When a Spirited Ride on a Motorcycle Goes Very Bad

We like to enjoy fun roads, but an enjoyable jaunt can go horribly wrong when you take it too far.
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I doubt any of us can truthfully claim we have never exceeded the speed limit. As enthusiasts, we enjoy a good spirited romp down a twisty road. But when you go too far, enter a blind corner too fast, and cross the yellow line to bang an apex, you may never know what hit you when an oncoming car comes the other way. This is exactly what happened to YouTuber “Yammie Noob” on April 8. He and some other riders were enjoying some quick runs down Destination Way in Austin, Texas when he crossed the yellow line around a blind curve and hit a Porsche Cayman head on, sending him to the hospital and destroying his Triumph Daytona 675. This video from the rider ahead of Yammie Noob does not show the moment of impact, but it does show the oncoming Porsche moments before, which was in his proper lane.

Yammie Noob was hospitalized with numerous injuries. According to his Instagram post, “Here’s my injuries: broken humerus, ulna, radius in 5 different places (check those staples) nerve damage to my right hand, rendering it useless right now. Ripped the ligament in my left hand, so it’s really hard to do normal things day to day. Fractured 3 more vertebrae at the spinous [sic] process, sprained both ankles, and fractured the right side of my hip. Long road to recovery ahead.” Though the Porsche driver fared better, he “has been in and out of the hospital with spinal injuries and multiple herniated disks,” according to the description of a GoFundMe set up by the Planet-9.com forum to help the driver. His Cayman was also totaled in the crash.

I reached out to both parties to try to get a better idea of what happened in this crash. Yammie Noob declined to comment for this article, while the Porsche driver, Peter (his last name withheld by request), sent me a copy of the accident report from the Jonestown, Texas Police Department. Yammie Noob was cited for “Drove on Wrong Side of Road,” as well as “Driving While License Invalid (Suspended/Habitual Violator).” No citation for excessive speed was issued to either party. Yammie Noob had previously totaled another Triumph Daytona 675 in another street crash six months before this one. By his own admission on video, he entered a corner too fast, ran wide off the road, and hit a boulder and fence. Between that, his other videos showing him riding at excessive speed, and his adopted “Street Rossi” moniker, one can surmise why his license was suspended.

Ironically, four days before the crash Yammie Noob posted a video of himself at a track day at Motorsport Ranch Cresson on that very same Triumph Daytona 675. This was exactly the right place for him to be enjoying his bike to the fullest, as well as improving his skills as a rider. He also didn’t need a valid license to ride on the private property of a race track. Forget “Street Rossi” – he could learn to be a real Valentino Rossi by riding fast on the track, like Rossi himself. 

As fun as your favorite back road may be, it’s a far less controlled environment than a track. You can’t push as hard and stay in control, whether you are in a car or on a motorcycle. I won’t tell you not to indulge yourself a little when the road gets fun. I’d be a hypocrite if I did. But this is just one case of many that shows what happens when you indulge yourself too much. There’s nothing wrong with wanting the thrill pushing your car to its limits. Just don’t do it on the street. Take it to an autocross, where the worst that will happen is you spin out and hit a few cones. For higher speeds, take it to a track day, which, unlike autocross, exist for motorcycles as well. The more controlled environments make higher speeds much safer, and with no oncoming traffic around a blind corner, you can practice nailing your apex at speed all day long. That’s the way to enjoy your need for speed.