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Trooper, bet some riders are more afraid of your radar gun than your AR, he said "yep"

When I Tried to Join the CHP at 18…

At 18 years old, I had a dream.
Not a noble dream about serving the community or protecting the highways.
Nope.
I wanted to join the California Highway Patrol because I thought it would let me speed legally.

Before that brilliant idea, my “driving résumé” was already something special. While other kids were collecting normal teenage milestones, I was building a DMV file thick enough to qualify as light reading material.

Early Driving Adventures (a.k.a. Why the DMV Knew Me by Name)

• Age 13 – First Ticket:
Reckless driving.
Doing 50 mph in a 25, with no license, resisting arrest, and failing to stop for a police officer.
Basically, I was a pint‑sized fugitive on a motorcycle I shouldn’t have even been near.
• By 17 – DMV High Score:
I had racked up 6 points like I was trying to unlock a bonus round.
• DMV Hearing at 17 – The Reality Check:
They asked why I deserved a California driver’s license.
I tried to explain, but apparently “I like going fast” isn’t a compelling legal argument.
The DMV didn’t suspend my license—they revoked it.
They looked at my file and essentially said, “Yeah… no.”

And Then Came the Master Plan

After all that, my 18‑year‑old brain decided the logical next step was:
“I should join the California Highway Patrol.”

I didn’t get far with this, and I definitely didn’t follow through. Probably for the best, considering my application would’ve read like a cautionary tale.

In my mind, CHP Academy was going to hand me a motorcycle and say:
“Congratulations, you now have permission to speed… responsibly.”

Looking back, the confidence was impressive.
The judgment? Not so much.
PaulR
 

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back in the early 80s I ran with a bunch of guys in hopped Japanese and Euro cars, there was a certain amount of pride in all the performance awards we achieved. That was before traffic school records were state wide, having 3 outstanding tickets in 3 different counties and doing traffic school in each county was the norm. One guy had 7 outstanding tickets.
 
@PaulR - Good story. Crazy lad!

I had my moments in my car trying to set LS Records from Palo Alto to SLO (Home to College). For the record. 2;34;45 was my best time. We had a stop watch to make sure we were accurate. A friend had a Mustang Mach 1 and I had a Camaro. I cleaned his clock because I was more aggressive.

I ended up with 5 tix in a year and #6 was heading back to school after having my license suspended. My Dad called and said the CHP called looking for you.
Me: "Really...? I am at school obviously" Never heard anything again. The one time ignoring it actually worked.

King City and Salinas were the spots where holding 85mph was dangerous. Atascadero had a couple moments.
One day heading into King City I saw flashing lights way back in the rear view. Decided a dirt road through a field of artichokes was a good idea.
Went super slow not to raise dust. :teeth

Hid behind an equipment shack. Then when the ambulance went by I knew I lost a good opportunity for a new record. :laughing

Still to this day I have one moto moving violation on my record. At 16. Expedition of Speed. I used to run as a teen. :facepalm
 
You crazy kids. Only speeding ticket I'm particularly proud of was doing 40 in a 25 on a bicycle. I heard the clunk of a bike dropping into gear and figured I'd show that moto how fast I could go without an engine. Then I heard the siren... oops.
 
Can't say I'm a fan of the ARs on the bikes. Just seems a bit much. Do they call in motor officers to assist SWAT that often? Trying to visualize an officer hunkered down behind their bike, taking fire, trying to unlock that thing to shoot back.

And "sir, if you'll just stay in the car for a moment while I go fetch my rifle" doesn't seem to be too common either.
 
berth said:
Can't say I'm a fan of the ARs on the bikes. Just seems a bit much. Do they call in motor officers to assist SWAT that often? Trying to visualize an officer hunkered down behind their bike, taking fire, trying to unlock that thing to shoot back.

And "sir, if you'll just stay in the car for a moment while I go fetch my rifle" doesn't seem to be too common either.
Click to expand...
i'd rather them have it 100% of the time and use it 0% then not have it and experience another...well...i think you get my point.
 
berth said:
Can't say I'm a fan of the ARs on the bikes. Just seems a bit much. Do they call in motor officers to assist SWAT that often? Trying to visualize an officer hunkered down behind their bike, taking fire, trying to unlock that thing to shoot back.

And "sir, if you'll just stay in the car for a moment while I go fetch my rifle" doesn't seem to be too common either.
Click to expand...
I see patrol rifles get deployed more and more often at scene calls, I don't think that trend will change for some time and support the thinking. SWAT can be 60 minutes away, making the party likely over if there was shooting violence occurring that started the call. Love to see data on that.
 
Your honor,

I would like to challenge the validity of the officer's radar reading. As you can see from these photos, those precision instruments are vibrated beyond calibration by being strapped to motorcycles.

Uh, what kind of bike do I ride? A Harley. Am I aware that BMWs are referred to as sewing machines? Well, uh...

OK, never mind.
 
BillSmith said:
Your honor,

I would like to challenge the validity of the officer's radar reading. As you can see from these photos, those precision instruments are vibrated beyond calibration by being strapped to motorcycles.

Uh, what kind of bike do I ride? A Harley. Am I aware that BMWs are referred to as sewing machines? Well, uh...

OK, never mind.
Click to expand...
This concept shows the ZX‑14R configured as a high‑performance addition to the CHP motor fleet, set up for rapid response and extended capability.
 

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PaulR said:
This concept shows the ZX‑14R configured as a high‑performance addition to the CHP motor fleet, set up for rapid response and extended capability.
Click to expand...
Very few could out run that puppy. Bad ass. :cool
 
Those ZX14's actually corner fairly well too. A skilled officer behind the triple clamp could easily give the average rider on a nimble sporty more than he bargained for.
 
NorCalBusa said:
Especially now that its totes 5.8 gallons of go-juice.
Click to expand...
Regarding the AR 15 Mounted on the back of the bike police motorcycle.
Honestly, the AR on the motor isn’t some SWAT cosplay thing it’s just practical.
Motor units are almost always the first ones weaving through traffic and landing on scene, and half the time they’re solo for a while.
If something ugly is happening, waiting around for a car with a rifle to show up isn’t exactly a winning

Probably should consider upgrading the fire power to something more powerful in 2026.
The Barrett M107A1 chambered in .50 BMG remains the most powerful rifle available to in 2026, offering unmatched long-range impact and anti-materiel capability.

From a practical standpoint, it sounds like CHP is evaluating a move to the ZX‑14R platform along with an updated rifle system for high‑risk response work. Nothing official yet, but both upgrades are reportedly being looked at seriously. Interested to hear what others think about the direction.

Alternate Motorcycle Upgrade - CHP‑spec Aprilia RSV4 X‑GP

PaulR
 

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Sorry, not buying the ZX-14. The RTs are modern motorcycles. They're not slow. Whatever power the 14s bring to the table are effectively unusable in the urban or even the open road environment.
 
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