Another idiot rider almost killed

[nvdranger]

Well as the title reads it almost happened and very VERY close to my home.  I got the mom to son talk today about motorcycles and being careful and blah blah blah.  I'm 20, still live at home while finishing college, I know she means well so its not a big deal, especially when she found out my brake light was staying on all the time - which is now fixed :D.  Anyways we live just off a highway and a car was turning left into our developement.  Well the guy on the motorcycle decided he wanted to try and fly, I guess, and didn't stop or even touch him brakes.  He went right into a slow moving if not fully stopped car at 60.  Hopefully he gonna be alright, but goes to show you how much people pay attention.  Usually its the idiot grandma (lol in a parkin lot lol) not payin attention and running the rider off the road.

Ken

[MotorPlow]

Yup,
Went for a ride last Wednesday...  Within 6 miles of fueling up, I found a guy trying to push his RS1100 something or other BMW out of a ditch.  It appears that it was his virgin ride after picking up his bike from the dealership.  Although the bike had 75,000 miles on it, it was new to him and he wanted to find the curviest road he could find.  Well, he missed a curve.  Luckily, he didn't put it down, but did end up in the ditch.  Got him out and got him on his way.

Then I decide to take a little ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway and I come around a curve and find a Deputy Sheriff (which is odd as the parkway is part of the National Park Service, should have been a Federal Cop) working an accident.  It appears that someone with a fully dressed harley decided to run it off a 30 foot mountain drop off.  Whoops.

Enjoy the ride, Ride safe,
Chris

[h2olawyer]

Chris -

It is not too odd to find a county mountie in many national parks.  I know here at Rocky Mountain National Park, the sheriff's department has jurisdiction as well as the park police.  Often, the park cops call in the sheriff's deputies to do accident investigation - both motor vehicle and hiking / climbing mishaps.

The above stories should help to make folks think a bit when they're out riding.  As is often stated here, dress for the crash - not the ride.  Consider taking a MSF approved riding course.  Remember, the few drivers that see you are probably aiming for you!

H2o

[Sable]

Like a wise and somewhat older man (Lucky);D said to me....

"You see OLD riders and BOLD riders.. but you never see any OLD BOLD riders!!"

 ~Sable

[RussD]

I had to lay mine down on Mother's Day. Was up in Toledo going to take my mom out for lunch. Was in the right hand lane of 4 lane road. Kid ahead of me kept pulling away from me at the previous lights & was well up front. Turned my head for just a split second 'cause I thought I saw my best friend. Turned back to front, went to honk my horn, and next thing I know, the kid who was racing ahead of me at previous 2 lights, is now HARD on his brakes making a right hand turn. I tried to veer to the left to get around him, hit the brakes, and the ass end came under me. Hit the ground somewhere around 30 mph and did the stop, drop & roll routine.

Thankfully I was wearing jeans, leather boots & gloves. Ripped a hole in the jeans at the knee & scuffed the stitching off the glove. Separated my shoulder........FUN STUFF!   :-[  Bike ended up sliding to a stop at the foot of a Blessed Virgin statue.....How's that for "Divine Intervention"?!   :o

[nvdranger]

well i got more info off the news this morning.  after the guy went flying off him bike and skidding to a stop he was in critical confition and they had to life flight him to the hospital.  no offense to anyone, but he had one of the idiot helmets as well.  the tiny ones that are not dot approved and looks like bowl.  broken jaw and enough road rash on his face to keep any rider off a bike, sorry can you tell I hate those things?  but to each is own and wont judge by it.  After his bike hit the car it went into on comin traffic a girl in a suv ran it over and destroyed it.  
everyone please be safe and pay attention.  dont want to have to read about a vision owner being scrapped off the road (guess i could have been a little more humane there).

Ken

[rick_nowak]

the rear brake on a motorcycle is pretty worthless for stopping your bike, but it can sure put you on the ground pretty fast.  a sliding tire (locked up) has a lower co-efficient of friction than a rolling one, so the rear end starts going faster than the front and comes around.  down you go!  its wonderful slow motion stuff.  a locked up front wheel just falls over.  happens faster too.  don't ask me how i learned this stuff.  something to do with Ducati Diana's and Velocette Thruxtons

[Rick G]

Rick old buddy your dating your self.LOL

[tizod]

I saw something that was quite humorus the other day.

I was waiting to make a left turn into a parking structure for Warner Brothers studios but the light for traffic going in my direction was red.

It's one of those intersections that is only there for people to cross so it is not red very often.

All of a sudden this guy came up beside me on his sport bike going too fast and he jammed his brakes (I am assuming he did not see it was red).  He jammed them in a manner that the bike slowed down to a stop but at the very last second went rear end up high enough to dump him over the bars.  

[nvdranger]

ooops a lil to much front brake and not enough brains not to show off/pay attention.  what an idiot.

Ken

[h2olawyer]

In front of Warner Brother's studio?  Maybe he was auditioning for the next "Mission Impossible" sequel!

[tizod]

I think he felt pretty stupid given that there was a group of girls crossing the street at the time.   :D

I certainly got a laugh out of it.

It reminds me of another time when I was on my way to work and there was a rider in front of me and a REALLY hot women driving a Beemer in the lane next to me.  We came to a stop light and the rider was now next to the hot chick.

I watched from behind as he looked over to her just as she looked towards him. You could tell he was trying to acknowledge her even with his full helmet on.  She just turned away.

A second later the light turned green and the rider proceeded to fly off the line.  Unfortuantely, the lane had a severe slope to the right and he hardly crossed the intersection before the bike got pulled down the slope and he ran straight into the curb and wiped out.

I jumped out of my car to make sure he was okay.  He was...and he was lucky, he was accelerating so fast that a few more feet might of made a huge difference.

Anyway, the hot chick had pulled up along side.  As I helped him up we both looked up at her and she, seeing that he was alright, shook her head and sped off.

I tried really hard to contain my laughter but it did not really work.  Luckily, after a minute he got a good laugh out of it too.

[rick_nowak]

Dating MYself???
how about the Matchless G80CS, and the first bike, a 90cc Garelli Rex!!!!  i have a scar i can still see on my hand from the Garelli-spring 1966, in college and living away from home.  parents would not consider having a motorcycle in the driveway.  the Diana came a couple of years later. Several velos after that.

[Silver_Bullet]

You know Rick, the only thing more rare than the motorcycles you've listed is knowing one person OLD ENOUGH to have owned/ridden them ;D.  Sorry, couldn't help that one!  I'm just trying to get over turning 45 this year ::)

Mark

[Rick G]

Silver your just a kid.   I rode Allstate Mopheads (mopeds)  and 175's  a Harley 125  , 1948 model , before it became the hummer. A Honda  step through 50 ( rode that one from Azusa CA. to Palm Springs and back!  in one day! a 250 Puch  Gelandesport  that had raced in the Catalena grand prix. I'll stop now. as the are over a hundred more of all types and sizes. those WERE the good old days.!

[redxz550inoz]

I attended an accident scene the other night (car v motoguzzi).
Car pulled out from side street and just plain didn't see the rider. Saw the other cars in the other lane (two lane highway). Rider didn't have enough time/ room to avoid the car and ended up getting collected about the right knee by front corner of it.
Typical bike owner though - more concerned that we'd look after his bike than his own health LOL.

On a much lighter note - I managed to drop my V the first time I rode it.
Got back from my ride, put my foot down and over she went.
Seems I got so comfortable riding I forgot I was on the V and not my little GPX - doh!
Only injury was to my pride and after having a good laugh at my expense, my boyfriends (now hubby) neighbour helped me pick her up.   ;D

be safe all - rubber side down my instructor always used to say!

C

[scootertramp]

oh golly gee, Red; all the BEST RIDERS drop and dump their scoots..
I just dropped mine five days ago..

I was turning around and got off balance and quicker'n you could say: bingo bango bongo, it was a'layin' on its side.
it's HAIL to pick up by yoursef' too.
you should really PRACTICE pickin' it up offen the ground..
Vroom! 8)

[admin]

on a similar note;
posted from the sportsriders of NewEngland listserv.

I decided to put one of my Motorcycle Consumer News articles on the web for you to read. It's one I believe many can benefit from and I hope some of you will subscribe to the magazine. It's not on newstands and is advertising-free. However, because there is no advertising, it's more expensive than the glossy advertorials.


http://www.kencondon.com/mcn.html

-Ron

[h2olawyer]

Excellent article.  Thanks for the post, Ron!

[Joshua Johnson]

Ok so yea i geuss riding school does help. I just finished my Pioneer Valley Rider Training this weekend...an learned that 80% of all crashes happen because of improper turning..also the fact that many riders try braking in the turn an dont realize that you are already using a limited amount of rubber for traction to keep on the pavment let alone apply a stopping force to the minimal amount cuasing the front, rear, or both ends to go out from underneath you. Man i love knowledge..