[Jeff Ryndak]

Let us take a moment a pause. I was out riding "The Loop" and was witness to a fatal motorcycle accident today. It is a very difficult thing to see happen right in front of you.So please take a moment to think about the friends and family of our fellow rider today.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Val]

Jeff, that's really hard news. And worse that you witnessed it.

You OK?

 

[dlevi03]

I just saw an motorcycle accident not to long ago, not fatal but it scared the crap out of me. If I had to go I could only wish it happened while doing somthing I loved.

 

[Jeff Ryndak]

I am ok. But I had to ride 75 miles to get home. It was the longest ride of my life.

Jeff

 

[WORM]

I know that feeling it goes right through you. I passed a similar situation while out riding a few months ago....

 

[Shawn Nelson]

you just gave me chills

 

[Val]

Jeff, that would be the longest ride imaginable.

When you feel like it, can you tell us what happened?

 

[mjw930]

Jeff,

That's terrible. I have friends and family that ride and live in Ormond, could you please provide some details?

Mark

 

[thedragon]

Jeff,
Horrible stuff. I am a Canadian living and working overseas and in this part of the world, small motorbikes and scooters are EVERYWHERE and they get no respect.

Nor do they deserve it because they travel on the highway lines in between traffic, they drive up between cars to the front of the lines at stop lights, they weave in and out of traffic at high speeds and use sidewalks when they can.

I say this because it has forced me to take a whole new attitude towards how I drive my VRod. I am TOTALLY defensive and check every mirror and over my shoulder before making any move. I use speed sparingly and often to get out of potentially dangerous situations.

It has resigned me to the fact that in any battle with a car or truck wanting to take over my share of the road, I will likely lose that battle. Therefore I will avoid it at all costs.

It is always a tragedy when someone loses their life this way.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

I lost a friend when I was 15 years old.I'll never forget . He hit a horse on a narrow bridge at the end of the day.Could'nt see it soon enough.Now riders on horses are requiered to have a light 1 hr.before dark in Davie Fl.


Elrod on the V-Rod

 

[vrsc]

Jeff, sorry that you witnessed that event. If possible could you please provide details, I ride the loop occationally as well.

 

[Manhorse]

I have two friends who died in motorcycle accidents. One on a bike I built in '76. I had sold him the bike, a '73 Triumph Trident, just a month before. He wasnt very experienced at the time. He was only 23 years old.

He and another friend of mine were headed north on PHC just below Malibu. They both had full face helmets on and wanted to talk to each other. Then they broke a very important rule of riding. Trying to talk to each other while traveling 55mph with full face helmets on. They got too close and the handlebars locked. As they pulled apart, Marco went into oncoming traffic and hit head on with a dump truck. Steve crashed on his BSA off to the shoulder of the road and was slightly injured.

I am sure all of us who have been into motorcycling for a bit have known of someone that has been involved in an accident. Hopefully the stories will be told over and over again and it will keep someone safe who can learn from them.

 

[sfarson]

I came across a bike accident this summer, about a minute or two after it happened. Sobered me up, and was a reminder to wear protection. I always wear a helmet and jacket, but what I saw as I kept the downed rider comfortable until the EMTs arrived, has me resisting the temptation to wear jeans when I ride and reaching for the riding pants instead.

 

[Jeff Ryndak]

Let me tell you what happened. I was going north on the loop when we came to the last T intersection that brings you out to A1A just north of Ormond Beach. A car was stopped to make a left hand turn at the intersection going south. A motorcycle came around the turn just before the intersection and was going to fast or just did not see the car stopped car. He locked up the rear wheel and started to slide then the bike flipped over throwing the driver and passenger to the ground.The bike never hit anything but the road.There was about a 50ft skid mark. The two riders were thrown about 25ft in front of where the bike stopped.The passenger a woman died from the impact with the road.I do not know how bad driver was hurt.I just happened to be in the middle of about 12 bikes when this happened. Everything possible was done a paramedic and nurse where at the scene when it happened. They air lifted the person out. I did not know she died until I got home. The police called my house needing a statement and scared my wife to death by telling her I had witnessed a fatal accident.She knew I was out riding with the guys and thought it was one of us.
Jeff

 

[Ketsugo]

Jeff,
She wasn't wearing a helmet was she.



John

 

[MR_KING]

Several years ago I witnessed a good friend of mine t-bone a p/u truck making a u turn right in front of him. He was doing about 55 when he hit the truck kinda sideways from skidding. He eventually lost his right lower leg due to damage. He was really broken up all over.

I had my wreck on Aug. 8th and a month after that responded to an accident that involved a motorcycle vs. left turning car. The young man lost his entire right leg and died on the scene.

Really wakes you up on the dangers of other cars around you.

 

[Jeff Ryndak]

I believe she had on a half helmet. My buddy sat with the two.I was busy blocking traffic until the cops showed up. She landed face first.I am guilty of riding in the summer with no helmet when I ride with my Harley crowd.I was the only guy in our group of 12 wearing a full face helmet.Now after that ride home it will take a few days to get back on the bike. NEVER again without the helmet. It is sad that it takes things like this to think about being safe. Not to mention that many people have way to much to drink and then ride.Lets all be careful out there!
Jeff

 

[vroddrew]

He locked up the rear wheel and started to slide then the bike flipped over throwing the driver and passenger to the ground.The bike never hit anything but the road.

That sounds like the perfect description of a highside caused by bad braking technique. Its an easy mistake to make (heck, I'll admit I chirped my rear tire stopping a couple of times, and then felt the "twitch" as you release the brake and rear tire regains traction...) - and one more reason to PRACTICE your panic stop technique regularly. The reason military, police, pilots, etc. have mandatory scheduled regular training and drills is that you have to make your response to emergency situations instinctive.

If you ever DO find yourself with a sliding rear tire in a panic stop situation, you are much better off to keep it locked up till the bike is almost completely stopped. And that is much easier to say than to do.

 

[Jeff Ryndak]

That is what happened the bike was still on its wheels and then made a voilent move in the opposite direction. It looked like a jack-knifing truck. It happened so fast when it changed directions there would have been no way to recover.I learned about this when it happen to me when I got into the rear brake to heavy when someone cut me off. I was going straight and the bike never left a upright position. It scared the **** out of me.
Jeff

 

[Val]

I HATE that "rear brake locked up" feeling, but at least I've remembered to keep the pressure on it the few times it's happened to me, thanks to posts like these.

So, what about front braking during all this? When my rear wheel locked up on me in AZ in Nov in the rain (on that fatboy I rented with a bad rear tire), I pumped my front brake (put as much pressure on it as I felt I could without it locking up and letting up on it when I felt unstable), but was too afraid of going down to really jam on it. The result was that I slid right through the intersection I was coming up on - but it was something of a calculated risk, since we were out in the middle of nowhere and I was "pretty sure" there wasn't going to be anyone coming through it to hit me.

Since I was at a relatively low speed by the time I got into the intersection, tho, I think it would have been safer to lay it down than either to get hit or slide into a vehicle.

I was lucky there wasn't any cross-traffic.