Today in motorcycle history, July 24, 2001

  

  

  

  Motorcyclist slapped with a fine for driving 160 mph on Lake Shore Drive.

  Daemond Rogan's big speeding ticket was the talk of the family reunion in Peoria, Illinois.

  Relatives approached Daemond about what the hell he was thinking when he got busted for driving 160 mph on a 1999 Honda CBR 600 F4 on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive on May 16, 2001.  He replied, "I just wanted to see how fast it would go."

  Daemond Rogan, 32, of Calumet City, (Illinois) pleaded guilty Monday, July 24, in Traffic Court to having big balls, reckless driving and aggravated speeding and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, said Marcy O'Boyle, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.  On the "speeder" O'Boyle replied, "The speed limit is 45 mph and as it is that is too fast."

  This isn't an Onion piece or a fabricated story.  No bullshit.  Deamond Rogan was really clocked at 160.  My friend Jim 'Dandelion' McDaniels was ticketed  by the Arizona State Police at 127 mph and all he could say was it was "quite a rush".  I've only ever been up to 112 (I know, what a pussy), the thought of twistin' the wick up another 50 mph is trouser-changing.

  In case you think I'm making this up what follows is the original article from the Chicago Tribune dated May 17, 2001.

  Motorcyclist clocked going 160 m.p.h.

  When the radar went off in Officer Maurice Burks' car at 2 a.m. at North Lake Shore Drive and Grand Avenue, one of his first reactions was to check for errors in the radar, Dougherty said. Satisfied the radar gun was working, Burks flipped on his emergency lights to give chase but quickly realized there was no chance of catching the motorcyclist. So he turned off his lights and watched as the driver pulled off the drive at North Avenue, police spokesman David Bayless said. Burks then saw the driver double back and head south on Inner Lake Shore Drive, Bayless said. He stopped the rider, Daemon Rogan, 32, at 336 N. Michigan Ave., police said. The motorcycle was towed, and Rogan spent the night in the Central District lockup.


  After checking the radar gun again and again trying to determine if it was in working order, police said they contacted a Honda motorcycle dealership to ask if that speed was possible on the 600FX model Rogan was driving. Police said they were told the top speed for that model is 165 m.p.h.


  Rogan, who has three speeding citations since 1999, was given eight traffic tickets: speeding, passing between vehicles, no insurance, no state plates, improper lane usage, failure to signal, running a stoplight and failure to yield. Dougherty said police are in discussions with the Cook County state's attorney's office about other charges, including reckless driving.

  In case my European friends are laughing thinking about a Suzuki Hayabusa doing 180 mph or MV Augusta's F4 R 312 topping 190 mph.  This was in Chicago, known for potholes and construction, where there's traffic, even at two in the morning.  






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