Kevin Ash- RIP
Discussion
Motorbike journalist Kevin Ash just died in South Africa on a road accident during a BMW bike launch. Surprising but no more details yet.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9820469/T...
Seemed very knowledgeable though not everybody's style of writing.
Shame.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9820469/T...
Seemed very knowledgeable though not everybody's style of writing.
Shame.
You would imagine that something very odd must have happened for a guy with his biking experience to be killed riding. Especially on a new bike launch.
Mass migration of Harley riders again-out to get their own back on sports bike riders?
Perhaps our South African correspondent can shed more light?
Mass migration of Harley riders again-out to get their own back on sports bike riders?
Perhaps our South African correspondent can shed more light?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
It is the GS launch: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults...Very sad news indeed.
There are some trully appalling drivers in SA, no lots of appallingly bad drivers. Added to this you get local hazards such as pedestrians on motorways near "informal settlements" lots of potholes, not like here these are potholes a family of elephants could live in, troupes of baboons on rural roads non existant or just plain wrong direction signs and road works in progress where warning signs and condition of the carriageway are more like a rally cross course.
Now a press route should take care of a lot of this, however SA's road casualty stats are shocking and stubbornly resist attempts to reduce them.
I always enjoyed reading his bike tests and felt he knew what he was talking about and I'm really sorry to hear this.
Despite its problems we love it there and go as often as we can.
Now a press route should take care of a lot of this, however SA's road casualty stats are shocking and stubbornly resist attempts to reduce them.
I always enjoyed reading his bike tests and felt he knew what he was talking about and I'm really sorry to hear this.
Despite its problems we love it there and go as often as we can.
He has a lovely way with words:
What is your favourite journey?
Crossing the Alps on any number of routes. If anything clarifies why bikes are so much better than cars, it’s this. You experience the journey through the fall in temperature, feeling the chill of the air, the closeness of the edge of the road on perilous corners. You’re always aware of the road surface, you get damp as you ride through the clouds, cold at the peak of the pass, maybe stopping to add warm clothing, then as you descend you feel the warmth returning, the increasing humidity, the smell of the vegetation changing from fresh pine to heavy scented pollen, insects start to hit your visor again. You’ve been involved in a journey and the environment you’re in, not merely observed a trip through a screen in a climate-controlled comfortable box to the smell of your petrol station sandwiches.
http://www.bikeexif.com/kevin-ash
What is your favourite journey?
Crossing the Alps on any number of routes. If anything clarifies why bikes are so much better than cars, it’s this. You experience the journey through the fall in temperature, feeling the chill of the air, the closeness of the edge of the road on perilous corners. You’re always aware of the road surface, you get damp as you ride through the clouds, cold at the peak of the pass, maybe stopping to add warm clothing, then as you descend you feel the warmth returning, the increasing humidity, the smell of the vegetation changing from fresh pine to heavy scented pollen, insects start to hit your visor again. You’ve been involved in a journey and the environment you’re in, not merely observed a trip through a screen in a climate-controlled comfortable box to the smell of your petrol station sandwiches.
http://www.bikeexif.com/kevin-ash
Wow, I must say that I am truly shocked! That is really not what I would have expected. I have read quite a lot of Kevin's work and I dont always agree with him, but thats the point with journalism, you arent supposed to agree all of the time. I never really realised how well his work is syndicated through the UK motorcycle press!
As a previous comment made about biking in SA - a SA friend of mine actually refuses to ride back home now. He is older obviously, but he just considers it far too dangerous. Goes back regularly but stays of the roads as much as he can, even in a car. Its very different over there and from the state of the roads, standard of cars and drivers and the propensity for the wildlife to try and kill you - the death rates are very high indeed.
Sad loss.
As a previous comment made about biking in SA - a SA friend of mine actually refuses to ride back home now. He is older obviously, but he just considers it far too dangerous. Goes back regularly but stays of the roads as much as he can, even in a car. Its very different over there and from the state of the roads, standard of cars and drivers and the propensity for the wildlife to try and kill you - the death rates are very high indeed.
Sad loss.
May he rest in peace.
Was only the other day that this
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
bought up this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/942...
article which lead me to read some of his others!
Was only the other day that this
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
bought up this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/942...
article which lead me to read some of his others!
To echo what other have said, this is a truly tragic occurance.
However, it needs some perspective. The death toll on SA's roads in December was in excess of 4000.!! Thats just one month. And thats not a seasonal spike. It's that every month
As others have said here, there are a ton of 'special conditions' that make driving, and especially riding here a challenging game.
Taxi Buses. If you can imagine the most random thing in the universe, multiplyit by infinity and you won't even come to 10% of the randomness of these f
kers! 90% of the buses are unroadworthy, driven by unlicensed drivers who typically come from a neighbouring Arican Nation and have the spacial awarenes of chair.
Pot holes. Yes, there are lots of them, some so huge you can see peopl emining at the bottom. However, given that they are a known quantity, they tend to do more damage than physical harm. I hit a real biggy at 230+ and just skipped over it, Barnes Wallis stylee.
Pedestrians. Now these are truly scary. This is not a racist comment, bu tthe indiginous population seems to have a total lack of spacial awareness and depth perception. Some say it stems from spending their formative years in a blanket wrapped to their mothers back so all they see is 2 inches in front of them.
However, whatever it is, make no mistake, the vast majority of the road deaths here are people wandering around on the roads, crossing highways and such not realising they maybe need to move a little faster until just before they get hit. Sadly, i can recount several occaisions where i have passes the scene of a RTA where the coroner is walking along the highway picking up body parts that have been dragged and torn apart along a 1km stretch of road.
Another massive hazard is the general appalling standard of driving. A friend girlfriend was killed on her GS just beofre Xmas where a guy just pulled out on her, knocked her into the oncoming traffic where she went head to head with a truck. Again, it's the spacial awareness and depth/speed perception.
So whilst it is truly the best place to ride, you need to do so understanding that the locals are a bit scary. Add in the high speeds we usually ride at and you need to ride with your eyes on stalks. My simple mantra here is blind corners, back right off. Side junctions? back right off. Car on the side? Bck right off. Pedestrians,, yep, back right off.
But when it's clear, go 260+
So until the info is released, who knows what happend here. But whatever it was, someone has lost their life, a wife is widowed a son or daughter is fatherless and nothing will change that. But don't believe all the hysterical Saffa's hype, especially the ones who have fled. It's Africa, with African challenges. Still an amazing place.
However, it needs some perspective. The death toll on SA's roads in December was in excess of 4000.!! Thats just one month. And thats not a seasonal spike. It's that every month
As others have said here, there are a ton of 'special conditions' that make driving, and especially riding here a challenging game.
Taxi Buses. If you can imagine the most random thing in the universe, multiplyit by infinity and you won't even come to 10% of the randomness of these f
kers! 90% of the buses are unroadworthy, driven by unlicensed drivers who typically come from a neighbouring Arican Nation and have the spacial awarenes of chair.Pot holes. Yes, there are lots of them, some so huge you can see peopl emining at the bottom. However, given that they are a known quantity, they tend to do more damage than physical harm. I hit a real biggy at 230+ and just skipped over it, Barnes Wallis stylee.
Pedestrians. Now these are truly scary. This is not a racist comment, bu tthe indiginous population seems to have a total lack of spacial awareness and depth perception. Some say it stems from spending their formative years in a blanket wrapped to their mothers back so all they see is 2 inches in front of them.
However, whatever it is, make no mistake, the vast majority of the road deaths here are people wandering around on the roads, crossing highways and such not realising they maybe need to move a little faster until just before they get hit. Sadly, i can recount several occaisions where i have passes the scene of a RTA where the coroner is walking along the highway picking up body parts that have been dragged and torn apart along a 1km stretch of road.
Another massive hazard is the general appalling standard of driving. A friend girlfriend was killed on her GS just beofre Xmas where a guy just pulled out on her, knocked her into the oncoming traffic where she went head to head with a truck. Again, it's the spacial awareness and depth/speed perception.
So whilst it is truly the best place to ride, you need to do so understanding that the locals are a bit scary. Add in the high speeds we usually ride at and you need to ride with your eyes on stalks. My simple mantra here is blind corners, back right off. Side junctions? back right off. Car on the side? Bck right off. Pedestrians,, yep, back right off.
But when it's clear, go 260+
So until the info is released, who knows what happend here. But whatever it was, someone has lost their life, a wife is widowed a son or daughter is fatherless and nothing will change that. But don't believe all the hysterical Saffa's hype, especially the ones who have fled. It's Africa, with African challenges. Still an amazing place.
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