The video below serves as the perfect proof that when people who cannot ride in a group are involved, anything can happen anywhere, anyhow, anyway. Now, the fact that these folks are riding choppers/cruisers/whatever may or may not have to do with this crash, as we’ve also seen sport bike riders acting in most idiotic ways, too.
Harley or not, it really seems like riding in a sensible formation is too big a thing to ask from some fellows. What’s even worse is the fact that such an incident involves at least another bike almost every time, causing the damage and the extent of injuries to skyrocket.
While the angle of the camera is not offering enough information, I’d say that the rider in the rear has touched the bike in front of him, causing its rider to lose control and come crashing down. This is one of the most common mistakes riders who are not accustomed to the rules of riding in formation makes, and unfortunately such crashes do happen quite a lot.
It doesn’t matter how old or how young the riders in question are, or what bikes they might be using: it all depends on how well prepared for riding in a group they are. Of course new riders might become nervous much more easily with other bikes so close to them, and they might sometimes deathgrip either the throttle or the brakes, losing balance and crashing down. At the same time, “Sunday riders” with too little experience might also misjudge the speed or the line they must follow around a bend, and often cause troubles when riding in formation.
While there’s no way to find out (now) such details on the fellows in this video, I’ll just add that fair weather and a straight are definitely not enough to rule out a hard crash. Lucky fellow to choose a full-face helmet: he reportedly walked away from this, but should he have chosen a brain cap for the ride… you be the judge for that!
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