Ride & accident report -- Feather River Canyon

Boys & girls...
..although I initially intended to write a ride report, this somehow
turned into an accident report instead.

First some background bits: every Wednesday night my buddy Jack and I are
trying to come up with something different to do. But since I was having
my birthday on Wednesday, Jack said he'd accommodate any wishes I have for
the entire day, (I hope there's no kinky payback involved for his birthday
this coming Thursday...) So I decided that my b-day present would be to
truck our Ducatis up to Feather River Canyon and ride until we had no
rubber left.

For the mortals who slept thru their history and geography classes;
Feather River Canyon is one of Californians true gold nuggets, (actually
back in the gold-rush era it was literally a nugget.) This canyon is
located up in the Sierra mountains (approx. 250 miles northeast of San
Francisco) and contains the most amazing scenery, spectacular bridges, a
historic railroad (completed in 1909), a friendly hippie town (Quincy),
but above all, it has the most amazing race-road in the world, (I'll
challenge anyone who'd dispute this fact.) This canyon road was first
built as a one-laner alongside the rail-track & river, but has then been
widened into two lanes and partially relocated -- it now resembles an
endless racetrack through a spectacular scenery. (I was first introduced
to this area a few years ago by my longtime Ducati friend Jim who's a
native Northern Californian for generations.) In fact, this canyon looks
like a slice out of western Norway -- it's that nice! (very similar to the
nature between Sauda and Hellandsbygd.) Hence, this trip cured my
homesickness. The only difference is that Feather River Canyon has all
those unique long open 100mph sweepers -- it's like Monza going through
the most beautiful nature -- hundreds of miles of race-track material (if
you include the Bucks Lake loop.) Btw, several books and videos have been
released about Feather River Canyon.

Initially we had an optimistic estimate that seven of us 'i motociclisti
italiani' would do this ride, but most of my friends were too tied up at
work to take off midweek or were abroad (the latter goes for Tom and
Martin.) So we ended up being only three; Jack (who works at Apple
orchard or something..?) and Jonathan (a fellow composer who's doing
whatever whenever), and myself.

Using a trailer hitch tote, we managed to stack all three bikes on Jack's
truck (Ford F150), and took off at 5 am, (after only two hours of sleep.)
We stopped in Pleasanton for a long breakfast, and from there headed up
580, 208, I-5 to Sacramento, and then 99 & 70 up to Oroville, (Feather
River Canyon runs along HWY-70 -- see link below.) We staged at the
bottom end of the canyon, about ten miles north of Oroville.

While we were off-loading the bikes it felt like it's gonna be hot hot
hot, but as soon as we were on the go, the temperature luckily turned out
to be quite pleasant. And so it was the entire day.

On our first run up the canyon we run into quite a few logging-trucks and
more cars than expected. Later we were told that the traffic was due to
the upcoming High Sierra Music Festival which started the following day in
Quincy -- they expected 10k people! Although the road has hardly any
straights, it was fairly easy to pass the traffic. During our lunch break
in Quincy a chef from a nearby restaurant came out and spoke with us.
Being a local VFR rider, he highly recommended us to go down to Oroville
on Bucks Lake Rd. & HWY-162 and then do this loop backwards again, ending
with a run down Feather River Canyon. And so we did.

The Bucks Lake Rd. & HWY-162 was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't on scale
with the canyon, and certainly not as scenic, but the road was very nice
-- a lot of new smooth paved back asphalt. It reminded me of Skaggs
Springs and HWY-9... but with no cops and no traffic. When getting to
Oroville we turned around and headed in the opposite direction back up to
Quincy again, (well, it took some effort to convince the party poopers to
come with me -- but since it was my birthday, they had to comply.)

On our last leg from Quincy down the canyon, I squirted ahead from the
boys -- I wanted to squeeze out the last 70 miles at a faster pace.
However, only a few miles into it, while heading over a blind crest, who
d'ya think sits there at the side of the road, pointing a radar gun at me?
Realizing that I've just bought myself a birthday ticket, I nose-dive
braked right in front of him and then waved in an attempt to show my
guilt. Surprisingly, the CHP officer just returned the wave with a
finger-gesture out the window "you better slow down, buddy boy." Very
nice of him -- he could easily have popped me a 90mph citation.

After this little snafu reminder, it wasn't long until I got back into the
swing, now really feeling the sweet mojo -- if there's a paradise, I'm
smack in the middle of it right now, and better yet; this paradise has no
traffic whatsoever! I made the Ducati howl ferociously through this
beautiful canyon at early twilight -- sweeper after sweeper, the bike felt
like planted through every turn. Although it's kind of hairy to take your
eyes off the road at this pace, I snuck a peek at the speedo while exiting
a long sweeper... and it read 110mph, (it was my birthday, okay?!) With a
permanent grin on my face I was thinking that I don't need anything else
in life than this -- I'm as happy and satisfied I can get.

But everything has to come to an end, and sure an end it was...

Since I've been curious to know what top speed my gearing has (15T front,
45T rear), I decided to completely open it up on the very last
straightaway in the vicinity of our parked truck -- this was literally the
last 45 seconds of the ride, (which started 8 hours earlier.) While
watching the speedo creeping up to 130mph (208km/h), I can see something
lying in the opposite lane 200 meters ahead. This "something" suddenly
takes off flying across into my lane of travel... right in front of me!

At speeds like this, certainly the tunnel vision plays a big part of
making anything look enormous -- but that bird was among the biggest
flying objects I've seen, (a Turkey Vulture's wingspan is almost 6 feet.)
It was like being attacked by a flapping monster -- just before impact it
felt like someone had turned off the switch -- it all got dark.

Immediately before smashing into it, my survival reflex kicked in -- I got
into a fetal position and delivered a desperate "Aw please God... don't do
this to me." I barely had time to tuck my head down behind the windshield
before the vulture violently hit the bike head on. KABOOM. Of course,
anything involving feathers makes things look more dramatic, but it surely
was like an explosion had gone off in my face.

While coasting to a stop at the side of the road, I could feel some pain
in my shoulder -- "Hum, therefore I must be alive...?" Obviously, I was
in the state of shock. Some parts of the bird or debris from the
windshield must have hit me, but I soon realized I was okay, (I wear
motocross gear underneath my leathers, including hard-shell arm, chest,
and shoulder protection.)

Recently I had an email exchange with a local racer who told me when faced
with an imminent disaster, times often goes into slow-motion while the
brain processes the options that lie ahead. To me, however, everything
was in speedup-motion. When stepping off the bike it was more like, "What
the hell did just happened?!"

As I was coming down from my adrenaline high, I gauged the damages to the
bike, cleaned off some bird parts that was wedged between the smashed
windscreen and the mangled head-light brackets, and wiped some yucky
molasses off my leathers. A few minutes later Jack and Jonathan showed
up. Noticing the feathers on the ground, Jack commented that he saw a
large bird of-sort lying just up the road. I replied, "Take a look at my
bike and you'll know why."

Seeing how badly the bike was banged up by a bird (even the steel
sub-frame was bent), one can only imagine what a deer would do to it...
Later Jack measured that the vulture had ricochet 60 meters (the distance
from the dead squirrel it was eating, to where it was lying after the
impact.) But I guess most everything at 130mph will be fierce. It was
truly the Battle of the Birds -- Duck vs. Vulture.

As we were checking out the mangled bird, Jack commented, "I told you
Peer, you have no clue how to treat the chicks." Ha-ha, very funny.

-- peer



P.S. Thanks to the divine people at Nichols (Jon, Jim & Josh), it took me
longer to finish this ride report than it took them to fix my bike,
(although I could do without their "vulture-bike" jokes...)

Pictures of the damage:
http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/~peer/ducVulture.html

Vulture info:
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3250id.html

Feather River Canyon:
http://oroville-city.com/sightseeing/frcanyon.html

Hellandsbygd Norway:
http://www.haugalandet.net/fjt01lfs.jpg

 

Poor birdies!

I'm glad you're OK.

By the way, you were lucky to see only one cop on
that road.

Chuck

 

Pretty amazing that the Ducati can hit a 30? lb bird at 130 mph and come
away with a dent.

Equally amazing how a 30? lb bird can hit a 400lb Ducati traveling 130 mph
and stay in one piece.

M Hamlin

 

Yea, and I guess it's also amazing to walk away from this alive. However,
it's not until I saw the bent steel frame behind the dented fairing, and
the mangled headlight brackets, it dawned on me what force was involved.
We even had to re-weld the main frame. As for the bird, also I am amazed
it stayed in one piece -- although it was kind of "disconnected", so to
speak, (its juice was wrung out.)

-- peer

 

One thing they don't mention here...it's thought that they defecate on
their legs, not to cool them as claimed here, but to disinfect them.
Apparently their shit has bacteriacidal properties. Good thing,
considering their diet...

--
--barb

"Four wheels good, two wheels better!"

"Intelligent people who don't have a violin to grind realize that wind
forces generate far more resistance on your neck than helmet weight.
That modern designs do not inhibit peripheral vision, unless of course
that birdbrain you are in possession of has caused your eyes to migrate
to the side of your head."

--Demetrius XXIV

 

On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 03:55:53 +0000 (UTC),

Looks like this was the Year of the Mighty Ducks all across
California. Great report and glad the damage was no more than it was.
R, UB

 

Peer wrote: I decided to completely open it up on the very last

Doesn't anyone see anything wrong with 130 mph on a public road, even
one that's lightly traveled? What if you came upon some bicyclists,
fishermen, hikers, whatever - innocently crossing the road? This is
the sort of behavior that gives motorcyclists a bad rap. Take your
testosterone-laden motorcycle fantasies to the track.

 

I can't even begin to tell you of the karmic repercussions that come
from killing a vulture on the road. But if you've ever seen a twilight
zone episode, you might have some idea.

Good luck!

 

We all have hit 130 on public roads and we are all still here to tell
about it...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it... the extended warranty in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/

 

We all have hit 130 on public roads and we are all still here to tell
about it...[/QUOTE]

Complete bollox! It was only 121.

--
Mike

Do what you want, do it until you're blind

aol = mjbothe
yahoo = sv650boy

 

150-something. The speedo is a bit off at those speeds.

I'm consistently amazed that I'm still alive.

-B

 

I for one have only tested those waters on wide open desert roads where I
could see for miles and there aren't any trees for bambi to jump out from
behind.

that said, i remember being #3 of about 5 BMWs stretched out across the
straightaways on the western side of Hunter Liggett, doing maybe 80*, when
a Golden Eagle desided to fly between #1 and #2 at about helmet level.
dayum, that woulda been a messy hit, for sure. and, damn, dem birds is
BIG.

-jrp

* (honest, thats 80 kph!)

 

I was kind of wondering about trucking the bikes in to do it. Bet the locals
just love that. Still trying to remember where you can hit 130 along the
Feather River(if true)....but of course its ok because its a motorcyclist.
Would be more acceptable in the dessert where you can see for miles. imo

M Hamlin
(208km/h), I > can see something lying in the opposite lane 200 meters
ahead...

 

Would that be crème brulée?
R, UB

 

Heading south, this straightaway where I hit 130mph is located 68 miles
from Quincy (approx. 10 miles north of Oroville) -- this portion is
straight as an arrow and has four lanes. (See map below.)

Since the entire last leg of our ride had literally no cars,
lumber-trucks, bicyclists, fishermen, dorks or deer (but evidentially one
bird), I'd like to see who of you would stand up against the posted 55mph.
Seriously, is it only RC45-Larry who can be honest about this? (And did I
mention, it was my birthday?!)

By the way, that straightaway (where I hit the bird) is about 0.7 mile
long, has four lanes, is enclosed with Amco, and starts off with a
downhill so it's easy to get an overview of the entire straight -- a
perfect place to finally check ones top end.. (if there was no vulture,
that is). Here's the exact location: http://tinyurl.com/gef8 I hit that
stupid bird going southbound at the end of the straight before the turn
(where we parked our truck) which leads onto the bridge (located at the
bottom of the map).

Yea, killing a vulture might be a bad omen... but already as a kid I sold
my soul to the devil so I'll probably take the big jump anytime soon -- if
not on my Ducati, I bet there'll always be some cancer or something for
guys like me...

Btw, tomorrow 4am, five of us 'i motociclisti italiani' are heading up
thru the Sonora passes (for Irish Jack's birthday) -- with or without
vultures, I hope this run will be as nice as the Feather River Canyon.
Again, thanks to the divine guys at Nichols for fixing my bike.

-- peer

 

(bud) wrote in

It's moronic; take it to the track.

 

Dat's what I'M talkin 'bout! Protect yer ass, and the stuff preceding
it! Yow! Glad you're ok...didja eat the deer?

--
--barb

"Four wheels good, two wheels better!"

"Intelligent people who don't have a violin to grind realize that wind
forces generate far more resistance on your neck than helmet weight.
That modern designs do not inhibit peripheral vision, unless of course
that birdbrain you are in possession of has caused your eyes to migrate
to the side of your head."

--Demetrius XXIV

 

No, the deer ate me ;-) F&G doesn't look too kindly on removing fresh
roadkill and the Boise County Sheriff was watching closely. And after this
little incident, I think all venison sux....
Bruce