[neil.jericho]

Interesting turn of events reported by Mid Day - https://www.pressreader.com/india/mi...81694025851596

[ACM]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Interesting turn of events reported by Mid Day - https://www.pressreader.com/india/mi...81694025851596

Yep a totally different report.

Raises questions.

But one query I have is why MVA did not counter the earlier social media article itself with this response? Or did they? Now it is too late as the rider would not be able to counter reply.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ACM

Yep a totally different report.

Raises questions.

But one query I have is why MVA did not counter the earlier social media article itself with this response? Or did they? Now it is too late as the rider would not be able to counter reply.

I had received a whatsapp image which had this article with a sub article (I couldnt find a link with the sub article) that had a response from the owner of the bike (Faiyaz Merchant) who is the brother of the rider (Zoheb Merchant) who passed away. Some points from this
- He mentions the company is covering up their mistake.
- He claims the bike was always ridden at a limited speeds of less than 100 kmph.
- He wanted the company to replace the bike as it could be fatal to ride.
- The bike was left in the showroom for 6 months (I assume he means service centre).


Interestingly, one of Zoheb's friends claims that they were riding at 70 - 80 kmph when suddenly the swingarm on the MV Agusta bike got damaged. He claims there were no accidents related to this swing arm damage. This is in reference to the problems the bike faced and not the actual accident in question that led to the riders untimely and unfortunate passing.


I think MV Agusta did the smart thing by putting their response through the media rather than going with social media where it could have been a case of trial by public sentiment.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by John

Confused. How could the front brake jam, unless it was applied by the rider?
https://www.mid-day.com/articles/mum...s-death/400866

On a group ride, I have seen the rear brake of a BMW R1200GS lock up permanently. The rear wheel screeched to a halt, we had to get the bike towed back to our city. When you have sensors and logic controlling the brakes/ABS things can get messy even when some sensor in the closed loop fails. One would think there is quality control to prevent such mishaps, but that is always too much to ask for with exotics.

[pdiw]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

On a group ride, I have seen the rear brake of a BMW R1200GS lock up permanently. The rear wheel screeched to a halt, we had to get the bike towed back to our city. When you have sensors and logic controlling the brakes/ABS things can get messy even when some sensor in the closed loop fails. One would think there is quality control to prevent such mishaps, but that is always too much to ask for with exotics.

OMG! I thank my stars on that day and I should have in person thanked the bus driver for averting the mishap. Thanks for sharing, I feel the old good RE is safer on road.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

On a group ride, I have seen the rear brake of a BMW R1200GS lock up permanently. The rear wheel screeched to a halt, we had to get the bike towed back to our city. When you have sensors and logic controlling the brakes/ABS things can get messy even when some sensor in the closed loop fails. One would think there is quality control to prevent such mishaps, but that is always too much to ask for with exotics.

At least you're in a place where RSA is reliable.

If the same were to happen on a ride in India I pity the rider for what he would have to face to get the motorcycle running again, especially if he's on an extended ride with advanced bookings in order.

The attitude of motorcyclists is also partly to blame per me, minimal knowledge about the machine they're riding and complete dependence on the A.S.S's is a sure shot recipe to disaster, more so in limited support regions.

I get consumerism but would never side with it when personal safety is at stake.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- He wanted the company to replace the bike as it could be fatal to ride.

This one point makes me call BS on everything that the owner and rider are claiming. If the bike was actually in such a bad condition, why was it being ridden?

While I rarely believe what the company has to say in such cases - in this case their explanations do sound more plausible.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by VellVector

This one point makes me call BS on everything that the owner and rider are claiming. If the bike was actually in such a bad condition, why was it being ridden?

While I rarely believe what the company has to say in such cases - in this case their explanations do sound more plausible.

The claim regarding the earlier incident where the swing arm got damaged by itself while they were riding the bike at 70-80 kmph itself is also another element that makes me believe that the company's explanation is more likely true. I personally believe that this is a case of rider error that had tragic consequences.


That said, the fallout of this incident has been widespread, especially in Bombay. An old friend of mine who is an avid biking enthusiast based in Bombay, was telling me today that he is under a lot of pressure from this family to stop riding his Harley Davidson on the highways. The only cause of this family pressure and concern is the news around the tragic passing away of Zoheb Merchant and the corresponding extensive sharing of the story on social media, especially whatsapp.