I am a 45 year old newbie to motorcycle.  Just passed the MSF course, to get the license.  Still looking to buy a bike.  May be a Ninja 250, or a GS500, or a SV650, or a Versys, or a Buell Blast.  All these are supposed to be good starter bikes.  Main purpose is to commute, about 22 miles each way on the back roads of south east PA in the PA-DE-MD tri-state area.

I have a family with two young children, so obviously personal safety is big.  Although I have the confidence to ride safely, and defensively, my confidence was severely shaken when I saw Rich's picture on the top right of this page.  I tried to research on how he died, best I could see was that he ran into another motorcyclist on July 1, 2006.

Would be helpful for newbies like me to learn more about the accident, and any learning from that - say like watch out for early morning rides, two lane highways, speed, helmet and gear etc....  That kind of info would be of great help not only to restore the confidence in newbies like me, but also to teach us a lesson on how to avoid accidents.  Could that be put in as a link under Rich's picture.  I am sure Rich would want this too.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=28071.0

This Thread in the odds and ends section

This was a terrible tradgedy but in context bike-on-bike accidents are very rare indeed.

Don't let this put you off biking but take care, get the right kit and the right training, be Hi-viz - most of all never loose sight of the fact that biking can be a great and safe way to have fun but as a biker you are probably the most vulnerable road user so constantly think defensive.

I am pushing 63 and came back to biking in my early fifties, I'm not as quick or as adventurous as I once was but still get a great deal from the bike, so can you, be safe and enjoy it.

Hi kruntal,

Thanks for your note about Rich.
He was a good guy, though I never met him in real life.
Just a bit of info you should know --- Rich was killed when the other motorcyclist crossed the road centerline and struck him. The crash was entirely NOT Rich's fault, from what I understand. He was just in the wrong place at the worst possible time.
Be careful out there.
Best wishes,
Todd

The biggest danger to a motorcyclist is someone else!  Most of us realize the danger and never let our guard down, but sometimes even that is not enough!  I never had the opportunity to talk/chat/respond to Rich, but after reading his own posts and the posts other members have made about him, I realize it's my loss also!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8611840966594652107&q=IN+Memory+of+Gator&hl=en