This afternoon the Axemen Motorcycle Club of Wisconsin (don't know which of the two chapters) hit Woodstock. After a meal at Tommy's they all decided to hell with traffic laws and roared out of Tommy's with no regard for either southbound or northbound traffic on Route 47.
They totally disregarded the traffic after the first few cut into the highway and caused traffic to stop. One biker stopped across the northbound lane, blocking it completely while the last 10-15 riders exited Tommy's and headed north on Route 47.
I guess those guys are one good reason I don't ride with a group and don't go on charity rides. The first rider might stop, for example, at a red light and then make a right turn, and then all the rest follow him, even forcing cross-traffic to stop, which is what happened at the red light on Route 47 at McHenry Avenue (Route 120). There they turned east and headed out of Woodstock.
Riders were proudly wearing their leather jackets and patches clearly showing Axemen and Wisconsin. Kinda reminded me of Hunter S. Thompson's book about the Hell's Angels in California. These guys, at least some of them, were complete bullies about interfering with traffic and impeding traffic.
I would have been willing to sign complaints on a couple of them; for example, the guy on the bike with license plate 8795B who sat right in front of me, stopping traffic and blocking the northbound lane, so that the last 10-15 riders could leave Tommy's without even slowing at the curbline.
I ride a motorcycle, and I generally like other bikers - the ones who obey the laws. I lost sight of them on Route 120 at Raffel Road. There wasn't any point in driving farther east, because I didn't have any reason to believe that even the slowest would be observing the speed limit. Hopefully, either Wonder Lake P.D. or McHenry P.D. was able to observe violations in their own towns and take action.
If they come back through Woodstock or McHenry County, I surely hope that Woodstock P.D. or the sheriff's department will stop them. Sure, greet them politely and tell them that there won't be any problem, so long as they obey all the traffic laws.
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
9 comments:
Those damn kids and their motorcycles!!!! The firemen (Axmen) were just out to annoy you there Gussy.
Here is a quick way for the State to make good money. Hold check points and start ticketing motorcyclists for loud or no muffler. And the excuse "it came from the factory that way" doesn't cut it. Or another favorite is "if it's loud you know I'm there". No, basically, if it's loud you annoy me.
Maybe no one has noticed but motorcyclists get a free ride in Woodstock. Maybe the chief doesn't want to ruffle anyone feathers. I wonder if they rode around the precious square a couple of times if anyone would be pi$$ed?
Frank, that they did.
It caused me to wonder, too, what training local law enforcement and deputies have for dealing with a gang of 30 motorcyclists. Obviously, dealing with firefighters who have jobs and careers to lose if they "get into it" with cops is a lot different than dealing with the Hell's Angels.
And probably the firefighters (Axemen) would get a break from most cops, through an extension of the Blue Line.
Are you kidding me? You compare us to gangs and Hell's Angles? We are not 1% we are 99 percenters. We ride for charities and that your correct on. We maybe riding for you someday, a fallen veteren or a firefighters family and yes even the Law enforcement and their family. We don't ask anything in return but a little respect. Sorry for delaying your trip to wherever for less than 30 seconds. Your whinning is more satisfying to you all than what our cause is. Please don't call us if you need our help. Your to impatient and you should have better things to worry about.
James, any delay was inconsequential compared to the utter disregard shown yesterday for traffic laws and safe riding.
May I suggest that your road captain review the riding habits of those who were behind him?
Each motorcycle is a motor vehicle. Each operator is expected to follow all the traffic laws. Busting out into traffic is unsafe and illegal.
Thanks for commenting.
The Axemen MC rode within the proper code of riding in a large group. MC's have "blockers" to stop traffic (sorry for your delay) in order for their members and guests to cross traffic safely, without being struck by you (people in cars). The riding formation was a perfect staggered formation. The group also traveled with the flow of traffic thoroughout it's travels. The rules of the road were followed as well as proper hand and indicator signals being used. MC's ride this way for the safety of the group as a whole not to, as you put it, "bully" or "interfere with traffic".
I suppose when the group gets split at a stop/go light, which it did, the portion of the group that slowed to UNDER the legal limit, so the stopped group could catch up, would be driving too slow for you and bullying/interfering with traffic as well.
This MC showed that it is full of VERY EXPERIENCED riders, that ride well in a group. Sorry to hear that your experience with the Axemen wasn't up to par for you and that's unfortunate.
The Axemen MC is a great MC and the causes and reasons that they ride should be commended and applauded, not critisized.
Jimmy, thanks for your comment and for the courteous tone in which you made it.
I understand the desire of the MC riders to stay together. And I understand your Club might have a "proper code of riding in a large group". Shouldn't its code should conform to state traffic law, rather than encourage members to violate the law?
I spoke with a trooper of the Illinois State Police, and here's what he told me.
It is illegal for a motorcycle club (or others, except funeral processions, parades, etc.) to use "blockers"; i.e., the "blocker" would be illegally impeding traffic flow and has no authority to stop in the roadway, so that his fellow riders can ride out of a restaurant parking lot en masse.
Each motorcycle operator is an individual driver/operator and is expected to obey traffic laws. Each is required to make a full stop at a red light and turn on red only where permitted and safe.
Illinois traffic code (625 ILCS 5/11-1205) also required your riders to stop before entering the roadway and yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on the roadway.
I'll admit that re-grouping may be a challenge, but I'm sure your road captain can work out a plan for it.
I'm sure the Axemen MC is a fine group. I expressed no criticism about their causes. Does riding as they did in Woodstock on Sunday actually bring discredit to the group?
Gus- I appreciate your "watchdog" attitude as well as you being well versed in Illinois traffic law. However we all know that some things get "overlooked". I'm quite certain that (as I am a former law enforcement officer) it would be an overwhelming job for officer's to enforce every moving violation that even they witnessed.
As you must know, a "routine" traffic stop for an officer is anything but routine. With that being said, had an Axemen been stopped by the law, our group would have stopped...as a group. Not as an attempt to intimidate but as a courtesy, we would have taken our citations and been on our way. Yes we are all firemen, but we ride as private citizens in a motorcycle club, we don't use our jobs as a way to avoid getting stopped or ticketed. As we did pass several officers during our entire ride (over 200 total miles) and nobody got stopped, I guess the Axemen couldn't have been violating too many Illinois Traffic Laws.
As to your question about how we ride reflecting the credit of our club. I would say to you...Ask Army Spc. Robert Rieckhoff, who's funeral we attended in 30 degree weather ON BIKES, or Army Spc. Jason Shulz of Eagle, injured in Iraq, where we participated in a Homes for our troops key ceremony,again on our bikes in March in freezing rain or FF Shawn Ahrens who was injured severly in a fire fight, who's fundraiser we attended.
No this does not give Axemen a "free pass" but you are putting this whole situation in a "vacuum" and in a perfect world...everything and everybody would be.....perfect.
Jimmy, thanks for your comments. I appreciate that you read my article and took the time to write both comments.
I ride, too, and I often take a lot of abuse in my car and on the bike, because I choose to obey the traffic laws. I ride at the speed limit and in the right lane, but there sure are a lot of people who get angry about that on the interstates around here.
Thanks again for writing.
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