A sobering story... 600cc's and zero experience.

vtlion · June 04, 2004, 04:31:45 PM

A friend of mine from Harrisburg IMed me today with a story to tell. I know that on this site I will mostly be preaching to the quire, but I really thought people should read this... one more story to heap on the pile....

x: met a kid down at ray wilt in hanover pa...
x: kid had just got his liscense a month ago... YEAH a month ago. He was 16
vtchemist: uh oh......
vtchemist: another 16 year old on the street... $:-\$
x: his parents went out and bought him a brand new r6
vtchemist: oh sweet jeez
x: and he was picking it up the day i was there
x: i told his parents straight up that it was the worst mistake they ever made and they snipped at me that he is a good kid.
x: and guess what happened...
vtchemist: did he bin it coming out of the parking lot?
vtchemist:

x: almost. a mile down the road. tboned a f150 in the intersection, the bike was in the bed of the truck and he was on the road about 30 ft away...
vtchemist: holy crap =-O
x: i read his obit in the paper this morning.
x: $:-\$
x: all i can think is how cocky he seemed when he was waiting for it, he was asking me how to wheelie and how fast i've been////

I salute every single aspiring supersport rider on this forum who had the sense to start out on a bike that is within reason, and I urge anyone browsing the forums thinking about a 600 for their first bike to THINK AGAIN... those things will eat you alive if you are not ready for them.

ride safe people.

vtlion · June 04, 2004, 04:34:03 PM

p.s. I should mention that this fellow telling the story is an accomplished rider and he rides a CBR954RR, so he knows a little bit about sportbikes

Rippa_MD · June 04, 2004, 04:44:30 PM

very sad to hear. I'm definetely gonna stick to my GS until forever and even when I do get an 650SVS or pull a Pantablo

I'll keep the GS for the riding lessons I have learned and keep on learning.

pantablo · June 04, 2004, 05:08:42 PM

Quote from: Rippa_MD... or pull a Pantablo .

you must mean "get really good"...right?

or maybe just get a Honda? :dunno:

Vt-good read for newer riders. Thanks for posting such a sobering tale, especially now that the riding season is begun and everyone wants a new bike (got mine... :nana: )

p-

Stime187 · June 04, 2004, 08:49:46 PM

An R6 will probably be my next bike, I rode one a couple weeks back and loved it, but that story just made me realize how good it is that I'm riding THOUSANDS of miles on my GS before stepping up that kind of power... (already have 5500 under my belt w/ no incidents)

Scott

PS - I'm only 18 by the way.

pantablo · June 04, 2004, 09:32:26 PM

good for you Styme! Not many 18 year olds are mature enough to not be swayed by the ego of getting that R6 first. You'll be a better rider for it.

Rich500 · June 04, 2004, 09:50:25 PM

I got my GS when Iw as 18 as well. Now Im 20, with tens of thousands of miles, and I just recently stepped up to something bigger. After more training and track days I felt I was ready, and so far I think I am. Good for you Stime. I know too many kids who got R6's or GSXR600 first time up and are either dead, or severly messed up.

pantablo · June 04, 2004, 09:53:48 PM

Quote from: Rich500... are either dead, or severly messed up.

Or they scare themselves so bad that they never ride again and become vocal about 'how dangerous' motorcycles are. :dunno:

Rich500 · June 04, 2004, 10:06:29 PM

/\---True enough. One guy last season had just picked up his brand new GSX750. That night he got drunk, at a party at his house, took it for a rip while he was plastered with no helmet and ran into a tree at really igh speed. That was the end of that.

yamahonkawazuki · June 04, 2004, 11:59:31 PM

bad thing is 1 it wont change much, and 2. kids parents are really prolly freakin now at how prophetic those words were and of sons death. ive recently sold my gs, but miss it every day. kinda like sex. the more you get it the more (usually) you want it :dunno:

yamahonkawazuki · June 05, 2004, 12:03:30 AM

i told the guy i sold mine to, i believe he joined here cant remember his name though. that it makes a great learner bike, plus with this forum there are plenty of parts (usually) to go around. hopefully that kid died quickly. i couldnt stand to see anyone suffer.

June 05, 2004, 12:39:15 AM

hmmmm - something is missing....

The original post dosent say how he hit the truck... was he speeding? or what?

I mean you can t-bone a truck on a scooter, GS, SV, R6, R1 - take it from me, I went from an 02' Honda F4i to the GS500 and both can get you in serious trouble if your stupid enough.

Just because he was on an R6 means nothing - you can do 120mph on our GS500 which in my opinion is a great learner bike.

If he punched the bike out to a buck on the main street and couldnt stop at an intersection due to lack of emergancy braking skills then I understand... but the same can be said on our GS500 - just less likely to happen.

I still think you should be restricted (like here in Australia) for the first year of your open licence... this means by the time you can get any bike you want your at least 18.

Stay Safe

Stime187 · June 05, 2004, 07:47:14 AM

Thanks guys, my parents (dad especially) has really influenced me to stay with GS til I'm good enough, I got it about 4 months ago when I was still 17 and having never even ridden a dirt bike before it's been a great learning experience. I've been involved with motorsports all my life (have raced all kinds of things with four wheels) but have just had a love for bikes for no real good reason.

So my parents finally broke down and let me buy the GS ($600) with the money I've made doing my business (see my signature) and now with hard work/business growth I have enough set aside to out right buy a 2001-new 600cc sport bike when the time is right.

I've got two close friends that ride (I was the first, but you know how that goes) one is 20 and he rides an '89 GS500, the other is about 6 months older than me, and he just got a '98 Honda VTR1000 Superhawk... yes, I've ridden that bike, and yes, that's WAY more bike than he needs. But he wouldn't listen and luckily he accepts the fact that my GS will wax him on any curvy road and doesn't do something stupid to try and keep up.

Anyways, just thought I'd share...

Scott

Dragonfly · June 05, 2004, 01:38:32 PM

I have to agree with Keyzer, if he t-boned a truck then it really has almost absolutly nothing to do with the kind of bike your on.
it all comes down to rider experience.
In theory an R6 should stop in an emergency 1000% better than the Gs, but with all that extra braking power, a strong stab at the front brake lever will lock it up, and you go down..... ouch.

vtlion · June 05, 2004, 02:46:28 PM

I dont know about that. As a recent GS - 600 convert I can tell you that my R6 is frighteningly[/i] confidence inspiring (I think Pablo will back me up on this one). When I first got it I routinely would look down at the instrument cluster thinking I was cruising at the speed limit only to see that I would be going to jail if a cop gunned me

. On the GS 50 mph feels like 50mph. On that 6, 100mph feels like 50mph until you see that opossum dart out in front of you and you realize how little time you have to react... by then it can be too late if you aren't experienced enough to take the proper evasive maneuver quickly and safely. If the kids bike ended up in the bed of the truck and the he got tossed 30 feet, something tells me that speed was a factor.

I think there is a VERY real difference among bikes and danger factors to new riders.

pantablo · June 05, 2004, 03:15:58 PM

Quote from: vtlion...I can tell you that my R6 is frighteningly[/i] confidence inspiring (I think Pablo will back me up on this one).

OH YES. These bikes flatter the rider into thinking they're better than they really are. (me).
I remember having to do a quick stop on one of my rides and thinking "this bikes brakes suck compared to my gs500" until I reallized I was going DOUBLE the speed I thought I was.

yesterday I counted in my head (one onethousand) to see how quickly I got to legal speeds riding in a normal, not racy manner. I got to ONE and I was past 50mph already!

if you dont have experience being smooth with the trottle a 600 sport bike will likely bike you in the ass one day. Only because I have ridden the gs am I smooth with the throttle.

While I agree one can kill themselves on pretty much anything with two wheels I think that a 600ss bike doesnt have that level of safety (or a safety cushion or net, if you will) that might protect you in case you react instinctively in an emergency. Having not learned on a smaller bike that instinct may not be the right thing to do.

I also noticed the other day that if I wasnt careful I would give it lots of unwanted throttle by a)moving my elbow to look past it in the mirror, b)not be careful going over sharp bumps, c) same on speed bumps. The throttle is THAT sensitive.

p-

June 05, 2004, 04:31:51 PM

Well I am the oppsite to you pantablo - I CAME from a 600cc to the GS500...

I agree that the 600's are far more sensitive...

given the chance though I would want to be on top of a 600 in an emergancy braking position rather then the GS500...

and also, I still argue, what happen to the kid on the R6? Inexperience is one thing, stupidity or bad luck is another

Stay Safe

davipu · June 05, 2004, 07:25:19 PM

so who is going to ride thier gs500 over to that kid's parent's house and tell them "i told you 600cc's was too much" ?

pantablo · June 05, 2004, 09:09:36 PM

Quote from: keyzerI would want to be on top of a 600 in an emergency braking position rather then the GS500...

oh me too!

scar_ace · June 06, 2004, 05:46:09 AM

Quote from: pantabloI also noticed the other day that if I wasnt careful I would give it lots of unwanted throttle by a)moving my elbow to look past it in the mirror, b)not be careful going over sharp bumps, c) same on speed bumps. The throttle is THAT sensitive.
p-

This is what scares me because admittedly I still do that on my GS sometimes. The worst I receive is maybe a small lurch forward and then the engine braking will slow me down (usually in low gears), if I was following slow traffic, then it may become a problem. I've had my GS for about one and a half years now and I'm still in my 2 year probation period. I would like a sports bike for the riding experience and I used to have an high revving Aprilia RS 125 stroker with a high powerband, but no way would I need more power than the GS.
It would be interesting to know if anyone does NOT still blip the throttle by accident on their bikes, and how long have they been riding?

Thanks Simon

News:

A sobering story... 600cc's and zero experience.

davipu