Remember my 10 mph over the limit generosity? Forget about it at night. And sometimes, after seeing only two or three vehicles go by in the wee hours of the morning, I get bored. In this instance, go just 7 or 8 mph over the limit, and I may light you up, if only to give myself something to do to pass the time faster.
All of this useful perspective aside, let's say you do see my dreaded flashing lights behind you. Now what? You've already failed in your efforts to avoid my attention, so let's see if you can make it one out of two. Your new goal is to make me comfortable. Remember, more officers die conducting traffic stops than in any other activity, so there's no such thing as a "routine traffic stop." Every officer approaching you, especially at night, will be thinking about what to do if the stop goes bad. Even though he knows your bad-boy biker image is probably cultivated, his hand is probably resting on his pistol.
So how do you put me at ease? First, let's consider some things not to do. Don't point to a sticker saying you support law enforcement. Those don't count for squat. After all, your fines do support law enforcement, so why are you complaining? And don't make jokes or excuses. I am not amused if you ask me to hold your beer while you search for your license, or you tell me there's no way you could have been doing 90 because your recently calibrated speedometer only indicated 85. The following, however, will help. Pull over to an area that's safe for both of us. Take off your helmet and your shades. We are trained to watch your eyes for our safety, and we get nervous if we can't see them. Most important: Do Not Get Off Your Bike. Keep your hands on the handlebars and let me come to you. If you get off your bike and approach me, I must assume, for my safety, that you may have running or (worse yet) fighting on your mind. And if I feel threatened, I'll be unsnapping my holster. At the very least, you've just made me disinclined to cut you a break.
Carry all your paperwork in a place that's readily available and accessible. If you make me stand around while you fumble through all your stuff looking for your registration, you're getting a ticket. If these documents are in a pocket, tell me which pocket and ask my permission to reach into it. By the way, I recognize that huge folding knives with pocket clips seem to be an essential fashion accessory for many riders, but they make me nervous. They are useless when you're riding anyway and can easily be stored in a saddlebag or interior pocket until they're needed. Another word to the wise: If you're riding with a few buddies, tell them to continue on their way and you'll meet them down the road. I don't like to be outnumbered.
A few words about attitude. A traffic stop is not personal. I'm just out there doing my job. I can give you a ticket while also recognizing you're a good and decent person. You don't have to "sir" me to death; just be pleasant and courteous. If you think I've made a mistake or am being unfair, go to court and tell the judge. The side of the road is no place to argue about a ticket. Frankly, if you bust my chops, I'm going to stroke you for every violation I can find, and I can find a lot: defective equipment, unapproved equipment, tire-tread depth, headlight alignment, leaking fluids, the location and visibility of your stickers, volume of your pipes, etc. And whatever you do, don't suggest I stopped you because I have to fill a quota. I have no quotas; I'm allowed to write as many or as few tickets as I want.
If you do get pulled over, try to make my traffic stop safe and pleasant, and I may give you a warning. Even if I issue a citation, I may write you for failure to obey a highway sign, which carries a smaller fine and fewer points than speeding or blowing through a stop sign. I have discretion on how I deal with you, and it's your goal to encourage me to exercise this discretion to your benefit.
Finally, I always advise people to go to court rather than pay their fine by mail. If your driving record isn't too hideous, the prosecutor may allow you to plead to a lesser offense or allow you to avoid a conviction by attending a driver's school. If you were courteous to me, and cops remember because we make notes about such things on our copies of the tickets as you're driving away cursing us, I may go to bat for you with the prosecutor.
There you have it. Get out there, ride safely and have fun. I have indeed met the nicest people on Hondas... and Harleys, and Suzukis, and BMWs, and Kawasakis and Yamahas. Hopefully, when I meet you, it will be at the doughnut shop and not on the side of the road.