In a way though it does beg the question, why is it that any immature idiot with a double digit IQ can even buy a street legal vehicle that will attain those kinds of speeds? You don't have to modify anything, you can walk into various Japanese brand dealerships, plop down some money, and ride out on a bike easily capable of 180 mph in bone stock condition. Same applies to certain automobiles, btw. Am I the only one who thinks this situation is ludicrous?
At 170 mph, that guy and his bike were lethal weapons. If he had t-boned a soccer mom in a minivan full of kids, he would have killed not only himself but probably many of the passengers in the other vehicle as he and his bike blasted through. This scenario has in fact played out more than once; I've seen photo's of one such "accident" and heard about others as well.
String the sucker up by his private parts for a month and throw the book at him. Put a legal beagle expert on the case full time to make sure they apply every possible charge and ask for the maximum penalty on each one. Send these suckers a message and stop slapping their wrists. Same process needs to apply to drunks, btw.
Jerry