16 year old killed on motorcycle (1 Viewer)

[Marque D]

Pictures
article

I have a feeling that they will try to lay the blame on the kid (who really should not had a bike like that at 16 and that was a poor choice by his parents) but I think this lady (like so many people in "cages" do) pulled out in front of him. It can be difficult to judge the speed of an oncoming motorcycle but if you aren't sure than you need to wait. This kid was 16 years old so this was probably one of his first vehicles. That just isn't smart parenting. If you have experience than sure at 18 or so you can have a bike that will out accelerate a Ferrari 360; but at 16 how long was he driving anything.

RIP

Also does anyone now anything about this city. It seems like it might be a rich bubble, how could you give someone a warning for going 100 in a 25?

 

[Scott L]

Crazy pics. Here's another story where the cyclist kills himself: :frowning:

http://zrxoa.org/forums/showthread.p...threadid=50262

 

[Johnny_M]

Napa is wine country. I have never been there but I live close, and my understanding its mostly just vineyards with a couple small towns. A lot of open space out there so many people probably have motorcycles. When I was 14 my dad taught me to drive a stick out in the desert. Poor judgement? Maybe, but some 16 yr old kids are more responsible than others. No matter whos fault it is, definatly a shame.

Johnny

 

[Marque D]

Yea Scott that was a very sad story. I hate how people always think stuff is made up, just because someone set up a paypal accont for his son. The mod on that board said that he went to see the man.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

You've never heard of Napa? The premier wine town in North America? The smaller burgs north of Napa are richer but Napa isn't bad by itself. All roads are jammed with tourists most of the year. I've never been able to do 50 MPH, much less 100....

 

[Christ Reynolds]

at first, it sounds like it was some spoiled rich kid who was driving too fast and hit a car. i'm still not exactly sure what happened after readint the article, but it seems like the kid was a good kid, he saved up and bought the bike himself, wasnt into drugs or alcohol...but used extremely poor judgment in riding his motorcycle, on at least one occasion. he must have been travelling pretty fast in order to impale the bike onto that car. and it has been shown that he drove the bike fast, 100 mph in a 25? the cop should have ripped his license on the spot. not that it is the cop's fault, but in this state, your license is automatically revoked if you travel above 100 mph, no matter the speed limit. it is just a shame that the events stacked up like this.

CJ

 

[Garrett Lundy]

An $8000 bike at 16? Plus a collectors car? And enough family leverage for the cop to send him on his merry way at 400% of the posted limit?

Yeah, I'd say he was a spoiled kid. But to head for the great bike show in the sky at 16 I'd have spoiled the poor kid even more.

Pegs down tonight :frowning:

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Considering the street is lined with parked cars, houses, and small businesses, and there is a school zone, crosswalk and traffic light in the immediate vicinity, I'd guess the speed limit in that area is 35mph. Considering the bike stuck to the car, and did a hell of a lot of damage to a Lincoln Town Car, I'm guessing that bike was doing a good bit more than 35mph. It's a shame, but that's what happens when you let young kids have powerful vehicles.

And a pilots license. Yep, definitely spoiled. He may have paid for the bike and its insurance, but I doubt he paid for that other stuff too.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

eh good point, guess i read too quickly. but it said he saved up for the bike himself, so who knows. he did seem to have a lot of other toys...to have the bike stick to the town car like that, he must have been really hauling ass. maybe if he didnt get off so easily before, he may still be alive.

CJ

 

[Marque D]

he paid for a dowm pament and his parents paid the rest

 

[ChrisMatson]

Sad.

Can anything constructive come of this?

Each person that operates any vehiucle, but especially a motorcycle, must understand the risks and responsibility that come with the privelege of driving or riding.

 

[David Galindo]

Whoa. Thats so...sad. I am at a loss for words here.

Thanks Scott.

 

[Philip_G]

it most certainly appears to me that the car pulled out in front of him.
The rate of speed he was travelling? well, that bike probly weighs in around 400-450 (looks like a CBR f4i to me could be mistaken) Even at 35, straight into the soft part of the door like that will do that much damage.

Should a 16 y/o be on a modern 600cc sportbike? fuck no. You're talking about a machine that does 0-60 in what, low 4 second range? He should be on a 250cc bike, if any at all.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I agree. Motorcycles can do a lot more damage than people think, even at lower speeds. Just a shame really.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

The real unstated problem is that Napa is a particularly bad city for motorcycles. It's all full of tourists that aren't paying attention to their driving, and most of them have been "wine tasting".....

 

[Aurel Savin]

As an avid cyclist, I have one advice for people on 2 wheels.

ASSUME YOU ARE INVISIBLE !!!!

Most drivers brains do not register seeing motorcycles and bicycles. Sounds crazy, I know, but true.

 

[Shawn C]

It looks to me like the Town Car was pulling out of that driveway, but probably couldn't see far enough down the street due to the Lincoln Navigator parked on the street right next to the driveway.

This is probably a combination of the driver of the Town Car not being able to see down the street and the guy on the bike riding too fast. He hit that car hard enough to blow out the tire on the opposite side of the car. I would think that would require a good amount of force to seperate the tire from the rim enough to blow it.

It look like he was wearing his helmet. There is suprsingly little damage to it. The paramedics probably cut it off. It looks like the was wearing tennis shoes.

Still, since he was heading for a traffic light and with all the driveways on the side of the road, that might have been an avoidable accident. *IF* a rider was traveling at the speed limit and was watching the driveways like an experienced rider would, that might have been avoidable or at least less severe.

 

[Tim Markley]

Alot of you seem to be jumping to some conclusions about him being a rich kid.

"He put down the down payment and paid for the insurance. He wanted to pay for it, but (his parents) put the rest on credit," Levi Gruenhagen said."

"He was waiting a long time for that bike. And it took a lot out of his family (financially) to get it for him," Stonis said"

Doesn't sound like a rich kid to me.

This is just a very unfortunate accident. I think that it would've been in his best interest to have gotten a ticket previously and maybe even had his license suspended. The Police officer probably thought that they were doing him a favor by not giving him a ticket but giving him a ticket may have saved his life.

 

[RobR]

If the guy on the bike rides fast enough, the car not being able to see down the street would be irrelevant. When a driver decides to cross the intersection, he or she usually looks in both directions before crossing or turning onto the street. The driver looks to the left, nothing is there, then looks to the right, everything is clear, but during this time the bike appears in the other direction (since the bike is going fast enough) and the driver is up for a great surprise when he or she moves into the street.

I've actually seen this happen with two cars on a curved street. The speeding car was going 80 mph in a 35 mph zone and its path was completely empty when the driver in the crossing car looked into it before moving into the traffic.

 

[Eric_L]

It is the best strategy for bikers to live to retirement and beyond.