posted 09-22-2004 09:58 AM         

Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph Ticket

WABASHA, Minn. (AP) -- With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph.

On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61.

When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph.

"I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."

Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.

After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward.

The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider, 20-year-old Stillwater resident Samuel Armstrong Tilley, for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license - and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.

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.

Tilley did not return calls from the newspaper to his home Monday. A working number for him could not immediately be found by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said.

Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety said unless Tilley was wearing the kind of protective gear professional motorcycle racers wear, he was courting death at 200 mph.

"I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 miles per hour," Swanson said. "But it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure."

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http:// www.twincities.com

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

posted 09-22-2004 10:03 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by cnote6:
Al, I just was reading that a few min ago.

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posted 09-22-2004 10:04 AM         

Kevin

posted 09-22-2004 10:35 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by jkburns:
Hey, we tend to do things quickly in this State!

Kevin

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With 90% of our year being winter, I guess he had to take advantage of the few non-snow days we have!

posted 09-22-2004 10:43 AM         

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posted 09-22-2004 01:10 PM         

quote:

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Originally posted by jkburns:
Hey, we tend to do things quickly in this State!

Kevin

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Kevin you need to slow down and take life E-Z.

posted 09-27-2004 07:57 PM         

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- People across the country are shaking their heads over the kid ticketed for allegedly riding his motorcycle at 205 mph - some out of disapproval, other because they doubt he went that fast.

Ever since a State Patrol pilot clocked Samuel Armstrong Tilley's 2002 Honda RC51 going a quarter-mile in 4.39 seconds on Sept. 18, people in chatrooms, garages and biker bars from Sturgis, S.D., to Los Angeles have been buzzing about the alleged feat on Highway 61 near Wabasha.

"Certainly anyone who flouts the law to that extent is seen by some as a latter-day Robin Hood, flying in the face of authority and doing stuff we all want to do but common sense stops us from," said David Edwards, editor-in-chief of Cycle World, a magazine based in Newport Beach, Calif.

Edwards is among the many experts who doubt Tilley's bike could have gone so fast. "More likely, the cop with the stopwatch had an itchy trigger finger," he told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.

"There are lots of guys who have been spending a lot of money and a lot of years at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah trying to join the official 200 Club and most still haven't done it," Edwards said. He said Tilley's bike would have needed an add-on turbo charger to go above 165 mph.

State Patrol pilot Al Loney, a 27-year veteran, and his superiors stand by their report.

Tilley, who graduated from Stillwater High School last year, hasn't returned numerous calls seeking comment. He's due to appear in Wabasha County Court on Oct. 25.

Tilley purchased his motorcycle last summer from Tousley Motorsports in White Bear Lake, where he once worked.

Tousley President Larry Koch said Tilley is a nice guy, "but I really want to ask him: 'What in the hell were you thinking?'"

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On the Net:

A copy of the ticket is at http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0922042speed1.html

posted 09-27-2004 09:09 PM         

Fact of the matter is it was really two giant parties connected by a race

If I could go 174mph back in 1987, I find it hard to imagine that 205 would be that big a deal in 2004. In fact I read somewhere the 1999 Hayabusas went like 203mph off the showroom floor

In case you're not familiar with 'em, here's a Hayabusa:
http://www.suzuki-bikes.com/2004Hayabusa.php

Here's just some of the cool performance sh*t you can buy for it
http://www.hayabusazone.com/

Here's some specs to be amazed by:
http://www.hyp4r.com/hayabusa/specs_performance.htm