Sportbike crashes rarely end well. No matter who’s at fault, riders are way more vulnerable than people sitting behind the wheel of their Bimmer. While it’s unclear exactly what happened here, this collision that took place on Saturday in Delta, British Columbia, proves that statement. According to local police, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries after they ramped a BMW and got hung up on a traffic light.
Photos of the wreck have been plastered all over national news outlets in the U.S. and Canada, and understandably so. The bike somehow got its front wheel over the pole where the traffic signal is mounted, almost like it was picked up and placed there on purpose. I haven’t been able to find any footage of the accident itself, but judging by the damage on the 3 Series’ windshield, I can only imagine the bike struck it and went soaring up, up, and away.
The plastics on the Suzuki seem to reveal it as a GSX-R1000 40th Anniversary model. If that’s the case, then it makes just shy of 200 horsepower, which is plenty for a machine that weighs 448 pounds without a person on it. Suzuki’s site boasts about the bike’s four-piston, twin-disc Brembo Monobloc front brake setup, but I guess there was no time to clamp down before things went airborne.
“Never seen anything like this, like seeing a movie,” said Surrey resident William Chan, to CBC.
Law enforcement shut down Scott Road between 70th Avenue and 72nd Avenue to get everything cleaned up. Retrieval of the bike seemed fairly straightforward, as Delta Firefighters IAFF Local 1763 lifted it out with recovery ropes. The emergency response crew posted the following photos from the scene:
“Today also serves as an important reminder to slow down, stay alert, and practice road safety at all times—whether you are driving, riding, cycling, or walking in our community,” the fire crew said. “A moment of caution can make all the difference.”
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