Rider Down - safety reminder

[dean2287]

This past weekend a friend of mine was riding with a group of cruisers. Along the way the group lost touch with a couple of the others so stopped to wait for them. Then people in their cars started stopping to tell the group there had been a motorcycle accident back on the highway. They rode back to find that one of the bikes had a rear tire blow out, and the passenger, a lady, was thrown off the bike and had been killed. The driver of the bike managed not to crash and was fine, but lost his wife.

Here's a good reminder to 1. make sure your bike is in sound condition all the time and 2. make sure your passenger is safe. I don't know if this bike had a sissy bar or not, or if it would have been a factor, but I've seen enough young girls barely hanging on to the back of a crotch rocket to make me shiver, and often not nearly dressed properly.

 

[Lefty]

That totally sucks and I can't imagine going through a loss like that with my wife.
But thanks for the reminder to everyone to safety check their bikes and to gear up all the time for both the rider and passenger. I know that I put on the backrest on my seat when I take my wife along and to make sure she's fully geared up.

 

[Norbert]

so sad.

 

[reiobard]

very sad and a complete tragedy . It makes me wonder what caused the blowout though... usually if a tire goes out on a bike it will not explode to the point of throwing a person from the bike if they are hanging on.

be safe out there for riders and passengers.

 

[Motogiro]

It breaks my heart to hear that....

 

[Tailgate]

My guess is that she wasn't holding on and that's when it happened. Grabbing on to operator front is always best (unless there's a back bar?).

 

[wolfe1down]

A true tragedy, and a terrible loss. Sorry to hear this. I know when I ride with my fiance, she is the most important piece of my motorcycle and I make sure she is well dressed and informed of the ride plan (ie. we're gonna ride 'briskly' or just 'cruise'). This way she can mentally prepare herself for what we're doing, and ensure she is hanging on properly. Obviously this doesn't account for mechanical emergencies, or traffic accidents, but it gives her a fighting chance...

 

[Geoff]

My guess is that she wasn't holding on and that's when it happened. Grabbing on to operator front is always best (unless there's a back bar?).

Very Sad indeed, it's a +1 that our fz's have the grab bar.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

That horrible.

Just a reminder to check your tire pressure. Especially when you go ride two up, that's an extra 100-200 pounds on your bike.

 

[nextfriday]

so sad. check tire pressures and tire condition before every ride each day.

 

[dean2287]

That horrible.

Just a reminder to check your tire pressure. Especially when you go ride two up, that's an extra 100-200 pounds on your bike.

Right - I hadn't thought about tire pressure. Could have been a factor for sure.

The details from this incident aren't clear yet, and there haven't been any media releases. My friend was obviously shaken from this and didn't have the full story either.