| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
Shocked there isn't a thread in honor of our fallen fellow rider Dane Westby, "The Wolverine." I saw him many times at Laguna Seca. Very good dude that seemed to just love motorcycles, period. This one is a big shot to the gut. The sport we all love can certainly bite back in the worst ways. http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/racer-dane-wes tby-rip/ | ||
| Fresnobuell |
The services will be streamed live. Not sure how I feel about this. Sort of strange. http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/more-on-the-se rvices-scheduled-for-racer-dane-westby-rip/ | ||
| Bads1 |
I spent time with Dane at Road America a couple years ago and we converse FB from time to time and I cant be there. But I can say the guy was the real deal. You couldn't meet a nicer guy in the paddock along with his Dad. I for one will Stream it. | ||
| Strokizator |
"He was in the left-hand tire track of the right lane. The skid marks start out going straight and then veer off toward the curb. He was on the brakes. To me it was pretty obvious that he was trying to avoid something." It's shocking to see something like this happen to a young, skilled rider. At my advanced age, what chance do I stand out there? | ||
| Fresnobuell |
That seems to be the feeling of several other riders as well (Wera X-13 board has 12-13 pages of posts regarding this tragedy). I have to admit I thought about the random-ness of this accident. Sort of the same feeling when a random act of violence on the street pops up. "Man, that just as easily could have been me." I guess we feel as a rider, we have some control over our fate when riding. These incidents are proof to the contrary and that's what unsettles me. | ||
| Reepicheep |
After probably 100k very paranoid miles on motorcycles, I had an accident that nobody could have avoided. That's the bad news. The good news is that skill, awareness and preparation still made it a lot less bad. So you are right, there are some situations you just can't avoid. I understand people who feel like it's time to quit riding. But there are many many more that you can avoid, or at least mitigate. I understand people who keep riding but do everything they can to stack the deck in their favor (riding strategies, operational skills, equipment upgrades, protective gear, visibility improvements, etc). What I don't understand is people who ride and just figure it will work out. It will work out all right, sooner or later, but not the way you are hoping.  My condolences to friends and family of Mr. Westby, who was by all counts a talented and responsible rider. | ||
| Fast1075 |
One of the best ever Prostock Drag bike riders was a friend named John Myers. Multi-time world champion. Got squeezed off the road on the way home from work and tumbled down a hill. Died in the hospital from an aneurism while talking to his wife waiting to be discharged. Sometimes life just sucks. I never met Mr. Westby, but I sure liked the way he rode, and his passion. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
After my single bike crash in Dec '13, I realized I needed to re-assess my desire to ride a motorcycle. I chose to get back on the horse, however I also decided to spare no expense to stack the deck in my favor. I invested in all new top of the line gear and rebuilt the entire front end of my bike (not from crash damage, but to replace any POSSIBLY faulty parts). I also made a decision to dial it back a notch on the streets and trying to be smoother all around on the controls. I will not commute to work on my bike anymore either. I honestly feel I am about as safe as one can be on a bike both with my equipment and mentally--certainly safer than the cool guys who roll around with no gear and one hand off their handlebars as they cruise through intersections. But I do believe in fate as well. When your number is up, it's up and vice versa. So, is it an oxymoron to believe in fate yet do all the aforementioned things to mitigate the dangers of riding a bike? | ||
| Nobuell |
After my brother was killed during the spring of last year on his 1125R, it took the wind out of my sails riding on the street. I dramatically upped my track time. I only rode a couple times on the street last year. A week or two ago I went on a local ride with one of my Buell friends. It felt good. I have decided to get back to riding on the street like I used to. I will however, cut the speed back and take my time riding. Racing and added track time this summer will quench my street speed. Sometimes you just need to adjust your riding outlook. Just be very careful out there. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Yep. Be aware of the situations that are most risky for the rider--cars turning left in front of us, any car on the right shoulder, any intersection, high traffic. There is nothing like experience you gain over years of riding and driving. The ability to pick up on subtle clues as to what the other guy is gonna do along with finely honed intuition can save your bacon out there. Hard to believe there wasn't even one witness to the crash. I guess the only people that know what happened were in the vehicle that caused the crash. And that's only a maybe because it's possible they never even realized someone just died because of their actions. | ||
| Hughlysses |
There were several posts about Dane in the racing forum last week, starting here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=158664&post=2474157#POST2474157 |
