i live downtown so that clutch hand gets quite a work out. :( but it's just over the bridge to the highway and squamish so it's all good. :p but really, what i prefer are the small side roads east ... not really going that fast, but enjoying the scenery and riding for riding's sake....

need more of those rides than the let's-make-it-to-squamish-in-15-minutes craziness.

anyway, RIP rider.

as an aside, shoei rf-1100 in safety orange to be picked up this weekend. :) hopefully that'll give me a bit more visibility.

edit: also new tires and new knee armour.

RIP, ride safe and drivers be aware

There's enough visibility in that photo that either the minivan should have seen the bike, or the bike was traveling so fast that it would have looked clear to the minivan when it decided to go. Unfortunately from the evidence and comments it points to the rider traveling too fast.

That's an awesome stretch to open it up, take it easy folks.

Damn, that looks pretty bad.

Hopefully the city officials can do something about that stretch in terms of visibility

RIP

It's an easy road to just keep the throttle wide open. Used to bury the needle along that strip. Of course, the needle only went to 140km/h on the Reliant. :).

I guess riding season is officially on, now that it's been kicked off with it's first fatality? Although costly, it's a good reminder for everyone to be more aware on the road. Since you can't depend on the cagers to be more aware (especially in Richmond, ground-zero C-Lai zone), riders need to be extra vigilant. Be as visible, as possible, and keep that brake covered.

My first "unofficial" lesson from a buddy was him showing me how he could wheelie that entire stretch at > 140 kmph. Thankfully I still don't even know how to wheelie my bike! :whistle:

Unfortunately its actually the second fatality - I think someone was killed on Oak a month ago.

Did anyone else wonder how that pink facial tissue got there? Impact must have been terrible. RIP.

Amazing the driver didn't get killed. Holy crap. :eek:

RIP rider.

There are some great back roads to ride on, but the majority of city riding (especially during traffic) is unexciting and taxing on the body.
In regards to Seakrait and his take on riding defensibly, with this being true, it takes away a lot of the fun factor of riding for me. Having to worry about someone else making a mistake is daunting on the mind. In my opinion, track riding would be the most fun anyone can have on a motorcycle. If you don’t have a truck, it’s quite hard getting to the track.

Unless!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/305/dsc09630ig1.jpg

Unfortunate this happened :( all the best to the family and friends of both parties

i did

if you look at the damage on the minivan, it's clear the rider was going crazy fast. nicest day out for a while, long stretch of road, many of us would've done the same, be it in a car, on a bike, whatever

RIP to the rider

the side airbags saved the drivers life..litteraly

:fullofwin: V-Twin 650 class anywhere? :p

oh, it's very much not fun to have to fear for your life everytime you ride, lol. but once you get out of the city and onto quiet backcountry roads, it's all good.

RIP to the rider. :(


Another riding season is about to start and unfortunately, this is not the first death we are going to hear of. Slow down and be safe everyone!

Also, I know some people find it super annoying. But... LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES. Countless times i've been riding in the city at 6-7000rpm, but doing the speed limit and I know that has helped drivers notice me. Especially drivers entering the intersection on your right side.

RIP to the motorcyclist. So early in the season :(

The mini van prob didn't see the biker as he was doing his left/right/left checks. In my opinion, by the time the van driver got to the last left check, he was already committing the left turn. If the biker wasn't going so fast, it could have been a lesson for the rider instead of death.

i suppose something is better than nothing but really, when you're a distracted cager putting on your lipstick, talking on your cellphone, etc... does a bike's pipe really make a huge difference except to let the driver know that there's a bike around? not sure if the cager would be able to pick out the direction of the sound and the context of the situation before the inevitable happened.

Puddle of blood under the bike?? :S
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l.../IMG_0239b.jpg

i believe thats gasoline.

^ looks like gasoline to me too, if anything, the rider's blood would be in the van since he was propelled from the bike

^^ i thought it was motor oil?

good point too, it could possibly be either. Can only tell with pictures later on because gasoline will possibly evaporate.

damn..RIP

Someone gets it.

Loud pipes do not save lives. Low exhaust notes are not directional, and newer cars very well insulated. In fact they only add to the stereotype of inconsiderate riders and make drivers more annoyed and less respectful of riders.

Saying they would have saved this life only justifies driving like an asshat. Its a 60kmph zone, if the rider was doing the speed limit there's a high probability the outcome would have been different.

A modulated headlight is a better alternative. If the problem was the minivan did not see the driver, the modulated headlight would have helped.

The POPO had been catching speeders at that location all afternoon today. I expect that they would camp over there for quite a while.

yeah probably, but classes end next week. I was quite surprised to have not seen them watching at that spot for the past few weeks.
I wish they would also ticket every car that hinders visibility while they're at it.