Topic: 18 year old killed on bike

[Rocking-M]

Just heard this morning of an motorcycle fatality here in the county last week.
A young fellow had gotten a 250 against his father's wishes, but was allowed to
by his mother (from whom his father was separated).
He was riding with his buddies who were on 600's (I'm guessing sport bikes).
His father gave him some great advice and told him to "ride his ride".
They came over to Floyd County and he was behind and came up to an intersection
where a car was turning around or looked like it needed help.
They told him his friend had gone off the road in the previous curve.
He was "riding his ride" and was behind them and didn't see his friend
laying in the pasture when he went by.

I'm sure motorcycling will take on a new meaning to the 18 year old after this.

[BruceA cb550]

An all to often tragedy with young riders.  Thank God the one boy listened to his fathers advice.

[GeoffT]

A 32 year old was killed here  couple of weeks ago. No one else involved but it seems excessive speed was a factor. From what I hear the guy was an experienced rider and had rode a bike for many years. You just never know.

Thoughts and prayers to both these families.

Ride safe guys.

[BruceA cb550]

I'm not an experienced rider but at 47 I know that my body cant take what it once would and I dont much care for pain.  I'm also an xray tech that has worked in a level 1 trauma center and have been witness to the devestation that the body suffers on the inside as well as the outside from motorcycle accidents.  These things wont keep me from riding but they sure make me extremely cautious.

[huntman58]

I was luck I crashed one time when about 19 .Lost half my knee cap in it .it also let s me know about it now and then to this day 30 plus years later. I was riding to fast about 70 in a curve getting on the freeway at the time hit gravel and down I went. Now I ride like no one sees me so I expect every thing to happen as if the do not see me. I also no longer ride like I know the bike and am in full control at all times as I know I am not. There is nothing I can do if the bike has a flat or breaks down on its own so there I am not in control but along for the ride. I also have rode the 750 sideways like a dirt biker one time from a electrical break down I did not see coming .all of a sudden I could not power out of the last half of a comer . again ya just never know so riding like no one see's me is how I ride as most don't see you because of shaving , makeup cell phone kids in the back seats ect .

[Orcinus]

Sometimes it just boils down to it being your time...  We lost a couple here in Oklahoma last Sunday, they were riding home from church on their Full Dresser, as they started across a bridge, a truck heading in the opposite direction tapped his brakes and the trailer that he was hauling came unhitched, snapped it's safety chains and came across the double yellow.  It was loaded with several tons of tractor.  No where for anyone to go. 

[Rocking-M]

That sums it up for sure, when our time is up it's up. I'd prefer to go in blaze.
Don't want to go drolling in my oatmeal. Be right with God and all else comes when it comes.

Hey El Cheapo, maybe we'll see you at the tail of the dragon. I plan to run it this year in the car.
Then next on the bike, at a reduced pace of course.

[nickjtc]

I had four accidents within the first two years of being on two wheels; all completely avoidable. At the time it was the standard joke of 'learning in the school of hard knocks'. I'm lucky to still be around.

After 24 years of riding I took a weekend 'licenced riders course' and learned more in those two days of training than I had done over all those years of riding. For me it seemed as if putting miles under the wheels was just doing that...I wasn't actually learning anything. Once someone explained why things go wrong everything fell into place. Since that training I have ridden with a completely different mind set.

[Terry in Australia]

You know, here in Oz, the most susceptable age group is actually ours guys, there are heaps of blokes in their mid thirties to late fifties returning to bikes after many years 'bike-less" who end up taking a short cut to the funeral home.

Why? Well they probably think that they're old enough and mature enough to handle a big bike, but have had very little experience in such a long time to back up this false sense of security. Cheers, Terry.

[dpen]

My opinion is that this is caused by the "born again biker.

Rode a bike when young & gave it up , raised a family etc.

Family grown up & left home, bloke decides to get another bike (he's kept his licence valid for the last 20 years so he has no size limitations even though he hasn't ridden for those 20 years).

Fondly remembers how good he used to be (or thought he was) & thinks nothing has changed on the road.

Goes out & buys a Hardly Desirable or a crotch rocket, shoots off down the road & SPLAT.

Like a lot of the people on this site I've been riding for over 40 years & have never been without a bike.

If people of our experience can have prangs, how much more susceptable are these "born agains?"

[Rushoid]

Cornelius Martin - Killed by a pot-smoking truck driver. "At the time of his death, Martin owned a Bowling Green aviation company, Harley-Davidson dealerships in Bowling Green and Louisville, and 15 auto dealerships in Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, California, West Virginia and Arizona." http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060605/NEWS0104/606050345

From the accounts around here (Louisville) he was well-respected just for bringing better business practices to the local Harley dealership. Apparently they used to be a bunch of snobby pricks...

[nickjtc]

I'm sure that BC is no different than anywhere else. The stats show that there are two rapidly rising accident demographics in the province:

'Born agains', exactly as described by dpen, are hurting themselves seriously on the basis of unfamiliarity with their machine, or due to lack of experience (no experience?) or due to overestimating their capabilities.

Motorcycles are rear ending cars in greater numbers. Since the advent of universal ABS on 4 wheelers even the most inexperienced driver can stop quicker than the bike rider following (usually too close) behind.

[siter81]

I returned to riding after a near death experience 7 yrs ago.I was hit by a car going 45 mph,hit from behind and caught between the car and my truck.Almost lost my life and left leg to boot.As much as i enjoy riding i discourage my fellow want to be riders to not ride.Tell them its to dangerous out there.Go figure and i ride??.


My 2 cents.

Siter81   

[Rocking-M]

I haven't owned a bike in 16 years, have ridden a few since then but not enough
to stay sharp. I time trial cars so I'm a bit use to speed.

As a "born again" rider here is how I look at it. It's like starting over. I remember the
first 2 weeks are the worst time. I also ride on the toughest roads in the country, a "worse" than "tail of the
dragon" everywhere I ride. Gravel on the road is a distinct possibility. Drivers continually cross the
yellow lines, if there are any lines. (The same curve I mention the 18 year old was killed in,
my youngest son hit a car trailer over the line, pealed the car trailers front axle off, bent my sons
front left tire around backwards and he slid his brothers Fiat spider off the bank ending up upside down.
Walked away nary a scratch but the car was totalled, when it's not your time it's not your time)

Anyway I decided when I got the 750 to treat it like I was starting over, though I have maintained
a motorcycle license all these years. Particularly to watch out for the 2 week scenario I went through the
first time at 18. I rode a ditched that time and stayed up but really taught me a lesson. I need to practice
panic stops in curves, straight lines are no problem, coming around curves around here can be.

So any practical advice on say, "panic stops in a curve" would be appreciated. Slow speed stuff I'll practice on
my own (This is all they do in the local motorcycle safty sessions.)

[StevieMac]

So any practical advice on say, "panic stops in a curve" would be appreciated. Slow speed stuff I'll practice on
my own (This is all they do in the local motorcycle safety sessions.)

Well, there is only so much traction available at any one time, so any traction that is used up cornering the bike will be traction you can't use for braking I.e. if say 50% of the available traction is being used to corner then you only have 50% of your available traction left to slow the bike down.

The best way to get a bike stopped quickly is in a straight line I.e. stand the bike up and brake as hard as possible.  Then turn hard back into the turn (if that's what's required by the situation).  You 'can' brake in corners while the bike is leaned over but it's easy to get it wrong.  Especially if you're a beginning (or re-entry) rider. 

I believe the MSF course does have a section on 'swerving followed immediately by a panic stop' which teaches you to separate the two actions of turning quickly and getting stopped quickly.

I'd definitely recommend taking an MSF course and learning from a trained instructor.

[flyin_]

So any practical advice on say, "panic stops in a curve" would be appreciated. Slow speed stuff I'll practice on
my own (This is all they do in the local motorcycle safty sessions.)

I think the main thing they teach in the MSF for panic braking in a corner is don't do it while still leaning.  Adjust your line and get the bike vertical and hit the brakes as needed. 

[Bob Wessner]

I think the main thing they teach in the MSF for panic braking in a corner is don't do it while still leaning.  Adjust your line and get the bike vertical and hit the brakes as needed. 

\

Sounds good on paper and in theory..

[Rocking-M]

That is the way I've always done it, but here that isn't pratical.
Our roads are to tight. So any curve that you can't see around
it's probably best to hit slow enough to stand it up to stop and stay in
your lane. There are to many idiots on 4 wheels.
I've been hit once years ago as I related earlier, but that was because someone
ran a stop light. I learned on straight roads but use to hunt for
curves now I would like to see a few straights now and then

[cbjunkie]

the physics makes sense, but the bike is leaned over for a reason...because the road is bending out of your way - standing it up you might stop faster and not fall over, then again, you might end up pretty quick somewhere you don't want to be...

i've been thinking of laying it down - do y'all remember CHiPs? they used to lay bikes down to avoid impact, but i can't imagine throwing that weight around, cripes i weigh about a quarter of my bike...

[Bob Wessner]

the physics makes sense, but the bike is leaned over for a reason...because the road is bending out of your way - standing it up you might stop faster and not fall over, then again, you might end up pretty quick somewhere you don't want to be...

My thoughts exactly. Almost any of the curves I could think of around here, were this to happen, you would end up spread eagle around a tree trunk, in a ditch, or on a barbed wire fence in a split second. Luckily I have not had to do it and practice seems, well.. distructively dangerous.

[Terry in Australia]

Well interestingly, my old Ducati 900SS (a real one, not one of those poofy reliable modern ones) was the best braking, best handling bike I ever rode at the time, but it's one apparent handling fault was that it would "stand up" in corners under hard braking. Whether this was a design fault or an inbuilt "Terry saver" (nah, who'd go out of their way to do that?) enhancement, I'll never know.

Surprisingly enough, this was only a momentary issue, as I could throw it back over mid corner once I'd washed off some excess speed, without upsetting it's handling, or unduly soiling my trousers. I never really got used to it and sold it when that pos engine rattled itself to death, but in hindsight, (where most wisdom apparently comes from) I'd agree that it can be done, (maybe not on an "out of control" sohc4 with crap brakes as standard) reasonably safely. Cheers, Terry.