Rider down

[DenyP]

Dang, There are just no words to express our sorrow. Our condolances to family and friends.

Deny

[Yahman]

As is the case more and more when I hear of a fellow riders passing, I am left speechless. Best wishes go out to his family. He will be missed.

Larry

[79XS11F]

I can't even imagine what it would be like to go out on a ride with the guys and not have us all came back. This news is very saddening to say the least. Sending sympathy to Lee's wife and family. Also sorry for the others on the ride who happened to be present when this happened.
Rob

[XJOK2PLAY]

I just got home from Talihina.

I was with the group of 6 riders up front, w/ Tod leading the way on the ride.

Lee had seemed sick w/ a bad cold the last couple of days, so we're not sure if that played a part or not in what happened.

We had hit some decent twisties, and the group kinda seperated... 6 from 6.
Up 'til that point, we had stayed tight together as a group.

Tod noticed a big gap occuring in half the group, so we slowed, then pulled over and waited... when no one came, Ivan turned around and beelined back, followed by Tod, then the rest of us.

About 2 miles back, we rounded a corner... and there it was... my heart sank.

I spoke w/ Bohn, who also had his wife Linda on back with him, and he told me that he was behind Lee, and that they rounded the corner just fine... somewhere between 30-40 mph... no problem, when all of a sudden it looked like Lee was pulling over. Bohn couldn't figure out why... and why there... but can't remember ever seeing Lee's brake lights...there were no skid marks...
Lee stated to the EMT that his brakes had failed. The marks on that pine tree were huge. It appears he just drove straight into it @ somewhere around 30 mph, and down into a deep ditch.
None of us are sure what happened to cause this... possibly he got distracted or momentarily blacked out... we just don't know. But he had cleared 90% of the turn, plus there was a private driveway that went uphill right before the tree, but Bohn says he never saw him even struggle or fight the bike as he would have if he was trying to regain control. It just happened... and all before Bohn & Linda's eyes.
Brent Huvastahl was bringing up the rear behind Bohn on his Harley, and saw it too. Brent had come all the way from Mississipi.
Brent gave Lee immediate assistance, and did everything he could to help him.
I later told him how much I appreciated his efforts.
We all tried our best to help Lee... but we knew he was hurt bad. The ambulance & Highway Patrol arrived within a few minutes of the crash.

I had just met Lee for the first time the day before, and told him how great it was to finally meet face to face. I didn't realize how short the time we'd have together would be.

We had chatted a few times here in the past 6 months, through both posts & PM's. I will miss the way he always made me laugh in his posts.
It was so hard watching Ivan go through this, too. Lee had been there for him not too long ago, if you remember. My heart goes out to Russ & Jana, Ivan, Tod, Harry, Kat, and everybody that made the ride.
I just felt helpless.

My thoughts & prayers are w/ his wife & kids.
I'm very sad about the great loss of my new friend.

Bob

[The Lorax]

Truly tragic. not having met the man, I still feel as though I've lost a brother. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Words cannot express what we are all feeling right now

[Montreux_Blue]

I can't even imagine what his wife Terry is going through and I know Ivan is all tore up over it. He helped Ivan after his terrible accident and they were good friends. It's very sad.

[Wildkat]

Just a couple of additions to what has already been posted... There wasn't much chance of Lee maneuvering around the tree due to a fairly deep culvert in front of it... He almost had to go airborn a bit after leaving the drive.
The impact knocked off his helmet and he came to rest at the base of a fairly large rock. We were thankful at the time that he didn't sustain any head or neck injuries... we had no idea how substantial his internal injuries were at the time though... and the only possible gear he could have worn to keep this from being so bad is possibly a suit of armor.

Many thanks to Brent for his calm manner and cool head... also many thanks to everyone who helped to try and make Lee as comfortable as possible and assisting the EMTs and also helping with the bike.

I know Terry is very appreciative of everyone's help and support during this tragic time.

and a special thank you from me personally for all of the calls and messages that came through from you to support those of us who were there...

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Man, I just heard. That really sucks.

We all ride with the possibility in the back of our minds though.

My thoughts are with him and his family.

Do you know why the brakes failed?

Greg

[madmax-im]

My condolences and prayers to Lee and his family. Also I pray for all of you who were there and dealt with it as best you could. This is a sad day for the XS11 family. I suspect that his brakes didnt fail but being in a state of shock he might have thought that was the case...if Bohn didnt see any brake lights then its doubtful that was the cause.I'm sure you'll all go over the bike to see if indeed that did happen. Godspeed Lee.

[Wildkat]

Friday night


In KC with Ivan's bike... showin the love


At the MoM


He will be missed

[STEPPENWOLF]

Sending my vibes that way...sad news.

[cueball]

Major Bummer

Condolences. Gone to the "Big Gutter Party" in the sky. Ride On.

[Cobia]

My deepest condolences

I feel I've lost a member of my family. In fact I have, from my Ch11 family. I used to enjoy reading his posts. I will miss them.
My condolences to his family and to those who were there to witness it.
So sad.

[Bigfoot]

My condolences and prayers to Lee and his family. Also I pray for all of you who were there and dealt with it as best you could. This is a sad day for the XS11 family. I suspect that his brakes didnt fail but being in a state of shock he might have thought that was the case...if Bohn didnt see any brake lights then its doubtful that was the cause.I'm sure you'll all go over the bike to see if indeed that did happen. Godspeed Lee.

We looked at the brakes shortly after the accident. They appeared to be in working condition.

[HobbyMan]

This is all so shocking. My thoughts and prayers go out to Terry. I can't say enough good things about him. Godspeed Lee. You will not be forgotten.