Mark Kircher, a Milwaukee lawyer who is national counsel for Harley-Davidson in the case, said no two-wheeled vehicle is immune to a wobble but that motorcycles can be designed to recover from wobble quickly.
"This model motorcycle was extensively tested and validated," Kircher said. "The investigation suggests that [the wreck] was caused purely by the speed he was riding, the corner he was riding in and the [wind] from the truck he was trying to pass. He encountered a bag of concrete. That's what caused the motorcycle to upset and caused him to come off of it and get injured."
While I have no idea how much "wobble" at elevated speeds your typical Harley has, I would have to say that I mostly agree with the Blood-Sucking Lawyer on this one.
Wouldn't matter if he was on a BMW, a 'Busa, or maybe even in a car - striking an 80-lb bag of concrete (was it still "mix" - or had it gotten wet and hardened while sitting?) while fighting the turbulence in a Semi's wake, on a curve. >shakes head sadly<. Perhaps the wobble contributed to the crash, yes?
Offhand, I would say he was breaking the 12-second rule, or he wouldn't have struck the debris (attack of the 50-foot-stare is one of my own most egregious errors - but I work on it daily). It's even possible he saw the debris in time, but underestimated the ground-clearance of his machine - hard parts are usually a major limiting factor in relation to the tire's adhesion with the road, when cornering hard.
Mind, I'm not beating the man up - he's gone, and is unable to defend himself here. Having recently lost my own Father, I certainly feel for his family; one really wishes he hadn't tried to overtake the Semi where and how he did (I remember reading of this incident when it happened several years ago).
"This model motorcycle was extensively tested and validated," Kircher said. "The investigation suggests that [the wreck] was caused purely by the speed he was riding, the corner he was riding in and the [wind] from the truck he was trying to pass. He encountered a bag of concrete. That's what caused the motorcycle to upset and caused him to come off of it and get injured."
While I have no idea how much "wobble" at elevated speeds your typical Harley has, I would have to say that I mostly agree with the Blood-Sucking Lawyer on this one.
Wouldn't matter if he was on a BMW, a 'Busa, or maybe even in a car - striking an 80-lb bag of concrete (was it still "mix" - or had it gotten wet and hardened while sitting?) while fighting the turbulence in a Semi's wake, on a curve. >shakes head sadly<. Perhaps the wobble contributed to the crash, yes?
Offhand, I would say he was breaking the 12-second rule, or he wouldn't have struck the debris (attack of the 50-foot-stare is one of my own most egregious errors - but I work on it daily). It's even possible he saw the debris in time, but underestimated the ground-clearance of his machine - hard parts are usually a major limiting factor in relation to the tire's adhesion with the road, when cornering hard.
Mind, I'm not beating the man up - he's gone, and is unable to defend himself here. Having recently lost my own Father, I certainly feel for his family; one really wishes he hadn't tried to overtake the Semi where and how he did (I remember reading of this incident when it happened several years ago).
