June 11, 2009:
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - They're being safe, and they're not harming others.
That's the message from dozens of local motorcyclists. “The 315 Riders" is a local group with riders made up of people from all over central New York.
Wednesday night, we talked to North Syracuse Police about an arrest shown on the group's website. And Thursday night, the 315 riders tell NewsChannel 9 they're being treated unfairly.
Rob Zukowski says it was a memorial ride; he says dozens of motorcyclists showed up, some of which he didn't know.
“There were 8-10 bikes with orange on them, how can you distinguish what exactly happened, which one it was in the group, we had 60 bikes that were riding, how can you distinguish one person?,” he asks.
North Syracuse police did. They charged 25-year-old Adam Wells with reckless driving among other charges. Zukowski was able to get it all on camera, posted it to the website. Still, Zukowski maintains that the person arrested is innocent.
“Personally, I haven't seen Adam do a wheelie,” he says.
But police say it's a common problem they're trying to stop.
Zukowski says his group stays away from the streets, but admits it’s hard to find a place to practice stunts.
“We try as hard as we can to find parking lots in a controlled environment to do stunts in and practice,” says Zukowski.
There were pictures on the Website where motorcyclists were seen doing wheelies on clearly identifiable busy streets.
Zukowski claims those pictures were Photoshopped, and that his group doesn't take part in street stunts.
The Syracuse Stunt Fest is on June 20 at the Fairgrounds. It will be the first time the event is held.
The hope is that it will expand, giving motorcyclists a place to do their stunts.
June 10, 2009:
Police On The Lookout for reckless motorcyclists
North Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – Police in North Syracuse are keeping an eye out for reckless motorcyclists. Just this past weekend, they arrested 25-year old Adam Wells.
Officers say he led them on a high-speed chase, and he also did not have a proper license plate. He faces multiple charges, including speeding and reckless driving.
Police are now upping patrols to look out for more reckless motorcyclists. They’ll be looking at side streets as well as keeping an eye out on the main highways near the village.
Police say Wells was caught doing wheelies on 481. Officers fear this type of behavior on busy roads could lead to major accidents.
Officer John McQuaid says “someone does a wheelie ... other vehicles behind them slam on the brakes so they don’t hit the motorcycle, it can cause multiple car impacts.”
His advice is to do it in a controlled environment. Also, if you see an incident of this type of driving, avoid any confrontation.
Instead, write down license plate numbers and report it to police. The number for North Syracuse Police is 458-5750.
