It's been more than once that I said this: no matter how advanced the electronic systems on a motorcycle are, they can't work wonders if the guy behind the bars can't ride properly or is a moron.
The video below serves as proof to back my words, even though in this case, it is impossible to tell exactly what happened. The fellow was not riding too fast, and neither does he seem to be a street hooligan. After all, the bike he was on is not the first choice for riders who want to show off.
The BMW S1000XR is certainly not a machine one picks for trying to look cool, and its price is yet another reason a rider would try to keep it in one piece. So this sort of leaves us with two possibilities, namely that the guy was testing the XR or he simply can't ride too well.
Since we saw no whiskey throttle moves or similar mistakes a rider is expected to make on a new bike, we're left with the latter supposition, which seems to be closer to reality.
A small mistake plus target fixation can easily turn into a big mistake
Of course, the main question is what was a guy who can't ride in a satisfactory manner doing aboard an S1000XR? This bike, regardless of all the electronics aids it is equipped with, is no bike for new or inexperienced riders.
It is a powerful machine and it can become vile in a fraction of a second in the wrong hands. The risk of getting in trouble when getting astride an S1000XR without sufficient riding experience are literally sky high and only a guy who can't estimate them too well would take things so easily.
A small mistake, namely understeering in the left-hand bend, plus panic and target fixation are more than enough to freeze the reaction capabilities of a rider and cause a crash.
Luckily, this chap was not riding too fast. The impact would have been so much worse at a higher speed, so we'd rather say he was lucky this time.
Google News