Electric Motorcycle Cross Country Trip Ends In Accident

[Jackson]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/the-short-strange-trip-of-nathan-abbott-a-cautionary-tale/

Two thoughts:

1)I could make better time on bicycle (and have)

2) shit. an accident that close to starting point.

 

[Jackson]

"Ultimately, it’s not the bike’s fault. Nor, for that matter, is it Nathan Abbott’s. While his story is unique due to the kind of motorcycle he was riding, people journey across the country on motorcycles every day. He wasn’t being reckless. He was simply pushing the limits of being alive, and trying to make it to the future ahead of all the rest of us, 42 miles at a time."

 

[sixtytwo]

Gosh, the description of the crash was just gut wrenching. Here's hoping that he makes it out without any lasting injuries.

The article leaves you wondering about the exact circumstances of the crash. Was he simply not going fast enough? Was it because of the lack of engine noise? Or, was it just an unfortunate accident?

Either way, I'm convinced that the good acceleration of gas powerde bikes is a safety feature. Riding a bike that's only technically legal on the freeway is not a good idea at all. I guess that this underscores the fact that the enertia was intended to be a local commuter bike.

 

[Phaedrus]

Hope he recovers. One question...how the shit do you "drive" a motorcycle?

 

[killfile]

oh shit, he's on the elmoto forums (which i haven't checked for a while) we all knew he was doing this....

 

[Carlo]

"Ultimately, it’s not the bike’s fault. Nor, for that matter, is it Nathan Abbott’s. While his story is unique due to the kind of motorcycle he was riding, people journey across the country on motorcycles every day. He wasn’t being reckless. He was simply pushing the limits of being alive, and trying to make it to the future ahead of all the rest of us, 42 miles at a time."

Not his fault?

He was going 45 mph on I-5!!!!

I take it from reading the story that he was actually in the "slow" lane of traffic.
The least he could have done would be to ride on the shoulder.
That's not the place for a vehicle that's travelling less than 55 mph. I've seen a few motorscooters on I-5 in that area before, and they're always on the shoulder. My cousin made two round trips between Pasadena and Seattle back in the early 70's on a Honda Step-Through 90cc, and he spent the entire time on the shoulder.

 

[Carlo]

Hope he recovers. One question...how the shit do you "drive" a motorcycle?

"Drive" isn't a commonly verb in the context of riding a motorcycle, but it's been used ocassionally ever since motorcycles were invented.

Personally, I've always felt that the word "riding" was way too passive a verb to accurately describe the "riding" that some of us do.

 

[Archimedes]

Feel sorry for the guy, but riding a motorcycle that barely does the speed limit on the Interstate is suicide and the Brammo guy who says riding a little bike that maxes out at 60mph on the freeway is safe needs to have his head examined.

 

[Sharky]

Best wishes that Nathan heals up.

 

[limey]

Damn - hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.

I give him kudos for trying something so extreme, but I question just how well lit those bikes are if the lady rear-ended it so hard - it sounds like the collision happened after dark.

 

[limey]

Not his fault?

He was going 45 mph on I-5!!!!

Legally he was doing nothing wrong - at least not in the state of Oregon. In Texas he would likely have been going illegally slow (minimum speed limits on most freeways there). Riding in the shoulder would likely be illegal.

In terms of his own personal safety, he was taking more of a risk than most of us might, but if we go down that route, let's ban motorcycles because the roads are too dangerous for them.

 

[killfile]

Not his fault?

He was going 45 mph on I-5!!!!

I take it from reading the story that he was actually in the "slow" lane of traffic.
The least he could have done would be to ride on the shoulder.
That's not the place for a vehicle that's travelling less than 55 mph. I've seen a few motorscooters on I-5 in that area before, and they're always on the shoulder. My cousin made two round trips between Pasadena and Seattle back in the early 70's on a Honda Step-Through 90cc, and he spent the entire time on the shoulder.

Please don't blame the rider on this one, it doesn't state how fast he was going on I-5, but rather states that the tried to aim for 45mph. He PLANNED THE RIDE ON I-5 AS A SHORT RIDE. Perhaps he did that because he knew at 55 mph he would only get 35 miles on his charge.

 

[HiggyB]

In terms of his own personal safety, he was taking more of a risk than most of us might, but if we go down that route, let's ban motorcycles because the roads are too dangerous for them.

I think I have to agree to that... Some of us drag knees on the street. Some of us pop the occasional wheelie on the street. Some of us (me) do long off-road solo rides. Some of us do <insert whatever here that's possibly illegal and definitely dangerous>. By riding we've eschewed the added safety of a cage, it's just a matter of how far we each choose to push the envelope.

With that in mind, doing 45mph on I-5 does seem a bit borderline in terms of my safety limits. It's such a busy freeway with so much fast moving traffic, that even a short stint at those speeds would be dangerous. Although that's not an attempt to excuse the Audi driver, for fuck's sake watch out!

I hope that "Nush" (read the article if you don't get that) heals up quick and continues to live a life outside the normal bounds, on a motorcycle or otherwise.

Heal up man! (just in case he ever reads this)

 

[killfile]

With that in mind, doing 45mph on I-5 does seem a bit borderline in terms of my safety limits.

Others have pointed out that because the bike was traveling at or near its top speed on the Interstate, there was no way for Abbott to dart out of the way to safety.

FYI, top speed is 60mph, I seriously doubt he was going 45.

Donate to help out with the costs he and his family are accruing (including what looks to be his stolen laptop and cameras that had been left at the side of the road after the accident)

http://www.giveforward.org/idiot/

 

[Foxhole Atheist]

He was simply pushing the limits of being alive

I went on an adventure on Thanksgiving when I had a third helping of cheesecake. I vomited on my host, but he understood when I told him I was just pushing the limits.

 

[Carlo]

Legally he was doing nothing wrong - at least not in the state of Oregon. In Texas he would likely have been going illegally slow (minimum speed limits on most freeways there). Riding in the shoulder would likely be illegal.

In terms of his own personal safety, he was taking more of a risk than most of us might, but if we go down that route, let's ban motorcycles because the roads are too dangerous for them.

Oregon has a "slow driver" law. Might not apply on a road with two lanes each way, but if you're holding up 4 or more vehicles, you can get a ticket.

The problem isn't that he was on the freeway, but that he wasn't riding on the shoulder. The same concept that prevents a driver from realising how fast a motorcycle is moving towards them, also works the other way 'round.
If you're running down the freeway in your car at 75+ mph, you might not be aware that that motorcycle in your lane is only going 45 mph until it's too late.
This crash didn't have to happen.

 

[DataDan]

Carlo, what's the law in OR about motorcycles on the freeway?

In CA, it must be at least 150cc, but there's no alternate spec for electric vehicles.

The Brammo Enertia motor makes 13kW or 17.5hp. At the rear wheel, that would be about 15hp. A Honda 250 Rebel makes 16hp at the rear wheel and maxes out at 70mph (MCN road test data). So a freeway-legal electric motorcycle spec that permitted bikes with performance similar to the Rebel would include the Brammo. But with a top speed of 60mph you're really taking your life in your hands on the freeway, especially at night.

BTW, I find nothing on the Brammo site about legality for freeway use.

 

[killfile]

If you're running down the freeway in your car at 75+ mph, you might not be aware that that motorcycle in your lane is only going 45 mph until it's too late.
This crash didn't have to happen.

I'd love for one of these people that keeps referencing going 45mph on the interstate to actually reference where this information is taken from since the article states:

My “safe” range is about 40 miles @ 45mph. Faster than that drains the battery much [more] quickly & reduces range. Have to avoid fast interstates with 90mph trucks & long desolate stretches of highway greater than 35 miles between charges

We have no idea how fast he was going on the interstate. You are all jumping on speculation in order to point blame at A FELLOW RIDER rather that towards the inexperienced 20 year old that WAS LOOKING IN HER REARVIEW MIRROR instead of at the road.

 

[Archimedes]

I'd love for one of these people that keeps referencing going 45mph on the interstate to actually reference where this information is taken from since the article states:



We have no idea how fast he was going on the interstate. You are all jumping on speculation in order to point blame at A FELLOW RIDER rather that towards the inexperienced 20 year old that WAS LOOKING IN HER REARVIEW MIRROR instead of at the road.

Well, we know he wasn't going more than 60mph, so, IMO, he's still crazy. And to do it at night is double crazy. Still hope he's okay.

 

[sanjuro]

This is a funny one for me, because I have ridden a bicycle from Seattle to San Francisco, and I could have easily kept going to the East Coast. After the hardest day, which is the first 24 hours, I could have ridden another 6 months.

This write-up on this story reminds me of "Into The Wild". While the story of Christopher McCandless is poignant, many Alaskan locals consider him unprepared and foolish for wandering into the wilderness without the proper experience and equipment.

When I started my ride, I had several years of biking experience, months of training, researched the route, and used excellent equipment, including my bicycle which I had been riding for a year.

I did meet several riders who were badly prepared, but even then, all of us were typically going 10-15mph on a wide shoulder. You almost could run that fast.

This guy flew to Oregon, bought himself a motorcycle from Best Buy, and it sounds like the first one he has sat on. He was obscured by a 18-wheeler before he was rear-ended at night.

I don't romanticize his situation, and he could have ridden a bicycle and probably still be going...