Quote
Published: Monday, April 25, 2011
By Jamie Cook
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A 31-year-old Sterling Heights man was killed at about 12:44 p.m. Saturday when he drove his motorcycle into the back of a minivan at a high rate of speed on eastbound Hall Road at Oleander Drive, west of Schoenherr Road, Sterling Heights police Lt. Luke Riley said today.

Riley said no ticket was issued because the man killed appeared to be at fault. The driver of the "crotch rocket" motorcycle took off from a traffic light stop at Delco Boulevard at a high rate of speed, estimated at more than 80 mph, he said. It ran into the minivan, which had moved into the right lane after completing a turn-around from westbound Hall, he said. At least one other motorcycle was riding with the man who was killed.

Two occupants of the minivan were uninjured, Riley said.

He said it appears neither driver had consumed alcohol.

Traffic on eastbound Hall was backed up for more than a mile for several hours while police investigated. The investigation was to be completed by about 5 p.m. or shortly thereafter, Riley said.

What a really tragic incident. This happened local to where I live. There are many discussions on what happened but all in all he was going WAY to fast. The speed limit is 50mph on that 4 lane road (all traffic moving in the same direction). The van originally was heading west and came out of the turnaround to head east. The van took the first inner lane then proceeded across 2 other lanes in order to make it all the way over. There were other bikers involved who passed the van to the left but the last guy move to the right matching his direction with the van's direction.

The bottom line is speed. I sympathize for the family of this person but I have read numerous threads on how the van was at fault, the van pulled out in front, etc... To be honest the van very well may have thought he had time to pull all the way over into the right lane due to judgement and not knowing the bike was going 80mph. It all have very well been avoided if the biker was going 30mph less. In fact reaction time on both parties would have been extremely different.

So the warmer weather starts here in Michigan and the sport bikers continue to get the bad rap    

It's squid season.

Had to use the car Saturday to get some parts & stuff. Getting ready to change lanes for an exit and a crotch rocket going 90 or more zipped past. If I hadn't been watching my mirrors, he would have been road kill.
Interesting, a few miles down the road we both were off at the same exit. With stop lights and other traffic, he got there maybe 5 seconds ahead of me - me doing the speed limit while he was going 90 or more like a real squid head.
If you want to ride like an arss, do it on the track. Not in traffic near a major shopping mall.

been lucky enough to not run into(not literally haha) any of these kids since summers started. everyone i've observed from my cage or pulled up next to on the roads have been level headed and just out cause they love the ride.

actually met a kid who rides his old ninja everyday to work. our routes are the same for about a half mile, and have been catching him every other day or so

lets get rid of the squids!

I do my best to avoid the highway, it's nothing but trouble, especially for people who like to go fast. You're definitely at fault when you're speeding, the other thing to consider though is regardless of what the van was doing, if the biker hit him hard enough to kill himself at 80mph, it's likely that he still would've hit him at 50mph, or at least had to seriously swerve out of the way. There's not a big enough jump in speed from 50mph to 80mph to assume that 80 would kill you, and 50 would have put him so far back that the van could've pulled out and not been in the bikes right of way. Not saying this was the vans fault, but he clearly had to of pulled out in front of him, whether he was going too fast or not.

Aside from that, it's amazing how bad I hate the news. The driver of the "crotch rocket" motorcycle... give me a break, is the news reporter 16 years old?? i can't stand how they feel the need to emphasize random things for their own ratings. You're there to report the news, not provide entertainment. That sounds as dumb as when a news reporter says "and his facebook page said....." I can't even bring myself to watch the news anymore. It's still not as bad as every single dog bite turning into a pit bull attack, regardless of what breed the dog is. I haven't been able to sit through a news reporters, er... "event sensationalist's" story, if we're gonna throw stupid names around, since September 11th, 2001. Worse than Days of Our Lives.

That, TT, is why I do NOT watch, listen to or read news. The sensationalism is unnecessary, but also misleading. The accuracy of the report is questionable. And besides, the things being reported on have absolutely zero bearing on my life. PLUS, it's all being Selected for me by some one or some group.

Let's face it, there is so much going on in the world the media cannot report it all. So someone has to Select which bits They want me to know about.

- There was a 7/11 robbery on the other side of town? So what?
- A man drove his car into a light pole at 2am in the morning. So what?
- Police would like to question a man seen leaving a nightclub where someone was glassed. So what?
- There's been a rape... So what?
- A bus carrying children (two 17 year olds and a mother with a 6 year old, the other twenty passengers are over 30) has been involved in.... So what?

I love the "Police held at bay" stories. I wonder how that works... "A man armed with a knife has barricaded himself inside his home and is holding police at bay." Huh? If the police just leave, they won't be held at bay, will they?

Reported: "The gunman opened fire on the police officer, spraying him with a hail of bullets from the high powered hunting rifle".
Actual: Man in house hears noise outside at 11pm. Sees some bloke in jeans and t shirt doing something to his car, yells out and shoots him with an airrifle pellet, the stranger runs off. Turns out the man was a police officer. But what he was doing to the man's car dressed in civies at 11pm is never addressed. Inaccurate, misleading reporting designed to illicit an emotionally negative reaction against such arms.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H. L. Mencken

Switch off the MSM and you cannot be alarmed. And your life will continue with less stress and Outrage.

Michael

  Totally agree!

Quote from: mister on April 25, 2011, 02:33:25 PM
That, TT, is why I do NOT watch, listen to or read news. The sensationalism is unnecessary, but also misleading. The accuracy of the report is questionable. And besides, the things being reported on have absolutely zero bearing on my life. PLUS, it's all being Selected for me by some one or some group.

Let's face it, there is so much going on in the world the media cannot report it all. So someone has to Select which bits They want me to know about.

- There was a 7/11 robbery on the other side of town? So what?
- A man drove his car into a light pole at 2am in the morning. So what?
- Police would like to question a man seen leaving a nightclub where someone was glassed. So what?
- There's been a rape... So what?
- A bus carrying children (two 17 year olds and a mother with a 6 year old, the other twenty passengers are over 30) has been involved in.... So what?

I love the "Police held at bay" stories. I wonder how that works... "A man armed with a knife has barricaded himself inside his home and is holding police at bay." Huh? If the police just leave, they won't be held at bay, will they?

Reported: "The gunman opened fire on the police officer, spraying him with a hail of bullets from the high powered hunting rifle".
Actual: Man in house hears noise outside at 11pm. Sees some bloke in jeans and t shirt doing something to his car, yells out and shoots him with an airrifle pellet, the stranger runs off. Turns out the man was a police officer. But what he was doing to the man's car dressed in civies at 11pm is never addressed. Inaccurate, misleading reporting designed to illicit an emotionally negative reaction against such arms.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H. L. Mencken

Switch off the MSM and you cannot be alarmed. And your life will continue with less stress and Outrage.

Michael

I also was shaking my head with the reporter using the term "crotch rocket" in the report. All news should have a disclaimer:

"This news report contains overreaction and stretching of the truth."

Almost all news reports remind me of the song, "Dirty Laundry"

Quote from: mister on April 25, 2011, 02:33:25 PM
Inaccurate, misleading reporting designed to illicit an emotionally negative reaction against such arms.

Seriously, it's a joke. I take it personal because I have to deal with it every time I take my goofball marshmallow of a dog for a walk and people yank their kids to the other side of the sidewalk and say "stay away from that thing" perfectly loud enough for me to hear, just because my dog's ears stick up sometimes and he's got a little muscle to him and they heard on the news that all pit bulls are monsters. Hate to tell you lady but my dog is SO much better behaved than your little snot nosed brat, and I guarantee you that little weasel you call your son is gonna get into so much shaZam! in a few years that you're gonna be wishing you had my dog instead.

I also hate when anchormen/women make random jokes back and forth or make weird comments, like they're trying to act like real people or something. Don't act human, just tell us your stupid stories and move on. They're up there pretending like they have real emotions or something.

Quote from: tt_four on April 25, 2011, 06:23:48 PM
I also hate when anchormen/women make random jokes back and forth or make weird comments, like they're trying to act like real people or something. Don't act human, just tell us your stupid stories and move on. They're up there pretending like they have real emotions or something.

Pretending like they don't think they are superior.

Yup, they can keep their comments to themselves.

No-one - king, queen, elected dictator, dictator by force, CEO, small company boss, no-one - is more important than any other human on the planet. They are all just people. And regardless of how much kudos the media bestow upon them, they are nothing special. Want my respect? Earn it - Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Kardashians, Bieber, etc. - not just bask in the spotlight for no reason whatsoever. Who was it decided to shine the light on you anyway? Why should anyone have to hear what you have to say?

Why does a Katy Perry get kudos for showing glimpses of flesh, while the man who builds a house from scratch, or can actually make an engine, etc., get no recognition for their real skill? Cause, we cannot be shown how great we can be. We need to be mediocre. Easier to control that way. We cannot have any Harrison Bergerons.

Michael

Quote from: adidasguy on April 25, 2011, 12:49:13 PM

If you want to ride like an arss, do it on the track. Not in traffic near a major shopping mall.

Here in Australia if you ride like an ass on the track you get one warning. 2nd warning you are on your way out the gate. There is still rules to follow either on the road or on the track. Some people just think they're above them. Sad really. Reflects badly for all motorcyclists.

Quote from: tt_four on April 25, 2011, 01:17:47 PM
Aside from that, it's amazing how bad I hate the news. The driver of the "crotch rocket" motorcycle... give me a break, is the news reporter 16 years old?? i can't stand how they feel the need to emphasize random things for their own ratings. You're there to report the news, not provide entertainment. That sounds as dumb as when a news reporter says "and his facebook page said....." I can't even bring myself to watch the news anymore. It's still not as bad as every single dog bite turning into a pit bull attack, regardless of what breed the dog is. I haven't been able to sit through a news reporters, er... "event sensationalist's" story, if we're gonna throw stupid names around, since September 11th, 2001. Worse than Days of Our Lives.

Quote from: mister on April 25, 2011, 08:46:06 PM

Quote from: tt_four on April 25, 2011, 06:23:48 PM
I also hate when anchormen/women make random jokes back and forth or make weird comments, like they're trying to act like real people or something. Don't act human, just tell us your stupid stories and move on. They're up there pretending like they have real emotions or something.

Pretending like they don't think they are superior.

Yup, they can keep their comments to themselves.

No-one - king, queen, elected dictator, dictator by force, CEO, small company boss, no-one - is more important than any other human on the planet. They are all just people. And regardless of how much kudos the media bestow upon them, they are nothing special. Want my respect? Earn it - Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Kardashians, Bieber, etc. - not just bask in the spotlight for no reason whatsoever. Who was it decided to shine the light on you anyway? Why should anyone have to hear what you have to say?

Why does a Katy Perry get kudos for showing glimpses of flesh, while the man who builds a house from scratch, or can actually make an engine, etc., get no recognition for their real skill? Cause, we cannot be shown how great we can be. We need to be mediocre. Easier to control that way. We cannot have any Harrison Bergerons.

Michael

Aye we have enough of the mightier than thou crap comong from teh whitehouse as it is. dont need any moreEh?

Quote from: adidasguy on April 25, 2011, 12:49:13 PM
Had to use the car Saturday to get some parts & stuff. Getting ready to change lanes for an exit and a crotch rocket going 90 or more zipped past. If I hadn't been watching my mirrors, he would have been road kill.
Interesting, a few miles down the road we both were off at the same exit. With stop lights and other traffic, he got there maybe 5 seconds ahead of me - me doing the speed limit while he was going 90 or more like a real squid head.
If you want to ride like an arss, do it on the track. Not in traffic near a major shopping mall.

AGREED adidas. or his woulds could have been far worse than your leg or my foot currently 

Quote from: tt_four on April 25, 2011, 01:17:47 PM
I do my best to avoid the highway, it's nothing but trouble, especially for people who like to go fast. You're definitely at fault when you're speeding, the other thing to consider though is regardless of what the van was doing, if the biker hit him hard enough to kill himself at 80mph, it's likely that he still would've hit him at 50mph, or at least had to seriously swerve out of the way. There's not a big enough jump in speed from 50mph to 80mph to assume that 80 would kill you, and 50 would have put him so far back that the van could've pulled out and not been in the bikes right of way. Not saying this was the vans fault, but he clearly had to of pulled out in front of him, whether he was going too fast or not.

Problem is that it's almost impossible to comprehend the distance a bike will cover at speeds that are double the approach velocities of typical cars.

Lane change at interstate speed; mirror and head check, move over. Driver looking for cars that might be doing 10-15 MPH faster... about 5-10 car lengths back.

Throw in a MC that's going 30 MPH faster than traffic...one headlight, narrow profile. Now you're double the distance back, 10-20 car lengths.

Anymore, if I see a bike in the left lane that looks like it's overtaking traffic, I hang back and observe it closely... is that guy passing at 80, or 110 MPH? Once I get a better look I know what to do. Not sure most driver in the US are that careful.

Some subconscious stuff going on here. If you see a Porsche or Ferrari in the left lane passing, do you think to yourself that the differential speed might be higher? I usually do a double take on these as well. Same with the bumper cars I see bombing around I-96 in D-town.

Quote from: noiseguy on April 25, 2011, 09:56:25 PM

Quote from: tt_four on April 25, 2011, 01:17:47 PM
I do my best to avoid the highway, it's nothing but trouble, especially for people who like to go fast. You're definitely at fault when you're speeding, the other thing to consider though is regardless of what the van was doing, if the biker hit him hard enough to kill himself at 80mph, it's likely that he still would've hit him at 50mph, or at least had to seriously swerve out of the way. There's not a big enough jump in speed from 50mph to 80mph to assume that 80 would kill you, and 50 would have put him so far back that the van could've pulled out and not been in the bikes right of way. Not saying this was the vans fault, but he clearly had to of pulled out in front of him, whether he was going too fast or not.

Problem is that it's almost impossible to comprehend the distance a bike will cover at speeds that are double the approach velocities of typical cars.

Lane change at interstate speed; mirror and head check, move over. Driver looking for cars that might be doing 10-15 MPH faster... about 5-10 car lengths back.

Throw in a MC that's going 30 MPH faster than traffic...one headlight, narrow profile. Now you're double the distance back, 10-20 car lengths.

Anymore, if I see a bike in the left lane that looks like it's overtaking traffic, I hang back and observe it closely... is that guy passing at 80, or 110 MPH? Once I get a better look I know what to do. Not sure most driver in the US are that careful.

Some subconscious stuff going on here. If you see a Porsche or Ferrari in the left lane passing, do you think to yourself that the differential speed might be higher? I usually do a double take on these as well. Same with the bumper cars I see bombing around I-96 in D-town.

not sure any driver in any country is that careful to be honest

As a motorcyclists i was taught to ride as if I was invisible and that EVERY driver will pull out/over on you. The rider has to take it upon themselves to keep safe because no else is.

Quote from: Twisted on April 26, 2011, 12:35:37 AM
As a motorcyclists i was taught to ride as if I was invisible and that EVERY driver will pull out/over on you. The rider has to take it upon themselves to keep safe because no else is.

YUP ! ! !

Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on April 26, 2011, 03:45:55 AM

Quote from: Twisted on April 26, 2011, 12:35:37 AM
As a motorcyclists i was taught to ride as if I was invisible and that EVERY driver will pull out/over on you. The rider has to take it upon themselves to keep safe because no else is.

YUP ! ! !

+10000000