So young blood, ya wana a litre bike or 600RR eh?

[ceemes]

Yup, you one of those special guys (or gals as the case may be). You are different from the crowd, you know you can handle a bad arsed 600RR or litre bike as your first ride. You are more mature then your mates, you will respect the beast power, you have an innate inborn natural ability to master any machine as soon as you jump on it. Well, perhaps you do, you just may be one of the very few who are so blessed. However, I wouldn't put any money on it.

So before you make that final jump and put down your (or your parents as the case maybe) hard earned coin on that crotch rocket, read the below first. Maybe you will learn something from the tragedy of Luc Bourdon.

INEXPERIENCE LIKELY FACTOR: POLICE

SHIPPAGAN, N.B.–The motorcycle crash that killed NHL rookie Luc Bourdon – only two weeks after he obtained his licence – has deprived northern New Brunswick of a hometown hero who was both an inspiration and ambassador for the province's fiercely proud Acadian community.

The 21-year-old Vancouver Canucks defenceman was killed instantly Thursday near his family's home in Shippagan when the powerful motorcycle he was driving slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer as he tried to pass another truck on a curve.

"Luc was our star – everyone was looking at him as a model," said Gilles Cormier, who coached Bourdon for a year in minor hockey. "As a kid, you want to play in the NHL, and Luc did.

"This is a big, big loss for us."

Yesterday, RCMP investigators said Bourdon's inexperience on the sleek, speedy machine – a Suzuki GSX-R1000 – may have played a role in the crash.

"The impact took place in the opposite lane," Insp. Roch Fortin told a news conference at Shippagan's town hall.

Fortin also noted it was windy on Thursday and a sudden gust may have pushed Bourdon into the truck's path.

The Canadian Press

[adrielm]

And despite what the article said, you'd need hurricane-force winds to push you and your 400lb bike into the oncoming lane.

[jstark47]

And despite what the article said, you'd need hurricane-force winds to push you and your 400lb bike into the oncoming lane.

Typical, newspaper reporters knows nothing about motorcycles. Bourdon was passing, he put himself in the oncoming lane. Panic and target fixation probably kept him there.

[hordak]

The 21-year-old Vancouver Canucks defenceman was killed instantly Thursday near his family's home in Shippagan when the powerful motorcycle he was driving slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer as he tried to pass another truck on a curve.



I'm no physics expert but i imagine a head on collission on a 600 and a 250 have similar results.
Passing on a curve is driver error and the same stupid move on a 250 would have ended the same.

[HYPERR]

I'm no physics expert but i imagine a head on collission on a 600 and a 250 have similar results.
Passing on a curve is driver error and the same stupid move on a 250 would have ended the same.

I agree. If anything, he would have had a better shot with a powerful literbike as there's more power to get back in the correct lane ASAP reducing your exposure time in the wrong lane.

Passing on a no pass zone, especially around a blind curve is DEATH!! The accident had nothing to do with a liter bike. It was pure inexperience and poor decision. That's it.

RIP Luc.

[jonnythan]

I'm no physics expert but i imagine a head on collission on a 600 and a 250 have similar results.
Passing on a curve is driver error and the same stupid move on a 250 would have ended the same.

I agree. If anything, he would have had a better shot with a powerful literbike as there's more power to get back in the correct lane ASAP reducing your exposure time in the wrong lane.

Passing on a no pass zone, especially around a blind curve is DEATH!! The accident had nothing to do with a liter bike. It was pure inexperience and poor decision. That's it.

RIP Luc.

Or he was bored sitting in 2nd gear on his 120-hp bike.

When you have a megaton of power under your wrist or foot, you want to use it. A person who would drive fairly normally, maybe a little aggressively, in a Honda Civic, is much more likely to be found doing 100 mph if you put him in a Murcielago.

No one can say that there's just as much impetus to pass cars when you're in a Ninja and it's already screaming at 65 mph as opposed to a literbike that's yawning, and begging for more throttle, at that speed.

[sv-wolf]

I agree. If anything, he would have had a better shot with a powerful literbike as there's more power to get back in the correct lane ASAP reducing your exposure time in the wrong lane.

RIP Luc.

On a litre bike, the power and the torque give you a much greater sense of control. Unfortunately, unless you know how to handle them, the sensation is illusory.

On a smaller, less powerful bike you are much less likely to take chances like this because feedback tells you that you have less control in a vulnerable or uncertain situation.

And this is a very big reason among many others why it is important to learn your skills and get your experience on a smaller bike.

I agree with Mr Stark. Panic and target fixation were likely to have been immediate causes of the accident. But had the guy been riding something smaller he may not have been in that situation in the first place.

[Brackstone]

Panic and Target Fixation were more than likely the cause here and this was caused by the fact that he had too much bike for him.

[HYPERR]

On a smaller, less powerful bike you are much less likely to take chances like this because feedback tells you that you have less control in a vulnerable or uncertain situation.

That is true also. In the end who knows what exactly went through Luc's mind...

In any case, to pass in a curve is sheer suicide.

[hordak]

I understand what your getting at and agree that you shouldn't jump on a liter bike when first starting out but taking an accedent clearly caused by rider error and blaming it on the size of bike is a bit of a stretch. You could use the same type of rational to blame the style of bike not just the displacement.
We could jump to a conclusion like
"sport bike riders like to go to fast and had he been on a cruiser he would have been riding patently while taking in the scenery and not tried to pass" or some other b.s.

The only facts from the story are that he was new, on a litter bike, and passed on a curve.

The lesson to take from this story is don't pass on blind curves. Doesn't matter how long you have been riding, or how small your bike is a head on crash will be treat you the same.