• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Swimming at Rally-Speeding in WI

DRRAOULDUKE

New member
Is there a Lake or pool on site at the rally location for us to swim at? If not, anything reasonably nearby? Suspect the heat will border on the intolerable.

Also a WARNING to out-of-staters: HANDING OUT EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKETS HAS BECOME A COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN. They LOVE out-out-of-staters and are not bashful about increasing your actual speed on a ticket by 10-15 mph to generate even more revenue for their coffers. Don't expect the same courtesy that was extended to the lidless crowd when Harley had their anniversary.

My 2 Cents,
 
Is there a Lake or pool on site at the rally location for us to swim at? If not, anything reasonably nearby? Suspect the heat will border on the intolerable.

Also a WARNING to out-of-staters: HANDING OUT EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKETS HAS BECOME A COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN. They LOVE out-out-of-staters and are not bashful about increasing your actual speed on a ticket by 10-15 mph to generate even more revenue for their coffers. Don't expect the same courtesy that was extended to the lidless crowd when Harley had their anniversary.

My 2 Cents,

That hasn't been my experience and I deal with speeding citations on a regular basis. I regularly cruise I-94 at 80mph and have NEVER been so much as stopped. I know I've probably just jinxed myself. Having said that, if you ride like an ass be prepared to pay.

Just my 2 cents

BTW, please review my previous post regarding speed trap at County Hwy G and I-94 in Racine County
 
Last edited:
Is there a Lake or pool on site at the rally location for us to swim at? If not, anything reasonably nearby? Suspect the heat will border on the intolerable.

There is a free county park about 5 miles away with a little sandy beach. Hospitality will have the info and directions. But the weather is predicted as very temperate, with highs around 80, and lows near 60. I'll take that. :)


Also a WARNING to out-of-staters: HANDING OUT EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKETS HAS BECOME A COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN. They LOVE out-out-of-staters and are not bashful about increasing your actual speed on a ticket by 10-15 mph to generate even more revenue for their coffers. Don't expect the same courtesy that was extended to the lidless crowd when Harley had their anniversary.

I'm with Jack on this one. I tend to ride pretty agressively, and have yet to be treated poorly by our LEOs.
 
BTW, please review my previous post regarding speed trap at County Hwy G and I-94 in Racine County
I've never been treated rudely or unfairly by a LEO but I agree with with JCabranes about the Racine speedtrap. In fact, I would watch your speed all the way from the IL/WI state line to Milwaukee.
 
There are many small towns and areas which are prime "revenue enhancement" districts.

Here's just a few I know of......

1. Highway 23 and 26 through Rosendale just west of Fondulac. (5 over will get you a ticket)

2. Highway 41 anywhere near Neenah, Appleton and south of Fon du lac on the aptly named Radar Hill. Lots of airplane activity.

3. Highway 82 east of Mauston.

4. South of Madison on the HWY N Stoughton exit...they park on the overpass and clock.

5. Anywhere in Walworth or Rock Counties motorcyclists are fair game.

6. The SW "driftless areas" have been pretty much ruined by the squids. Wildcat Mountain is heavily patrolled with an emphasis on motorcyclists on weekends.
 
I got one following 2 semi's on a 2 lane road. And, I apparently was going faster than the vehicles in front of me.:dunno

I am taking pictures of my speed on my Zumo, if I ever get stopped there again.
 
I too have never had a problem with any LEO in Wisconsin, including the County Mounties. But then, I generally ride within 10 mph or less over the speed limit. Plus, I know my speedo reads higher than my actual speed, so that helps.

I also always ride wearing full gear, I feel the impression of being a "serious" rider has some impact on the officers.

If I do get stopped, I am curtious, honest , and I wait for the officer to tell me what to do. In fact, I got this from a fellow MSF instructor who is a former State Patrol Motor Cop.

He said when pulled over on a bike; 1) shut it off, sidestand down, 2) stay on the bike, 3) leave all your gear on, 4) keep your hands on the handlebar in full view, 5) wait for the officer to tell you, "step off the bike, remove your helmet, gloves, jacket, etc", 6) wait for the officer to ask for your license, don't be digging in pockets, saddlebags, fairing, etc, 7) when he/she asks, "do you know why I pulled you over?" Be honest. Doing this may just get you a warning and a "Welcome to Wisconsin" instead of a ticket. Its worked for me!
 
The Blame Game

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

Officers in WI don't 'fabricate' your speed when pulled over - they have sophisticated hardware that confirms your speed, far more accurately than our speedometers or 'what we thought we were doing' when we got caught.

I don't always keep my speed within posted limits, usually riding about 5 MPH over. If ever stopped for that (never have), while I would appreciate 'a break,' I am by no means entitled to one.

That's the 'personal responsibility' part!

Let's be honest with ourselves, ladies and gentlemen: with easy to read highway signs, expensive speedometers and often cruise control, we aren't speeding by accident - we chose to do so. Ergo, if caught, take your medicine without complaining that somehow, you were 'victimized' by a 'trap.'

Ride smart in WI and the only law enforcement officers you might encounter will be the ones smiling at you with envy that you are enjoying a good ride.

Ride Alert!
 
A few years back I was crossing WI in my car. Got pulled over, couldn't figure out why, I was bang on the limit. Trooper says he pulled me over because tinted windows were illegal in 'wisscahnsun'.

What the ????

I had 35% tint, which is fairly light.

I just about gave myself whiplash taking a look at his cruiser, confirming the fact that his car was tinted. Very darkly, with 5% limo on all five, plus 30% of the windshield.

Looked up at him, back at his car, down at my window, back up at him. He gets defensive saying they were exempt, and just wrote me a warning, backing down from his first comment that I would have to have the tint removed before I could continue on my vacation.

We spent 9 hours on the road crossing that state, never went more than 15 minutes without seeing a cop, and at 5 over we were the fastest thing on the roads. Back in the 90's, they had waaaaaaay too much money in their police budget. Hope that has changed. Or they at least changed their budget so it wasn't tied to their revenue generation skills.
 
My observation has been that more out of state vehicles are pulled over in WI than any other state. Out of state folks don't vote, can not complain to their legislators and most often won't show up in court to contest the ticket. My son-in-law was 5 over in Door County and it cost him over $200. Yes he was speeding, but the size of the fine leads one to believe it is more about revenue generation.

Illinois drivers in particular seem to be stopped a lot. Maybe we all just speed, maybe it's something else. Either way, watch out at the state line!
 
Water Holes and Speed

Try Random lake which is < 20 miles NE of West Bend.

Regarding Speeding, if you plan on riding on 43 South towards Milwaukee keep it under 5 over. There are numerous traps along the way, especially at night.

If you want some speed, ride out to Idaho. I'll be heading there in late August. There was a blurb on NPR 07-07-2007 regarding the fact that Idaho troopers now have Dodge Chargers that can run at 140 mph. One trooper recently pulled a guy over and told the guy that he was going 120 mph. The guy said that was impossible since he had his cruise set at 100 mph.

Is there a Lake or pool on site at the rally location for us to swim at? If not, anything reasonably nearby? Suspect the heat will border on the intolerable.

Also a WARNING to out-of-staters: HANDING OUT EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKETS HAS BECOME A COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN. They LOVE out-out-of-staters and are not bashful about increasing your actual speed on a ticket by 10-15 mph to generate even more revenue for their coffers. Don't expect the same courtesy that was extended to the lidless crowd when Harley had their anniversary.

My 2 Cents,
 
My observation has been that more out of state vehicles are pulled over in WI than any other state. Out of state folks don't vote, can not complain to their legislators and most often won't show up in court to contest the ticket. My son-in-law was 5 over in Door County and it cost him over $200. Yes he was speeding, but the size of the fine leads one to believe it is more about revenue generation.

Illinois drivers in particular seem to be stopped a lot. Maybe we all just speed, maybe it's something else. Either way, watch out at the state line!
I've heard that out of state folks get pulled over more than locals in WI but I wonder how LEOs would actually DO that. Do they sit up the road with their radar/lazer AND a pair of binoculars looking for out-of-state license plates? It doesn't seem realistic to me.

Speeding tickets are revenue generation across the country and no, it's not fair. But I also expect more enforcement in uber-touristy, pedestrian-crazy places like Door County.
 
I've heard that out of state folks get pulled over more than locals in WI but I wonder how LEOs would actually DO that. Do they sit up the road with their radar/lazer AND a pair of binoculars looking for out-of-state license plates? It doesn't seem realistic to me.

I think they do sit with their binoculars and what's more, they radio the resturants on the route to get out the more expensive menus.;)

But, I do love Wisconsin.
First state I ever got a ticket where they took Mastercard right in the cruiser. I was on my way in 10 minutes. That's service.
Once a trooper yelled at me with his loud speaker from the opposite lane on I90/94 "SLOW DOWN!"
He didn't chase me and I thought that was right neighborly.
Besides, it's a pretty state. Lots of fond memories. Just "SLOW DOWN!"
 
Maybe it's an anomaly

But the proponderence of posts saying WI is not a speed trap state seem to be from WI residents??

Not a good place to be a FIB. If you don't know what a FIB is, ask a Cheesehead.

I do however want to extoll the roads of WI for motorcycling. For my money the stretch between Monroe WI and LaCrosse WI has some of the finest riding you can find in these parts. There are times you may not see another car for hours on some of those great backroads.

I look forward to renewing old friendships and initiating new ones in West Bend. See you there.
 
Duh 101

In April of 2006, the local NBC afffiliate in Milwaukee (WTMJ-TV, Channel 4) aired a special investigative report on speeding enforcement in two areas of WI.

First, Racine / Kenosha Counties, where numerous speeding tickets were issued while the reporter rode along, and then Sheboygan County, where the reporter and camera crew followed a Motor Officer around for an afternoon, performing speed enforcement.

Majority of motorists stopped (and cited) in the southern part of our state were from IL. However, that is a geographical factor, as a vast number of Illinois residents flee their 'flatlands' for the beauty of WI. whenever they get the chance. The reporter also noted that the license plate, identifying the 'state of origin,' could not be observed until AFTER the vehicle had been pulled over.

Also, whenever I have driven in IL, it puts NASCAR to shame. Speeds are excessive, lane switching without warning and rudeness all too frequent. My IL borthers and sisters should not wonder why so many of them get ticketed in WI, driving the way they do.

As for the Motor Officer up in Sheboygan County, that patrolman was me. I issued only warnings (have the segment on a DVD!) and extended courteous advice to motorists of several states. However, they earned it with their polite demeanor and taking personal responsibility for breaking the law.

Ride like NASCAR - pay the Piper.

Ride Alert!
 
Last edited:
This reminds me of newspaper article that I read a few years back. A Chicago lady was stopped in Racine I believe 15 over on I 94. She complained and whined so much about her ticket that, and stated that LEO where targeting people form out of state. So some important state person stated to look into how the LEO personal was conducting traffic stops. During this investigation they all so looked into this person driving record. This person had a few speeding tickets in IL for what? For what, breaking the speed limit. After looking into this person driving record her story did not hold any water because of her driving record for having a lead foot. Now she lived in the Chicago area were people will give you the road rage stare if you are not doing 80mph on the I 294 and if I am correct that is mostly 55mph zone except in the construction zone or stop and go traffic. Now if you want to drive like an idiot in WI sooner or later your going to get a ticket that is a fact, but this also true in most states.
 
My observation has been that more out of state vehicles are pulled over in WI than any other state.

I think that is a poor observation/attitude to have. To everyone that is coming to Wisconsin. Please enjoy our state. And realize, if your doing something stupid/wrong, our police force will help correct you.

Snowy.
 
I think that is a poor observation/attitude to have. To everyone that is coming to Wisconsin. Please enjoy our state. And realize, if your doing something stupid/wrong, our police force will help correct you.

Snowy.

Snowy,

First let me welcome you to the forum. Glad to have you here and looking forward to your posts.

As far as my observation regarding who gets stopped in Wisconsin, it was just that, an observation. There is no attitude involved. Of course I will make observations tomorrow on my way to West Bend and give an actual count of numbers of units stopped by law enforcement and the number of those with out of state plates.

I was born in Beloit, so I'm a Wisconsin native. I come often and spend money including this trip. We have pulled sailboats to Door County and the Apostle Islands spending money along the way. Tourism is a great industry in Wisconsin and rightfully so. The state is beautiful, has great sailing waters, curvy, windy, twisty roads in SW Wisconsin that are a blast to ride, as I did earlier this year on the Slimey Crud Run.

I like Wisconsin. :thumb

That doesn't mean I'm blind.

I stand by my observation.

YMMV
 
Some Things Money Can't Buy

Allow me to make a few closing remarks about our neighboring state to the south.

After having made thousands of traffic stops involving hundreds of IL drivers over my 32+ years in law enforcement, some observations if you will.

1) Most IL drivers, though almost universal in their "need for speed," were polite and remorseful once I pulled them over.

2) The politics of the Windy City ("Vote early and vote often!") do not impress us simple, WI folk - translation: it doesn't matter how many 'tourism dollars' you spend here - it doesn't 'buy' you any slack with regard to traffic laws. Bring your MasterCard.

3) With a total population in WI smaller than most major cities in the USA, we just aren't in a hurry to get anywhere here - it's more about the ride than the destination, essentially the 'mantra' of owning a BMW.

So, Welcome to all visitors! Enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Wisconsin, but respect our laws. They keep us all safe.

Ride Alert!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top