The luckiest Harley rider ever

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“Dumbass is lucky he didn’t get road rashed up,” writes Adey. How is it he can crash on The Snake in race leathers, I can crash in everything-but-jeans, but this dumbass, who can’t even wear a DOT helmet, just walks away with no injuries?

  • NewOldSchool

    The stupid part is if he had leaned INTO the turn, he might have made it through the corner.

    This guy got seriously lucky.

    • http://www.postpixel.com.au mugget

      I’m not so sure about that. He decked out early in the corner, then tried to add a lot more lean angle.

      It would take a serious amount of skill to pull off a move like that. Much more than he possesses…

  • The Lawyer

    The bike had no clearance whatsoever. Leaning into the turn would have made no difference.

    • protomech

      Yeah. You could see him start to scrape even as he started to run off the road. He was riding well beyond the bike’s limited capabilities.

    • Porter

      I think it was the hard lean that caused the eventual lowside. Frame bottomed out and levered the wheels off the ground.

      Way too much speed for that bike.

      • http://www.racetrackstyle.com Racetrack Style

        That’s what I thought too…the bags/frame rail may have reduced the contact patch just enough so when the throttle was applied, there was just enough tire for the low end torque to slide it out completely

  • zato1414

    Wes, sorry your 6 o’clock may be scarred for life, but that doesn’t mean his donation to the Rnickeymouse files has any less value. This man gets 10 points for his Harley rider flare as he flawlessly demonstrates his chump skills and more painful than ass rash… American Iron oil oozing from the primary; a little wax and it will be fine.

    Bagger Harleys do not low side very well as they cannot lay all the way over. Flip City here we come… please note his most excellent use of the English Language.

  • David Howland

    Wow. He’s lucky in so many ways.. I’m amazed he didn’t do more to his left foot/ankle/leg.

    • Scott Jones

      The hard bag made room for his leg. If he didn’t have the hard bags it probably would have ended differently.

  • Gene

    Heck, I look at that pic and I have to scream MAVRICK! MIGS AT 3 O’CLOCK! I’VE BEEN HIT, I’M GOIN’ DOWN!

    That’s a hell of a trail of sparks. I’ll have to look at the vid after work.

    Edit: The nonchalant “doop de doo, nothin’ goin’ on here, nobody saw that, right?” wandering off afterwards was priceless.

    And what’s up with the all-white ABS plastic JC Whitney Harley?

    • CW

      +1
      All that plastic makes it look SUPER cheap.
      I particularly like the “Paulie, Jr” look he has going on there.
      “Where’s Paulie?!!!”
      “He’s out fucking shit up old school!”

  • kidchampion

    He ignores his bike and immediately moves to the camera man. Not only does he get to his feet immediately, he’s immediately ready to spin the story. That man should run for Governor.

    • http://www.TroyRank.com Troy R

      haha I was impressed with this too. He’s an idiot for riding that piece of junk without real gear, but I have to appreciate his utter badass lack of concern for the bike as it lays in ruins.

    • robotribe

      He had a badass post-spill interview to do, brah. Thinkin’ of the ladies and his man-boy homies, of course.

  • Josh

    God favors children and fools, and he looks full grown.

    • Core

      Well if that’s true, God has one fucked up sense of humor…

      • The Blue Rider

        That bike and its rider are proof that God is dead.

        Edit: comment on Harley re-entry physics removed. Need to watch it a few more times to wrap my head around what all went wrong with this picture.

  • http://lightsoutknivesout.tumblr.com/ Scott Pargett

    I’d chalk that one up to a lesson learned.

    Great effort but just had the wrong tools for the job.

  • Campisi

    You know the aesthetics of a bike need a rethink if said bike looks better after the crash.

  • richard gozinya

    His grandpa sure is gonna be pissed when he sees what happened to his bike.

  • M

    “do we have clearance, clarence?”

  • Holden and Annette

    His desire to project a nonchalant, cool image trumped his concern for the safety of anyone else coming down the road. I didn’t see him look for oncoming traffic when he ambled across the road like it ain’t no thang.

    Hard to believe his left leg didn’t snap in three places. Kicking his leg back toward the wheel — wow, he’s lucky.

  • Frosty_spl

    I’ve ridden one of these. Terribly frustrating.

    I had to go slow through the mountains so I wouldn’t end up like this guy.

  • je

    “I can crash in everything-but-jeans” – The diff is that he was wearing slightly loose jeans, while yours were probably wearing a woman’s size 0.

    In the vid you can see his jeans have holes in the knee and butt. He wasn’t sliding long and being that the pants were loose probably meant his skin wasn’t a point of focus.

  • circuitsports

    All of this shit talking from a bunch of likely posers anyway. Go up to the snake your first or second time on a bike new or not and see if you don’t bobble the thing on that turn a bit.

    I was standing there when that happened and of the guys standing next to me visiting from New Zeland told me he had always seen videos of people going down there and until he rode it never understood why.

    Let it be a lesson to preride safe or sorry

    • NewOldSchool

      True story, a lot of people run out of room quickly on that corner. It’s also usually sandy and people over cook it because others are watching.

      My least favorite corner is the blind right hander around that rock face sticking out over the road heading back down toward the Rock Store. I always creep around that one.

      • rohorn

        Too bad that is the only way to get to the Rock Store. Yup, the only way. A real shame, that is.

        • NewOldSchool

          For some it is “the only way” ;)

    • Roman

      Not quite sure I follow. It’s a pretty tight twisty road sure, but the only thing that’s really special about it is that it’s so close to LA. Not like it’s an order of magnitude more difficult than thousands of other twisties out there.

      And it’s pretty mellow compared to the Dragon, to be honest.

      • Coreyvwc

        I’m with NewOldSchool, the blind corner around the rocks is way more gnarly. The “famous” turn in video is no big deal at all, minus the bizarre entry. It’s all in the enormous brass balls that the photographers and cameras provide to people…

        • Roman

          I think I remember a bunch of corners like that coming back down to PCH, definitely not for the faint of heart. Real talk though, Route 33 coming out of Ojai is a much, much better road. That’s the one that stuck with me from my LA ride.

          • NewOldSchool

            It’s not that it’s the best road around. Mulholland is just centrally located in LA, it has the Rock Store which is a major hang out spot and has plenty notoriety and publicity. The corners are pretty tightly strung together too so you can make several quick runs up in down in a short matter of time.

            • BMW11GS

              I’m in Thousand Oaks, pretty much in between the 33 and the “snake.” While I ride the “snake” on weekdays sometimes, it pales in comparison to the hwy 33. Really pales. I think that road is the best piece of tarmac around. Its a breathtaking sweeping roller coaster that just doesn’t relent whereas the snake is just like most of the riders who go on it, all show and no go.

              • NewOldSchool

                If you’re ever out East of LA the 39 above Azusa and GMR are excellent roads as well. It can get a little tight and choppy up there so don’t be surprised if a group of Super Motos blow by you.

            • Roman

              Exactly what I said a few comments up. Not that I would mind having a road like that 20 minutes outside of Philly.

    • http://www.postpixel.com.au mugget

      So you’re feeling bad that the guy crashed and now everyone is pointing their finger at him? Don’t.

      Crashing is the single most effective way to demonstrate a complete lack of control and inability to safely ride a motorcycle. There is no good reason why so many people should crash, the whole attitude of “oh well, accidents happen” is just plain wrong. If accidents just happen, that means we are all by definition unsafe motorcyclists – we should ban ourselves from riding on public roads!

      Don’t feel so bad that people are pointing fingers at this guy – feel bad for the fact that he didn’t get enough (or any?) rider training to help him make better decisions and avoid the accident in the first place.

      • Trevor

        Do you honestly think that “dude’ would participate in “rider training”? He’s the man, man. He’s got his skills dialled in. Have you ever talked to these guys about riding? They’re as dumb and dim witted as all the Asian’s on their home grown bikes getting pulled over on their way up to Whistler (BC). There’s two kinds of riders out there, stupid and not stupid and the only way you become un stupid is to die. Period.

    • luxlamf

      Then ride 1/2 mile more and try Latigo Canyon and see just what it’s all about. Everyone is a “Pro” online.

  • DoctorNine

    This video is a concise explanation of why I don’t ride one of these clown-mobiles.

  • Ganesh

    Don’t understand the point of bike that cannot accelerate, brake or lean into a corner..

    the reason you gut hurt is versus this dumbass besides luck is the corner speed – I am sure yours was higher

    • muckluck

      I guess thats because they are called cruisers. They aren’t suposed to do anything fast.

    • Patrick

      Much much higher!

  • Deryl

    The classic Harley response to this.
    He had to lay it down to avoid a crash.
    (We need a sarcasm font)

    • Deltablues

      Sarcasm not needed because they all say that. A few years ago I lost a 2008 Triumph Sprint ST to a very large Doe just West of Little Rock. The first thing the ER nurses ask me was “Did you lay’er down?”. I tried to explain the finer points of staying on versus layin’ her down. A couple of Harley deaths around here in the past year were the result of ‘Layin’ Her Down’. They had plenty of time to stop if they had used the front brakes. I could rant on this for days.

  • Anthony Case

    Harley rider or not I am glad to see he’s ok.

  • Lawrences

    He needed to be hanging off the bike a bit to keep it upright… (“Thank you Captain Obvious.”) Not even good ol’ American iron will stay upright for long with a front tire and hard parts solidly attached to the frame in contact with the road. And of course he looked around to “see who saw”… cause that’s what we do when we fall off our bikes.

    As a fellow rider I’m glad to see he walked away.

    Low speed little scuff crash like that landing mostly in the dirt and look at the holes in his jeans, Wes.

  • Johndo

    Thats a dangerous bike (you can get no lean angle) and a lucky rider. One things for sure he got a bloody arm/hand after that, a t-shirt aint much protection.

  • http://www.damiengaudet.blogspot.com damien

    I honestly cannot believe the lack of lean angle when he started scraping…wow. You really have to take it easy on these bikes.
    Or, is this a really banked corner and with the camera compression it just looks like he’s not leaned over much?
    I actually like the all white and black look on that bike.

  • carbon

    That bike’s model name is Street Glide/Electra Glide. Looks like he added a much doucher and larger front wheel and lowered it. Bad for corners, obv. Many police depts use that model for their cruisers (the other most used model is a Road King; same bike, different fairing), and those same cops could out-ride most of us. At least me, surely. (I hear the echo, “Don’t call me Shirly.”

    I think the lesson here is clear. Less gear > ATGATT, right brahs? Lulz…

    • richard gozinya

      Actually fewer and fewer PDs are using the Harleys for anything other than ceremonial stuff. The alternatives from BMW, Honda, and others are superior in every way.

      • carbon

        Agreed. My point was those cops riding Eltraglides and Road Kings could make that corner faster than I ever could. Because it’s more the rider than the bike. Ever see a police bike rodeo? Christ those dudes can muscle 900lbs around!

        • richard gozinya

          Oh ok, yeah, motorcops are fucking inhuman the way they ride. Treating geezer glides like supermotos, scary to think what they can do on those C14 cop bikes.

  • noblsht

    Glad he walked away. These bikes cost a lot of money, and he will have to spend another pot load to fix the damage. Could have been the same for a Ducati, a fancy BMW or a scooter. Bad form to overly criticize the rider as the popular superstition indicates those who do are next to wreck.

    • Peter88

      Agreed! Alot of other bikes are much more capable in that situation but this guy is ridin’ the twisties with his Harley bagger. More power to him. Next time he’ll make that corner!

    • http://www.postpixel.com.au mugget

      Popular superstition?

      Absolute rubbish!

      I do not leave my safety up to luck or “superstition”. If you do, YOU will be the one who is crashing!

      The only sure way to improve your chances on the road is through rider training, learning how to actually ride a motorbike (contrary to popular belief, the fact that you have testosterone coursing through your veins does not mean that you know how to ride a motorcycle). Making correct decisions based upon an accurate understanding of the technology of riding a motorcycle is the only sure way to keep yourself safe.

  • austin_2ride

    It may be just me but I think his problem starts with his left foot off the floorboard and on the pavement. If you riding a cruiser please keep your feet on the pegs(or floorboards) and your hands on the handlebars. Cruisers are not sportbikes and if you take your hands off the handlebars or feet off the pegs you might loose control because you are no longer in control!

  • Kevin

    I’d give him a lot of shit for crashing, but I’ve lowsided twice. Everybody crashes and learns.

    I really don’t care for Harley’s, but away with all this Harley hate already. I just don’t get it.

  • John

    Oh, come on. What, he was going 25mph or something? He only slid about 15 or 20 feet. That’s not a wreck at all. It’s like he tripped over a rug or something.

    Of course, he should be able to sue Harley for really dangerous design and then himself for buying one.