Why did Lawrence of Arabia crash?

[newbould]

I have noticed over the last few months that KB'rs seem to be able to diagnose the causes of each others crashes with unerring accuracy and mutual agreement so thought we may be able to shed some light on this tragedy. Wikipedia reckons there was a dip in the road which hid a couple of kids on bikes, he swerved to avoid them, lost control and whammo. So was there target fixation involved? could he have stopped rather than swerving, was he riding too fast for the conditions? Maybe british roads are as poorly maintained as in NZ?

My personal theory - his bike ran into a time warp and was converted into a GN 250 with the now infamous braking power. Unused to this our hero hit the brakes as usual but his brain was unable to stop in the required 2 meters and was sieved by his nasal passages

[Gubb]

It was the man in the Book Depository.

[Laxi]

It was the man in the Book Depository.

and hears me thinking he went into hiding with elvis

[Ixion]

Have you ever ridden a Brough ? Wonderful bikes, just one wee weakness (shared by almost all Briddiah iron unto the 1970s)

[rickstv]

No. It was the guy on the grassey knoll.

[Hitcher]

Upside-down forks were clearly to blame.

[xwhatsit]

GN 250 with the now infamous braking power.
There's nowt wrong with the brakes on a Ginny, you can lock the wheel with even a girlie clench-fist.

Have you ever ridden a Brough ? Wonderful bikes, just one wee weakness (shared by almost all Briddiah iron unto the 1970s)
Are you referring to the brakes? I've read a couple of books now that run down the brakes as being shit-house while the rest of the bike was quite good. Myth borne out of the Lawrence of Arabia crash?

[Mikkel]

our hero hit the brakes as usual but his brain was unable to stop in the required 2 meters and was sieved by his nasal passages

Funnily enough a few people seem to be able to survive that ordeal - repeatedly.

[Ixion]

Upside-down forks were clearly to blame.

No, the SS100 had Castle patent forks, which were very good indeed. I don't know if Lawrences machine had the optional extra rear pivot fork suspension or not.

The brakes, on the other hand .........

[Motu]

There was no reason for our hero to die if he was wearing the correct safety gear - proper one piece colour coordinated Brough Superior leathers,matchting race boots and gloves,a back protector and full face helmet in the graphics of his favorite MotoGP rider...and it would of been all sweet.

There would of been a crash report of Lawrence of Arabia crashing on a group ride,but saved by his Quasi leathers.

[FJRider]

No... obviously the local Council is at fault. The lack of appropiate warning signage, to warn of changing road conditions is clearly a breach of public safety. And must be prosecuted at all costs....

[cheshirecat]

I have noticed over the last few months that KB'rs seem to be able to diagnose the causes of each others crashes with unerring accuracy and mutual agreement so thought we may be able to shed some light on this tragedy. Wikipedia reckons there was a dip in the road which hid a couple of kids on bikes, he swerved to avoid them, . . . . .

Some years ago I researched this subject regarding a film "Backing into the Limelight". There was some speculation as to whether it was an accident or not, though we found no evidence it wasn't. LoA had great difficulty fitting back into 'normal' life and no one knew how to handle him.
Shame about the bike.

[Okey Dokey]

But was he waving at the time of the crash?

[scumdog]

Funnily enough a few people seem to be able to survive that ordeal - repeatedly.

And still post regularly on KB...

[Mikkel]

There was no reason for our hero to die if he was wearing the correct safety gear - proper one piece colour coordinated Brough Superior leathers,matchting race boots and gloves,a back protector and full face helmet in the graphics of his favorite MotoGP rider...and it would of been all sweet.

You forgot the high-vis vest - the cornerstone of all safety gear :innocent:

[slofox]

But was he waving at the time of the crash?

Of course he was - that's why he lost control...just like he was on a Harley...

[eliot-ness]

I heard that he braked hard at the end of a straight and was hit from behind by the low flying Bristol Bulldog biplane he had just overtaken. Probably just another urban myth though, even the planes of that era had better brakes than the bikes.

[Pogo2]

Well I'll be buggered. Thought that only happened in the desert!

[MVnut]

An article I have on LoA (and his Broughs) suggests he died after a crash ..."probably following a collision with a cyclist"

[Ixion]

According to the coroner's inquest, he was riding at around 50mph (80kph) on a back road. He went over the brow of a blind hill and found two cyclists in front of him , riding quite legally and safely (the cyclists, I mean).

In swerving to avoid the cyclists he came off (probably highsided) and suffered major head injuries.

It is important to note that Lawrence was a very bad rider, by his own admission frequently rode very dangerously, and had had many previous accidents, suffering a number of broken bones and other injuries.

Nowadays, we'd call him a squid and he'd have lost his licence very quickly.

[FJRider]

But was he waving at the time of the crash?

He would have been on a BRITISH bike... they do wave... sometimes...

[SARGE]

It was the man in the Book Depository.

with the candlestick....

[Motu]

You forgot the high-vis vest - the cornerstone of all safety gear :innocent:

Unlikely - the hi viz vest would cover the colour matched leathers....the cornerstone of looking good in bank windows.

[NordieBoy]

I heard that he braked hard at the end of a straight and was hit from behind by the low flying Bristol Bulldog biplane he had just overtaken. Probably just another urban myth though, even the planes of that era had better brakes than the bikes.

More likely a Lanz Bulldog (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7775200567316945952)...

[Katman]

Wikipedia reckons there was a dip in the road which hid a couple of kids on bikes, he swerved to avoid them, lost control and whammo.

See, that was his problem.

Had he been a true motorcyclist, he'd have just taken the kids out and then blamed them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[PirateJafa]

See, that was his problem.

Had he been a true motorcyclist, he'd have just taken the kids out and then blamed them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
No.

If he was a true motorcyclist, he'd have been too busy posting threads about waving on internet forums to be riding his bike.

[Blatman]

Well I'll be buggered. Thought that only happened in the desert!
He was gay, so he probably had been buggered in the desert ;)

[Dooly]

Nowadays, we'd call him a squid and he'd have lost his licence very quickly.

Could he of been Skidmark's great grand daddy?:laugh:

[xwhatsit]

Could he of been Skidmark's great grand daddy?:laugh:
Possibly, don't forget Lawrence liked it in the batty too. Is it genetic?

[varminter]

That's what happens when you use a tea towel as a helmet. Let that be a lesson to us all.

[doc]

faaark... I hope ACC weren't involved in this. Our premiums will go thru the roof

[Ixion]

Not really. He died within the first week (so no ERC ); and had no dependants. Those ones are cheap as chips for ACC.

[xwhatsit]

Not really. He died within the first week (so no ERC ); and had no dependants. Those ones are cheap as chips for ACC.
That's why I'm dead against helmets.

Bring back tea towels.