be safe people

[Loyalizer]

I google earthed the intersection in question. That HWY is fairly wide. In California 80 is not an overly exceptional speed on a HWY or FWY. Regardless of speed the odd maneuver of performing a u-turn carried the greater burden of being more observant. I have no doubt that even the residents of that area are fully aware of the speeds travelled and the population of motorcycles as well. However it is also possible that a 1098 was far more bike than the rider could handle.

Have you ever driven a car or ridden a bike where you suddenly didn't realize that you were going 80 mph, as if it did that on its own. Well let me tell you, on my little 620, I know exactly when I'm going 60 mph. Now I have never ridden a 1098, but I will bet, you can be moving along at 50 mph and not realize you are suddenly traveling 80 mph...


For those of you that are religious pray for us all, for those of you that are not, choose your drug its all the same....

RIP  JRS (my bad & VLH)

[DCXCV]

News story: Suzuki Forenza traveling at 80 mph broadsides 1098 making a u-turn. 

This thread would be full of posts blaming the driver 100% for speeding.  They can probably tell he was doing around 80 by how far into the car the bike got before it stopped.  This is 99.9% the biker's fault and it's unfortunate he took someone with him.

RIP to the real victim: Virgil Lewis Hardman Jr.

[Grampa]

you have to also fault the driver since he didn't properly clear the lane. despite the speed of the oncoming traffic. what if it was an unmarked police car traveling that fast?

he left skid marks....and he hit the car so hard.... it knocked it on it's side.

[Duc Fever]

You are all missing the most impotant part of the story:

"Traffic on Rosedale was impacted for about 90 minutes." 

[corey]

how does one make a u-turn on a highway?
RIP to all parties involved, it's a tragic incident that could be avoided by more careful actions on both ends IMO.
That being said, even though i have not been riding for very long, I honestly can't ever recall my self coming up to, or going through and intersection at anywhere near 60mph, let alone 80.
Intersections = death.

[hbliam]

you have to also fault the driver since he didn't properly clear the lane. despite the speed of the oncoming traffic. what if it was an unmarked police car traveling that fast?

At some point you have to admit that excessive speed negates the ability and responsibility of the driver of the car.

What if it was an unmarked police car? The agency would get sued and would lose if the police car was not operating it's lights and sirens.

[hbliam]

how does one make a u-turn on a highway?

Don't confuse highway with what you commonly think of as a freeway.

"Highway" is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly
maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of
vehicular travel. Highway includes street."

[Grampa]

Rosedale HWY... is not a hwy. It is in most places a two lanes in each direction road.

[River]

how does one make a u-turn on a highway?
RIP to all parties involved, it's a tragic incident that could be avoided by more careful actions on both ends IMO.
That being said, even though i have not been riding for very long, I honestly can't ever recall my self coming up to, or going through and intersection at anywhere near 60mph, let alone 80.
Intersections = death.

+1

This whole thing is tragic.

No one is innocent of blame, either.

Not that it matters.  Two people are dead.

BP, thanks for posting this.  

There is one other thing I'd like to point out: too many people, for the sake of "having fun," (read, "ego-driven insanity") get bikes that have WAY more power than they can reasonably handle AND think it's a brilliant idea to ride said bikes on the street at excessive speeds.  If you want to to go fast, do it on a track.  If you want to enjoy your life, not kill yourself and take someone else with you, and be the old guy/gal with all the cool stories, ride responsibly.  And for heaven's sake ride a motorcycle you can handle.  Crotch rockets (forgive the term but it's accurate) are totally unnecessary, IMO, for those of us on the street.  My 620 will beat a 1098 in the canyons any day of the week and twice on Sunday if I'm a better rider than the person on the 1098.

One other note:  Duck-Stew and I had multiple car-driver-idiocy incidents on Saturday, including THREE vehicles making a U-turn in the middle of a canyon road in a blind corner, and a huge tractor-trailer truck blocking BOTH lanes of a two-lane road in ANOTHER blind corner.  Had we been speeding either time, we'd have been dead.  Because we were riding responsibly and gave ourselves time to react to freaky situations, we were fine and the worst thing that happened was I flipped a guy off.

People are idiots.  There's no getting around the fact that we share the road with them.

Be safe out there.

(Steps off soap box...)

[River]

Have you ever driven a car or ridden a bike where you suddenly didn't realize that you were going 80 mph, as if it did that on its own. Well let me tell you, on my little 620, I know exactly when I'm going 60 mph. Now I have never ridden a 1098, but I will bet, you can be moving along at 50 mph and not realize you are suddenly traveling 80 mph...

I've driven a car that was very quiet, very smooth and VERY powerful and been in triple digits before I realized it.  I've also driven cars that were not as powerful and I knew EXACTLY how fast I was going at all times.

Again, all the more reason to ride a motorcycle on the street that is reasonably powered for the street.  High horse-power motorcycles should be track bikes only.

Dammit, I got back on my soap box again...

(Ducks head and steps off said soap box once more.)

[scduc]

RIP   We have to ride defensively. If there is a car on the same road as you, you have to assume that he will cut you off/ slam on his breaks/ or make some irrational move. Never ride along side close behind or allow others to drive closely behind you. And for Gods sake think before twisting the throttle.

[Grampa]

FWIW.....


I posted this because I'm pretty sure that had I met the guy and we went on a ride together, I'd consider him a friend.

This coming weekend, I plan on making me a few more friends at DIMBY, and I don't want to see somebody I consider a friend push'n up daisies.


Back when I got my first monster... I spent a couple of weeks on it were I was riding around thinking that everybody out there was trying to kill me. I rode very defensively, half scared, and half pissed off. A couple of weeks later.... I totaled the bike by launching it and myself over the edge of a canyon. I think there was a small part of me being on the defensive that played a roll in my accidents cause. I was not relaxed.

Cherub (Felix over at TOB) posted up in a riding techniques thread about how he thought it best to ride on the offense, as if you own the road. I don't remember his take on it word for word..... but I  now ride like I own the road. I make myself seen. I ride with high beams on during the day.... I make sure people can see me in thier mirrors.... I switched from all black gear to brighter colors.... I pump the brake at stop lights.... I even give people a lil exhaust blast if they need a wakeup call. I have a ton more fun while riding because of it, and believe it or not...... it's a very relaxed way to ride.

It's my f'n road....... and I'm making sure its safe for me.

[Speedbag]

And I'd ride in a leopardskin Speedo, fully oiled, to be seen if it weren't so darn dangerous.

[Grampa]

And I'd ride in a leopardskin Speedo, fully oiled, to be seen if it weren't so darn dangerous.

w/o pics...... LIE

[Speedbag]

Don't tempt me!!!