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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 10-02-2008, 12:10 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 3
Default Blue reflective tape on a motorcycle- any legal problems here? In NY

I live on Long Island, NY; I am a student at a university in Queens and I commute via motorcycle 3 days a week, 80 miles each way. My motorcycle is a Kawasaki Concours, a sport-touring motorcycle that resembles some motorcycles used by police. Mine is green so it's not fooling anybody during the day but I wear black gear and a white helmet, and I have reflective tape on the rear of the saddlebags which shines white at night. Because of this I have noticed that very often, cars behave as though I am a cop. In fact, one night I was pulled over for speeding, let off with a warning and I rode the rest of the way home at 55mph. On a highway where traffic normally travels at 70+ mph, not a single car passed me, instead they waited up behind me just as if I were a cop.

In my opinion, I am made more safe by being mistaken for a cop at night and I would like to capitalize on this opportunity while not violating any laws. Could there be any legal repercussions from affixing blue reflective tape in conjunction with the white already in place on my motorcycle? Furthermore, what about some sort of false/misleading logo? I'm fairly certain it would be illegal for me to spell out NYPD anywhere on the bike, but what about something like NYMC which (to my knowledge) is not a real entity?

Pictures of my bike included for reference:



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  #2 (permalink)  
Old 10-02-2008, 12:33 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 365
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I truly doubt that the color or taping pattern on your bike is your real concern. What concerns me is that you seem to WANT to impersonate a policeman. That can get you into a lot of trouble... and it can lead to criminal charges if you are not put into the local mental institution for aberrant behavior with those you seek to impress. Perhaps you should seek counseling.
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Old 10-02-2008, 12:40 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island, New York
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I'm not sure how seriously I'm supposed to take your post. It would be more accurate to say that, rather than desiring to impersonate a police officer, what I truly desire is to not only be noticeable to traffic, but to have traffic react to my presence by driving more carefully. The number one excuse made by drivers who cause collisions with motorcycles is "I didn't see him!" however studies have indicated that police motorcycles are actually more conspicuous to the average driver than police cruisers. Safety is my goal here, and I'm willing to go to great lengths to achieve it (but don't suggest that I should get a car instead- there are about a bazillion reasons why I ride a motorcycle instead of driving a car).

Last edited by Schneiderman : 10-02-2008 at 12:42 PM.
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Old 10-02-2008, 01:29 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 365
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I've ridden a few myself... but after a certain age, there is just no good reason to put my bones that much at risk. Yours are probably a lot younger than mine. But let me apologize if I was wrong about your motivation for wanting to appear to be a policeman. Your post sounded very strangely like some folks who've been put away for bad acts while impersonating police... I guess it is just my radar for suspicious motivations.

As for being safe, I bet you don't realize that our police have terrible death rates... perhaps not because they ride motorcycles, but because the bad guys think they've been caught. That is a pretty stiff trade-off, so be careful. They don't give you a second chance to prove you AREN'T.

So tape it blue... but don't even think of using words similar to the police. Blots instead of letters would not offend me... nor the police... if they are just decorative color. But no badges, no police insignia. Those can get you in jail.

Stay safe.
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  #5 (permalink)  
Old 10-02-2008, 04:41 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island, New York
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Based on a number of replies that I got elsewhere I don't think there is anything illegal or dangerous about the color of the reflective tape. I'm still undecided about using a made-up acronym, though.
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