... take it to the track.

Track days might be expensive and all, but are much safer than spirited riding in the twisties. Too many dangers out there from cages making illegal U-turns or crossing the center line, drunk drivers, road debris, animals crossing road, etc...

And let's not forget rider errors...

Here's another tragedy from the last weekend.

Motorcyclist killed in Highway 150 accident
Man apparently lost control of bike

Ventura County Star
Saturday, February 28, 2009

A 46-year-old Westlake Village man was killed in a motorcycle crash on Highway 150 near the Ojai Summit about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The motorcyclist was headed east near Happy Valley School Road when his bike drifted onto the dirt shoulder for unknown reasons, said CHP Sgt. Robert Granieri. The man then appeared to lose control of the motorcycle and tried to lay the bike down on its left side.
The motorcycle, however, spun in a U-shape back onto the highway and into the opposing lane of traffic, Granieri said. The motorcycle ran into a car head-on, he added. Highway 150 has a single lane in each direction in that area.
The motorcyclist, identified as Daniel Mourning, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two people in the car, which reportedly caught fire in the crash, had minor and moderate injuries, authorities said, and at least one person was taken to a local hospital.

Sad. RIP to the fallen rider.

Thanks for the reminder!

+1...Sad indeed...Be safe and be smart out there

Sad to hear .. prayers to the family

I have also lost more than one friend on the road; I won't be one to preach, because i have more than once bent the rules of the road, but RESPONSOBILITY and common sense sure do help keep us alive.
RIP Daniel!

A few words from a friend:

I just registered to this forum b/c a search came up with this site and I wanted to see if I could learn more about the circumstances of the accident.

I knew Dan for 11 years. We played ice hockey together for years and his widow is a good friend's sister. I am also their neighbor. The news has hit everyone around here hard. Dan was a good athlete and had alot of experience riding. Apart from my Porsche Carerra, I ride road bicycles and would see Dan in the canyons quite frequently. He was one of very few guys to ever safely pass me down some of the most technical sections of downhill twisties on my bicycle. I go pretty quick and to watch his skill on the bike close up was nothing short of amazing the several times I witnessed this. I have no idea what went wrong causing him to lay the bike down but having passed poorly skilled motorcyclists down roads like Decker Canyon or Mulhulland near the Rock Store on my bicycle I can tell you Dan did not fall into the category of a poorly skilled rider. Anyone who jumps to rash judgements as to his skill didn't know Dan.

He was not only a great guy who never had anything bad to say of anyone (except for our Condo complex's HOA President - for good reason), but he was as genuine a person as I've ever met in my life. I will be the first to agree that Dan pushed the limits on the bike. That was what made him happy.

Its unfortunate that anyone else was injured in this accident and its a tragedy that Dan lost his life. He will be greatly missed by his wife, his young daughter, and countless friends and aquaintences he knew over the years.

RIP Dan

DS

Sad, but how do you know he was racing in the canyons when this happened??? Danny was a member on two forums I'm on, he was a very experience rider... Riders that were riding with him said the pace wasn't fast.

Danny does take it to the track, Pushing the limits of his bike & his experience I'm sure was only done on the track!!!

RIP to Danny, God Bless his family and friends.

rip

I'm not saying he was racing; just warning people not to...



RIP Daniel

Man. Such a sad story. My girlfriend is Daniel's oldest daughter, Casey. She also has a little sister Rylee who is 9. It's been 3 years now since his death; I've been with Casey for about a year now, and you can still feel the sense of loss/emptiness in the family, everyday. I never got to meet Dan but everything I've heard/learned about him really made me love and care about the guy. And now i cant even meet him. It really makes me sad. And just seeing how sad my girl gets sometimes really gets to me. Ahh. I'm Just venting a lil. thanks for anyone who reads/replies.

grief does funny things to people.... and it takes time.... wounds like that NEVER heal. if everyone says otherwise, they either didn't love the person deeply, or they're flat out lying. some people just learn to adjust to the void in their lives, others dont at all. it doesn't "get better," it just gets different.

Guppy, my wife has gone through the same thing you are currently going through. my younger brother was killed in a car wreck 6 1/2 years ago and we still talk about him all the time. you will have to learn to live through not only your girlfriend, but her family as well when it comes to this loss. also understand that they're exposing a lot by even talking about it with you. learn about the stages of grief, as they dont go in any specific order and can revert to another stage at any given time.

C.S. Lewis wrote a fantastic book called "A Grief Observed" and one of my personal favorite lines from the book he wrote, "Perhaps the bereaved ought to be isolated in special settlements like lepers," He complained of the awkwardness many people felt around him. "To some I am worse than an embarrassment. I am a death's head." this statement was so true for me and my family after my brother's death, and i've seen it be so true for many others who experienced deep loss. this book would be a great read for ANYONE!

I think we all push the limits from time to time, some more than others. None the less, its always sad to hear of this type of outcome. the only silver lining is that he passed doing what he loved, which is more than most of us will be able to say. sadly, he leaves family behind. Ive ridden in more than my share of funeral processions, saying goodbye to some of the best riders ive ever laid rubber with. ..too sad.

RIP

Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate the kind words/info/advice. I will look into that book. Much love.

-Guppyyyy

The canyon and mountain roads of SoCal are fantastically beautiful, and well maintained, but unforgiving. One second of inattention is all it takes. I love it out here, but the riding is some of the toughest you will find anywhere.

What a shame we lost a member of the riding community.

I lost a good friend of 25 years on the 14th of April, grief and frustration in this, is hard to deal with, sometimes it needs to be released so go for guys, we have an awesome family here

RIP Dan and Godspeed