Maddog
Well-known member
The article below is a tragic story of a young rider who died riding his brand new R1. The father rationalizes his decision to buy his sixteen year old son an R1 based on the young man's experience.
In my opinion, good judgment is more important than experience. In this case I think both father and son exhibited poor judgment. The resulting tragedy was avoidable.
My prayers are with the family.
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Father denies son was doing tricks before fatal crash
10:19 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
The father of a Riverside teen disputes initial reports that his son Austin Lee Allen died while performing stunts on his new motorcycle.
Reached Monday by phone, Stephen Allen, 48, of Perris, said: "Was he doing high-speed turns? Yes. Did he pop a wheelie? He might have. Were there single tracks with burnout? No. When I saw the tire marks, I saw no sign of high-speed stunts."
Austin Lee Allen, who turned 16 last month, died Saturday after he crashed the super sports motorcycle he was riding into a wall of his high school parking lot. The accident occurred about 7:20 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Riverside.
Story continues below
Witnesses said Austin was going more than 100 mph when he lost control, couldn't turn in time and smashed into a white stucco wall near the girls locker room, Riverside police spokesman Steven Frasher said. "We won't have the scientific calculations for some time."
Frasher said Austin was wearing a helmet. The Yamaha R1 was purchased two weeks ago from a Corona dealership, Frasher said.
Stephen Allen said Austin had just gotten his Class M1 license, which allowed him to operate any two-wheel motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or motorized scooter and all vehicles listed under Class M2 (mopeds, any bicycle with an attached motor or motorized scooter).
Allen, a quality engineer at Lockheed, said the two were extremely close. He and his ex-wife, Lana Allen, have shared custody of Austin since he was 6 months old.
Allen said he bought his only child the powerful red and black bike with its 1,000 cc. (1-liter) engine because Austin was an "experienced" rider, who grew up on motorized bikes, quads, Sea-doos, ATVs and motorcycles since he was 18 months old. Allen permitted Austin since age 15 ½ to ride his Yamaha FV6. The two biked to Glamis, Lake Arrowhead and Placentia together.
"I've ridden behind, in front and beside him," Allen said. "I've watched every move. I preached safety first."
Austin passed the required motorcycle safety course and checked in with Allen before and after every solo ride. In the week he had the Yamaha R1, "he was the happiest I'd ever seen him," Allen said.
Dean Thompson, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in Irvine, said their organization recommends smaller, lighter, less powerful bikes for beginning riders. "But some 16-year-olds are expert racers," he said. "The right motorcycle choice all comes down to skill level."
In my opinion, good judgment is more important than experience. In this case I think both father and son exhibited poor judgment. The resulting tragedy was avoidable.
My prayers are with the family.
--------------------------------------------------
Father denies son was doing tricks before fatal crash
10:19 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise
The father of a Riverside teen disputes initial reports that his son Austin Lee Allen died while performing stunts on his new motorcycle.
Reached Monday by phone, Stephen Allen, 48, of Perris, said: "Was he doing high-speed turns? Yes. Did he pop a wheelie? He might have. Were there single tracks with burnout? No. When I saw the tire marks, I saw no sign of high-speed stunts."
Austin Lee Allen, who turned 16 last month, died Saturday after he crashed the super sports motorcycle he was riding into a wall of his high school parking lot. The accident occurred about 7:20 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Riverside.
Story continues below
Witnesses said Austin was going more than 100 mph when he lost control, couldn't turn in time and smashed into a white stucco wall near the girls locker room, Riverside police spokesman Steven Frasher said. "We won't have the scientific calculations for some time."
Frasher said Austin was wearing a helmet. The Yamaha R1 was purchased two weeks ago from a Corona dealership, Frasher said.
Stephen Allen said Austin had just gotten his Class M1 license, which allowed him to operate any two-wheel motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or motorized scooter and all vehicles listed under Class M2 (mopeds, any bicycle with an attached motor or motorized scooter).
Allen, a quality engineer at Lockheed, said the two were extremely close. He and his ex-wife, Lana Allen, have shared custody of Austin since he was 6 months old.
Allen said he bought his only child the powerful red and black bike with its 1,000 cc. (1-liter) engine because Austin was an "experienced" rider, who grew up on motorized bikes, quads, Sea-doos, ATVs and motorcycles since he was 18 months old. Allen permitted Austin since age 15 ½ to ride his Yamaha FV6. The two biked to Glamis, Lake Arrowhead and Placentia together.
"I've ridden behind, in front and beside him," Allen said. "I've watched every move. I preached safety first."
Austin passed the required motorcycle safety course and checked in with Allen before and after every solo ride. In the week he had the Yamaha R1, "he was the happiest I'd ever seen him," Allen said.
Dean Thompson, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in Irvine, said their organization recommends smaller, lighter, less powerful bikes for beginning riders. "But some 16-year-olds are expert racers," he said. "The right motorcycle choice all comes down to skill level."
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