New Rider + YZ426F

[GETMETOCA]

Saturday at Forresthill, a family of four park near us and unload 2 YZ426Fs. Its a Dad, his teenage son, his college age daughter and her boyfriend.

The Dad and son pull in from a ride about the same time we do and he starts to inquire about which trails are the easiest. A few minutes later, the daughter and her boyfriend are hopping on the 426's. I notice they don't have on traditional gear, but at least they have helmets and gloves on.

Soon enough, we figure out the girl is just learning how to ride. I'm all impressed that she's riding a YZ426F and figure she's just going to put around the parking area or stay in the staging area across the way, but apparently they are going on a trail ride.

After they leave, we continue talking to the Dad, who is obviously a very proud dad as we learn about the girls exemplary college career and that she's a pitcher on the college softball team.

10 minutes later, two guys pull up fast to ask if we're the family of two kids on 426's. Apparently the girl is down and needs help bad. I offer the Dad my bike to get over there.

The girl needed to be airlifted out with really bad back injuries. The brother told me she could not stand up, I'm praying that this had nothing to do with any permanent damage.

According the milage on my odometer when the Dad brought my bike back, the girl had only gotten about .3 of a mile from the Sugar Pine staging area on Trail 1, a VERY straighforward, wide trail.

Not sure how this happened other than maybe the girl was way too inexperienced for a bike with that much power. I was thinking even before they took off for a ride that the new rider + YZ426 was bad news.

The whole ordeal was odd, here we were talking with these nice folks and a few minutes later, tragedy hits and the medivac is hovering overhead.

I feel awful for the family, the Dad was very shook up by the time they packed up to leave. I just keep feeling that it might have been avoided by not starting out a new rider on a bike as powerful as the 426. :ugg:

 

[XRpredator]

Another unfortunate but probably inevitable thing that will happen: Another lawsuit. :|

Somebody wasn't thinking . . .

Gotta feel for the people, who obviously didn't know better, but should have. :ugg:

 

[Milk]

I hope the girl is okay, and I hope she and othr people learn from this. Bikes are not toys....:(

 

[evilswfo]

I can't believe she was even able to start it.I feel for her and her family and hope she doesn't have any permanent injuries,but her father should have used some common sense,a yz426 isn't a beginner's bike.

 

[Milquetoast]

It's way too powerful for sure, but unless that girl was 6 feet tall then the height of that bike was probably a big factor as well.

 

[WoodsRider]

It's unfortunate that marketing hype, especially that portrayed in magazine articles, lures the general public into making a stupid decisions.

If one were to pick up any of the garden variety dirt rags they're led to believe that certain bikes are the best thing for any rider of any skill level to own. :|

 

[JuliusPleaser]

I met a guy last week at the local track who was riding a YZ250 like Wrench's. His girlfriend was there with him, and she had a brace on her knee. I asked her what happened, and she told me that her boyfriend tried to teach her how to ride. . .on his YZ250! She'd never been on any kind of bike before.

Maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but the boyfriend was a beginner himself. Why are people so stupid? Is it stupidity, or ignorance, or a complete lack of anything resembling common sense?

Natalie, did you get a phone number or a name? I'd like to hear how things go for the young woman.

 

[Treejumper]

Sorry to hear about the girls accident, what a shame. :( I agree that the 426 wasnt the best choice but IMO i think its still better than someone getting on a 2 stroke. My friends 426 is way easier to handle and not as touchy, still alot of power for someone new.

 

[GETMETOCA]

Originally posted by evilswfo
I can't believe she was even able to start it.

Evil, now that I think about it, her Dad started the bike up for her.

Julius Pleaser, I did not get any names or numbers, everything happened rather fast and then they were out of there following the medivac to a hospital. I'm thinking of figuring out which hospital was customary for accidents out of this forrest, then trying to get some info. I spoke to the Dad right before they left and asked how her injuries were. He was so shook up, he could hardly talk, just said they were going to fly her in to determine the extent of her injuries.

This whole thing is really bumming me today. It's different when you didn't share conversation or get a bit of insight to the person who ends up getting hurt. TOTALLY different from reading about it in the paper. I remember watching the girl and her boyfriend ride off til they were out of sight around the corner and I just had this nagging feeling with her on that big bike.

 

[marcusgunby]

Ive known a fair few experienced riders get into trouble on the 426-i think its because when ridden at 95% they are very forgiving, but when pushing all that weight suddenly makes things go bad very fast.

 

[Big Tuna]

That's horrible. Hopefully everything turns out all right, and this mistake in judgement doesn't push a family away from the sport, and more importantly doesn't leave the young girl with anything more than a scare, and a little more experienced.
Lack of experience injuring new riders has got to be public enemy number one to our sport; it usually deters the rider, family, friends, co-workers,etc. from becoming/staying involved. I have read that honda has some programs for beginners, dealerships should also try and do their part (offer beginner programs or set something up with local MX schools), and also do their best to inform people of what products are available to meet the needs of the experience level they are at, and actually deter Joe Neverodeabikeinmylife from picking up the easy to ride, smooth power delivery, Katoom 520. In the long run sales would probably go up if beginners got the chance to gain experience; rather than getting avoidably bit, and giving it up before the addiction is in place :aj:

 

[GnarlyKX100]

You hit the nail on the head there with the 520, I was reading an article in MXA and they depicted the bike to be docile and easy to ride. Almost like a beginner bike. Well its not, It is very powerful a bit brash and very scary for inexperienced riders.

 

[bclapham]

there has got to be some responsbility with the dealers. If they were new to riding its amazing they came out with a 426 starter bike. Its like a kid going into the store to buy a BB gun and comming out with a bazooka...you just know it will end in tears!

i hope she is alright

 

[bclapham]

nope, i just changed my mind! its not the dealers fault, if someone wants the bike they cant descriminate and not sell. once again we see that it is US that is responsible for OUR safety, no one to blame here IMO

 

[Big Tuna]

I totally agree that we should be held accountable for our actions, but where I feel the dealer should do there due diligence is with informing the beginner or the often misinformed parent, and pointing them in the right directions; in the end the decission lies with the consumer, but at least it will be an informed consumer.

 

[Jaybird]

bclapham, I had my typing fingers poised and ready to rip! Nice save. :)

I sure hope the young lady is ok, but folks this is a classic stupid human trick.
It doesn't matter what bike a beginner gets on. If there are no skills, it is a dangerous situation. Dirtbiking is a learned sport, just simply being athletic does not mean you will do well on a bike without any training.
Dad is a butthole. An ignorant butthole.
This type of thing is exactly why we get bad press.

And please don't blame magazines for persuading folks into a buy. It is NOT a dealer or a magazines fault. Not one bit.
If you feel that TV and Mags have responsibility on what you decide, then you probably purchased a Ronco Veg-a-matic, and tried to sue for the loss of your finger.

 

[Chili]

I also was about to rip bclapham, glad to see the change of position :)

A schoolmate of mine died in a streetbike accident at 19 years of age when after never owning a bike of any type as a kid (his parents felt dirtbikes were dangerous) he walked into the local Honda dealership and plunked down his cash for a Honda Interceptor 1000 which was pretty much the Sportbike of the era at that time. He didn't even make it home from the dealer when he lost control at a high rate of speed and ultimately lost his life.

His family tried to take issue with the dealership for selling such a powerful bike to a newbie rider to which a salesman who was visible upset at the tragic outcome apologized profusely but basically informed them he was a commision sales person and their son had walked into the showroom and without so much as a question asked dropped his cash for the bike and rode it out of there. As bad as he felt he didn't feel it was his place to question the customers ability to handle the machine he just purchased nor did the customer ask any questions about the machine being suitable for his needs.

Bottom line was it was a tragedy but one that my schoolmate brought upon himself by making a very foolish decision.

 

[jmics19067]

This whole thing is really bumming me today. It's different when you didn't share conversation or get a bit of insight to the person who ends up getting hurt.

kinda know what you mean when I was young I had the misfortune of seeing someone getting pinned between two cars. Husbands foot slipped off the brake while wife was walking between thier car and a parked car. I wanted to kick the snot out of my inlaws one time seeing them do something similar. And to this day I will most likely walk around the back of a running vehicle and study the tail lights for reverse lights and brake lights as I am going around.

With a ray of hope maybe the injured girl only hurt her leg so she couldnt stand and her back was only sore from the fall. And the shock of breaking your leg could make it very difficult for the other one to operate enough to support your self. Around here in my little section of the world it is automatic that in a vehicle accident theback boards come out and in the case of a motorcycle accident a helicopter is dispacthed. That is standard procedure for the one neighborhood/township . Doesn't matter if you didn't get hurt if the rescue squad is there they say you /your insurance is already paying for it you might as well take the trip.

 

[Tod]

Doesn't matter if you didn't get hurt if the rescue squad is there they say you /your insurance is already paying for it you might as well take the trip.

Another reason everyone's insurance premiums are getting more expensive every day :|

 

[Patman]

While it's not the dealers RESPONSIBILITY to decide if somebody is able to deal with a certian bike I think they should make it a point to inform the customer of the bikes design intent and maybe even steer them towards something more suited to their needs & ability. Having a happy repeat buyer come in for an upgraded ride is more profitable than one that gets hurt and never comes back. Also just being more interested in a persons well being vs. a slight difference in comission SHOULD come in to play on a human level, at least a little bit. If the customer is intent on getting a certian product so be it, but at least they were informed.

 

[linusb]

That is a sad story. As others mentioned, it is akin to newbie street riders going in and purchasing the biggest and baddest sport bikes (which seems to be about the norm these days).

I must think that this female had some experience of riding or she probably wouldn't have been able to get it even .3 miles down the trail. Either way, still too much bike and she should have rode it around an open area for a while at least. I hope she's okay.

 

[smb_racing]

It is different to actually see an accident than to just read about one. I was driving home one day when I see traffic backed up on the opposite side of the 4 lane, EMT's are working on a woman who looked to be in bad shape. It was hard to tell what had happened and I just concentrated on driving at the time. Later on I found out that a Lincoln had pulled off of a side road into the path of a Harley, both riders with no helmets (no flames please, the outcome was bad enough) and both riders had been thrown from the bike. The man was in critical condition and the female died en route from head injuries. It's the kind of thing that sticks in your mind, but it was their choice to buy the bike, and then ride with little protective gear.

 

[WoodsRider]

Originally posted by Jaybird
If you feel that TV and Mags have responsibility on what you decide, then you probably purchased a Ronco Veg-a-matic, and tried to sue for the loss of your finger.

Gotta disagree with you on this one JB. Since a lot of people start out reading mags before getting into the sport, they're just going to regurgitate that useless garble printed on shiny bung wipe when they stroll into the dealership.

Don't believe me? Hang around any big dealership for a few hours on a Saturday morning (Hint: If you want a really good deal on parts, bring a dozen donuts for the guys behind the parts counter every now and then) and listen to the people who come in looking at dirt bikes. It's just like hanging out at Borders scanning the latest issue of Dirt Whatever. I'm not placing the blame on the magazines. I just feel they should place some emphasis on learning how to ride.

 

[jmics19067]

Another reason everyone's insurance premiums are getting more expensive every day

true true but I believe that township is covering themselves from not getting sued becasue the local volunteers werent doing enough. Ugly vicious circle we live in.

this particilar fire /rescue company actually got sued becasue some ladies house burnt down on a past Christmas morning at like 5am. Claiming that the local guys took too long in getting there , they were all half drunk and damaged the car needlessly.
response time was like 7 minutes but the house was already engulfed. They hooked up a chain to the car and dragged it out of the driveway actually saving it but the car had a dent/scratch on the bottom of the bumper from when the chained was pulled tight.
Although this particluar flame should be in the frivolous lawsuit section but 7 minutes from the 911 call to being at the front door of the house ona Christmas morning is nothing short of superhuman IMO. heck takes me longer than 7minutes just tomake my first cup of coffee and yet these guys where woken up , left thier families, got to the firehouse, got suited up , drove the equipment to thehouse and where ready to risk their safety for this ladies house. Luckily the lawsuit was thrown out of court but now they have to bring out all the stops for any incident.

 

[Tod]

but I believe that township is covering themselves from not getting sued

Too many :uh: lawyers :uh: on this planet!!!

Unfortunately, they are one of the few products that we have a huge surplus of and still spend tax dollars to create more, thanks to state law universities. :|