Wolfhound
Wildman
Well said, Thug. A sad day for all . . . . .
A crash at The Dragon
- Thread starter TheAxeman
- Start date
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cougar8000
Well-known member
I have reposted this on another forum and got immediately bombarded with questions "What is the point of this post"?
Am I the only one that sees a point and a learning opportunity for some if not all in reposting this crash?
p.s. It also make me feel better for been in here considering how many people responded with get well vs. why do I need to hear this.
Am I the only one that sees a point and a learning opportunity for some if not all in reposting this crash?
p.s. It also make me feel better for been in here considering how many people responded with get well vs. why do I need to hear this.
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JerseyEd
Well-known member
I,m sorry to hear about your friends, and will pray for them. As for one good reason for your post,it may help someone to be aware of the curve they go into. I always wanted all the power I could get. I have missed head-ons with the throttle more then once. But when we go into a turn, leaning from the outside, within our contol, we are set. You can't change enough to miss the ******* going wide. I hate to suggest this, but I personally think about lefting my leg on every blind outside curve. I've been clipped a few times. Sorry for your friend.
flapsup
Well-known member
You are absolutely not the only one who sees a point and a learning opportunity. A squid can be on any kind of bike. Hopefully one or two of them will see this and get the point to always ride within your personal limits, remembering that we do have a responsibility to others who share the road.
I feel for you and your friends. To have something like that ride, which was supposed to fun, to go so horribly wrong because another had dreams of Rossi running through his head is just so sad.
radman
R.I.P. Our Motorcycling Friend
Gunny and all that. Grump and I hit it on a June Wednesday, little traffic, maybe 15-30 bikes working it at any given time (and one guy in a F150 that obviously knew the road well). Lotsa fun till the Cruisers slowed the show, but they have rights too, I guess. It only takes one ******* to ruin the day for many-hope Karma has it's way with Goldwinger.
black mamba
Well-known member
What a truly sad story! My heart-felt feelings go out to Kurt and his family. This incident serves to remind me why I won't go anywhere near the " Dragon ". It is bad enough that our sport is an inherently risky one........best to avoid places that seem to attract an inordinately large gathering of " idiot " bikers.
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MotorSWATCop
Well-known member
You have to pick your times if you want to enjoy the Dragon. During the Honda Hoot? No ******' way. Too many bikes and too many sight-seers! Go during the week; TUE-THU are the best days. Early in the morning is especially nice. Very little traffic and only serious riders take off of work to be there then (usually). I go often but never during a big event/rally or on weekends.
I wish your friend the best of luck and I hope that he recovers mentally and physically.
skyway
Well-known member
+1 This has to be the worst carnage report I've read in a long time. Best wishes to this family for the long road ahead.
I've heard about this dragon road on the web so many times, but it seems to have endless biker casualties. I have no plans to run this road and would go find something less congested to play on if this was my back yard.
You guys have nothing else fun to ride on in this area? Ain't no curvy road worth the drama going on there. That semi shot a few posts up would just about do it for me.
Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
That really sucks. Sadly, even the best lawyer may not be able to get full restitution. I don't know about insurance requirements in the state where it happened but here in CA the legal minimum is ridiculously low.
After Andy's accident last year, the guilty party admitted full liability and offered the coverage limit amount within days. Our lawyer chose not to settle at that time. When the dust settled, an asset search was done on the driver, who had nothing. We had the option to sue but were advised against it, since there was nothing she could pay with. The lawyer said we'd win a 'Judgement Worth Framing' and never be able to collect on it, since she would be advised to declare bankruptcy.
Having said that, a GW is not a cheap toy. The rider may be well heeled and have assets worth investigating. The lawyer's cut increases when a case goes to court, and court costs will bite into any settlement. (We were advised about $30K for a simple, uncontested admission of complete fault case).
The driver had $100K, which is the same as our own un/under-insured coverage. In other states, our coverage would have been added to the driver's but the law prevents that in CA.
So, we took the coverage limit but it didn't end there. Blue Cross sent a demand for hospital costs, through a collection agency. It was not a nice letter at all. They reasoned that since we'd been reimbursed, they should get a share, even though they'd had premiums every month for a long time. The medical bills exceeded what we were paid out by the insurance.
In CA, if a lawyer is involved, the health insurer is limited to collecting no more than the lawyer's fee. Our lawyer also negotiated that they forfeit one third of their payoff, towards his fee since they didn't have to hire counsel. That reduced the fee that we had to pay him.
All in all, Andy collected about 5% of the original claim.
Money aside, I feel for this poor man and his wife, and send my thoughts and prayers for his recovery.
Jill
Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
Posts like this are a reality check. The man who was hurt is one of us and needs our prayers and support right now. It could be any one of us today, or tomorrow.
We also need a reminder not to be that GoldWing rider (on any bike). The overwhelming message is to ride within your limits. The bike and rider in front of you is playing with a different deck. Ride your own ride.
And if Mr GoldWing is any kind of decent guy (which he probably is), who made a terrible error in judgement, he must be feeling beyond awful today, and for the rest of his life. He won't easily forget what happened.
Jill
WVFJR
Well-known member
Kurt and his family are in are prayers.
NoCage
formerly SouthernFJR
Tragic... prayers sent their way. That's some serious physical and mental pain. Being that careful and still getting taken out, damn.
great posts, jill...
in the above quoted post, i can only think of the 'wingers lawyer telling him all the 'legal' and liability reasons to go against his gut instinct and offer to do and assist in anything for the injured couple...
dana
madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
Because it is just too easy to mentally compartmentalize the idea and to then hold the position that: "It won't happen to me".
I guess I'm getting older and slower because I'm starting to accept that it COULD happen to me or, God forbid because of my need for speed, that I could be the cause of tragedy for someone else.
Godsped on the recovery that will never be complete. This man is now crippled for life through no action of his own other than to be enjoying a ride through some beautiful scenery with his wife aboard. Dang, drat, heck and pshaw!
FJR1300Mark
Well-known member
I've ridden the Dragon a few times and each time I did see people going faster than they should have. I didn't give too much thought about an out of control vehicle coming at me in my lane. there was a photo in last months MC mag. showing a harley rider almost missing an other harley rider. They were both on the same side of the road almost at the edge. Only problem was they were going opposite directions.
thoughts and prayers
thoughts and prayers
cougar8000
Well-known member
I guess this past weekend was a really bad one at the Dragon. I was given this link by the guy that works with me.
https://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthr...3878&page=1
https://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthr...3878&page=1
radman
R.I.P. Our Motorcycling Friend
Yeah, pal, get a faster one. Reminds me of the FJR fuckstick who de-legged one guy on the Big D, bought a ST to replace the junked Feej, and promptly laid that one down, while "well within his limits". God help us all. :glare:
exskibum
~<>~<>~<>~<>~
'Tis a woman by the name of Diane who rolled her Solstice there, Rad.
I'm with Skyway on avoiding roads that are THAT crowded and have that many "accidents". I feel very fortunate to live where I do and be able to ride lots of GREAT roads on which I see little traffic.
05fjrBluedevil
Well-known member
My prayers go out to kurt and his family, loss for words other than that.....
rangerray
Well-known member
Knowing what we know about the Tail of the Dragon, one should be able to surmise that there will be additional hazards, such as asshats that won't stay in their own lane. I've been there a few times and always observe idiots on bikes and in cars and trucks. I understand why people go: 1) it is an extemely challenging and fun road to ride on a motorcycle 2) you get a chance to be with other motorcyclists, as folks go there in droves, perhaps some primarily to socialize. However, you have to realize that there are additional, greatly multiplied risks involved. It's no different than striking out on your bike in bad weather. Are you willing to assume the additional risk? For me, that answer has always been yes.
And, the guy in Motorcyclist magazine on the ST1300 may have been riding within his limits, but when you're scraping hard parts (especially beyond the feelers on the tips of the pegs) you are not riding within the limits of the bike. Which, in my opinion, should be a wake up call that maybe you shouldn't be riding because you're a danger to yourself and everyone around you.
And, the guy in Motorcyclist magazine on the ST1300 may have been riding within his limits, but when you're scraping hard parts (especially beyond the feelers on the tips of the pegs) you are not riding within the limits of the bike. Which, in my opinion, should be a wake up call that maybe you shouldn't be riding because you're a danger to yourself and everyone around you.
