Y'all be careful out there...

SwampFox - 12/12/2010 10:51 AM

... from: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Motorcyclist-killed-toddler-hurt-near-Boerne-876111.php

An afternoon motorcycle [with sidecar] ride in the [Texas] Hill Country turned deadly Saturday.

A Rio Grande Valley man was killed and two young people, one of them a 3-year-old, were injured when a [sidecar rig] and truck collided on a winding road outside Boerne.

Texas Department of Public Safety investigators said Adam Daniec of McAllen was riding a 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle [with sidecar] west on Texas 46 about four miles west of Boerne shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday when he drifted into the eastbound lane on a sharp right turn.

Daniec, 62, collided with a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by Robert Desrosiers of San Antonio and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Julia Daniec, 3, who was in the motorcycle's sidecar, and Alec Desrosiers, 17, a passenger in the Silverado, were hospitalized.

The little girl was rushed to University Hospital, DPS said, and the teen was taken to Boerne Methodist Hospital. The extent of their injuries wasn't known....

Hmmm, no one else replied to I gues I will.

It appears to have been caused by excessive speed in unknown territory. The rider was moving too fast for conditions. He came to a sharp right turn which was unexpected. The sidecar wheel came up and he drifted into the opposing traffic. This is a classic sidecar accident. As most everyone knows, it's much more likely to occur on a right hand turn in the U.S. where sidecars are typically on the right hand. When speed is high enough that the wheel lifts, there is no control. Once that wheel comes up, there are no options available.

I can't comment on the experience of the rider except to say that it's obvious that had he thought about it, he would have been going slower in territory where "sharp right turns" were part of the ride.

By the way, every time I suggest that excessive speed and possible inexperience are a dangerous combination with a sidecar, some one likes to agrue that "flying the chair" is good training and will handle most situations that come up as long as you learn to "control" the sidecar with the tub in the air.

Sure, whatever you say. 🙂

Place contradictionis, abuse, denials, unworkable suggestions and thoughts about my impending senility below this line.

Regards and Happy Holidays to all. 🙂
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Sorry to hear the story:
I just can throw in the saying I learned many years ago:
"Only drive as fast as you can see ahead!"
And with the rig go down with speed BEFORE the bend.

I passed the last 2 days smouthening the engine of my new work horse a KLR 650 still as solo.
On 500km/350miles and perhaps 1500-2000 bends through the mountains I could not get rid of this rule.
It is there as fix idea that I cannot speed any more like I did as a youngster.
And still there come up sometimes situations that let your blood freeze.

Allthough it may sound cruel, but in a certain manner I congratulate that man!
He went to the other side with his boots put.
Lets hope the kids come out well.

With sincere condolence
Sven Peter

"By the way, every time I suggest that excessive speed and possible inexperience are a dangerous combination with a sidecar, some one likes to agrue that "flying the chair" is good training and will handle most situations that come up as long as you learn to "control" the sidecar with the tub in the air."

I'm with you on that one GNM - Slowing up first is the way. Flying the chair isn't very easy on the heavy Harley rig and trying to switch your riding technique from three wheels to two in the middle of a curve where there is oncoming traffic sounds like sure disaster. I know my reactions aren't fast enough for that manuver.

Rotten Ralph - 12/15/2010 12:29 PM

"By the way, every time I suggest that excessive speed and possible inexperience are a dangerous combination with a sidecar, some one likes to agrue that "flying the chair" is good training and will handle most situations that come up as long as you learn to "control" the sidecar with the tub in the air."

I'm with you on that one GNM - Slowing up first is the way. Flying the chair isn't very easy on the heavy Harley rig and trying to switch your riding technique from three wheels to two in the middle of a curve where there is oncoming traffic sounds like sure disaster. I know my reactions aren't fast enough for that manuver.

Well, at least one person agrees with me. I'm not saying that people shouldn't train themselves for dangerous situations. The problem is recognizing those dangerous situations.

That sharp, unexpected right turn has taken out many a solo rider on a mountain road. With a reasonable speed on a sidecar, there's no difficulty at all. Going too fast is deadly.

The only reason I even own a sidecar rig is to enjoy the scenery. That's best done at a reasonable speed. If you want to go really fast on a motorcycle, do it on a solo Hayabusa or equivalenf.

Thanks for the second vote. LOL. 🙂

I have a Honda aero tugging a Kenna with no sidecar brake. I wish that it had one now.
My DR650 carries a Ural hack and I devised a brake that allows me to vary the balance o braking between the rear wheel and the hack wheel. When I press my foot close to the engine, I get primarily rear wheel braking and a little sidecar braking action.
When I put my foot on the pad just outboard of that, I get primarily sidecar braking and a little rear wheel braking action.
This makes for much better control on down hill curves to the right.
Still, If the hack raises it becomes a moot point.

Phelonius

As a newbie, this story and the accompaning remarks reminds me that slow is the way to go. Realizing that I have a lot to learn I'm old enough now to realize that learning from other peoples experiences is less painful than learning from my own. Once I get going I'll be spending a lot of time just learning things. At least I took a class which will help with the transition from two to three wheels.

One thing to be wary of is being distracted by the child, or dog, in the sidecar. It sure is easy to look over/down for a few seconds too many.

Crippled Ol' Man - 12/24/2010 5:56 AM

As a newbie, this story and the accompaning remarks reminds me that slow is the way to go. Realizing that I have a lot to learn I'm old enough now to realize that learning from other peoples experiences is less painful than learning from my own. Once I get going I'll be spending a lot of time just learning things. At least I took a class which will help with the transition from two to three wheels.

Well, you don't have to go painfully slow or so slow that people are passing you all of the time. Just go at a speed that is reasonable for conditions. If you are in an area where you aren't familiar with the territory, that's the time to slow down.

On a clear, straight road, you can do the speed limit all day long with no trouble. It's just when you get into, say mountainous territory, that unexpected hazards can present themselves to you.

By far the worst possible situation for a sidecarist is to encounter a very sharp downhill, offcamber right turn on a narrow two lane road with opposing traffic, assuming that your sidecar is on the right side. In such a condition, slow is good.

Happy Trails. 🙂

Crippled Ol' Man - 12/24/2010 6:56 AM

As a newbie, this story and the accompaning remarks reminds me that slow is the way to go. Realizing that I have a lot to learn I'm old enough now to realize that learning from other peoples experiences is less painful than learning from my own. Once I get going I'll be spending a lot of time just learning things. At least I took a class which will help with the transition from two to three wheels.

Congratulations on taking the class. You are already steps ahead on the sidecar art, as you actually know that sidecars and 2 wheelers are different. I have heard that it takes a couple of months of practice, practice to retrain your brain and body to react to situations like a sidecarist not like a 2 wheeler. You sound like a thinking rider, so with careful practice you will do just fine, and have a great time to boot. 🙂

Personally I don't recommend hauling passengers until one can safely do so -- after much practice -yada yada - so the pilot is in control of the situation, not the other way around. 🙂

Ride safe, have a great holiday and 2011.
gp

Thanks for the comments. I'm lucky in some ways that I haven't been able to ride two wheels for awhile - I'll just be getting back on the road. And I WILL not be taking passengers for quite a while - probably 6 to 12 months. I do know that I don't have to go slow ALL the time. And since I live in the Texas Hill country I have plenty of twisty roads to learn on. But there will be parking lot and all round riding first. I didn't mean to hi-jack the thread. The family that was affected by the tragic accident are in my prayers.

"Personally I don't recommend hauling passengers until one can safely do so"

Amen. Neither my wife nor I wanted to ride together until I had at least 2,000 miles under my belt.

Merry Christmas!

I live in Washington State where a separate endorsement is required for a "3 wheel motorcycle" i.e. trikes and sidecars. Since I have my category 7 endorsement the state apparently recognizes me as a fully trained sidecar equipped motorcycle rider. Yeah, as if! For sure I am a source of additional revenue as there is a fee for the written part and also for the endorsement. The information given in the course was basically that it takes longer to stop, your rig is wider so allow for extra room, and be especially careful during right hand corners. As in sloooow down.

There are some remarkable random quotes that come up from time to time on this site. The most appropriate for this tragic situation is: "When cornering, it is better to go in slow and come out fast than to go in fast and come out dead." Stirling Moss

Does anyone have any follow up on the rest of the story?

Thoughts and prayers for the family.