[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by GTO

Within the Indian scene, the most prominent widowmaker is the Yamaha RD350. The first time I rode one, I accelerated hard (newbie mistake) and almost fell off! Blow-your-mind acceleration & intoxicating exhaust note, but little else. The brakes were terrible and its grip levels just couldn't keep up with the power on tap (lousy tyres?). Back in the day, people used to joke that if you crash on an RD, that's your last & final crash.

That’s exactly why I mentioned in my post above about “widow maker” being a loose term. Every car/bike or let’s say vehicle has its limitations. If you are ignorant or ignore them they automatically become widow makers. It’s mostly/generally (barring manufacturing defects) the person riding/driving them which is the deciding factor.

I have extensively used the RD with no crashes (except once when the road was coated with oil which I didn’t notice - my mistake) at unmentionable speeds for our forum with absolutely no issues. Riding the RD specifically (most powerful bikes) relying only on the brakes is a recipe for disaster. Use the gears to bleed speed along with the brakes and you should be fine.

Twisting the throttle or bearing down on the accelerator without proper knowledge or experience with a particular machine, how she accelerates or stops is what results in a widow maker. Mostly (not always) it’s inexperience and ineptitude which results in crashes or makes widows. Another way to put it would be “a bad carpenter always quarrels with his tools”.

Cheers

[low_rider]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Since the title says vehicle and not explicitly cars, I would like to add Mig-21 which has also been referred to as Flying Coffin for the deaths and crashes caused.
Attachment 2161173

Well it is a case of roadside repairs, in a loose sense of the term. Mig-21 is one of the robust, easy to maintain aircraft with an amazingly simple design. But when you use non-OEM parts and don't maintain it properly, every machine is bound to fail. Although our aircraft engineers are very competent, but the same can not be said about the quality and timely availability of spares. And like all Russian military equipment, it can work with bare minimum maintenance, although the spares need to adhere to a basic standard quality.
Now, this doesn't mean that we shouldn't modernize the fleet, but we shouldn't blame a machine rather than our competence (or incompetence) to maintain or upgrade it

[Baiz72]

This reminds me of the traditional Namboothiri Phalitham in Malayalam (innocent Jokes/story telling among Brahmins just for fun). There is a folklore tradition where Brahmins make fun of themselves as they cant make fun of others as followers of Satvik life.

Understanding the futility of life in this fragile world, one guy started thinking of death and approached a Brahmin guru for consultation. The guru said as Yama is the king of death you need to pray for him. The guy asked for a manta and the seer said "Yama ha!".

I heard when I was in college ('RX100' accidents were so common) from a story telling artist.

[TrackDay]

Like most of have said it is the wrong vehicle in the wrong hands that can take lives. That being said some vehicles do have that reputation of taking lives. For bikes it has to be the KTM duke or whatever those are called and in the older days it used to be the RD 350. When I was in college, the Yamaha FZ-S was a year or two into the market and was a very good bike to have. However family was dead against it and even offered to buy a more expensive bike, but not a Yamaha. However the FZ was the trend in those days and I was adamant and finally got the bike. My parents were happy years later when I sold the bike when I had to relocate abroad.

Another vehicle which older folks in Kerala look with caution are the tippers which runs at very high speeds even in pocket roads. Those don't kill the driver, rather the folks around it like other motorists and pedestrians !

[OctYFAN]

I think Paul Walker died in a Porsche Carrera GT.

Also James Dean's Spyder is said to be cursed and has made widows even after the horrifying crash.

Porsche does have have quite a long history of widowmakers...

Especially the early 911s had really bad reputation for their unstable rear end. And then with the Turbo, nothing needs to be said.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Can't forget The Duke.

Attachment 2161207

It is too fast and dangerous, the Duke is not respected for the beautiful machine that it is, but rather taken advantage of the powerful performance.

Most cases of road accidents and on the spot deaths have been reported to be on Dukes, the death toll on Duke is much more than any other motorcycle in India.

I followed your discussion with PrasannaDhana. I do not agree that the Duke 390 falls into this category. narayans80 has explained it best.

Cars/Bikes should tagged a 'widowmaker' if they are a safety hazard due to technical reasons. Not because drivers who just have the money to buy, but no skill or temperament to handle it.

There is nothing mechanical or electronic about the Duke 390 that makes it unsafe to ride. It has great brakes, ABS, fantastic tires and so on. The Interceptor 650 has similar performance and braking numbers to the Duke 390. Does that also qualify as a widow maker?

I agree with your point that one can often find accidents involving Dukes. That has more to do with the brand and its Ready To Race positioning. This attracts a certain clientele that similar performing bikes do not.

[earlylifecrysis]

It is surprising to see the Duke being portrayed as a 'widowmaker'. It comes with a decent set of driving aids, and, going by what I've read, it is very stable at speed. It is not an inherently dangerous motorcycle; it becomes so only when pushed beyond its limits, much like any vehicle.

A true widowmaker would be the Ford Pinto, a car which was unsafe regardless of who drove it, or how it was driven.

[SILVER-ARROW]

How about the Boeing 737max. It is a perfect example of how corporate greed and fear of losing business compels few organizations to take decision which are against the very ethics and policies they stand to represent.

When Airbus launched the A320neo which was more fuel efficient and increased the savings of airlines. In order to stay in business Boeing took the decision to modify the existing Boeing 737 instead of investing and designing a new aircraft. The result was a product which wasn’t adequately tested and neither were the pilots who are going to man these vehicles given training and informed of the changes, which resulted in 2 massive crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Source to the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX

It wont exactly be called a dangerous vehicle as after these crashes it was completely grounded for quite some time from flying and later reintroduced after thorough investigation and modifications. But sure it was responsible for death of quite a few people for apparently no fault of either the passengers, the crew or the aircraft. But the lack of knowledge of the pilots who were not aware of the modifications done to the plane and how to react in emergency situation.

[Arun_S]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Can't forget The Duke.

Attachment 2161207

It is too fast and dangerous, the Duke is not respected for the beautiful machine that it is, but rather taken advantage of the powerful performance.

Most cases of road accidents and on the spot deaths have been reported to be on Dukes, the death toll on Duke is much more than any other motorcycle in India.

Image Credits

Definitely Yes, some humorous note goes on like this here on Duke.

Father: I got my son a Duke bike
Father's Friend: I wasn't aware your son is so bad in character, you want him to kill him.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

No car can be a widow maker unless you drive it thus. It is the driving and the driver that makes for widow making IMHO. Other wise any powerful and fast car can be dubbed a widow maker and every car with a zero NCAL rating could be termed one too - though I do not agree to either point of view.

The phrase 'widow maker' has been used a few times to describe fighter aircrafts with inherent aerodynamic flaws while landing or diving or with a tendency to get caught in a fatal irrecoverable spin. The most famous of these was the Lockheed Starfighter F-104 which the Americans forced through politics and bribes onto their NATO allies in the 1960s and 70s.

The MiG-21, undoubtedly the most famous supersonic jet fighter of all times, gained a undeserved reputation in India thanks to spurious parts purchased by a dime saving Govt in the 1990s and the civilian bureaucracy refusing for 20+ years to allow the IAF a fast jet trainer that could train rookie pilots to graduate onto a high performance aircraft like the MiG-21. That led to the loss of many young lives of rookie pilots which those faceless bureaucrats need to answer for.

Thanks for bringing this out. The MiG-21 is not an aircraft for the everyday pilot. The small delta wings make it a rocket more than an aeroplane. The aircraft had only one purpose, a mach2 interceptor that could climb quickly, defend the airbase and return. The fuel endurance is all of about 20 mins with afterburners and may be 40 minutes at lower speeds. The landing speed is an excess of 340 kmph, if you come in too slow, you stall. It is unforgiving.
No wonder if you place a rookie directly from a prop aircraft to this jet, you create a coffin sooner than later. A majority of these airplanes were lost in pilot error and not equipment malfunction, however the government Babu's have blood on their hand due their corrupt practices.

Coming back to widow makers, the worst widow maker is our great RTO. Giving a license to anyone and everyone, they put killers on our roads who kill themselves (if lucky), else kill and maim others as well.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

No one can beat how Jeremy Clarkson explained The Widow-Maker. Though according to him it's dangerous not for safety but because of the car's SPEED.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=OL_eIZjiLUk

Actually I thought he said "“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you.”

[nitinsharma1000]

Pretty much anything is a widow maker depending on the element between the steering wheel/handlebar and the seat.

[V.Narayan]

Coming back to widow makers, the worst widow maker is our great RTO. Giving a license to anyone and everyone, they put killers on our roads who kill themselves (if lucky), else kill and maim others as well.

Thank you for saying this. This is probably the most relevant and poignant statement on this entire thread.

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Thanks for bringing this out. The MiG-21 is not an aircraft for the everyday pilot. The small delta wings make it a rocket more than an aeroplane. The landing speed is an excess of 340 kmph, if you come in too slow, you stall. It is unforgiving. No wonder if you place a rookie directly from a prop aircraft to this jet, you create a coffin sooner than later. A majority of these airplanes were lost in pilot error and not equipment malfunction, however the government Babu's have blood on their hand due their corrupt practices.

After arguing with the IAF from c.1982 to 2006 on why they need a fast jet trainer when finally after hundreds of deaths the BAe Hawk was selected and the contract was about to be inked one worthy bureaucrat wrote in the file something to the effect of - if the IAF has survived 20+ years without a fast jet trainer then why do they even need one. Talk of ignorance, narrow mindedness and sheer cussedness.

[neil.jericho]

Here is an example of a motorcycle that was genuinely thought to be a widow maker and feared when it was launched in 1997 - the Suzuki TL1000S.

Picture source : The Interwebs

Back in the 70s, the Kawasaki H2 developed the reputation of a ‘widowmaker’ due to its incredible power and complete lack of handling. The Suzuki TL1000S also earned such a reputation when it was released in 1997, for slightly different reasons. This bike was introduced with a very unique rotary rear damping system, which seemed to perform just fine in pre-production models. Once bikes were sold in the United Kingdom, however, it became clear that the damping had some serious issues. Tank-slappers became a too-common occurrence, and after several high-profile accidents (and one fatality), Suzuki initiated a worldwide recall to install a steering damper.

Source of the above content.

In contrast to Ducati’s “L” twin, Suzuki rotated their 90° motor backwards in the chassis, allowing better packaging at the front of the bike. This left less room at the back for a traditional shock, so Suzuki whipped up a “rotary” damper that was far more compact than a traditional “linear” shock. Unfortunately, one of the reasons traditional spring/shock combos are so widely used is that they’ve got 70 years of development behind them and just flat work. When ridden hard, the TL’s rotary unit gets hot and loses its damping ability, which may contribute to the bike’s reputation for “tank slappers”, unintended wheelies, and all-around beastliness.

Source of the above content.

Developed in Japan, the TL1000S employed some radical new technology including a controversial rotary rear damper. At the time, Suzuki claimed that, due to the size of the V-twin motor, they simply didn’t have any room to fit a conventional shock and therefore turned to F1 to find a solution. Very quickly Suzuki discovered that what works very well on a car, doesn’t necessarily work on a bike.

Even at the bike’s launch on a smooth race track in Miami, there were concerns about the TL’s lively front end. The combination of a V-twin’s instant punch and very sporty geometry, not to mention ‘that’ damper, made the TL shake its head. What would it be like on bumpy European roads?

As soon as the first TL’s landed in the UK the motoring press was filled with horror stories about the bike’s handling. You couldn’t read anything about the TL without the words ‘tank slapper’ and ‘widow-maker’ in them and after several serious accidents, Suzuki recalled the bike to have a steering damper fitted. Over time many owners went so far as to replace the rear unit completely. All that said, most examples to day have benefitted from carefully set-up suspension so much that, although still lively, there’s little to genuinely fear today.

Source of the above content.

[lemedico]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

No one can beat how Jeremy Clarkson explained The Widow-Maker. Though according to him it's dangerous not for safety but because of the car's SPEED.

and another gem from his larynx was "speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary..that's what gets you"