Witnessed a rider go down on the 805N today (near the 54) [Archive] - Hypercycles - Motorcycle Club and Sportbike Enthusiast Forums

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rondre3000

11-15-2005, 11:26 AM

First off, I hope the rider is okay. He was eventually helped off the freeway, although he sustained some type of leg injuries so that's a good sign.

I was splittling lanes around the H St exit going north on the 805 when I noticed this guy all over my ass. I sped up a little bit to create some space but it looked like he sped up as well. I was travelling roughly 30mph as we were splitting lanes. As soon as a spot opened up, I merged into the fast lane and let the rider by. The guy zooms on past and I think to myself, "Wow, that guy is pretty ballsy to be splitting lanes at that speed".

Well, not even a quarter mile later, I witnessed a car in the fast lane merging one lane over just as this rider was passing. I saw the bike hit the car, the rider go over the handle bars and the bike flip up over it's nose and sommersault. The bike was a good few feet off the ground as well. It looked so surreal, like it was happening in slow motion. I couldn't have been more than 40 yards away. I immediately pulled over and started dialing 911. Luckily, I was connected fairly fast and the people who had pulled over in front of me were doing a great job at securing the scene and diverting traffic. A nurse also pulled over and assisted the down rider.

Anyhow, this is a friendly reminder to my fellow riders to take it easy on the freeways. Splitting may be legal, but it isn't neccesarily safe. Stay alert at all times, and don't be pressured into riding faster than you are comfortable with. It could have just as easily been me that went over that car hood.

-r.

sKwiD

11-15-2005, 11:45 AM

Wow that's pretty scary. I'll think twice about splitting lanes... getting to my destination 5 minutes early isn't really worth it. Drivers in SD never pay attention anyway. Glad to hear that he's alright. What kind of bike was he riding?

daMartian

11-15-2005, 11:47 AM

wow... i was actually listening to the radio (news) and heard about a motorcyclist down on the 805 before the 54...
godspeed!

deathblow

11-15-2005, 11:50 AM

I saw him. Was it a guy on a silver/grey Kawi? He was on his feet talking on the phone. He was wearing a Icon vest over his leather jacket and this was North of Telegraph before H St.

Arnold_R1

11-15-2005, 11:53 AM

Damn that sux! I always try to avoid the 805 N as much as possible and stay on the I-5 which is not as bad. Whenever I lane share, it's usually 1-2nd gear(keeping the revs up so that other motorist can hear you), between 30-40mph, and have both breaks covered.

P.S-doesn't help to use a little SIPDE -- Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide and Execute :thumbsup: :ha:

Dissident

11-15-2005, 12:11 PM

I think lane splitting ir probably safer if you're smart about it, but I find it to be the most stressfull/exhausting riding.

But, hauling whiel lane splitting.. ugh. Hope the guy is ok..

rondre3000

11-15-2005, 12:17 PM

I saw him. Was it a guy on a silver/grey Kawi? He was on his feet talking on the phone. He was wearing a Icon vest over his leather jacket and this was North of Telegraph before H St.

Nah, I totally forgot about that guy tho. The accident I'm talking about was right where H St merges onto the 805 and the on ramp to the 54 (aka The Cluster****).
Rider was on a blue 04 Gixxer 600.

-r.

EvilKawi

11-15-2005, 12:41 PM

I saw him. Was it a guy on a silver/grey Kawi? He was on his feet talking on the phone. He was wearing a Icon vest over his leather jacket and this was North of Telegraph before H St.

Yeah, I saw his bike facing the opposite direction. 805N is my usual route to work and splitting lanes up to Mira Mesa that’s why I bought one of those ICON vests.

Sometimes I see Casper near La Jolla and we exchange our pleasantries then he zooming past me.

casper13

11-15-2005, 01:00 PM

Yea I only lane split on days I ride which is Mon and Wed cause I have a 4pm class. I fear lane splitting. Sometimes I try to get around the cars and stay in lane as much as possible. 805 is not a very lane split friendly freeway. Of all the ones ive lane split I would have to say the 52 is the most lane split friendly. Almost everyone moves for you. Yea Noel that was funny when I saw you in your car though on Friday. I may invest in one of those Icon jackets if this fog keeps up like it is.

maestro

11-15-2005, 01:22 PM

that guy is actually a co worker of mine...he's alright...just a lil road rash and some bruisin...his jacket and gloves took most of the beatin(brand new from buy moto)...the bike is fine except for cosmetics a broken clutch, shifter and bent forks...but he's up and walking around.

snowey

11-15-2005, 01:26 PM

yeah this fog is crazy bad news. I stopped by home depot and got one of those construction worker vests to throw over my jacket. I wear it whenever its foggy or when I am going to be on the freeway at night for a while. Now I glow at night.

TreAdidas

11-15-2005, 01:41 PM

I'm lane split happy... yeah I should calm down with that.

casper13

11-15-2005, 01:53 PM

Bent forks ouch that is gonna hurt. Probably gonna total out bike cause probably frame damage if his bike flipped over. Well good thing he was wearing gear and ok.

brownbrown4

11-15-2005, 02:30 PM

The lane splitting safety thing again. i split lanes everyday to and from work on Coranado. and it is super exausting like dissident said. but i save more than 5 minutes of travek time. in my car the ride to work took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 1/2. and the ride home too soemthing like 30 to 45 minutes (if i got off before 330). i only live 12 miles from work. now on my bike ethier way takes me roughly 15 to 20 minutes. but eveyday on my way to and from work, i (picture) myself getting nailed by a car. so i think i play it pretty safe. glance everyones head positions to see if they are doing a half-arse look b4 they change lanes with no signal. and like Arnold keep it in a low gear. plus i revv it periodically so they look. well the ones who look are the ones not on their cell phones, eating a burger, or putting on make-up.

brownbrown4

11-15-2005, 02:30 PM

ladies can you really put on make-up well at 70+ MPH?

rondre3000

11-15-2005, 03:07 PM

GERM_600RR

11-15-2005, 03:08 PM

I saw him. Was it a guy on a silver/grey Kawi? He was on his feet talking on the phone. He was wearing a Icon vest over his leather jacket and this was North of Telegraph before H St.
I saw the same guy (silver/grey Kawi) on my way to work. There was a tow truck with him by the time i saw him, that was around 7:00 am.

teamgreenzx7r

11-15-2005, 03:16 PM

What can I say about lane splitting? Lane split at your own risk..

deathblow

11-15-2005, 03:48 PM

What can I say about lane splitting? Lane split at your own risk..

Awesome insight!

Yojimbo

11-15-2005, 04:43 PM

Reading the online paper this morning (www.signonsandiego.com), their traffic report said that there were 5(!!) separate accidents involving motorcyclists this morning! It's crazy out there on those freeways. :(

steveb

11-15-2005, 05:25 PM

I was at the final light getting on the 805 from Orange when I saw the guy on the blue gxr. I see him about once a week sliding up through the cars nicely as I am stuck in traffic to get on the 805. I saw the kawi all jacked up on the side of the road. Right side of the fairing was done and the light was hanging. He did however take the time to wipe some dust off of the gas tank as he assessed the damage.... :) Not a mile up the road where the cluster is happening for the merge to get to the 54 onramp I saw the guy with the blue gxr laying on the side of the road near the slow lane. Someone had already picked up his bike, but the rider was still on the ground. Very good to hear he is ok. I have ridden to work a couple of times from Chula Vista (I work at UCSD). Like brownbrown4 I found it way exhausting!!! I had complete arm pump from grabbing bar, clutch and break nonstop for 30 miles...... I take my hat off to the guys that grit out the traffic grind on a bike daily. I will leave the ride time to the mostly open twisties on the weekends :)

ssoulssurfer

11-15-2005, 05:31 PM

I agree, I save my enjoyment of my motorcycle for the canyons on the weekends!

deathblow

11-15-2005, 05:52 PM

I must have missed the guy on the Blue GSXR 600 by a few minutes. I too have seen him on the freeway several times. I work in Poway, live in Otay Ranch and although riding my bike can save me a considerable amount of time, it is just too dangerous at times.

I rarely encounter those jerks that try to cut us off because we get to lane share. But I have several close calls, all with women drivers who are not paying attention. I only ride to work a couple times a week now, because of this.

Arnold_R1

11-15-2005, 06:13 PM

What can I say about lane splitting? Lane split at your own risk..

I dunno whats more at risky, lane splitting or living in Nasty City! :puke: :ha:

cbrsmurf

11-15-2005, 06:28 PM

GPTECHMAN

11-15-2005, 07:45 PM

Man thats why I hate lane splitting. I hope is ok, I know the feeling. :(

Termin8r

11-15-2005, 08:10 PM

Does the 805 have a carpool lane down south? I lane split up here everyday, but fortunately, I have a carpool lane throughout my whole commute -- but I still gotta lane split it cuz there's moderate traffic in the carpool lane too!

Lane splitting in the car pool lane, are ya Jeff? I do it too up here, although I pick and choose when. This morning, I was just not in the mood to split so I even let other bikers pass me up with a little wave, and let them do their thang. Some of the guys up here do it even at freeway speeds, but I try to exercise caution when I do it. It's probably the one of the few times I exercise anything since I've moved up here.

Signed,
Chubbinator

wanderer

11-15-2005, 09:19 PM

stupid hurts

Termin8r

11-15-2005, 10:09 PM

stupid hurts

In that case, do you want a tylenol? :roflmao:

wanderer

11-15-2005, 10:27 PM

In that case, do you want a tylenol? :roflmao:

no, but i'll bet the guy who ricocheted of that car this morning could use a few

Nenna

11-21-2005, 07:16 PM

ladies can you really put on make-up well at 70+ MPH?

not on my bike :ninja:

but seriously, i hate it when people are driving around talking on their cell phones and NOT watching the road.

JDMDARK

11-21-2005, 07:32 PM

I too do the eastlake commute. 805n to 54e to 5n. Big trucks/ expatriots commuting out of Mexico, Cross merging, phones, make-up, abck seat kids, text-messaging on the sterring wheel, gordon-gecko wanna-be's with lux/sports car complexes. This is worse than L.A. This is why I'm trying to find a house off the 15. I can't want till Doc finishes up my hover-board so i can ride the sidewalks.
Sometimes I cruise the scenic Coronado through the Silver Strand way home.

brownbrown4

11-21-2005, 07:44 PM

not on my bike :ninja:

but seriously, i hate it when people are driving around talking on their cell phones and NOT watching the road.

that stuff freaks me out, when i speed up to keep out of a blind spot, then i look at the driver and see that everything is their blind spot, because they are talking on the celly with one hand and using the other hand to express theirself visually (while on the phone). and they never even glance to either side... or see me

GixxerDemon55

11-22-2005, 10:01 AM

Glad he's ok! Should split lanes at a safe speed

nsr600rr

11-23-2005, 04:58 AM

I lane share and I scan like none other while doing it. Gotta anticipate all other drivers' next move. Signals are the most obvious but when drivers do not signal, I also watch out for vehicles pacing and beginning to drift over to the next lane, drivers checking their mirrors (planning a lane change), drivers' head movements, etc...It's dangerous but we've gotta be extra careful. Is 25 mph the max speed limit when lane sharing? An old co-worker told me she read that in some DMV handbook. I never researched it.

wanderer

11-23-2005, 08:11 AM

ITisURturn

11-23-2005, 09:40 AM

Just a friendly reminder:

If you split lanes to get to the front of a red light, remember to look both ways for red light runners before popping out to the front of the pack on green.

RadPajita

11-23-2005, 04:29 PM

Ever since the sun sets early, my new fear is lane splitting at NIGHT!!! I hate it!

BRIGHTS ON and Muffler LOUDER (1st and 2nd gear).....and watch out for merging lanes!

RadPajita

11-23-2005, 04:35 PM

there is no speed dictated as far as lane splitting.
"safe and prudent" which leaves about a mile of gray area.

if traffic is damn near stopped and you're going 25, you're probably going to fast

Actually, if you read the vilolations code book and California Motorcycle Handbook, it does mention somewhere in there that you should not be going more than 10mph faster than stopped or slower traffic when lane sharing.

So i interpret that as if a car is going 90mph next to another car going 90 mph, not to split lanes going 101mph??? j/k

Be safe lane splitting and ANTICIPATE what a car is going to do under heavy traffic! have a great holiday!:thumbsup: