Biker clocked going 170 mph on upstate NY highway

[Hum]

RAVENA, NY (AP) - Authorities say a 25-year-old upstate New York man has been arrested after troopers clocked him driving his motorcycle at 170 mph on the Thruway.

State police say a trooper first observed the motorcyclist going 166 mph Wednesday afternoon in the southbound lanes of Interstate 90 just south of Albany. The trooper pursued the biker and was able to get the Suzuki motorcycle's license plate number and a description of the rider when he slowed down in traffic.

But the man sped off again, and other troopers clocked him going as fast as 170 mph. Troopers eventually stopped him in New Paltz.

Police charged Nikkolaus McCarthy of Charlton with fleeing police, reckless driving, speeding and operating a motorcycle without a license.

He was being held in jail on $20,000 bail.

source

[_neutrino Veteran]

Why would you even want to go that fast on a moterbike. the slightest bump or pot hole and you are dead

[ANON86364]

I came here because I thought it was a bicyclist.

[Rudy]

Almost as fast as the idiot who filmed himself going 300km/h in Victoria, BC not too long ago (about 186pmh)

[44MLX]

I came here because I thought it was a bicyclist.

Me too, and was thinking how did he do it! :-D.

[Hum]

I came here because I thought it was a bicyclist.

I don't think 170 mph would be possible, without a jet engine. :laugh:

[what]

Why would you even want to go that fast on a moterbike. the slightest bump or pot hole and you are dead

Because it's exhilarating.

[DocM]

Why would you even want to go that fast on a moterbike. the slightest bump or pot hole and you are dead

Unless you've done it you'll never know. Some people ard cautious, and others are Type T personalities who get off on speed, climbing rocks. skydiving, X-Sports etc.

I've had my cycle license since age 16, 47 years, grew up in the country where roads were mostly vacant, and started riding superbikes with a Kawasaki KZ-900. It most definitely got aired out :)

[xdot.tk]

I've done it but not on a busy highway. Out in the boonies where a car may come by once and hour.

[remixedcat]

damn!!!

[Hum]

I was just reading in a Newspaper, 66 people died and 1,509 were injured in Maryland, last year. :/

Worth the thrill ... ?

[Kelxin]

I was just reading in a Newspaper, 66 people died and 1,509 were injured in Maryland, last year. :/

Worth the thrill ... ?

It always amuses me the difference between US drivers and European. I.E. Highway vs Autobahn. It really shows the differences in mentalities and abilities, and how Americans really are special ed drivers.

I've gotten my cobra over 160 multiple times going through Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, and in my home state of Colorado. I have not been in an accident in almost 20 years (when I was a teenager) and that accident was when I was doing 30 mph in the middle of the night going around a corner and hitting a pure black trailer without reflectors on it. If you're not retarded, and the people around you drive responsibly (i.e. using turning signals, only using the left lane to pass, etc) it's actually quite safe to do those speeds in vehicles made to handle them.

I don't, on the other hand, condone idiots doing 130+ in cheap crappy ~$15k cars like Geo Metro's that are not made to handle it.

[Rudy]

It always amuses me the difference between US drivers and European. I.E. Highway vs Autobahn. It really shows the differences in mentalities and abilities, and how Americans really are special ed drivers.

The difference is the average speed, if everyone is going slow except one person weaving in and out of traffic at crazy speeds, the risks are very high. If everyone is going faster then the risk is a lot lower since the traffic flows better.

I agree highway speeds are way too slow in North America but going 170mph through the rest of traffic is just reckless

[threetonesun]

100+ on American highways really isn't a great idea. They haven't been improved much since the 50s, and there are still plenty of notorious examples of very poorly engineered curves out there. It would be nice if the speed limit was higher on longer stretches between states though.

I've no problem with speeding, I used to spend a lot of time driving at night, and you certainly get places faster at 120mph than at 60 mph.

[Kelxin]

The difference is the average speed, if everyone is going slow except one person weaving in and out of traffic at crazy speeds, the risks are very high.

Perfect example of what I just said. You're not weaving in and out of traffic at "crazy speeds" if everyone was obeying the law and staying to the right except to pass, and they are only "crazy speeds" because you feel they are. In the 1920's 60 mph was considered "crazy speeds" also.

To further explain also, since people are assuming I'm saying, "Hey lets do 200 mph on a 2 lane back country road", no, I'm talking about the 4 - 5 lane each direction interstate highways that are completely wide open but in the US you have old, slow people doing 45 in the far left lane saying everyone is doing "crazy speeds" while they're the ones causing accidents.

[Rudy]

Perfect example of what I just said. You're not weaving in and out of traffic at "crazy speeds" if everyone was obeying the law and staying to the right except to pass, and they are only "crazy speeds" because you feel they are. In the 1920's 60 mph was considered "crazy speeds" also.

To further explain also, since people are assuming I'm saying, "Hey lets do 200 mph on a 2 lane back country road", no, I'm talking about the 4 - 5 lane each direction interstate highways that are completely wide open but in the US you have old, slow people doing 45 in the far left lane saying everyone is doing "crazy speeds" while they're the ones causing accidents.

Read my post again, I was agreeing with you that highways in NA are too slow. I was just saying that the guy is an idiot for weaving in and out of traffic.

[Hum]

I think drivers tend to forget that kids on bikes, dogs, deer, etc. can suddenly run out in front of you, making for an unhappy ending.

[threetonesun]

Hopefully kids and dogs don't run out in front of you on the highway. :laugh:

The biggest issue with going fast on highways around here is that no one gets out of the left lane after they pass, so then people start passing on the right, and then the whole system turns into a cluster-F.

[ANON86364]

The typical stereotyping of drivers in the US doesn't nearly conclude the problem. The whole mentality behind our interstates is different than that of the autobahn. Interstates here are thought of simply as faster roads. Because of this, there isn't the respect that it deserves thus drivers don't stay in the right unless passing and they go too damn slow.

[Kelxin]

Read my post again, I was agreeing with you that highways in NA are too slow. I was just saying that the guy is an idiot for weaving in and out of traffic.

Ah yes, if he was weaving, he's a moron. I get up to those speeds, but stick in the left lane. If someone is going 40 mph, I get on their ass and turn on both sets of my HID's and get up on their asses. I've had a couple think they could slam on the breaks and cause an accident, but with my duel caliper breaks I can slow down faster, and accelerate faster than 90% of the cars in my state (there's a Bugatti and a labmo that kick my ass every time I see them though...)

The biggest issue with going fast on highways around here is that no one gets out of the left lane after they pass, so then people start passing on the right, and then the whole system turns into a cluster-F.

Exactly.... There was a 10+ car accident in Denver last year that I narrowly avoided when I was just getting onto the highway. Almost turned out ugly though because I was in my wife's grocery getter which has absolutely zero handling or breaking compared to my car.

[threetonesun]

Braking. Also, brakes have very little to do with how well a car stops for a single stop, FYI. Also, driving on someone's ass really doesn't help the situation any. :rolleyes:

[SirEvan]

Even though I'm an American, I agree with the comments about Europe, Germany specifically. I was stationed there for 3 years, and in the time I was out driving, I almost NEVER saw an accident. Take note govt. There is only a recommended speed on the Autobahn, although some turns or what not have speed limits, it's almost all limitless. In addition, it costs a lot more and is harder to get a license in Germany which I think adds to the increased awareness of drivers overall. Here in the US (at least California) it seems any retard can walk in the DMV and pass a drivers test. Every day I hear of "accidents", and I see people running red lights, doing dumb stuff.

Our driving system sucks and we could learn a thing or two from Germany, but we're not because we're too arrogant. The only accidents I ever saw in Germany were from Americans.

[Flae_qui]

170? that's really not that fast...

[andrewbares]

I've done 165 mph on my superspot on I-10 during the daytime with normal traffic. It was only for 30 seconds though, and no cops were around :p And 135 mph in my Mazda RX8.

Maintaining those speeds for a consistant time is even more stupid though!

Anyways, for all the people saying that other countries have better drivers than America, that's simply not true. People in Germany run red lights too I'm sure, etc. Unless you look at true statistics on the matter, saying "I've never seen an accident in Germany" doesn't mean anything.

I personally have never been cut off by a car while riding my motorcycle. That means cars never cut off motorcycles right? Wrong. Same principle.

[chrisj1968]

I came here because I thought it was a bicyclist.

a bicyclist? really? :shifty: