SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum

I was heading home from a cracking run to Bala, via Chester and Northwich. Approaching Northwich I caught up with a Busa and a Speed Triple at some lights, and we rode together for a while at a fair lick.

They were ahead approaching the lights by the Roberts Bread factory. The outside lane was clear. As they were approaching, the lights turned green and the Busa guy wound it on, followed by the Speed Triple. A guy in a Focus ST in the left lane decided to play too. I let them go as it's only 300 yards to the next big roundabout.

Approaching that roundabout, the entry has a sharpish swing to the left, and I can see that the Busa and Focus are still at it with the Busa ahead, closely followed by the Triple. The Busa runs wide to his right as the road curves left into the roundabout, then suddenly lowsides. Rider slides onto island between east & westbound lanes, and is just missed by the Speed Triple, which then has to anchor on hard again as the Busa is sliding right in front of it.

Triple stops just before entering the roundabout, Busa slides across the road and hits the centre of the roundabout. Luckily, the Busa didn't hit, or get hit by, anything else, and neither did the rider.

I stop, Busa rider is fine, no injuries. Then go and help pick up the Busa from the roundabout. Lots of plastic damage, broken brake lever & pedal, dented tank etc.

From my perspective, it looked like the Busa rider was too involved in getting past the Focus and didn't know / realise how sharp the roundabout entry was until it was too late, and braked too hard while banked over. Just stupid, really: after that roundabout there's a 1.5 mile straight section of dual carriageway. He was very lucky.