Sad story, some of my coworkers in Santa Clara knew him. Important to understand what may have led to the accident, so if you care to read, it may be worth your while.
Damn, that's really bad news. Always sad to see this happen to a fellow rider. My condolences to his family and friends, Hope they may find some peace. RIDE SAFE!
Found out he actually was a coworker of mine, although I transferred from the California HQ to Austin years before he started there.
Some of the sad stuff is that he was riding for only a month, had quality gear, had done his MSF already, and had been working his way up riding in neighborhoods and weekends when the traffic was light.
Did everything right, and tragedy still reached out to touch him.
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2008 Ninja 250R Blue; Two Bros M series slip on, 2wheels levers, Hotbodies under tail, Sportisi tank cover
2007 GSX-R 600 Red; Two Bros M series slip on, 2wheels levers + rear sets, Vortex frame sliders, Crown Moto USA Carbon Fiber
Tragic. But all you have to do is look at the 'photo to see what probably happened.
Although he did everything right, he'd been riding with a group despite being a very new rider. He was probably trying to keep up and riding outside his experience level. This one sounds as though it might have been a result of target fixation, but we'll probably never know for sure.
Avoiding group rides, group speeds, group machismo and especially avoiding picking up group bad habits until you've got a solid amount of experience is one of the more effective ways of staying alive.
Thanks for the advice, Rob. I keep following this story and the details not just because he was a coworker, but because I want to know how it could have been different.
From what I heard, the Sheriff said that he went wide on the first curve and got into some gravel, and apparently overcorrected and went back across the road heading into the next curve, lowsided and then went off and hit the tree. Hard to imagine how fast he must have been going on a 250 for that to happen, but he was at the back of the group and there apparently was no sweeper... so most likely your speculation is on target.
An experienced coworker of mine told me, after talking about this accident, "never ride at more than 50-70% of your ability on the street". Makes sense, save the "pushing the envelope" for the track, where you know the turns, the surface is clean, and there are no trees, lightpoles, or oncoming traffic in case you fuck up.
Thanks for the advice, Rob. I keep following this story and the details not just because he was a coworker, but because I want to know how it could have been different.
From what I heard, the Sheriff said that he went wide on the first curve and got into some gravel, and apparently overcorrected and went back across the road heading into the next curve, lowsided and then went off and hit the tree. Hard to imagine how fast he must have been going on a 250 for that to happen, but he was at the back of the group and there apparently was no sweeper... so most likely your speculation is on target.
An experienced coworker of mine told me, after talking about this accident, "never ride at more than 50-70% of your ability on the street". Makes sense, save the "pushing the envelope" for the track, where you know the turns, the surface is clean, and there are no trees, lightpoles, or oncoming traffic in case you fuck up.
Some very wise advice that I will be sure to follow when riding on the street!
RIP to a Bay Area 250 rider
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