another fatality ;(

yet another biker bites the big one... this one almost takes his pillion
with him...


Biker hits S.J. train and dies; female passenger injured
Mercury News

A motorcyclist died and his passenger was critically injured Sunday in a
collision involving a stopped light-rail train in downtown San Jose,
according to police.

The motorcycle driver, 52, of Gilroy, apparently lost control of his 2002
Harley Davidson and struck the center divider at Woz Way and West San
Carlos Street, according to a statement issued by San Jose police. His
motorcycle overturned, and he was thrown under the stopped Valley
Transportation Authority train.

His female passenger was thrown onto the tracks, where she was found
unconscious. She was in critical condition Sunday at San Jose Medical
Center.

Neither victim was identified pending notification of relatives.

The accident occurred about 5:40 p.m. when the train had stopped in
preparation for a turn. Fifteen people were aboard, but no other injuries
were reported.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call San Jose
police at (408) 277-4654.
==========================

one wonders how much experience this rider had? I'm firmly of the opinion
that noone should carry a rider til he has about 15000 miles and at
*least* a year of experience

 

I agree (and I am resigned to getting flamed for saying this) - when you
take a passenger on the back of your bike you are taking their life in
your hands (and trusting them with your life, too).

According to this story - he hit the center divider and then was thrown
under the train. So biker error probably caused this accident. Too
bad for both of them. Too bad for their family: he was 52 ... sounds
like someone's Mom & Dad.

JB

 

This is something that's been pissing me off a bit lately. That is, the
influence of pop culture images which inspire utter idiots to
"accessorize" with a motorcycle. This means, no training, no riding a
smaller bike more appropriate for the learning curve, as a used Honda
Twinstar just doesn't project the image they wish to achieve. I'm not
just talking about Harleys this time! Thanks to the proliferation of
images featuring young hottie girls on big rice rockets, I'm starting to
see this on the road. Little "Dark Angels" on big Ninas, wearing lovely,
expensive leather that wouldn't protect you from an incoming
grasshopper, black, of course. Looking good, until you blow the turn and
wind up cheese-grated all over the asphalt. I don't think these
wanna-bes even realize that the motorcycle action played on the screen
is performed by the very best motorcyclists money can buy, as well as
expensive CGI effects! So, I see this little 20 something girlie on a
big Suzuki the other day, outfitted as described above. Mind you, she
was in first gear, which probably saved her bacon, but she <snicker>
blew a turn onto 6th Ave. from Market Street, wobbled, and fell over
right in the intersection. Then the poor little muffin couldn't even
pick up her own bike. The spiked heel leather booties she was wearing
might've contributed to that. While I'm waiting for her to clear the
damned road (yeah, I could have gone around but I was too busy sneering)
a nice man got out of his truck and helped her right her bike, which had
its nice plastic all scratched up.

Now, I'm not a total asshole. I've often stopped to help other riders.
But dammit, these little pieces of fluff with too much money and not
enough brains who think you can just buy a bike like it's a purse, take
it out and look good without any thought to the potential hazards just
crisps my bacon! That bimbo should NOT have been out on the street, she
obviously lacked any skills whatsoever, and she's gonna kill herself on
that thing. Most people crash at least once in the first six months of
riding. The guy at Munroe Motors told me that a certain percentage don't
even make it home from the shoproom floor! I didn't stop to help her
pick up her bike because I didn't see her as a serious rider. I mean,
c'mon, two inch spiked heels??? A cunningly crafted, buttery-soft
leather cat suit? These Buffies need to have their heads rattled! Yeah,
they're just ickle-cute as hell on their big rice rockets, until they
kiss pavement. And chances are, most of them will. This just proves that
the DMV test is bunk. I'm seeing more and more of these Barbies on bikes
lately, kitted out like they're in some futuristic movie where nobody
ever crashes or loses control of their machines. Hell, put me on a Ninja
and I'd rack up speeding tickets faster than you can count and get into
all kinds of trouble. I know how exhilarating it is to feel that surge
when you open the throttle! My favorite spot riding home from work is
where G Street turns into Hwy 94, where you can just open it up and
scream! But then, I'm a Trained Professional (heh) and I like to think I
know what I'm doing. Okay, I'm done ranting now. Mindless
accessorization just pisses me off!

barbz

 

And wasn't Dark Angel done on a black EX250?

And hey, put enough Cal stickers on a yellow EX250 and you get asked
"Are you on the Cal Racing Team?" At least according to my
girlfriend.

 

They should be restricted to Pintas???

An assumption on your part -- they may have taken the MSF course and
if they were under 21, they certainly did.

1. You better. The speed limit goes from 25 to 65 in one jump and
that's 65 Socal miles per hour.
2. The message is reinforced by the big motorcycle shop at the corner
just before the freeway starts.

R, UB

 

Not if they just have the learner's permit, IIRC.

 

That would have been the perfect opportunity for you to set her straight and
possibly show her the way.

Earl
VMax

 

Too true. In one of our LS1 webboards we regularly get questions from guys
who thinks it would be 'cool' to have a bike. The usual question is
'should I buy the R1 or the GSX-R1000?'. When told that they should get a
beginner bike you first get the attitude 'I drive a 300hp car, so I can
handle a 150hp motorcycle' and when told that that's simply untrue they
start bitching about 'us arrogant motorcycle types who don't want a youg
guy to be cool'.

No way of telling these people that a R1 does not make a beginner a good
rider but has a knack for making beginners dead.

Chris

 

Or at least Santa Marias ;-)

And an assumption on your part--I no longer assume most riders have an M1
license.

 

And even if one is heartless and says "Good riddance" to these foolhardy
beginners - note that their accidents contribute to the image of
motorcycling being extremely dangerous (NSAIDS kill almost three times
as many people per year as bikes do) and this in turn raises our insurance.


Then again, if someone has that sort of attitude and manages to survive
the first few hundred miles, they'll likely become one of those squids
who antagonize cagers.

 

[..]


Could you let us know where to find these little
20-something buttery soft spiked heel bimbo-muffins?

Purely for scientific research purposes of course!


Eric

 

LOL! Damn finger gremlins...good one!

They may have. If the ones I've seen so far DID, it didn't soak in.
Buttery black leather jumpsuits might look good, but won't do diddly for
roadrash. Cool now, pay later?

Yo, them's my homies! A bit of SD history, when I first started going to
GP Cycle (hi, geoff and paul) they were on 10th and G. Little shop,
homey sorta place. Well, that plot of land got sold and GP moved to 16th
and G. Cheaply built, overly priced apartments went up on the old lot.
What's it called? "Moto Villas," in honor of the little motorcycle shop
that once was there.

Now, I always wait until I'm across the limit line to the freeway to
crack the throttle. Got a new tire at GP last week, decided to wander
around downtown on foot to kill time. I spotted a motor officer hiding
behind the building kitty-corner to GP, two blocks from the freeway
start. Well hidden. Waiting for people who like to begin getting up to
freeway speed early.
I waved...but heck, I was walkin!

barb

 

You're quite right. She might have listened. I might've scared the hell
outta her. Or, she might've thought I was some dork geezer who should
mind my own biz. Spose I should have made the attempt, though. It
couldn't have hurt. Well, except the geezer thing...

barb

 

My research has shown that they tend to proliferate in clubbing areas
downtown after work. I have banded several of them with tracking
devices, so if you're ever in San Diego, you can take out the telemetry
equipment and locate them for our study. (we require a small deposit on
the telemetry gear)

barbz

 

Yeah. Interesting factoid: Allstate wanted $1600/yr for a Ducati 750SS and
$350/yr for a Ducati 750 Monster. Almost the same bike, just that the
Monster is nekkid.

The other day I was driving south on 280 between Lawrence and
Winchester in very heavy traffic and some squid (helmet, t-shirt, shorts)
on the loudest sportbike (didnt recognize the type) I have _ever_ heard
was pulling wheelies on shortest stretches of free HOV lane, pissing off
every cager within a mile.

I don't mind some hotrodding now and then and I don't mind loud pipes, but
this is simply too much. And people wonder why the chips crack down on
pipes and 'speeders' - public pressure is the reason - from the very
cagers this clown pissed off totally unnecessarily.

Chris

 

Thanks for the heads up.

I was at the Wild Animal Park last week and there were two or three
black and whites lying in wait along San Pasqual Rd. I was starting
to feel badly about holding traffic to the speed limit until I spied
the first one.
R, UB

 

Is that a LowJill?
R, UB

 

Don't worry, he won't be riding long.

 

Let's just hope he doesnt manage to get someone else killed...

Chris

 

The rider was a Santa Clara County Sherrif. The woman was his
girl friend (his wife died some years back from cancer). Since
there hasn't been much activity on this thread (and my source is
out of town), I'm not sure of the woman's condition.

Can't speak to the riders expertise, but am in agreement with most
in this thread that there should be some means to prevent folks
from buying the biggest displacement their wallets can afford.
I've always like the European approach to licensing where you
start out on a small displacement and work your way up over
time.

Just my $0.02 worth, YMMV.
- jm