Post by spudz03 on Jan 12, 2006 19:13:15 GMT -5
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in a minor motorcycle accident the other day. While tooling around with his 12 year old son on his Harley Davidson Fatbob a car pulls in front of them and they end up plowing into it.
Lucky the crash happened at under 20 mph, Arnold's son was unhurt but Arnold ended up splitting his lip to the tune of 15 stitches. OUCH. Could've been worse those twisting canyon roads are tricky especially when you mix limited visibility with all those cars pulling in and out of driveways.
Anyway it was found out that Arnold who is an avid biker doesn't even have a motorcycle license. In California you need a special endorsement called an M1. To be caught riding without one means a hefty fine and impounding of your bike.
Lawyers for Arnold say he was exempt because his motorcycle had a side car which makes it a 3 wheeled vehicle. Clever play of words but the left out the part that if only one of those wheels is used for steering it's still a motorcycle. In Europe they do have tiny 3 wheeled cars but they use the 2 front wheels to steer and the single wheel in the back provides the drive power.
Looks like Arnold is guilty but it comes as no surprise he won't get sited, neither will the lady who pulled out in front of him. I personally know people who were sited for driving without the M1 license. They paid a hefty fine and in one case my friend had his TRIKE impounded. That's right a 3 wheeled motorcycle conversion powered by a type 1 VW motor.
I hardly think the Governor is making a good example. If I were him I'd pay the freaking fine then go out and get the proper license just like anyone else would have to do.
When asked why he didn't have the proper license Arnold said it never occurred to him. The man's been riding for over 30 years in this country, and this isn't the first time he went down either. A few years back he went down and broke 6 ribs, this delayed the filming of Terminator 3 a couple of months. I'm pretty sure the issue came up back then too.
Want to know what I think? Arnold just didn't want to take the time and put up with the hassle. Getting an M1 endorsement means taking and passing a written exam as well as passing a driving test. The written exam is a bit harder then the one for a typical class 3 license. The road test requires you to do some pretty tricky low speed maneuvering with a road worthy bike, NOT that easy.
You have to be able to ride in a 30 foot circle, then a figure 8. You also have to demonstrate you can master what ever clutch and gear shifter setup your machine has. This isn't easy with a big heavy bike like a Harley Davidson Fatboy like Arnold made famous in the Terminator movies.
I really wonder if he has the skill and balance to maneuver such a machine around the course or is he just another RUB? Common Arnold take the written test, then call up the press and show them how you handle the road course. I did it when I was in high school riding a Norton 750 Combat. If I can do it you can to it too.
Lucky the crash happened at under 20 mph, Arnold's son was unhurt but Arnold ended up splitting his lip to the tune of 15 stitches. OUCH. Could've been worse those twisting canyon roads are tricky especially when you mix limited visibility with all those cars pulling in and out of driveways.
Anyway it was found out that Arnold who is an avid biker doesn't even have a motorcycle license. In California you need a special endorsement called an M1. To be caught riding without one means a hefty fine and impounding of your bike.
Lawyers for Arnold say he was exempt because his motorcycle had a side car which makes it a 3 wheeled vehicle. Clever play of words but the left out the part that if only one of those wheels is used for steering it's still a motorcycle. In Europe they do have tiny 3 wheeled cars but they use the 2 front wheels to steer and the single wheel in the back provides the drive power.
Looks like Arnold is guilty but it comes as no surprise he won't get sited, neither will the lady who pulled out in front of him. I personally know people who were sited for driving without the M1 license. They paid a hefty fine and in one case my friend had his TRIKE impounded. That's right a 3 wheeled motorcycle conversion powered by a type 1 VW motor.
I hardly think the Governor is making a good example. If I were him I'd pay the freaking fine then go out and get the proper license just like anyone else would have to do.
When asked why he didn't have the proper license Arnold said it never occurred to him. The man's been riding for over 30 years in this country, and this isn't the first time he went down either. A few years back he went down and broke 6 ribs, this delayed the filming of Terminator 3 a couple of months. I'm pretty sure the issue came up back then too.
Want to know what I think? Arnold just didn't want to take the time and put up with the hassle. Getting an M1 endorsement means taking and passing a written exam as well as passing a driving test. The written exam is a bit harder then the one for a typical class 3 license. The road test requires you to do some pretty tricky low speed maneuvering with a road worthy bike, NOT that easy.
You have to be able to ride in a 30 foot circle, then a figure 8. You also have to demonstrate you can master what ever clutch and gear shifter setup your machine has. This isn't easy with a big heavy bike like a Harley Davidson Fatboy like Arnold made famous in the Terminator movies.
I really wonder if he has the skill and balance to maneuver such a machine around the course or is he just another RUB? Common Arnold take the written test, then call up the press and show them how you handle the road course. I did it when I was in high school riding a Norton 750 Combat. If I can do it you can to it too.
