Motorcycle.com

mscuddy · 08-07-2010, 11:26 AM

Way back when the world was young, and owning a motorcycle was like an e ticket ride at Dizzyland, ditching LA’s finest was fine sport for those of us with the balls, a sense of humor and a learner’s permit.

Stopping for a traffic cop, either mounted on a Hog or in a black and white AMC Matador was optional. Using the tools at your disposal, vacant lots, public stairs, sidewalks, large bushes, and superior acceleration, one could usually leave a cop shaking his head in disbelief as you up and disappeared. Vanished into vapor. In seconds.

I grew up in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, and no better place for ditching cops could be found. A hilly neighborhood, with many tiny streets, alleys and vacant lots, if you knew the area well enough, you could escape the clutches of the law usually within a few seconds, before they could scramble the helicopter on you, or trap you with the Motorola.

I remember one time, I was hanging out with the other motorcycle miscreants at Silverlake Park, and we were inside the park around dusk, doing doughnuts and raising hell on our bikes, mine at the time a 1973 Yamaha 360 Enduro. The perfect mount for ditching cops.

Of course this type of action was frowned upon by the local LAPD; The officer in charge of traffic in our hood was a guy by the name of Officer Yant, who took great delight in harassing anybody on two wheels.

So Yant hit the siren and the lights on his Matador and slid into Silverlake Park at about forty miles an hour, locked it up into a big slide, and scared the wee-wee out of a few kids throwing a football. He then got on the loudspeaker and yelled “STOP RIGHT THERE OR I’LL SHOOT!” and his somewhat portly body rolled out of the Matador, clutching a .38 Police Special S&W in the six inch variant.

Of course we all knew Yant wouldn’t shoot anybody, so we all dispersed in different directions out of the park. For some reason Yant always chose to chase after me, so off we went, the Matador making that loud honking full-throttle noise a stuffed up cop car makes, along with the bubble machine and the siren going full tilt. Fun stuff on a warm Saturday night.

By this time Yant knew what rout I’d be taking, usually down Castle street, and up the public stairs that would dump you out in a totally different part of town, over by Sunset blvd.

Yant was a cagy type, and knew where the public stairs emptied out at, so while I was bumping my way up a few thousand cement stairs, Yant was making his way to where the public stairs ended, over on Monon street. And sure enough, when I got to the end of the stairs, there was that damn black and white Matador blocking the way, with Yant standing on the other side, his hand on the holstered .38, with a smirk on his face.

Now call it luck, idiocy or God watching over drunks and kids on motorcycles, instead of being trapped at the bottom of the stairs by the pig mobile, I chose to lift the front wheel of the mighty 360, and actually flew through the air off the cement landing at the end of the stairs.

Much to all our disbelief I landed on the hood of the Matador, and bounced off, in perfect synch with some Citroen that happened to be passing by, blocking Yant from a clean shot.

Fortunately, I was all signed to enter Boot Camp at NRTC San Diego that next week, so any repercussions Yant had hatched up had to wait for a few years.

On a side note, when I was home on leave a couple years later, I was driving my mom’s Super Beatle down Silverlake Blvd. when a cop car got behind me, and hit the reds. Since I hadn’t broken any basic speed laws, illegal u-turns or anything, I was in a quandary as to why I was being pulled over.

But one glance in the side view mirror told me why; it was now promoted Sergeant Yant in a shiny new Matador who had pulled me over, and I was in for about a half-hour lecture that would have made Jack Webb proud. After handing back my military ID and Virginia drivers license, Yant tipped his hat and said “have a nice day, punk.” and did the longest one-wheel burnout I ever saw a cop car do.

Looking back, Yant was a pretty cool guy. I hope he made it to Lieutenant or something at the Rampart station. And if you’re out there reading this Yantsy, I hope you didn’t have to pay for that big dent in the hood of your cop car.

RoosterBoots · 08-07-2010, 02:30 PM

Ah, yes... the 70's. I remember them well. Wait...no, I don't.

sarnali2 · 08-07-2010, 03:24 PM

You should be ashamed of treating the cops like that, driving a Matador is punishment enough for them. At least the cops up here had Fury's and Caprice Classics along with their shiny new FLH Cone motors.

pplassm · 08-07-2010, 08:42 PM

I had a Matador once. just like this one:

What a girl-catcher......... NOT!

MOKE1K · 08-07-2010, 09:04 PM

So wait illegal exhaust pipes,... Bad! Ditching the cops, good. Sweeeet

pplassm · 08-08-2010, 06:19 AM

It was a different time, Moke. The yute of today could not pull such escapades and remain out of big trouble.

Plus it made Cuddy join the Navy and hang out with sailors. That's punishment enough, I'd say.

The_AirHawk · 08-08-2010, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pplassm

It was a different time, Moke. The yute of today could not pull such escapades and remain out of big trouble.

Plus it made Cuddy join the Navy and hang out with sailors. That's punishment enough, I'd say.

What did the Whale do when it bit the submarine in-half?

Sucked-out all the Sea-Men!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I KILL Me!

mugwump58 · 08-08-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarnali2

You should be ashamed of treating the cops like that, driving a Matador is punishment enough for them. At least the cops up here had Fury's and Caprice Classics along with their shiny new FLH Cone motors.

I was always impressed the the Fury's the NY Troopers ran on I-90. I actually wanted one, sodium cooled valves ect......

sarnali2 · 08-08-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugwump58

I was always impressed the the Fury's the NY Troopers ran on I-90. I actually wanted one, sodium cooled valves ect......

I bought a '69 Fury cop car at a GSA auction when I got out of the Navy, 440 Interceptor motor, 4160 Holly, cop cams, cop duels, all that stuff...skinny ass bias tires....I paid $300 for it ran the crap out of it until I totaled it in a ditch then sold the motor to a friend of mine that raced hobby stocks..... Pretty wicked car...

mugwump58 · 08-08-2010, 03:49 PM

You might enjoy this:
History of Mopar squads (Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge police cars)

08-07-2010, 11:26 AM	#1
mscuddy MODERATOR X Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Next to my still checkin the temp. Posts: 5,444	Ditching Cops, 1970's style Way back when the world was young, and owning a motorcycle was like an e ticket ride at Dizzyland, ditching LA’s finest was fine sport for those of us with the balls, a sense of humor and a learner’s permit. Stopping for a traffic cop, either mounted on a Hog or in a black and white AMC Matador was optional. Using the tools at your disposal, vacant lots, public stairs, sidewalks, large bushes, and superior acceleration, one could usually leave a cop shaking his head in disbelief as you up and disappeared. Vanished into vapor. In seconds. I grew up in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, and no better place for ditching cops could be found. A hilly neighborhood, with many tiny streets, alleys and vacant lots, if you knew the area well enough, you could escape the clutches of the law usually within a few seconds, before they could scramble the helicopter on you, or trap you with the Motorola. I remember one time, I was hanging out with the other motorcycle miscreants at Silverlake Park, and we were inside the park around dusk, doing doughnuts and raising hell on our bikes, mine at the time a 1973 Yamaha 360 Enduro. The perfect mount for ditching cops. Of course this type of action was frowned upon by the local LAPD; The officer in charge of traffic in our hood was a guy by the name of Officer Yant, who took great delight in harassing anybody on two wheels. So Yant hit the siren and the lights on his Matador and slid into Silverlake Park at about forty miles an hour, locked it up into a big slide, and scared the wee-wee out of a few kids throwing a football. He then got on the loudspeaker and yelled “STOP RIGHT THERE OR I’LL SHOOT!” and his somewhat portly body rolled out of the Matador, clutching a .38 Police Special S&W in the six inch variant. Of course we all knew Yant wouldn’t shoot anybody, so we all dispersed in different directions out of the park. For some reason Yant always chose to chase after me, so off we went, the Matador making that loud honking full-throttle noise a stuffed up cop car makes, along with the bubble machine and the siren going full tilt. Fun stuff on a warm Saturday night. By this time Yant knew what rout I’d be taking, usually down Castle street, and up the public stairs that would dump you out in a totally different part of town, over by Sunset blvd. Yant was a cagy type, and knew where the public stairs emptied out at, so while I was bumping my way up a few thousand cement stairs, Yant was making his way to where the public stairs ended, over on Monon street. And sure enough, when I got to the end of the stairs, there was that damn black and white Matador blocking the way, with Yant standing on the other side, his hand on the holstered .38, with a smirk on his face. Now call it luck, idiocy or God watching over drunks and kids on motorcycles, instead of being trapped at the bottom of the stairs by the pig mobile, I chose to lift the front wheel of the mighty 360, and actually flew through the air off the cement landing at the end of the stairs. Much to all our disbelief I landed on the hood of the Matador, and bounced off, in perfect synch with some Citroen that happened to be passing by, blocking Yant from a clean shot. Fortunately, I was all signed to enter Boot Camp at NRTC San Diego that next week, so any repercussions Yant had hatched up had to wait for a few years. On a side note, when I was home on leave a couple years later, I was driving my mom’s Super Beatle down Silverlake Blvd. when a cop car got behind me, and hit the reds. Since I hadn’t broken any basic speed laws, illegal u-turns or anything, I was in a quandary as to why I was being pulled over. But one glance in the side view mirror told me why; it was now promoted Sergeant Yant in a shiny new Matador who had pulled me over, and I was in for about a half-hour lecture that would have made Jack Webb proud. After handing back my military ID and Virginia drivers license, Yant tipped his hat and said “have a nice day, punk.” and did the longest one-wheel burnout I ever saw a cop car do. Looking back, Yant was a pretty cool guy. I hope he made it to Lieutenant or something at the Rampart station. And if you’re out there reading this Yantsy, I hope you didn’t have to pay for that big dent in the hood of your cop car. __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.

08-07-2010, 03:24 PM	#3
sarnali2 Aging Cafe` Racer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sittin' down by my window, lookin' at the rain. Posts: 8,132	You should be ashamed of treating the cops like that, driving a Matador is punishment enough for them. At least the cops up here had Fury's and Caprice Classics along with their shiny new FLH Cone motors. __________________ "Carpe` Throttelum -Loud Suits Save Lives" "All the BMW riders in the room, I want you to leave. Now. Out. "

08-07-2010, 08:42 PM	#4
pplassm Founding Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,875	I had a Matador once. just like this one: What a girl-catcher......... NOT! __________________ Mongo just pawn in game of life.

08-07-2010, 09:04 PM	#5
MOKE1K Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Kalapana, Big Island Posts: 3,956	So wait illegal exhaust pipes,... Bad! Ditching the cops, good. Sweeeet __________________ "YOU CAN'T BOLT ON SKILL" "The only thing limiting your bike, is you" We survived Bush you'll survive Obama! "the most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive." --thomas sowell

08-08-2010, 06:19 AM	#6
pplassm Founding Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,875	It was a different time, Moke. The yute of today could not pull such escapades and remain out of big trouble. Plus it made Cuddy join the Navy and hang out with sailors. That's punishment enough, I'd say. __________________ Mongo just pawn in game of life.

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08-07-2010, 02:30 PM	#2
RoosterBoots Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 18	Ah, yes... the 70's. I remember them well. Wait...no, I don't.

08-08-2010, 03:49 PM	#10
mugwump58 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: 43.47N-76.48W Posts: 586	You might enjoy this: History of Mopar squads (Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge police cars)