But then she’d have to stop filming and lose the potential viral video revenue…
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Some years back I came across a highway wreck where a woman lost control of her two-wheeler on a downhill mountain turn – over the guardrail. I didn’t see the wreck itself, being busier tending to her, but given her size and that of her ride (which I suspect was not rated for high speed) I suspect a similar mechanism.
And in her case, it was fatal.
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Speaking from experience as an ex F650GS owner: that sort of off-road traffic-skipping is very tempting when you ride an adventure tourer.
The rider was an idjit who failed to exercise due care in crowded surroundings, but…if you ignore the traffic and judge it only on the terrain, that bike could easily handle those bumps at 100km/h+.
I was never quite that daft, but I did use to routinely take speed bumps and good-visibility roundabouts (AKA “overabouts”) at 80km/h or more. Just stand up on the pegs and let the suspension take the impact.
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I once had the front tyre on a KTM 990 Adventure go instantly flat due to a poor patch on the tube (it was a renter) at 120+km/hr in Chile . That was an interesting experience, but one that ended well. Such is the benefit of a well designed steering geometry and well-damped suspension.
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Two signs up on the wall of my 7th grade homeroom (more than 50 years ago, FWIW):
- Learn from your mistakes, otherwise why make them?
- Learn from the mistakes of others, you haven’t time to make them all yourself.
I have worked a motorcycle fatality very likely caused by a similar high-speed instability. I was the last person she spoke to before losing consciousness.
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There were two incidents of motorcycle instability associated with (UK?) police bikes a few years back. A police rider had crashed due to high speed wobble on a big BMW (??1200??) fitted with the big gear box/radio/lights etc above the pillion/rear fender. (The rider may have been killed - I don’t recall). Anyway, as part of the investigation another police rider tested an identical bike under controlled conditions at high speed. You guessed it, his bike also developed instability and crashed. He survived but was badly injured. The conclusion was too much weight, too high, and too far to the rear. The configuration of the bikes was changed as a consequence of these incidents.
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Yeah, well, if you want comfort, ride in a car.
Well, yeah, of course there are those protective sport jackets. I just meant something to be between you and the road if you end up sliding.
Fun fact, well not really fun, my mom when she was young was in a motorcycle accident too. Not sure on the details. I know my dad hit a rabbit going 60mph once, but somehow managed to be ok.
It looks like hes wearing one of those smaller helmets that cover mostly the top of the head, with writing or a sticker on the front. I don’t think it is hair, but it could maybe be a do rag or bandana. Like you said its fuzzy… and in vertical format.
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I seem to recall (it’s a long time ago) that the ideal position for the maximum mass is low down and just behind the front wheel, which is why that’s where the engine goes. With a very narrow engine like a Velocette single (or the original Ducati 750 L-twin) the weight distribution is close to ideal; BMW flat twins are of course nearly as good, it’s just that the longitudinal drive axis causes a minor stability problem during acceleration and braking. Velocette actually experimented with a vertical twin cylinder engine which had two geared cranks side by side and so, being counter-rotating, the turning effect cancelled out. IIRC it was intended to give extremely good endurance and high speed turning ability for the Isle of Man.
It should be possible to develop an electric motorcycle with practically ideal stability as the batteries and the motor can be kept low and forward, and panniers could be fitted on either side in front of the rider. But you just know that before long people will be adding mass where it doesn’t belong.
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I was reading about some high-profile cases in China of pedestrians - including a child - hit by cars and no one helping. Apparently it’s common that the police and victim’s family will assume that if you helped, it was only because you were the cause of the accident and prosecute/attack you as a result, and if you help someone get to the hospital (possibly just by calling for an ambulance), you’ll be on the hook for medical costs. So it’s very rare that anyone gets involved now, which has been causing some national soul-searching.
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I can imagine that BMV vibration must feel very odd.
I rode a chopped hardtail '69 Triumph Tiger, which had fairly nice weight distribution (no rake on the front forks), but that vibration from the upright cylinders was an annoyance. You could never really see cars or other masses with the rear-view mirrors in detail due to the vibration, and your hands would be quite numb after a long-distance ride.
My boxer twin, famously the least smooth, whom I refer to as “the Lumpy Idle Princess” is still smooth as silk by 1500rpm.
The horizontally opposed cylinders do not create instability or vibration. I can use my mirrors just fine, unlike my old VW Bug or Ford Galaxie.
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Well, I’ve got enough diametral options to make me rethink my assumptions. In case I’ll see erratic driver and can safely report them, I’ll make that call.
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Pfft.
I use an armoured mesh jacket; hard plastic over the joints, heavy-duty fishnet most other places, high-abrasion nylon in likely skid points. On the move, it’s no hotter than a t-shirt. 100km/h air conditioning rocks.
Leathers, OTOH, are suicidal in an Australian summer. Armoured riding gear is counterproductive when it creates heatstroke-induced crashes.
On the way home from their honeymoon, my parents were involved in a bad crash. Seat belts were not a standard feature back then. My dad broke all of his fingers as the steering wheel folded in half.
Mum went face-first through the windshield. She was 19, and it was not modern safety glass.
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I used to ride and then I got married.
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That’s a bit of an understatement, if I may say so. It’s a bit like saying “The Grand Canyon is a fairly large hole in the ground” or “Castle Bravo was a moderately large explosion.”
I believe there are people who rebuild Triumph engines with crankpins at 72 or even 180 degrees, because electronic ignition makes this possible, but I really can’t see the point. The engines weren’t exactly well designed to start with, which is one reason why Honda crushed the British motorcycle industry.
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My old boxer (R65LS) was pleasantly lumpy…until you hit 110km/h, at which point it would develop a high-frequency vibration that would rapidly send both your hands and feet numb.
It’d smooth out again at 130km/h, but as the Oz highway limit is 110, that wasn’t particularly useful if you cared about preserving your license.
OTOH, it did have that cool trick where the torque response from the shaft would slam the bike into your right leg if you revved it in neutral.
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110 !!! My Dinky could go faster than that. 110 !
What happened to 120? When did that change?
Are you telling me that even on FREEWAYS you’re limited to 110?
If so, they should come up with a new term to replace :FREEWAY
The current one does 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds, and tops out at around 190km/h. That’s fast enough. 
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I bet if you tried, like really tried hard, you could hit 191. Just once. Be wicked, do it.
