These two bikes were tied together with rope and driven along Hwy. 4 in Coombs until an officer spotted them. (submitted/BC RCMP Traffic Services)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

frayed rope

Police bust unlicensed rope-connected motorcycle riders on Hwy. 4

May 14, 2020 | 10:50 AM

PARKSVILLE — A highly unusual traffic call won’t be forgotten by the arresting officer.

Two motorcycles tied together with rope while travelling through Coombs on Hwy. 4 the night of Tuesday, May 5 caught the officer’s eye.

Cpl. Mike Halskov with the BC RCMP Traffic Services said the first bike was acting as the gas and the second bike serving as the brake as the two made their way through the relatively rural area.

“In my 20 years, I’ve never seen (something like this),” Halskov told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Once spotted, the two riders unsuccessfully tried to hide behind a nearby building but were quickly spotted.

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The officer involved found neither of them had valid drivers licenses, one appeared intoxicated and the bikes weren’t registered to either of them.

An allegedly drunk rider was given a 24-hour driving prohibition and both were ticketed and released.

Halskov said their wider investigation will look into whether the bikes were stolen and why the two men didn’t have licenses.

“Is it because they never applied for a license, which is unlikely, or is it because their driving record in the past has demonstrated a history of disregarding the rules of the road?”

Despite the dangerous situation the riders put themselves in, at least one of the riders was wearing a helmet.

“There’s some hope yet they were thinking of their safety a little bit by wearing a helmet while they were doing this,” Halskov said.

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