mnpctech
22nd September 2004, 14:18
Stillwater biker tagged going 205 mph
Terry Collins, Star Tribune September 22, 2004 TICKET0922
OAS_AD('Button20');http://oas.startribune.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_lx.ads/www.startribune.com/metro/1380252272/Button20/default/empty.gif/61613563303136383430313031623030 (http://oas.startribune.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.startribune.com/metro/1380252272/Button20/default/empty.gif/61613563303136383430313031623030) Oh, what a tale Al Loney will have to tell for years to come.
The Minnesota State Patrol pilot was flying his aircraft Saturday near Wabasha watching for speeders when he saw two motorcycles blazing down Hwy. 61, and,
"Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
Loney clicked his electronic stopwatch as one bike burst ahead near a white marker on the road. He clicked again a quarter-mile later.
He checked the time. Double-checked.
His clock read 4.39 seconds, equating an amazing 205 miles per hour.
"Unbelievable," Loney said Tuesday, recalling the moment. "I've never seen anything like it."
He radioed a State Patrol officer down the road who arrested the fast rider and gave him a speeding ticket.
"By all accounts, this is probably the fastest speed we've ever caught anyone," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. "It's astonishing, even for the most seasoned state trooper."
Samuel Armstrong Tilley, 20, of Stillwater, was ticketed for reckless driving and driving without a motorcycle license.
And, of course, he was ticketed for driving 140 mph over the posted speed limit -- 65 mph.
Darwin Holmstrom, of Crystal, who has written several motorcycle books, including "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles," said Tuesday that it is impossible that Tilley's bike reached 205 mph without "mindless modifications."
He said it would cost up to $25,000 in modifications to reach that speed on a $9,000 bike.
"Well, I don't think the kid is very smart, but if he hit 205, then he should be at the Bonneville Salt Flats (an annual speed racing time trial in Utah)," said Holmstrom, 41, a former regional editor for Motorcyclist Magazine.
"He was probably running [up to] 160, and that's insane on public roads. It's suicidal. He has no idea of his own mortality."
The second rider also was ticketed for speeding at 111 mph, Loney said. Both cycles were towed because the riders weren't licensed to drive them.
A reporter's calls to Tilley's home were not returned Tuesday evening.
Loney said he was confident that he measured the right speed on Tilley's Honda 1000 motorcycle.
"I guess he's a young man who doesn't realize how precious life is and that accidents do happen," he said, adding that he has helped ticket motorcycles traveling in excess of 140 mph.
The danger, Loney said, is that Tilley could have hit a pothole or roadkill, or had sudden equipment failure. The trooper said he expects Tilley will get a substantial fine and possibly jail time.
A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.
"Quite frankly, the guy is even lucky to be alive," said Smith, the Public Safety spokesman. "Think about it, one bad move and that's it. I have two words for that guy and anybody else willing to do something like that -- Speed kills."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Terry Collins, Star Tribune September 22, 2004 TICKET0922
OAS_AD('Button20');http://oas.startribune.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_lx.ads/www.startribune.com/metro/1380252272/Button20/default/empty.gif/61613563303136383430313031623030 (http://oas.startribune.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.startribune.com/metro/1380252272/Button20/default/empty.gif/61613563303136383430313031623030) Oh, what a tale Al Loney will have to tell for years to come.
The Minnesota State Patrol pilot was flying his aircraft Saturday near Wabasha watching for speeders when he saw two motorcycles blazing down Hwy. 61, and,
"Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
Loney clicked his electronic stopwatch as one bike burst ahead near a white marker on the road. He clicked again a quarter-mile later.
He checked the time. Double-checked.
His clock read 4.39 seconds, equating an amazing 205 miles per hour.
"Unbelievable," Loney said Tuesday, recalling the moment. "I've never seen anything like it."
He radioed a State Patrol officer down the road who arrested the fast rider and gave him a speeding ticket.
"By all accounts, this is probably the fastest speed we've ever caught anyone," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. "It's astonishing, even for the most seasoned state trooper."
Samuel Armstrong Tilley, 20, of Stillwater, was ticketed for reckless driving and driving without a motorcycle license.
And, of course, he was ticketed for driving 140 mph over the posted speed limit -- 65 mph.
Darwin Holmstrom, of Crystal, who has written several motorcycle books, including "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles," said Tuesday that it is impossible that Tilley's bike reached 205 mph without "mindless modifications."
He said it would cost up to $25,000 in modifications to reach that speed on a $9,000 bike.
"Well, I don't think the kid is very smart, but if he hit 205, then he should be at the Bonneville Salt Flats (an annual speed racing time trial in Utah)," said Holmstrom, 41, a former regional editor for Motorcyclist Magazine.
"He was probably running [up to] 160, and that's insane on public roads. It's suicidal. He has no idea of his own mortality."
The second rider also was ticketed for speeding at 111 mph, Loney said. Both cycles were towed because the riders weren't licensed to drive them.
A reporter's calls to Tilley's home were not returned Tuesday evening.
Loney said he was confident that he measured the right speed on Tilley's Honda 1000 motorcycle.
"I guess he's a young man who doesn't realize how precious life is and that accidents do happen," he said, adding that he has helped ticket motorcycles traveling in excess of 140 mph.
The danger, Loney said, is that Tilley could have hit a pothole or roadkill, or had sudden equipment failure. The trooper said he expects Tilley will get a substantial fine and possibly jail time.
A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.
"Quite frankly, the guy is even lucky to be alive," said Smith, the Public Safety spokesman. "Think about it, one bad move and that's it. I have two words for that guy and anybody else willing to do something like that -- Speed kills."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.