I was riding into work late Thursday morning after the dentist. I decided to take the freeway and suddenly it backed up to a standstill. I knew something was up so I slowly lane split the mess, I made my way through about 1.5 miles of parked cars. A few emergency vehicles had blown by trying to get to the scene at the same time. Finally I got to the front and the scene was fresh, about ten minutes fresh. First responders were blocking all lanes, there was a banged up van and another citizen directing traffic. CHP was just getting ahold of the situation while firefighters cut the clothes off a lifeless body. They were trying to resuscitate him while he laid on the concrete where minutes ago people were going about their business. I slowly rode by and saw everything from less than a lane away. Sadly it was a 62 year old gentleman from Campbell. Turns out he was traveling at a unknown speed, traffic abruptly slowed and he was unable to slow fast enough and rear ended the van. They rushed him to Stanford Hospital and he pronounced dead. It's saddening but admittedly won't stop me from riding. This is probably the 3rd or 4th accident like this I've seen involving a motorcyclist. It's a sad reminder to slow down, check your surroundings and stay frosty.

Didn't mean to bum anyone out but maybe next time you get pissed or impatient think twice before you do something unpredictable.

 

Good reminder...


Did you fix your carb issues?

 

Not bummed out, but reminded of how easy it can happen when we ride.

Vigilance and a healthy distrust of other motorists is the only way to stay relatively safe

 

Motorcycle related fatalities are up around here and it's mostly the older generation.

I see a lot of new riders on big cruisers that should be riding little cruiser bikes with their skill level. I wouldn't be surprised if this has something to do with it..

 

Most bikes will out brake any car or truck, following too close and not paying attention is a bad habit. In a car it will raise your insurance, on a bike it kills.

 

Just remember it's not the bikes performance, it's the rider. Never ride faster than your abilities and never ride faster than your vision allows. Being able to read, process and react to a situation is a lot different than just slamming on your brakes as best you can. I still get a little crazy sometimes but I'm also humbled by close calls and dumb choices. Hopefully I never have a hard lesson but we know the risks each time we ride. It is what it is and I'm willing to take that risk to enjoy the many benifits on two wheels.

On a side note I haven't dug into my carb yet. I've been super busy with school (taking a law class right now) and I'm getting married in less than two weeks. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out soon!

Rather than starting a new thread I'll just ask it here since it pertains to "safety" ...
I'm looking at getting a 4 season touring jacket, I can score a 400ish dollar jacket on close out for 129 right now. I'm leaning towards the Alpinestars Scout Touring Drystar or Firstgear Kathmandu. I trust AS but is first gear any good? Never owned their stuff.

 

Under controlled conditions a bike will out-brake a car but I'd bet the average rider cannot out-brake most cars while riding in traffic or common road conditions. It takes practice and skill to get the braking perfect and few do that practice often enough to remain proficient and WILLING to grab the binders that hard.

As for following too close, it's so common it's sickening. I've had a unseen 2x4 fly up and pass by head at highway speeds and I wasn't all that close to the vehicle in front of me. The moron behind me decided I was responsible and tailgated me (5 - 10' MAX) for 2 miles, until the police intervened and 'distracted' him.

Only YOU can make yourself safer.

 

I always thought that cars could stop faster.

 

That's what I thought until I got rear ended by a Harley one time.

 

Harleys don't count, they don't do anything particularly well.

NorcalKLX, no idea on the jacket, suggest reading reviews on RockymountainATV, ADV or other sites to get an understanding of the various viewpoints out there. Really, jackets are so personal, regarding fit and comfort. I have an older Tourmaster 2 and it works great 80% of the time....the remainder it's a sweaty mess or freezing me when it gets wet.