I notice a number of people wanting to discuss the technicalities of the accident on the thread related to Ettienne Marais' tragic passing at the GS challenge this year (https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=22863.0), but the thread seems an insensitive place for it, so I've started a technical thread to discuss this separately.
Firstly allow me to also express my sincerest condolences to his wife and three children as well as his brother Jean and good friend "Savebiker", as well as all other family, friends and acquaintances who will be affected by his passing.
Also, in the name of sensitivity, from here onwards, please refrain from referring to Ettienne or "him", and try to refer only to the bike. Many thanks.
The overall feeling I get is that everyone is blaming ABS for the accident, but one of the most detailed accounts I heard on another 4x4 site was that the bike stalled at the top of the hill, and while trying to get the bike started it rolled forward and ended up rolling down the hill without the engine on. Which raises two questions for me:
1) Surely ABS free braking would have been available with the engine off, and
2) If the bike had started, surely the ABS would have remained off, as I assume that the bike was being operated with the ABS disengaged up to that point. (I notice this on my F650GS, that ABS only re-engages if the bike is properly switched off with the key - not after choking - which is a very important safety feature)
It makes me wonder if there really were no brakes available, and if so, why not? This is a very scary thing to contemplate, as it would seem that the only thing to do in such a situation would be to abandon ship and let the bike go on, riderless - not anyone's first reaction.
I do not wish to speculate too much on something so sensitive, so can anyone else shed more light on the facts?
Firstly allow me to also express my sincerest condolences to his wife and three children as well as his brother Jean and good friend "Savebiker", as well as all other family, friends and acquaintances who will be affected by his passing.
Also, in the name of sensitivity, from here onwards, please refrain from referring to Ettienne or "him", and try to refer only to the bike. Many thanks.
The overall feeling I get is that everyone is blaming ABS for the accident, but one of the most detailed accounts I heard on another 4x4 site was that the bike stalled at the top of the hill, and while trying to get the bike started it rolled forward and ended up rolling down the hill without the engine on. Which raises two questions for me:
1) Surely ABS free braking would have been available with the engine off, and
2) If the bike had started, surely the ABS would have remained off, as I assume that the bike was being operated with the ABS disengaged up to that point. (I notice this on my F650GS, that ABS only re-engages if the bike is properly switched off with the key - not after choking - which is a very important safety feature)
It makes me wonder if there really were no brakes available, and if so, why not? This is a very scary thing to contemplate, as it would seem that the only thing to do in such a situation would be to abandon ship and let the bike go on, riderless - not anyone's first reaction.
I do not wish to speculate too much on something so sensitive, so can anyone else shed more light on the facts?
