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All,
It is with great sorrow that I have to report a horrible tragedy that happened today. I rode the Geezer Rocket with a group of young guys today. They were all in their 20s and they ride together frequently, at least most of them. I did not know the members of the group, except for one fellow I have ridden with before. There were a total of 11 riders.
We rode from Santa Clarita (Southern California) out the 126 to the 150 to Ojai then the 33 to Lockwood Valley. About 35 miles out of Ojai we were spread out into roughly three groups. The fast guys, the medium guys, and us slower guys.
At about 35 miles the slower group rounded a corner and two from the middle group were on the ground (two bikes, that is). One young guy was on the pavement next to / under his ZX6R. The other guy was nowhere insight. His red CBR1000RR was spun around on the pavement next to the ~24" high stone wall that keeps one from running off the road and down a ~1,500' cliff.
According to a cruiser rider who was near the turn taking a riding break, the fellow (Oscar) on the ZXR6 lost control and hit the retaining wall hard. The second rider, on the CBR1000RR (Fernando), swerved to miss him and hit the retaining wall at an oblique angle and was literally thrown over the wall with his bike staying on the pavement.
The slow group, with me in it, got there a few minutes after the accident. There were several folks on the scene by then. Oscar was conscious but not lucid. He could move his limbs, except for his left arm which was broken. We tried to keep him calm and still until the Paramedics could arrive. He was obviously in shock.
While some stayed with Oscar, several of us looked for Fernando. One of his white shoes was about 150' down the cliff, but we could not spot him.
Fortunately, one cell phone worked!! (Cingular - we were in the mountains and a long way from civilization.) We were able to contact 911. About 25 minutes later help began to arrive. Oscar was still in shock, but moving his legs and right arm. We still could not find Fernando. The cliff was too steep to climb down.
The rescue helicopter showed up at about 30 minutes after the accident happened. They located Fernando about 1,000' down the steep slope from the road. He had 'fallen' at least 200' below road level.
By this time more sheriff officers had arrived along with an ambulance. Oscar was still alive. The Sheriffs made us leave, except for one guy who stayed.
We waited at the Ranger Station for the fellow who stayed. He showed up in about 45 minutes. He said that Oscar had died. Apparently he had severe internal bleeding. Miraculously, Fernando, who had been thrown down the steep cliff, survived. Fernando was taken by helicopter to the Ventura Hospital.
It was a very sad day. Two young men had an awful accident and one did not survive. The other is still in critical condition.
There are some lessons to be learned from this tragedy. The first lesson is the one we all know but sometimes ignore. The two young men in the accident had been riding for only about two months - one on a 600cc race replica and the other on a 1,000cc race replica. Apparently, these were their first motorcycles.
How many people do you know who go out and start motorcycling on very serious street bikes? It doesn't matter if it is a sport bike, sport tourer, or a cruiser. All of these large / high performance bikes can get you in over your head in a heartbeat. It just doesn't make sense to me why anyone would start out on a street bike. There are much safer methods to learn to ride. I am a strong proponent of starting on a dirt bike. Yes, I have known of people getting killed on dirt bikes, but not new riders!!! Out here is SoCal, dirt biking areas are abundant and much safer to start on than a street bike.
The second lesson, as we all preach, is to ride your own ride. The two new riders were riding much too aggressively for their skill level. They were not riding their ride. They were trying to ride the leader's ride.
So, I don't know what to say. In my ~45 years of motorcycling this is by far the very worst thing that has ever happened. I have seen others seriously hurt and killed on the 33, but never anyone I knew (I met Oscar and Fernando this morning).
Finally, please take time out of your Holiday to say a prayer for Oscar and his family and for Fernando and his family. I can not comprehend how their families are going to manage this tragedy.
The guys in the group did not know Oscar or Fernando very well. They did not know who were their next of kin, etc. They had ridden together only a few times. Maybe an 'ICE' (In Case of an Emergency) card in our wallets with family contacts, instructions, etc., is a wise thing to have.
In closing, we all participate in a very dangerous 'sport.' We all have different riding skill levels. Each and everyone of us ride motorcycles which are MUCH MORE CAPABLE than we are. Therefore, each of us are at risk of getting in over our heads.
We have no control over some idiot in a car moving into our lane and hitting us (I still remember Dave and Jim swerving to miss a Corvette who passed another car in a blind curve down in Orange County!!). However, we do have some control over getting in beyond our skill level.
We also need to make sure we are not setting up a less experienced rider with a ride / pace that is beyond their skill level. That is the responsibility of everyone and especially the Road Captain.
If I find out more about this horrible tragedy and the condition of Fernando, I will update this thread. Again, please pray for these two young men and their families.
It is with great sorrow that I have to report a horrible tragedy that happened today. I rode the Geezer Rocket with a group of young guys today. They were all in their 20s and they ride together frequently, at least most of them. I did not know the members of the group, except for one fellow I have ridden with before. There were a total of 11 riders.
We rode from Santa Clarita (Southern California) out the 126 to the 150 to Ojai then the 33 to Lockwood Valley. About 35 miles out of Ojai we were spread out into roughly three groups. The fast guys, the medium guys, and us slower guys.
At about 35 miles the slower group rounded a corner and two from the middle group were on the ground (two bikes, that is). One young guy was on the pavement next to / under his ZX6R. The other guy was nowhere insight. His red CBR1000RR was spun around on the pavement next to the ~24" high stone wall that keeps one from running off the road and down a ~1,500' cliff.
According to a cruiser rider who was near the turn taking a riding break, the fellow (Oscar) on the ZXR6 lost control and hit the retaining wall hard. The second rider, on the CBR1000RR (Fernando), swerved to miss him and hit the retaining wall at an oblique angle and was literally thrown over the wall with his bike staying on the pavement.
The slow group, with me in it, got there a few minutes after the accident. There were several folks on the scene by then. Oscar was conscious but not lucid. He could move his limbs, except for his left arm which was broken. We tried to keep him calm and still until the Paramedics could arrive. He was obviously in shock.
While some stayed with Oscar, several of us looked for Fernando. One of his white shoes was about 150' down the cliff, but we could not spot him.
Fortunately, one cell phone worked!! (Cingular - we were in the mountains and a long way from civilization.) We were able to contact 911. About 25 minutes later help began to arrive. Oscar was still in shock, but moving his legs and right arm. We still could not find Fernando. The cliff was too steep to climb down.
The rescue helicopter showed up at about 30 minutes after the accident happened. They located Fernando about 1,000' down the steep slope from the road. He had 'fallen' at least 200' below road level.
By this time more sheriff officers had arrived along with an ambulance. Oscar was still alive. The Sheriffs made us leave, except for one guy who stayed.
We waited at the Ranger Station for the fellow who stayed. He showed up in about 45 minutes. He said that Oscar had died. Apparently he had severe internal bleeding. Miraculously, Fernando, who had been thrown down the steep cliff, survived. Fernando was taken by helicopter to the Ventura Hospital.
It was a very sad day. Two young men had an awful accident and one did not survive. The other is still in critical condition.
There are some lessons to be learned from this tragedy. The first lesson is the one we all know but sometimes ignore. The two young men in the accident had been riding for only about two months - one on a 600cc race replica and the other on a 1,000cc race replica. Apparently, these were their first motorcycles.
How many people do you know who go out and start motorcycling on very serious street bikes? It doesn't matter if it is a sport bike, sport tourer, or a cruiser. All of these large / high performance bikes can get you in over your head in a heartbeat. It just doesn't make sense to me why anyone would start out on a street bike. There are much safer methods to learn to ride. I am a strong proponent of starting on a dirt bike. Yes, I have known of people getting killed on dirt bikes, but not new riders!!! Out here is SoCal, dirt biking areas are abundant and much safer to start on than a street bike.
The second lesson, as we all preach, is to ride your own ride. The two new riders were riding much too aggressively for their skill level. They were not riding their ride. They were trying to ride the leader's ride.
So, I don't know what to say. In my ~45 years of motorcycling this is by far the very worst thing that has ever happened. I have seen others seriously hurt and killed on the 33, but never anyone I knew (I met Oscar and Fernando this morning).
Finally, please take time out of your Holiday to say a prayer for Oscar and his family and for Fernando and his family. I can not comprehend how their families are going to manage this tragedy.
The guys in the group did not know Oscar or Fernando very well. They did not know who were their next of kin, etc. They had ridden together only a few times. Maybe an 'ICE' (In Case of an Emergency) card in our wallets with family contacts, instructions, etc., is a wise thing to have.
In closing, we all participate in a very dangerous 'sport.' We all have different riding skill levels. Each and everyone of us ride motorcycles which are MUCH MORE CAPABLE than we are. Therefore, each of us are at risk of getting in over our heads.
We have no control over some idiot in a car moving into our lane and hitting us (I still remember Dave and Jim swerving to miss a Corvette who passed another car in a blind curve down in Orange County!!). However, we do have some control over getting in beyond our skill level.
We also need to make sure we are not setting up a less experienced rider with a ride / pace that is beyond their skill level. That is the responsibility of everyone and especially the Road Captain.
If I find out more about this horrible tragedy and the condition of Fernando, I will update this thread. Again, please pray for these two young men and their families.
