US biker survives 157mph crash
Motorcycle doesn't fair so well...
THIS IS ALL that's left of a 19-year-old's 2004 Yamaha after crashing at 157mph while being chased by state police.
The rider, Marcos Calazo, is said to be in a critical condition after crashing at just after 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, in San Tan Valley, Arizona. It's believed the rider was drunk at the time of the crash.
Prior to the accident Police had clocked the bike at 157 mph.
The motorcycle disintegrated on impact with a lamp post; both front forks and engine were ripped from the machine in the crash.
"The motorcycle was nearly disintegrated on impact and Calazo flew an additional 104 feet through the air before striking the ground," Police said in a news release.
Calazo, who had already been banned from driving, suffered extensive injuries. He will face multiple charges, inlcuding drink-driving, should he recover from his injuries.
Discuss this story
Harley riders have no interest in going 157 mph. Sensory overload is for children. The good news is, all that was lost in this drunk child's case was an inexpensive plastic oriental toy.
Posted: 22/12/2010 at 17:58
Ooo Ooo Ooo! I want to be where the battery is when I next take a dive at 157mph....judging by the photo it's the safest place to be! The front disk looks like it might be warped now... One question, how did they measure the "104" feet he max'd out skyward? Any suggestions?
Posted: 22/12/2010 at 20:48
craigslist ad for bike Yamaha R1 - $5,500 (San Tan Valley) Very fast! Never crashed, but some minor scratches from falling over in my garage. Didn't start last time I tried to start it. Probably just needs the battery charged or something. Photo not the actual bike, but my bike looks just like this, but I don't have a digital camera.
Posted: 22/12/2010 at 22:35
"The motorcycle disintegrated on impact with a lamp post" Shame he didn't disintergrate on impact. Stupid prick.
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 02:09
Here we go again, Harley apologists trying to force their egos on everyone who chooses performance over pathos. Let's try a quick quiz on streetbikes, not race bikes, street bikes, yeah? It is commonally accepted that the Isle of Man is the ultimate test, whichever manufacturer has the overall highest placed machines in this gruelling contest would generally be regarded as having the best streetbikes, no matter what era. H.D comes where? Bit behind , say Triumph, but slightly ahead of Chiang Jin? Harleys are for people who have given up on ever increasing their riding skills. They are just not a good bike for the price, they are however a good bike for the pose. Before the Kool Aid brigade shrieks in denial,yes, I've ridden many H.D's,even owned three but have since come to my senses and would not buy another.
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 06:29
Had he been watching ghost rider videos? it states clearly dont try this at home. I never go over 60, wouldn't dream of it, its just so dangerous.
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 11:02
Todd8080 wrote "That's just further proof of how little Harley haters really know about the object of their derision. The only people who badmouth Harleys are the ones who can't afford them.
One ride and you'll understand why people graduate from a Honda to a Harley, never the other way around." Stop with the you're-too-poor-to-own-a-Harley personal attacks. What kind of pathetic world do you live in where Harley ownership is a sign of wealth and status? I could understand that attitude about a $120K MV Agusta F4CC or even about a $76K Ducati Desmosedici RR, but about a Harley? Harleys list for about the same price range as Hyundais. Since you insist on being crass, I have a six figure income and probably have more money in stocks and mutual funds than your house is worth. I've got seven late-model bikes (2003-2010) all paid for in cash. I do not own a Harley because I do not like Harleys. I "badmouth" Harley's because I have ridden them. They are slow, heavy, lack cornering clearance, and vibrate excessively. They are not particularly comfortable, reliable, or long-lasting. If you're not into dressing up like a pirate and annoying people with a bike that makes more noise than horsepower, there's really nothing particularly appealing about a Harley. That EPA regulations forced Harley to adopt fuel injection is hardly a bragging point. That Harley had to adopt piston crown cooling techniques from the 1970s to combat detonation is also not something worthy of pride. And bigger displacement? Please. You don't have bragging rights when you make about the same horsepower with 103 cu. in. that a smart car makes 61 cu. in.! In the engineering field, that's known as "turd polishing" (see definition).
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 12:14
Fred, what's the matter, can't find a bike you like? I only need one and it does everything a motorcycle should. My Harley will go double any of our speed limits. If that's your idea of too slow, you may be a sociopath. Here we have laws to protect the public from such dangerous people. If I ever see an oriental bike with as many miles as my Harley I might consider it to be a real motorcycle. My Harley probably has more miles on it than all your disposable oriental bikes combined. Clue for the clueless: Every single motorcycle junkyard in the world is piled high with the carcasses of late-model oriental bike, yet you'll never, ever see a Harley in a junkyard. But quality & longevity aside, something all the cookie cutter Asian bikes lack is style and originality. The Japanese are truly shameless when it comes to stealing from whoever they want, including each other. How anyone could ignore that is beyond me. What I find particularly ironic is that even after the Japanese destroyed Britain's motorcycle industry by selling stolen British designs back to them, there are still Englishmen who refuse to support their own country's products. Don't feel too bad, though; there are some Americans who actually think they're getting a bargain by buying fake oriental Harleys. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. PS ~ Check page 54 of the November '09 issue of Britain's American-V Magazine to see a 5-page spread of my Harley. Not all Brits have bad taste.
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 16:37
wow !!!! 70 years of hate based on ignorance of progress, technology, performance, style, looks, practicality, usability, reliability, value for money, excitement, not to mention inovation, record breaking, ground breaking, earth shattering, customer pleasing ,oriental products. yes Todd youre right and we're all wrong, still your bikes are catching up --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------slowly
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 19:29
"Fred, what's the matter, can't find a bike you like?" I find lots of bikes that I like -- and I buy them. Harleys are just not among the bikes I like. "I only need one and it does everything a motorcycle should." What's it do the quarter mile in? How fast is it around Willow Springs? Is it good in tight woods conditions? Can you clear the doubles and triples at MX tracks? Motorcycles are supposed to do lots of different things, that's why there are so many different ones made. "If I ever see an oriental bike with as many miles as my Harley I might consider it to be a real motorcycle." Many Honda Goldwings have racked up hundreds of thousands without anyone even opening up the engine. Harleys do not enjoy that kind of longevity. It's a fact related to being air-cooled. But the ultimate criteria for most riders is not engine longevity. Plenty of riders gladly trade longevity for more horsepower and/or less weight. How long do you think that the average 1000cc, 160hp inline four could last if it was detuned to the same horsepower per cubic inch that Harleys make? "My Harley probably has more miles on it than all your disposable oriental bikes combined."
Than my "Oriental" Buells and my "Oriental" Aprilia? LOL! "Clue for the clueless: Every single motorcycle junkyard in the world is piled high with the carcasses of late-model oriental bike, yet you'll never, ever see a Harley in a junkyard." You'll also never see a Harley on the starting line of a MotoGP race or a World Superbike race. You won't find them competing against V-Twins from Ducati, Aprilia, or KTM. The fact that people hold on to Harleys and repair them doesn't mean that they are long-lived or reliable. "But quality & longevity aside, something all the cookie cutter Asian bikes lack is style and originality." I guess you're going to tell me that this RE5 rotary-engined Suzuki was unoriginal and "cookie-cutter," too. I'm not a cruiser kind of guy (as you probably have guessed). But I do appreciate classic bikes such as Royal Enfields, Triumph Bonnevilles, inline-four Indians, Nortons, Vincents as well as scooters by Vespa and Lambretta. Congratulations on getting your Softtail Electra Glide into the magazine. I won't say anything against anyone who succeeds like that, even if the bike is not to my personal taste.
Posted: 23/12/2010 at 20:11
Since I do all my riding on the street (as most motorcyclists do), I have no need for a dirt bike or a trail bike, nor do I need to be hunched over ass-in-the-air on a pseudo-race bike, since there are laws governing motorists in all countries. My goal is and always has been to travel in style and comfort, a combination no foreign motorcycle can accommodate. Unfortunately there are far too many people with racer boy aspirations (like the soon-to-be-corpse in the article above) who, while lacking the skills to actually compete professionally, feel compelled to play out their fantasy on public roadways, where their craving for attention poses a threat to all other motorists. It doesn't take a genius to twist the throttle on a disposable plastic crotch rocket, in fact, all evidence shows that just the opposite is the primary requirement (as evidenced by the wannabe racer boy in the article). To put it another way, being impressed by wheelies and stoppies places one squarely in this juvenile demographic. Not being American, you may not understand the goal of the four founders of Harley-Davidson. Their sole intention was to produce a simple, sturdy machine that the average owner could service and maintain at home. All the early ads bear this out. As long as they could, the founders strongly resisted using, sponsoring or advocating their machines for racing, instead entering (and consistently winning) endurance and economy contests. Harleys were never intended (by the founders) to be the fastest motorcycles, only the best. That's why Harleys are built with steel where others use plastic to save weight. That's why Harley motors are understressed while other manufacturers' motors are more tweaked than a Chihuahua on crack. And that's why Harleys last indefinitely. Back in the Seventies, the Japanese produced and exported many, many times more motorcycles than Harley did. Yet where are all these millions of "superior" and "reliable" oriental machines today? They're all in those junkyards we've been talking about. The only thing they're doing faster than Harleys is rusting. Incidentally, Fred, I'm not sure where that photo you posted of the Dyna with front end damage was taken, but it's not at a motorcycle junkyard and the Dyna certainly hasn't been junked. It just needs some new parts, which, unlike parts for Asian bikes, will always be available. Want to build a 1936 Knucklehead from scratch using all new parts? Anyone can because the parts are still available. Try that with a 1936 Honda. Oh, that's right, there's no such thing. Concerning the originality of the woefully unreliable Suzuki rotary 500, its motor is based on the German Wankel design, just as every single Japanese motor ever made is based on foreign designs. Ever see a Kawasaki K1? It's a bolt-for-bolt identical copy of a BSA 500cc A7. You're welcome to send your pounds to the Japanese to aid them in extinguishing what's left of Britain's motorcycle industry, but I'll keep my American dollars in America whenever possible.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 03:08
@Todd 8080 I tried to be somewhat more friendly last time, but you're a dick, plain and simple. You're also an idiot if you think that a Harley is the epitome of style and comfort. Owning an obnoxiously loud Harley may be the dream of some blue-collar nitwit who thinks that paintings of dogs playing poker is art, but people with actual taste and class prefer bikes with class -- like MV Agusta, Norton, Ducati, and Aprilia. You don't see riders of those bikes dressed like one of the Village People: If you think that the riding position on a Harley is comfortable, you'd probably be really happy getting a gynecological exam, since it's basically the same position with those your legs spread wide and your feet out in front of you. Of course Harley tried to stay out of racing, because every time they got involved, they got their clocks cleaned by Indian, which made a far superior bike. It's the same reason they avoid racing now: Racing improves the breed and Harley doesn't want anything to do with improvements. It's why you still see 1940s technology springer forks on Harleys. I am an American. A real one. Born and raised here. I'm not the one trying to get my bikes featured in European magazines, Brit-boy. Or do they just refer to you as "wanker" over there? Just stop with your bullshit patriotism. I own two American made Buells -- from before Harley shut Buell down. Harley refused to sell Buell to Bombardier, which wanted to keep the Wisconsin plant open employing 200 American workers. Instead, Harley put those American workers out of work in the middle of the worst recession we've had in decades. Any real American with patriotism would boycott Harley for that. Riding a performance bike well, just as driving a performance car well, requires skill, experience, and training. Riding from bar to bar with some Nazi-looking half-helmet, or no helmet at all, is more the Harley experience -- and I want no part of it. Just how many of your highly skilled, brilliant Harley brethren have been killed in crashes, often drunk? How about Indian Larry, who crashed and died while riding standing up on the seat with no helmet on? Then we have Bruce Rossmyer, owner of one of the largest Harley dealerships, killed while riding helmetless. I can forgive some 19 year old kid for not having common sense, but 50-something grown men riding without helmets on public roads? Or thinking they are clever for wearing a non-protective "novelty helmet"? Morons. Harleys don't work well on the street. They suck. Their lethargic handling, ungainly weight, low cornering clearance, low-quality suspension components, poor brakes, and lazy engines mean that even a skilled motorcyclist is ill-equipped to make emergency maneuvers when someone else does something stupid (turn left in front of the bike, swerve into the biker's lane, pull out without seeing the bike, etc.). It's why police departments are dropping them in favor of bikes that actually are modern and work well: Motorcycle cops drop HarleyYes, moron, the Wankel engine was a German invention. So was the internal combustion engine on your Harley! It was invented by Nikolaus August Otto. And the first one ever fitted to a bicycle, to create a motorcycle, was the work of German Gottlieb Daimler (of Daimler-Benz fame).
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 04:11
Todd you're an idiot who generalizes about Japanese bikes and non-Harley bikers in general. Lemme guess: you don't wave to non-Harley bikes do you? Anyway, I'm 27, ride an R1 and would love a Harley actually. I love their new designs especially like the X-Bones, the Nightster, the Forty-Eight, and the Rocker C. They are good looking bikes that yes, don't turn very well but are probably more fun at 40mph than almost any bike out there. I'm Canadian, currently living in Ireland where I ride as fast as I please as there are no speed cameras and even fewer police patrolling the roads. Where I'm from in Canada, speed laws are Draconian, with cops being able to take yer bike for 7 days if u go >30mph over the speed limit. When I go back to Canada, theres no point in buying another R1, and so I'm considering a Harley as its fun to go slow on (I presume - never ridden one). Fred, I know you've owned Harlies, but I think ur being a bit harsh on them, and Todd you're basically a racist xenophobic idiot who doesn't understand economics. "Oriental bikes" - really?! WTFK is wrong w/ u?!
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 04:44
My, Fred, how quickly we resort to personal attacks. That's usually an indication that one's argument lacks the logic necessary to be convincing. "Dick"? Idiot"? "Moron"? How rude. There surely are people who dress oddly on all types of motorcycles. I'm not one of them, though; I dress strictly for the ride. However, I see a lot of rice riders wearing multicolored Power Rangers jumpsuits with matching helmets to go with their multicolored oriental bikes. It really doesn't get much gayer than that, does it? Legs spread in a "gynecological exam" position? Again, maybe some riders but not me. My feet sit on footboards only, not splayed out on crashbar pegs. They're in the same location as they'd be on a stock Knucklehead or Panhead. You have me confused with someone else. And since you viewed my bike in American-V you know my handlebars are quite conventional as well, though I did change two of the bend angles slightly for better ergonomics. Speaking of American-V, I didn't seek them out, they contacted me after seeing my bike online. It's also featured in the Summer 2010 issue of American Iron Magazine's Motorcycle Bagger (starting on page 68). Riding from bar to bar wearing a Nazi helmet? I neither drink nor wear a Nazi helmet. I didn't rack up over a quarter-million miles (on this bike alone, my seventh Harley) by sitting in bars. That's enough to circle the globe ten times with change left over. Concerning Harley's modern Springer, it may resemble the old version but it's vastly improved in all areas. Of course there's no way you could know that, having owned neither version. And apparently you're also not aware that touring Harleys have dual discs up front with 4-piston calipers these days. Anyone who can't easily stop an Electra Glide with one finger needs to visit the gym. I'm sorry Harley discontinued Buell, but after 26 years of deplorable sales, who can blame them? Even Erik Buell doesn't blame them, as shown by his recent interview. Apparently there just aren't enough people who want to play racer boy while positioned like a doe in heat. I'm also sorry you can't seem to pilot a Harley successfully. I have no problems with mine in any area. Thousand-mile days are nothing to me. But then, I use my motorcycle as a vehicle, not as a toy for doing childish stunts. Concerning your little history lesson on the internal combustion engine, Frenchman Alphonse Beau de Rochas invented and patented the 4-stroke engine 16 years before Otto obtained his patent. Daimler's wooden (four-wheeled) "motorcycle" appeared 25 years after Beau de Rochas produced his gasoline-powered motors in quantity. Furthermore, the first motors made by Harley, Indian and virtually all other American motorcycle manufacturers were based on the De Dion-Bouton design, not Otto's design.
And many people would strongly disagree that Daimler "created" the motorcycle, since Sylvester Roper of Massachusetts had working motorcycles as early as 1869, 24 years before Daimler. So it seems you're mistaken about a lot of things, Fred. Just to show you there are no hard feelings, though, rather than call you a dick I'll opine that you are the exact opposite of one.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 07:12
And many people would strongly disagree that Daimler "created" the motorcycle, since Sylvester Roper of Massachusetts had working motorcycles as early as 1869, 24 years before Daimler. He's not claiming Daimler created the motorcycle you twerp. He is RIGHTLY saying that Otto created the "4 stroke cycle". Simplton. Please stop me if this is getting a touch to technical for you.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 08:34
To quote Fred: "Yes, moron, the Wankel engine was a German invention. So was the internal combustion engine on your Harley! It was invented by Nikolaus August Otto. And the first one ever fitted to a bicycle, to create a motorcycle, was the work of German Gottlieb Daimler (of Daimler-Benz fame)." That sure sounds like he's claiming that Otto invented the internal combustion engine and Daimler created the motorcycle to me. He never once uses the phrase "4 stroke cycle." Speaking of creating, this is what I ride. I built it from a head-on total wreck using only the frame (which I straightened) and the motor cases from the original bike. It contains parts from at least 20 different years of Harleys plus many homemade parts. I'm particularly proud of my custom hand controls, which I made to resemble those on a Knucklehead, yet they function just like modern controls with hidden switches for starter, horn, high beam and turn signals. Note the missing master cylinder on the handlebar and the missing shift linkage above the chaincase, my own inventions. The bags, windshield, lower wind deflectors, rear crashbars and passing lamps all just lift off without tools, changing it to a stripped-down boulevard cruiser in seconds. No, it's not a dirt bike or a drag bike, but it does everything I need it to do. But maybe I have terrible taste and just don't know it. Fred, how about posting a photo of what the true combination of style and comfort should look like? Surely you own such a machine in your vast stable of bikes.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 16:38
Todd, I'm the one who extended an olive branch and you behaved like an ass in return, so don't whine now about me saying mean things to you. I'm not going to spend time on your whole diatribe where you try to defend idiocy like springer front ends with just over 2" of travel, but I will comment on this: "I'm sorry Harley discontinued Buell, but after 26 years of deplorable sales, who can blame them?" Harley was bleeding red and it had nothing to do with Buell, other than Harley cutting all spending that was not towards the Harley name. The issue is Harley's refusal to accept offers that would have kept the plant open and let the 200 Americans working there keep their jobs. So please stop wrapping yourself in the American flag. Harley Davidson is run by a bunch of unpatriotic jackasses. "Even Erik Buell doesn't blame them, as shown by his recent interview." You're so naive that you amaze me. Erik Buell is very limited in what he can say per his severance agreement with Harley. " Apparently there just aren't enough people who want to play racer boy while positioned like a doe in heat." You Harley guys dress up like the biker from the Village People and then try to sexualize the riding positions of guys on sport bikes. Hell, the entire Harley look is the basis for the gay leather scene. "I'm also sorry you can't seem to pilot a Harley successfully." I've ridden them "successfully" and they suck. I've ridden baggers, Sportsters, and DynaGlides. They were heavy, slow, ill-handling pigs with primitive suspension, wooden-feeling brakes, and grossly out of balance engines. "I have no problems with mine in any area. Thousand-mile days are nothing to me." Guys driving minivans have no problem with thousand mile days, either, but that doesn't mean that their minivan is superior to a Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, or Lotus. Congratulation: You have the Dodge Caravan of motorcycles. "But then, I use my motorcycle as a vehicle, not as a toy for doing childish stunts." And by "stunts," I guess you're referring to my going faster than parade speed on twisty roads and accelerating faster than a senior citizen driving a Buick. As to commenting on your bike, I won't be drawn into saying something negative about a bike you've worked so hard on. It is not my taste in bikes, but to each his own.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 18:20
snev, Have a good night and a good holiday. Besides, what do I know about engineering? I'm only an engineer at a firm which builds satellites, unmanned probes, and rockets. I clearly need Todd to explain to me how anyone who wants a bike that weighs less than 800lbs. or has more than 3" of suspension travel must be some kind of hooligan with a death-wish. Because, really, only Todd knows how one should ride a motorcycle.
Posted: 24/12/2010 at 20:25
I'm a sportsbike fan who has now "retired" (at least for the road) and moved on to SMs. I love attacking corners as hard as I can, and that's what pursuit will remain as for the forseeable future. Todd - I've never ridden a Harley because they also don't appeal for my type of riding or for anything but their designed use (to me), riding roads like Route 66 on a tour. But I would love to do that!! The reality is that for the majority of bikers, Harleys are viewed as nothing but a poser's mount. And as much as you love them, their weight and handling do present an issue to others, borderline on dangerous (for certain uses). e.g. In the UK we have some tight, twisty country roads and our speed limits are set to be the maximum speed you should ( ) maintain on them, including through the corners. When I went on a riding trip up North I rode some roads that to take at the speed limit, took major bottle and commitment to attempt at the speed limit (Cat & Fiddle run anyone?). If I rode a Harley, I would have hated the experience. It wouldn't have coped with them and neither would it have the braking ability to get you down to a speed in time so that it could. Performance through R&D has progressed, but for certain uses Harley's are (probably) untouchable.(Go easy on my guys, I can't think of one either  ) Hats off to you for loving them but they're not for everyone's riding style or enjoyment. If bikes are supposed to be bought with the heart, who are you, I or anyone else to question or belittle someone else's choice, be it "plastic" that performs or metal that cruises? A self-righteous arrogant prat, that's who. And seriously, we live in 2010! While in the past some countries sucked at what they engineered, things have changed and for the better. Technology has moved on and the human race has advanced. Whether you choose to enjoy the technological advances or not is your choice. But how dare you hold it against anyone who chooses to!
Go out for a ride as soon as you can and remember why you love your bike. That's what it's all about at the end of the day Fred - Good on you for trying to open up others eyes. Probably wasting your type though... I'm 100% with you for bikes having individual purposes. Any dope out there who think otherwise, buy yourself a <500cc competition SM and take it on the motorway... I'm jealous that you've got the circumstances to have so many (I used to have 2 and would love to again) and I hope you love them all equally. I also love high performance sportsbikes. I can't justify a 1000 to myself but as I love keeping up on "smaller, lower powered" bikes, it works perfectly for me. The technological advancements each year are mindblowing! I think that traction control is going to ruin it all though. That's what you're throttle hand is for after all... Have a good one guys. All the best.
Posted: 25/12/2010 at 14:04
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