looks like a klr - rider killed in hit and run in ottawa

[roncriswell@sbcglobal.net]

I used to rely heavily on the rear brake when I rode a lot of dirt and when brakes were mechanical instead of hydraulic. You could stand on those old dirt bike brakes (especially if they were full of mud) with no serious effects. Street riding is a different deal. Higher speeds, more traction better brakes. I got into trouble on a beautiful spring day, a six pack and dressed in running shorts/shoes only. Do you see the scenario unfolding? A left turn surprised me and I hit the brakes hard and was very suddenly sliding face first down the street. I blamed it on the front brake ...... but after much pondering and noticing onmy next street bike that I was locking the rear coming to a stop, that my real problem was not using the front like I should, plus reading a book on better riding habits. I try to use my front primarily now. Maybe ABS is a good idea especially for new riders. Isn't it funny how a certain American manufacturer that gets a fare number of new riders puts a big fat rear break pedal on it's bikes. That will get a new rider in serious trouble (especially with a few beers). Criswell Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 30, 2009, at 10:23 AM, Thomas Komjathy wrote:

The term "I had to layer down" is code for, I don't have the ability to swerve or brake properly. Recently I had to listen to a woman tell me how her boyfriend saved their lives by "laying it down." She said, he was going about 60 when a car pulled out in front of them and they were only a couple hundred feet away. He layed it down and they slid under the SUV, but they would have had far more injuries if they had hit it and gone over the top. This told as she sat there with two broken arms, leg, head halo... Oh, her boyfriend was still recovering in the hospital. My experience as a rider educator is; you can't convince them otherwise, they will stick to their beliefs like a Gorilla on a banana.  Yes, the most common cause of low and highside falls when breaking is the locked rear wheel, once locked there's no directional control. TK [b]From:[/b] "roncriswell@..." [b]To:[/b] Thomas Komjathy [b]Cc:[/b] Michael Martin ; DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [b]Sent:[/b] Mon, November 30, 2009 7:47:00 AM [b]Subject:[/b] Re: [DSN_KLR650] Looks like a KLR - rider killed in hit and run in Ottawa I agree on the laying it down. People that claim they laid her down probably did like I did once and used way to much rear brake instead of the front brake and laid it down ... very painfully.I have been a victim of hit and run also. After the drunk SOB nailed me stopped at a light. I watched him drive off as I was laying on the ground. Don't ride at night unless you just absolutely have to. And helmets work....usually. Criswell On Nov 29, 2009, at 6:32 PM, Thomas Komjathy wrote:    He doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. I have been teaching rider education for 15 years and have never taught a student how to "lay-er-down" as a "text book safety maneuver." The cops learn how to lay their bikes down (after they are stopped) to use a shield in a gun battle. Fact of the matter is, once a bike is on the ground, directional control us lost and hard parts will put a bike and person into a vehicle at a higher rate of speed as apposed to using that grippy rubber to scrub off as much speed as possible before impact. Drivers piss me off; out of the last ten accidents I have reviewed, 7 have run after they hit the rider... I do understand it is the car that makes them run, much like guns make people kill other people, both should be banned. TK [b]From:[/b] Michael Martin [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogro [url=http://ups.com]ups.com[/url] [b]Sent:[/b] Sun, November 29, 2009 4:53:48 PM [b]Subject:[/b] Re: [DSN_KLR650] Looks like a KLR - rider killed in hit and run in Ottawa   I question the analysis by the police investigator: Police said it appears the motorcyclist dropped his machine onto the ground to avoid hitting the car that had turned into his path, but his momentum carried him into the intersection.

He was then run over by the car.

Police collisions investigator Wally McIlquham said the victim s decision to drop his bike was textbook accident prevention.

It s a manoeuvre you re taught when your biking, McIlquham said. You dump your bike. You don t go side-on with full speed into another vehicle. So he rolled out and the car drove over him.

Mike Martin, Louisville, KY [b]From:[/b] Stephen Grisanti [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogro [url=http://ups.com]ups.com[/url] [b]Sent:[/b] Sun, November 29, 2009 4:10:24 PM [b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] Looks like a KLR - rider killed in hit and run in Ottawa   This is posted in the Face Plant forum on [url=http://advrider.com]advrider.com[/url]: [url=http://www.ottawaci]http://www.ottawaci[/url] [url=http://tizen.com/]tizen.com/[/url] news/kills+ motorcyclist/ 2277684/story. html  Stephen