As a motorcycle rider, it’s always easy to rev the throttle a little tighter when you’re out on the open road. Often times, you get to speed up and enjoy the momentary thrill, but there are the rare times when you get a little too excited and you end up unintentionally setting a record. A UK rider named Paul Roberts did just that when he was recorded by police cameras recording what law enforcement authorities believe to be the highest ever recorded speed on UK roads by a rider with a pillion.
Numerous newspapers across the pond are reporting that Roberts managed to hit 148 mph on his Kawasaki ZZR1400. Normally, such feats would be cause for celebration. But Roberts’ attempt to bend the space-time continuum ended up with him being booked by the police and banned from driving for 15 months.
It’s not the kind of record-setting attempt you want to see, especially one that’s done on a public road like the M11 in Essex, England, so Roberts deserves the punishment handed to him after he himself admitted to dangerous driving in front of a judge at the Chelmsford Crown Court a fortnight ago. In addition to the 15-month ban, Roberts was also ordered to serve 120 hours of community service and pay £460 ($680) in fees.
I’ve always been particularly prickly when it comes to road safety. Past experiences have contributed largely to my stance on that particular issue. So I’m glad that Roberts got what was coming to him. But I have to admit, a little part of me was impressed that he managed to hit that speed, even as he weaved in and out of traffic. That takes a particularly large set of cajones to do something like that.
So here’s what I’ll say: the next time Paul Roberts wants to rev the throttle of his ZZR1400 a little tighter, I hope he does it on a race track where he can go nuts doing it. I might even pay to see him do that.
Video: UK Rider Clocked Doing 148 MPH By Police, Gets Cited For Dangerous Driving originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 March 2015 09:00 EST.
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