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Wierdrider

Life is fragile!

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I don’t know where to start. Some of you have met Ken Keller ( tarripn was his forum names ), he was a member before me, but was never really active on the site. He made it to a few two’fers and a couple other SDAR rides, but he was riding ALL THE TIME! 

On Saturday October 27, around 3:30 pm, Ken was killed in a apparent single motorcycle accident on Conrad in Casa De Oro. I say apparent, because it doesn’t make any sense how this happened! He went off the road and hit a utility pole and was pronounced dead on the scene within 10 minutes. I talked to a neighbor of the  accident site yesterday morning who said he probably heard the impact but didn’t think much about it till he saw all the commotion out front. I actually got the call from the medical Examiner on Saturday, around 6 PM since I was the last one to call his phone, and they we’re looking for a way to contact relatives. Ken owned about 15 or so bikes, he’s ridden consistently his whole life since a kid. He used to road race back in the day, and would ride bikes everywhere. Ken had been a Motorcycle mechanic for about five years up in Washington state. Motorcycles were his life! I actually met Ken from CL, where I bought several things from him that were Orange ( pants, jerseys, backpack, and a fanny pack), I found out he had an 04 KTM mxc, so we stayed in touch and started to ride together. That was about 4 years ago. Saturday morning I got a text from Ken asking if I wanted to meet him somewhere on his way back from the Palm Springs area (same as a week earlier when I met him on Japatul Valley Road ). Last week I was going up  Wildcat Canyon Road and was turned back by the race track because of a motorcycle fatality! I called him back after the text Saturday and talked a little, he told me about Sunday’s plans to show this guy around who has a KTM adventure bike and had never been up there. I wish I had gone to meet him Saturday, he wouldn’t have been in that same place at the same time!

DAMNIT!

 I’m gonna miss my riding buddy,😢

Ride on Ken, ride in peace!

Fairly recently on Hidden Glen Road off of Japatul Valley Road12AF4395-281F-4F38-81C1-11ED890258A6.thumb.jpeg.54f054f05a3f93d195f6d03f79ca1ee5.jpeg

 Ken would always send me Selfies of him and his bike. 5AD9D90C-D475-49DB-9339-4F524F34095A.thumb.jpeg.9af2b61d87f880f37528f8cc6dac9767.jpeg

 we always cracked up about this photo on Otay mountain, it looks like I am a little person! 5CAFD2CB-0A73-4AF7-BFCA-03C0FBC057DD.thumb.jpeg.76c01d62229a56b89e074148e9966b6a.jpegOtay areaE2A22E5C-6500-451D-BA46-AC3B481B6CE9.thumb.jpeg.e530d2f854ea6743aef57d3a078bf1cf.jpegDDED2DE8-699A-432F-BBEC-CE3197153320.thumb.jpeg.70a131c76397dd9f7feeffb36ca4adc7.jpegOriflame Canyon 75FAE5F4-A8E6-4665-A0BD-711BE14220E7.thumb.jpeg.74f829a290f0e10986f2374d515bdf34.jpeg Ken took this famous picture of Zubb and I in our infamous head on collision! E5534462-FA95-4C00-98C7-84A8CA768255.thumb.jpeg.d9647c0c043ce8fdd97fa196562169e7.jpeg Ken fixing his flat on our last Otay  Mountain rideADF027C7-89FB-4708-B56F-F2696B3E5A9A.thumb.jpeg.52f343641d577d5959fd04c5abe9ce3e.jpeg

 This is where the accident occurred, I put an X right at the end of the fence where he hit the utility pole. The debris was scattered forward probably 20 to 30 feet. His body was fairly close to the pole.  There is a driveway directly across the street. It makes most sense that somebody "may" have pulled out in front of him from the driveway and his only out was right into that pole!  The Medical Examiner  will check for a medical reason for the accident, heart attack? 

 Please, everybody ride safe out there! 

5A3D4F26-BE9F-404C-854D-127850729C43.thumb.jpeg.c8f928a15bd70f339ac249004b20ff82.jpeg

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Sad to hear about this. I travel Elifen Forest road everyday and see numerous paint marks from Moto Fatalies on that stretch of road. 

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Mortality,,, We take it for granted.  I can imagine your emotions at this hard time. I have been driving that street for decades; a simple neighborhood connector street six blocks or so from a Middle School.  It is easy for me to imagine two possible causes: One, he looked down to his dashboard at the wrong time; Or an inattentive driver forced him out of his lane. Placing Blame does not change the sorrow.  Let's all keep looking for that Out path when things go wrong.

  Dave

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4 minutes ago, Bagstr said:

Mortality,,, We take it for granted.  I can imagine your emotions at this hard time.

+1

 

Jim

Thoughts, prayers & condolences to his family and yourself.

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Meet him twice  i think always with you. What a bummer know that street well 

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Jim, my sincerest condolences. As you know, I had a chance or two to ride with him when you brought him up to Ramona a couple times. I immediately liked the guy because he wanted to ride more difficult terrain. A few of us (you might have been there), including him, peeled off from one of the group rides to hit something more than just graded dirt roads one day. Nice guy. 

 

 

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Damn, another member gone.

Sad to hear this...condolences Jim, and to all who knew him.

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One more thing, I don't know if you are aware, but I often get called out for major/fatal traffic collisions investigations. I've been involved in 5 mc fatal crashed this year alone. I understand the dynamics and the investigation process (i.e. collecting and documentation of evidence) very well. There very well may be evidence left at the scene that the investigators will document in their report(s). If I can help with anything in that regards, don't hesitate to contact me. 

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Thank you all for the kind words and support, it’s really means a lot to be part of this very caring and helpful community. 

My second ride with SDAR was up to Black Canyon road, and Ken was with. If I remember right, we met at Packards ( ktmRad, Carguy, Oracle, VanJoosten,  myself and Ken ),  and when we got to Santa Ysabel TT, Ken followed Loren and Eric on the more technical stuff, he had a great ride that day. He had streetish tires on that day, and you guys were excellent leaders always waiting for him👍

I continued on with John and Randy to the memorial for the bartender from the Hideout.

Thanks all, I’ll share this all with his dad, sis, and daughter.

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Jim, thanks for that last post... I thought he looked familiar, that may be the only time I met him.

Please let us know if u hear of any service for him.

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So sorry Jim.  Sad also that family and friends may never know how and why.  It's a strange scene for an experienced rider.

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