Man with new motorcycle in fatal crash

[POE-BOY SAMICH]

Jeez, this is messed up:

Man with new motorcycle in fatal crash before leaving dealership parking lot

Wonder if or how this will effect laws/rules regarding the selling of bikes.
I mean, around here (TX), dealers will sell just about anyone a bike without worrying about how long you've been away from cycles or even if you have any experience.

It's like, "Oh you want that 'busa as your first bike...sure, lets right up that sales ticket."
I don't blame the dealers as being liable for this man's passing, mind you. But I do think it makes better business to CARE about your customers.

[tricker]

thats crazy and sad..

[Apertureguy]

This is a shame.

[Clint]

Dealer lot crashes happen quite often. Too bad this joker broke his neck doing it.

[KD57]

Sad, but I hope they don't fault the dealer for it. As far as it being moral or not, dealers are in biz to sell bikes, not pass judgement on whether or not you can ride. Boat dealers are in the same boat (so to speak, lol) they sell high performance bass boats all the time to guys that have no idea how to drive one properly. The same learning curve applies. You need experience.

[Apertureguy]

Back before there was a driver's education class...I bet this happened a lot.

Perhaps we could get someone really old to see if they can remember what it was like when they were switching over from horse & buggy to the car.

Anyone?

[baltimorebayside]

This is exactly why I chose to have my new 2008 C50T delivered to my house. I was used to old school CB Honda's, that's all I ever riden.....Didn't want to take a chance driving home from the dealers on a totally different configered type of bike......

I wouldn't blame the dealer, but the dealer should have cautioned the customer and maybe reccomend get the bike trailored home like I did...

Heck, my dealer is the one that brought it up. He saw a guy sitting in his parking lot for 5 minutes on a brand new purchased bike.....he walked out and suggested letting the dealer trailer it home.....he agreed.......

why take chances......

dan

[Apertureguy]

My dealer had asked me if I wanted someone to ride my new bike home.

I thought at first it was because it was raining out that day...but now guess it was so some newbie wouldn't wreck in the parking lot.

Regardless....I told him no thanks....there was no way someone else was gonna ride my bike!

[DrBob]

Sadly, this happens a lot, though rarely as dramatically as leaving the dealer's lot. Someone goes out and buys a motorcycle BEFORE they learn to ride, or they buy one after not riding for many years and figure their skills are still there.
The simple fact is that MORE THAN HALF of all motorcycle accidents involve a rider with less than 500 mile experience. Over two-thirds of motorcycle accidents involve someone with no license, on a borrowed or new to them bike, and less than a year's experience.
People will think twice about getting on a bicycle for the first time, or for the first time in 30 years, becuase they know they could get hurt when they inevitably fall over. They think twice about falling over when learning to ride a skateboard, or roller blades, or roller sKates, or a unicycle, or a razer scooter, or snow skis, or water skis...why can't they grasp the concept that a motorcycle is WAY more dangerous to learn to ride?
Here in GA it is illegal for a motorcycle dealer to let you ride off the lot without a motorcycle license- you have to have it delivered, or take it home on a trailer. At least it is a start.

[tricker]

for this reason.. i had my bike trailered back to my parents... didn't ride if till 2 months after i bought it. luckily the old man has a nice trailer to haul things such as motorcycles

[eb77k]

If you don't have any experience you should make some arrangements to get the thing some where you can learn to ride.

The responsibility belongs to the dead guy.

[amvince]

Sad but its the buyers responsibility. No helmet, off a bike for 30 years and trying to ride an unfamilar machine. I hadn't ridden for 18 years before I bought my curerent bike other than my kids XR 70. I took the course, trailered my bike home and wear a full faced helmet.

[mcbones]

The GM of my dealership tells me they have had a number of bikes wrecked on the ride away from the dealership. Several in view of the dealership. When I purchased my bike I had just completed the MSF course but was embarassed to ask them to deliver the bike. The GM knew I was a new rider and asked if I wanted them to deliver the bike. I gladly agreed. He also gave me some advice on how to get familiar with the bigger bike. In the end it's the rider who is responsibl. Dealers could avoid tragedies like this by insisting if the bike is ridden away from the dealership it is by a licensed rider.

[busa-boy33]

How far do you have to go to make people use common sense?? Accidents are just that.. accidents.. your never going to eliminate them and people are still going to get hurt, maimed and/or killed. The man was old enough to have known better IF he is in his right sane mind and not drunk or doped up or unable to make a common sense judgment call. Sad but True.. (Que's Metallica song)

[KD57]

Originally Posted by busa-boy33

How far do you have to go to make people use common sense?? Accidents are just that.. accidents.. your never going to eliminate them and people are still going to get hurt, maimed and/or killed. (Que's Metallica song)

According to the OSHA pos inspector at the jobsites, ALL accidents are completely avoidable. There is NO SUCH thing as an accident. I hope a meteorite hits him in the head.

[themeatmanlandry]

Motorcycles, guns, alcohol, cigarettes . . . all kinds of things out there to harm the uninformed consumer. You can't mandate intelligence.

[mrey]

"The difference between stupidity and genius, is that genius has limits."

[kstateskier]

When I bought my first bike I wanted so badly to ride it home but the bottom line was I was uncomfortable on the highway and would have needed to ride about 7 miles on the interstate. No way I loaded her up in the back of my truck and home she went!

I then spent 2 weeks riding around my neighborhood and in close parking lots practicing! Then I upped my confidence level to city streets. I bet it was a month before my motorcycle ever saw the highway!

This is sad...

[themeatmanlandry]

I crashed my Bandit in the parking lot while applying the brakes and turning the handlebars at the same time. Lucky I did, as I was headed out onto one of Memphis' most notorious streets to learn to ride a motorcycle at lunchtime in9 the middle of the week!

I parked it until I took the MSF. Only problems since have been self-inflicted wounds caused by curiosity/stupidity on my part.

[Jay313]

Crashed my M50 on my first ride around the neighborhood. Same story as meatman. I had just completed the MSF course, but when I took a turn too fast and saw the curb coming at me, car-driver reflexes took over. Never make that mistake again.

Luckily, I had the dealer deliver my bike because I also was uncomfortable having to jump on an interstate to get it home. Otherwise, I could easily have been a statistic, too.

In the end, I'm almost glad I dumped it right away. Made me much more cautious about not over-estimating my skills (or lack thereof).