KiwiBiker Paeroa Ride/Accident

[Kwaka-Kid]

Jesus christ! i know im young and all, but i aint never in person seen anything so sick. from my POV: i thought i herd a pop kinda sound in distance (well first thought from my bike/exhaust) and as i came up to the new seal (going slow as i do) i came throught hte corner only to first see a totally smashed bike, letting out steam, and a totally smashed car doing the same (i think it was a New Holden Astra?) and i think 3 bikes down? at least 2 as ihelped pick them up (the old ducati 900 supersport, the yellow trumpy, and i think a green bike further up? maybe?) instantly coming into that corner i got the worst shivers ever! from what i saw the bike musta drifted into other lane and whack! smack bang in the middle of the car! airbag went off, ithe driver was an elderly lady who was alrite, but crying. the dude was about 50yards down lying in a ditch, i did the clip on his helmet to stop it restricting his breathing but left the helmet on, and then i helped pickup the duke. i then went off in search of the faster group *looks @ dan* to inform them. Could somebody please give us more details? i actually thought maybe the other bikes on thier side could have beenthe riders just fogetting to put sidestand down as they ran to the other dudes assistance? but if every 1 involved cud put their events down here it wud b interesting as i am wondering how such a disaster could happen?

[bikerboy]

I was right behind nhuanh (user name) on the gsx 750, when he went wide after hitting the new seal, tried to veer back but hit straight on the lady in the Hyundai. He hit the windscreen, and flew over the car landing on the side of the road. Quite a horrific site.

I stopped and ran over to him forgetting to put the side stand down so my 996 fell over. The duc 900 (I think) was watching the accident and slid off the road while trying to stop. He is nhuanh's mate and wasn't hurt but the bike was unrideable.

Nhuanh appeared only mildly injured(according to the ambulance guys) but confused, probably a concussion.
His mate will try to post more info on his condition later.

After the ambulance and police left, had a sobering ride to Kaiaua where three other kiwibikers waited for me, then on to the races.

Thanks to all who stopped to help, and hope everyone had a safe day.

[Kwaka-Kid]

ahh thanks for that. Iran over and he seemed okay, any broken bones? poor dude will be sore tomorrow

sad to hear about your 996, i thought that could have happend, not good to hear tho

now what about another bike? i have the worst memory ever, but i actually thought i saw a 4th bike on road? or maybe i was thinking of the ZXR further up the road on its sidestand? im lost az

but good to hear, please do post here regarding his condition etc

[Coldkiwi]

Pretty sobering wasn't it?

Well the good news is that Nhuan's in bloody good condition considering what happened! My g/f is a radiographer at Middlemore and has seen the xrays: One badly fractured and slightly dislocated ankle and that's about it! Not bad for a closure rate of 150kmhr!

But for those of you who are't in the habit of wearing all the gear, this guy was at least wearing some top Alpine stars S-MX boots, consider the carnage if he only had sneakers?

[wari]

Hope the recovery to both bike and rider is a fast one ... well at least for the rider anyway. Doesn't sound like the bike will live again.

[Kwaka-Kid]

hmm, seriously from what i saw there is no way in hell they would consider repairing that wreck, however i would be interested to know if they do or not?

 

on a lighter note, after leaving dan and the other fullahs at the thames pub, it was a good ride all the way to paeroa! altho im sure you could have found safer places to overtake then just where yellow lines start simon :P  i sat there thinking "fuck that! im gunna wait till there are bright white lines and i can see for miles" then i had to get up to warp speed (for my old 750) just to catch you guys back up, and trust me, on old cross ply tyres, shit arse suspension, with no fork oil left inthe left fork (leaked out 6mnths ago) going over bumps at speed is not a kool idea!

[bluninja]

Well I hope the nhunh recovers soon. Ankles can be a pain to sort out, but lets hope he's soon back on his feet unaided. BTW as the last of the front group to stop to wait for people to catch up I checked my 'puter. It showed 49.6 kms avge speed 84 kmh for that run, so not really fast. The ride on to Paeroa was fun....as for the overtake...it was safe for me   I was back on my own side before the solid yellow and only used 1/3rd the distance I could see ahead to complete the overtake. Not safe for Kawa_kid no doubt, and I'm glad he rides his own ride and chooses his own overtakes. The day at the races was good, but sloppily organised IMHO and some races were cut at the end. The ride home took an hour, only saw 2 police cars on the way back and they were otherwise occupied.

TTFN

 

[wkid_one]

This was bizarre, I was first through the pea metal and went through it at about 70khm and didn't see anything untoward although stuck soley to the car tracks...........we were sitting at the Kaiaua Service Station for about twenty minutes and figured someone had come off but didn't expect that many to have done so.

We were contemplating coming back, but figured there was a plethora of people there already and by the time we got back most of it would have been handled - our thanks to those who assisted.  Having seen a fews accidents (including my own dislocated shoulder from an off on the same road in March) there is nothing worse than seeing one of your comrades in arms on the deck - let alone seeing the accident in its entireity...something that stays with you for a while....Also, thanks to Logan who made the sole journey to tell us what happened - not a nice thing to do.....I bet the throttle wasn't used a great deal after seeing that!!

For those of you who left us at the Kopu Pub you missed a fantastic Pub to Pub ride around the Coromandel......which we think would have rivalled the racing.  Most of it conducted well over the draconian speed laws set in the 70's.  It was only marred by melting tar from a fantastic day.  The view from the top of the Hill's were fantastic - I have pics for those who wish to turn green with envy immediately!!

From Kopu we went to the Coromandel Pub to see if the AMEX CUP was racing.  If you are going that way call in for their chicken burgers - $8 and I bet you can't eat it.....especially with the pint of Tui!!!

From there, on to the Pub in Tairoa, and after a pint of Mac's Gold (It was hot you know especially in Black leathers) and finding out when the AMEX cup was racing - we tried to get back to Kopu in 20 mins to see the start of the race - we missed by a couple, filled up and trundled back to Auckland at about 130-140kmh (we had the radar detector.

A fantastic day, although marred by the thoughts of fellow riders being carted to hospital.

We didn't see a single copper on the road, only one speed camera.

It you are travelling out that way be careful of the following

• Roadworks around the bay from Thames
• Gravel on the road to Whitianga from Coromandel (one car on its roof in a ditch after loosing control - we missed it by 10 mins)

Other than that it was plain sailing apart from traffic over the Kopu's

I hope everyone who had an off gets better and no one ends up with injuries that hang around.  Having injured my ankle (3 x dislocated) playing sport I know that they can be a real arse to get right and you feel like the healthiest cripple around!!! 

As for the fortunates who made it through - WHEN IS THE NEXT RIDE!!!

DAN

PS:  STAY SAFE

 

 

 

[SPman]

A relief to hear the injuries were not REAL SERIOUS! - although ankles can be a bitch! Hopefully, all concerned are on the way to recovery,both physically AND MENTALLY! A painful blip in the learning curve.   We figured something must be up, while we waited and good on K-K for coming through and letting us know what was going on.

For a guy riding a bike, he considered near terminal, he did well in keeping up. And good on you for not overtaking when you thought you shouldnt! Very important to personally weigh up the situation and act according to how you think is right for you. Personally,my rule of thumb is dont pass on double yellows etc, if there is any doubt at all  that you cant complete the manouvre safely.Always make sure you can see clearly ahead throughout the manouvre. If in doubt, dont pass. (Survival  instinct - although, having ridden with Ullysses a couple of times,its a wonder many of those guys have lived long enough to join!)

Thanks to Dan with the RadarD. riding point, down to Kopu. Sort of gave a slightly enhanced sense of security...  Glad you guys enjoyed your ride.

The ride down the hills to Paeroa was good - the first time Ive been that way for years - far better than the plains - if slightly longer,but, hey,the rides te important part anyway!

Racing started at least an hour late,due to safety changes demanded by the riders, and holdups due to running out of ambulances, among other things - it was a bit frantic at times - having seen at first hand what happens when you cock up a wheelie on a CBX1000 - ....!

Rode back in the evening after sunstrike time,when it was cooler - didnt see a cop all day (apart fromthe speed camera on the motorway by the Otahu turnoff.....

[Kwaka-Kid]

i rode home early, wanted to beat the rush, and saw 3x cop cars on the way.

Anyway guys, i think apart from the accident it was a great day and some good riding was going on, and so im keen for another Kiwibiker ride.

However the only thing i think we should stress for the next is the whole idea of riding at your own pace, its great to ride with somebody but if its somebody riding faster then you feel comfortable, dont put yourself at risk, dont ride outside your skill level.

I was impressed by the riding of the guys further up the feild (Dan etc) and possibly would have gone a little faster (well, i dunno, im paranoid of cops, never had a ticket yet) had i not have had such shit tyres on, well, i dont think you can call them tyres. Rim protectors is about all they serve as   genuine 15yo hard compound Rear tyre (from a honda single) on my front, and a 4yo not too bad but low on tread Macadam on rear, skinny cross plys too    i might sound like im harping on about this now, but even tho i have these crap tyres and bike etc and cant keep up the front of the feild, i can still go out there and have a tonne of fun, without feeling unsafe or riding outside my personal or vechiles capabilities.

so here goes again "RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE!"

and happy safe riding to you all!

[wkid_one]

I am keen for a ride any weekend.  Both us Dan's (Wkid_One and KiwiDan) usually clock up about 400-600km per weekend.

My cell number is 021 0411 814 (Dan = Wkid_One = Yellow VTR)

KiwiDan's number is 021 684 435 (Dan = Silver and Black GIXXER Thou)

Any one and everyone is welcome to ride with us - we go at our own pace - usually Cafe to Cafe, Pub to Pub sort of thing - so it is usually long rides made up of short squirts.....

Most common rides are:

Kaiaua Loop (Via Maratai/Clevedon etc)

Coromandel

Kawhia

Putararu

etc

Drop us a line with your email/cell etc and we will stay in touch...

As always ride safe and keep your license

Dan (VTR)

 

[bikerboy]

I know everyone says' ride at your own pace" but once on the road it can feel very different. Maybe on the group rides one can discuss levels so people feel more comfortable about limitations and know where to "join the pack" when starting out, so as not to be passed by everyone and feel left behind. If one doesn't know the route and happen to start out behind the fastest guys, one feels extra pressure (frustration) to keep up, just not to get lost.

I've been on rides where everyone takes off and left me behind:to someone new to riding/group that can be intimidating. Unless you know the group attitude/rules your not sure someone will wait at the turn offs or for you to catch up. This can cause people to over do it.

If you know the planned stops or that someone will wait for you to catch up at the critical point, then you can relax, and enjoy the ride at your own pace.

Everyone should be responsible enogh ride to their own comfort level, end of story. We all have been in situations where we rode a little faster, a little less careful than we should and got away with it. Eventually that luck may run out. I just hope I'm not there to see it.

[wkid_one]

My rules are:

1.  Never pass on the inside

2. Never pass on the inside

3. Never pass on the inside.

I stress that it is important that everyone ride at their own pace.  If people organising rides are any good, you will meet at specified points, which means that no matter how fast or slow you are - you aren't entirely left behind and you always catch up

It is up to the faster riders to ensure they don't 'intimidate' the slower riders by getting to the front - no one should feel that they have to ride outside their limits.  I made a point of going out first on Sunday as I felt I was quicker and therefore may intimadate slower riders by riding up their date, plus never rode outside my limits.

NEVER ride outside your ability - everyone at some stage was last in the pack - it is something not to be embarrassed about and no faster rider will ever be frustrated by slower riders.  You are better to get there than not.....

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that you have to learn to ride at your own pace......everyone learns at a different speed.

We ride with a learner and she said exactly the same thing to me today.  I don;t mind and never mind riding with supposed 'slower' or 'learner' riders.  If you are on a bike, you can ride with me, no matter how long I have to wait - its not just about the speed but also the comraderie that comes from riding together.  Whether you are 10 metres or 1000 metres apart it makes no difference - you still have to ride for yourself.

Learner/Novice/Slow riders are welcome on our rides anytime, and yes we may go quicker - but we all end up at the same place - having a beer, something to eat and talking about are good and bad corners!!!  WHO GOT THERE FIRST IS NOT DISCUSSED!!!!!!!!!!

[SPman]

I agree. You should all ride at a pace that is comfortable to you. There are to many stories of people trying to keep up with faster riders  and having, or causing, majors, in so doing. I must admit I thought it would be a bit more of sedate ride yesterday, but group rides often tend to sort out into groups of like speeded riders? and I felt quite comfortable running with the Dans, Simon,et al. I assumed that those behind would be sorting out into speed groups as well and as there was a meeting point to go to, no real pressure to get there before your ability. This system works well on AMCC rides, with frequent blasts, frequent stops to regroup and no pressure.......mind you,having spent 2/3rds of my rides "shepherding" slower riders, it was quite good to ride with a group who were quick, without being total loonies......

 

 

[NhuanH]

KBers,

Um...sorry for the excitement caused on Sunday (especially you John, just behind me).  It looked to be starting out as such a damned good day too...

One broken left ankle, check.  Sprained right ankle, Check. Strained right thigh, check.  One totalled Gixxer 750, check.  Man, I loved that bike.

But yet that's all the damage done, from waist up was untouched - so my lesson was "wear your @#$% gear!".

I'm upbeat and philosophical about it now I've heard other accounts. I think I cleaned passing John on the yellow Duke and made the left, but maybe the passing move drew my attention from warning signs (I swear I did not see a bean).

Thanks for your support and help on the day and your thoughts in here.  I hope that Paeroa was primo and you all enjoyed the racing (I certainly would have)

 Big question now though is....what to replace the Suzi with?  Thoughts?

Cheers,

Nhuan