Croatian cops seize motorcyclist after Internet speed boast

ZAGREB: A Croatian motorcyclist who posted on the Internet footage of a breakneck ride risks a large fine and possible confiscation of his machine, police said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old man, identified only as DM, installed a camera on his Yamaha 600 and filmed his wild drive through several villages in the region of Hrvatsko Zagorje, near Zagreb, a police spokesman said. 

He put links to the compromising 11-minute footage, in which the speedometer and other details of the motor cycle and the road were clearly seen, on a local municipality Internet site on July 9.

But police were among those who saw the footage and identified the author three days later. DM drove at an average speed of 170 kilometers (105 miles) per hour, going up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour, in areas where there is a limit of 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour.

Police seized his motorcycle as it lacked the proper documents and pressed charges against him for several offences, inluding of breaking the law on road safety amd evading customs duty.

He risks fines of up to 1,000 euros (1,250 dollars), the loss of his driving license for up to a year, but also confiscation of his motorcycle if it is proved that he had imported it illegally as suspected. Police have removed the compromising footage from the Internet.