RIP GS1200 rider, Terry Dilley :(

[Archimedes]

It's like reporters HAVE to toss in some rationalization. IF HE COULDN'T FUCKING SEE CLEARLY WHY THE HELL DID HE INITIATE THE U-TURN THAT (oh yeah) "DID NOT YIELD" TO THE MOTORCYCLE [WITH RIGHT OF WAY]?!?!?!!

I read it the opposite, i.e., that the writer was actually doing his/her best to blame the driver for failing to yield and for making the turn without good visibility. I didn't read that as they were trying to make any excuses.

 

[Honey Badger]

RIP rider...brings back bad memories.

I had to watch a fellow rider die early last year due to the exact same type of situation (also around Berryessa) - be extraordinarily cautious around the turnouts please!

 

[Cabrito]

RIP rider.. Sucks.

 

[1962siia]

rider. Condolences to his family and friends.

 

[GAJ]

Condolences to family and friends.

Most of us who've been riding for decades have come across these U-turn idiots so keep that in mind next time you pass a car on the right hand shoulder or moving toward it.

I'd like to believe the killer will get some justice but, sadly, I doubt it.

 

[Blankpage]

I had this happen to me less than two weeks ago. I see the dude ahead pull off to the shoulder in a minivan and I suspected what was about to happen. It was along a river road and the opposite side was lined off with cars from people fishing for salmon.
Sure enough, almost without hesitation the dude starts a u-turn but I'm already on the brakes. He stops when he's almost perpendicular to me. I slowly drive past and see the Asian dude giving a blank stare, like I was in the way of his evenings sushi meal.
I was driving a Ford F-150, if he didn't see that no way he sees a motorcycle.

 

[Cyclesuzy]

local rider.

 

[flying_hun]

I had this happen to me less than two weeks ago. I see the dude ahead pull off to the shoulder in a minivan and I suspected what was about to happen. It was along a river road and the opposite side was lined off with cars from people fishing for salmon.
Sure enough, almost without hesitation the dude starts a u-turn but I'm already on the brakes. He stops when he's almost perpendicular to me. I slowly drive past and see the Asian dude giving a blank stare, like I was in the way of his evenings sushi meal.
I was driving a Ford F-150, if he didn't see that no way he sees a motorcycle.

The way justice is delivered in that situation is that being broadsided by an F150 has far more grave consequences that being broadsided by a bike. I hope the DA does something high profile to get the idea into people's heads that the blind/no-look u-turn is a bad idea.

FWIW, the late great Mike Hailwood was taken out by a u-turning truck while driving his car to the chip shop. This is a guy who survived the deadliest era of F1, and a pretty sketchy era of motorcycle GP racing too. Norifumi Abe was similarly taken out by a u-turner. They're a menace.

 

[Lunch Box]

FWIW, the late great Mike Hailwood was taken out by a u-turning truck while driving his car to the chip shop. This is a guy who survived the deadliest era of F1, and a pretty sketchy era of motorcycle GP racing too.

As you know, Mike The Bike was also a regular at the Isle of Man, which is something that modern GP riders wouldn't dream of doing. Mike

 

[DTM74]

I've ridden by that spot a few times. There is not a lot of room to pull off to the side and flip a U-turn. If you keep going up around the bin, there's an old abandoned store with a turn-about further west...I believe the report said they were both traveling west. Dumb-ass moron in the truck was probably on his phone...

 

[CurveSurfer]

Ugh, rode that road the day before, on Saturday, at around the same time, with a bunch of GSes....

 

[PorradaVFR]

I read it the opposite, i.e., that the writer was actually doing his/her best to blame the driver for failing to yield and for making the turn without good visibility. I didn't read that as they were trying to make any excuses.

They buried the lede about the truck not yielding right of way and (to my reading) rationalized it by explaining that truck has poor visibility and (inferred) could not see the bike.

Consider the inverse - would you think it more likely that an accident caused by a rider would mention the speed of the bike, or the visibility the rider may or may not have had?

Leading the sentence with "with limited visibility" enables a strange apologist tone...like "he didn't MEAN to put his truck directly in the path of the bike, he just couldn't SEE".

 

[rosemont83]

RIP rider

That sucks. You killed a man Rowley.

Took his life with a bad decision. How are you going to make it up to his family??
You sucked today.

You will probably get off with a slap on the wrist because we ride and are not worth what other humans are because of our choice to ride.


Godspeed rider

i know you dude. have been on the receiving end of someone just exactly like you - and if you had looked - you would have looked both of us in the face as you dealt your blow. say what you will asshole - and fucking live with it you careless, worthless piece of shit. you stole a man's life.

rider - wrong place, wrong time. god how i wish it were different. my deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved you.

Do you guys know the driver of the truck? Is he a member here?

 

[budman]

No. Just the name from the article.

 

[clutchslip]

So would I. Time for an assault on the DA's office ?

I always am mixed. Is the guy a decent dude?? Does he have kids??
All we know is be killed a fellow rider and is a lousy driver.

Lousy compared to what? He is probably right in the middle of the driver skill bell curve. People do stupid things in cars, and they DO NOT see motorcycles very well at all. It is what it is.

If crucification of this one guy will help save us, then great. But sacrificing this lamb, when the whole flock will still run amok with driving syphilis, doesn't seem that productive. Obviously, I am mixed on how to respond, too.

 

[Maygoddess]

Uggh! Sucks to see yet another RIP thread! I am wondering if this was Terry (sp?)..older gentleman who would ride up to Poser's on Sundays and hang out, possibly join in on group rides that pass through..had a Harley, but also had a BMW.. I THINK he had a new BMW...Greg (StarMan) may know. Sucks to be ANY rider, but hoping Terry is okay!

Now I totally understand why riders who told me before I did track that they gave up the streets and I thought it was crazy..but I get it now! No cars u-turning in front of me on the track! It sucked to watch a rider die last year up at Berryessa in similar situation.

 

[vtrandall]

Shit.....I just saw this notice and did a little digging.

It looks like this was Terry. I was just there on Sunday bs-ing with him. We both left Corners around the same time. I headed back to Sac...he mentioned something about going to get something to eat. I am guessing that he headed out in the Turtle Rock direction.

The Napa County coroner’s office has identified the motorcyclist who died in a collision with a pickup truck Sunday south of Lake Berryessa as Terrence Dilley, 68, of Sacramento.

Dilley was riding a 2013 BMW motorcycle west on state Highway 128 just west of Steele Canyon Road in unincorporated Napa County around 11:50 a.m., the California Highway Patrol said.

A 1985 Chevrolet pickup driven by Johnathan Rowley, 33, of Oakland, also was traveling west on state Highway 128, the CHP said.

Rowley pulled onto the right shoulder, started to make a U-turn with limited visibility and did not see Dilley’s approaching motorcycle, according to the CHP.

The motorcycle and pickup collided in the westbound lane; Dilley suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, the CHP said.

Rowley was not injured in the collision, according to the CHP.

http://patch.com/california/napavalley/napa-county-coroner-ids-motorcyclist-who-died-sunday

This sucks....Terry was one of the few riders who has been riding over Berryessa way forever. He just retired a couple years ago from a long career at the Campbell's Soup plant here in Sac. He could be an opinionated old grumpy dude (aren't we all on occasion) but it was fun bitching about all the crap in the world with him...

Sunday rides over there Berry way aren't going to quite the same now.

If this truck driver was making a U-Turn in the middle of the road.....he needs to get charged.

 

[Big E]

Actually it was just pass the flag if you look at it the other direction. Rider was in the field about 50 ft away from the flag.

Very sad. I pass by there often.



At the spot marked on the map in that story, there's no shoulder and not enough room for a pickup to make a U-turn. I guess it was a bit further East.

[gmap]<iframe width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1193+Capell+Valley+Road%2BNapa%2BCA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1193+Capell+Valley+Rd,+Napa,+California+94558&t=m&layer=c&cbll=38.450046,-122.202977&panoid=fRLl6IkhAslqTccizq_KGw&cbp=13,339.41,,0,3.26&source=embed&ll=38.442447,-122.202988&spn=0.026487,0.060081&z=14&output=svembed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1193+Capell+Valley+Road%2BNapa%2BCA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1193+Capell+Valley+Rd,+Napa,+California+94558&t=m&layer=c&cbll=38.450046,-122.202977&panoid=fRLl6IkhAslqTccizq_KGw&cbp=13,339.41,,0,3.26&source=embed&ll=38.442447,-122.202988&spn=0.026487,0.060081&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>[/gmap]

 

[Hlenoble]

Sad... RIP Terry.

As for the pickup driver, I am not looking to make an example of him but I would like him to see some jail time and have that as the new norm. I don't believe in jail for most non violent crimes but killing a motorcyclist in this fashion IS a violent crime.

 

[moto-rama]

So would I. Time for an assault on the DA's office ?

I always am mixed. Is the guy a decent dude?? Does he have kids??
All we know is be killed a fellow rider and is a lousy driver.

Driver seems to be practically a ghost as far as online-presence is concerned. Usually it's easy to come up with something, but a cursory look around the www doens't turn up much.