?
This ride an Officer was there and in a very "Law Enforcement" Mood. It's their job.

Lots to do/pay now.

As Mel and Kram suggested, point out to the powers that be, the mph differential on your scooter's gauge.
Good Luck! and Reinstate your insurance

[Mister Paul]

Over here (UK) it's illegal for speedometers to under-read, so that you're no lever going faster than your speedo says. I guess it's the same everywhere, as bike manufacturers aren't going to design different speedos for different companies.

Speedos are built to tolerances, but are never 100% accurate, so they're always designed with the tolerance the right side of the accuracy limit. This means that you'll always be travelling slower than your speed reads.

If you were doing 50mph your speedo could have been reading around 55, but never less than 50.

[Mel46]

I found that to be true on our bikes but as our speed moved closer to 60 mph the difference between real and indicated dropped. At 60 mph on both of our PCX150s they match the GPS reading on our phones.

That being said, Pat, how fast WERE you going by your speedometer? Hmmm..... 55??

[pattomike]

I was trying to save money by not getting insurance. It was industrial strength stupid, and now I am paying the price. I didn't think I would ever get pulled over on a scooter. I have two cars, and have always had insurance on them. I can't even recall the reason why I made this post. I guess just sharing my experience, and my stupidity. It still irks me that he did a freaking U-turn in the middle of the road and across a two solid yellow lines just to come and get me. It's annoying!! That's all.

[87112]

Without a radar gun how can anyone tell the difference between 45mph and 50mph. There are cars and bikes clearly speeding out there everyday, we don't need radar to see it.

In your case, its sounds just fishy why the cop nailed you.

[xixon]

The cop was most certainly being overzealous with a 5 MPH speeding ticket, but I bet he felt justified once he discovered the lack of insurance.

As bad as the fines are, it could have been much worse if you hit a pedestrian and crippled them....you could lose everything you own, and then some

Just the price to fix some minor car damage could cost more than your entire scooter, not to mention any physical injuries.

I used to own a Motorino electric scooter which was classified as a bicycle thus did not require insurance, but I hated driving it knowing that any little "goof up" on my part could financially destroy me.

Anyhow, I run with basic insurance which cost me about $420/year (CND) which is not cheap but it's the price I must pay to be legal, and have some kind of coverage in case I screw up

[Cube]

pattomike - You had a lapse in judgement in which no one was harmed (other than your wallet). It's not the end of the world so don't beat yourself up for it.

I appreciate you sharing as it's good to know I'm not the only one doing not-so-smart stuff

[kramnala58]

Is there a chance that if you beat the speeding ticket then the other things can be wiped out due to the fact that he had no other reason to pull you over than the speeding? It might be a long shot, but I thought I would ask.

Not that I condone driving without insurance, but it sounds like you learned your lesson, and if it could help you avoid all of the other grief, it might be worth a shot.

Just wondering about the suspension. Would that be your full license suspended, or just the motorcycle endorsement? And for how long?

[Testerpt5]

My dad is an insurance seller, one day I went to a meeting with him and the main topic was on how to explain to customers why premiums were so high, his one simple answer was that over 90% of the value was to pay for accidents stuff, of the near 10%left was to pay daily operations, salaries and utilities, and hopefully something to shareholders, as the market is highly competitive.

[Ganglylamb]

Over here insurance for my pcx was quite cheap, 140 € for 1 year. Compared to my car insurance (550 € /year) it was a bargain. Glad at least something is cheaper in Europe (cfr. spare parts - especially fairings/ body panels - of pcx which are extremely expensive compared to the US or anywhere else). Car insurance is crazy in Belgium, when under 29 or something you are called a "young driver" does not matter how long you have your driver license / or how many kms you already have under your belt (for a car that is). Anyhow untill a certain age they just squeeze all the money out of you for all you've got. First year I was driving my car (which I bought new for ~15000 €) I had to pay insurance of 2300 € / year. I took a safety course which costed 300 €and got a discount of ~200 euro for the next couple of years though.
In retrospect I could have bought a couple of pcx's for all the money I spend on car insurances the first couple of years. At this point I am even thinking of getting rid of my car and just keep the pcx, if I need to haul anything big I will use the better half her car .

As I have my car driver license long enough now I am allowed to drive a motorcycle up to 125cc without any motorcycle license; that's why I am even more amazed the insurance for the pcx was so cheap compared to the car. For the motorcycle I didnt take any test and its a third of what I pay for something where I did take classes and an exam for. I guess people who make laws are not always the brightest people.

@pattomike: I hope everything works out fine and you can enjoy plenty more rides on the pcx . It just suck at the moment but I sincerely hope you don't get into any more trouble over this.

[WI_Hedgehog]

The government has no legal authority to compel anyone to buy a product they don't want to buy, including insurance. How they can pass such laws without them being ruled unconstitutional is a complete money laundering scheme.

It is in the interest of Public Safety to set some sort of driving rules, and speed limits (although low) are justifiable. Still, who doesn't drive 5 miles an hour over the limit when it's safe to do so? In Milwaukee +5 is considered doddering old woman speed.

pattomike, I feel for you, that's a raw deal.

[Eiron]

... At this point I am even thinking of getting rid of my car and just keep the pcx, if I need to haul anything big I will use the better half her car ...

I've thought about this as well. Now I just need to find my "better half"!

...As I have my car driver license long enough now I am allowed to drive a motorcycle up to 125cc without any motorcycle license; that's why I am even more amazed the insurance for the pcx was so cheap compared to the car. For the motorcycle I didnt take any test and its a third of what I pay for something where I did take classes and an exam for. I guess people who make laws are not always the brightest people.

Will your motorcycle insurance premiums stay as low if you don't also insure a car? Here in the US we often benefit from "multi-vehicle discounts," but if I drop my car insurance for motorcycle only then my motorcycle insurance will go way up. We even have "multi-coverage discounts" if you're insuring your vehicles and your dwelling under that same insurer.