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I normally don't post threads like this but as I am still trying to believe this really happened yesterday I thought I would post it up.
While most folks here have no idea who Gary was, we as a motorcycle community have all lost out by his passing.
Gary was perhaps the best rider I have ever had the pleasure of strafing a corner with and a true class act on top of that.
The fact that because of the turn of events a simple low side ended his life is still very hard to believe.
Here is a copy of the news post about what happened:
PESCADERO - Gary Jaehne, a 57-year-old Scotts Valley man well-known in Bay Area motorcycle racing circles, died Saturday after his 2008 Kawasaki plunged about 70 feet down an embankment in rural San Mateo County, authorities said.
It took more than an hour for rescue teams to retrieve Jaehne due to the steep terrain and the remote location between Pescadero and La Honda, Cal Fire officials said,.
California Highway Patrol officers believe Jaehne was riding east on Pescadero Creek Road in the Loma Mar area when he lost control of his motorcycle about 12:20 p.m.
He was conscious when paramedics -- using a rope rescue -- found him, a Cal Fire engineer said. He had been riding with a group, the official said. Jaehne was flown by helicopter to Stanford Hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office confirmed.
According to posts on the Bay Area Riders Forum, Jaehne was a longtime California road racer who was a mentor to many younger riders. One friend called him a "250 legend."
Jaehne authored a book called "Sportbiking: The Real World (The Advanced Riders Handbook.)" Per a review on Web Bike World, he had competed with various local and national organizations and served as an instructor at DP Safety School.
In a 1999 Saratoga News story about high-speed riding on Highway 9, Jaehne was described as a full-time high-tech employee and part-time motorcycle racing safety instructor.
Even though he was a safety instructor, Jaehne said danger is inherent to the sport, Steve Enders of Saratoga News reported. "Guys know where the dangerous spots are, know where the cops are," he said. "Most guys ride careful up here, but even with me, it's competitive. You know, if I pass someone, then he passes me, then I pass him again, I'm not going to let him pass again. I can't help being competitive.
I do really feel for his wife Jill and also wanted to remind everyone here of something he said once.... "...there's always the possibility of 'it happening' in life. This is especially true in the world of riding motorcycles....There's risks in this sport. That's the real world. Minimizing them is the best we can do ...... whether it be on the street or on the track. From there we roll the dice and hope for the best each time we swing a leg over our bikes." -GaryJ
He was a huge influence in the SF Bay Area riding scene. He has spent many many years on these roads.
Everyone, please take a few seconds to think about what you are about to do when you are faced with perfect weather and a clean and clear road. Anything can happen to anyone.
Gary Jaehne 10 Year Anniversary Appreciation Ride - Sunday May 15th
Wow, hard to believe, but it's been 10 years since Gary's passing. So on this particular Sunday, let's ride (or drive) in appreciation for all the help, love, fun he's given us! The memories of our experiences with Gary continue to leave a wonderful mark in my riding life.
Gary Jaehne 10 Year Anniversary Appreciation Ride
Sunday May 15th 9:30AM to
Alice's Resturaunt-Skywood Trading Post Parking Lot
If you knew Gary Jaehne, you already know, but he was one rider that helped so many riders with his knowledge, skill and riding advice. Gary came and rode with us on just about every Doc Wong Riding Clinic ride, volunteered endless hours at our various motorcycling fundraisers for the La Honda Fire Department, rode with us every weekend up in our hills always willing to help any rider who asked for it, did monthly suspension clinics for riders and most of all was a great friend to all of us.
We'll meet across from Alice's Resturaunt in the parking lot by the Skywood Trading Post grocery store at 9:30 AM and gently cruise down Hwy 84 to Pescadero to the site where he crashed. There, if you want, I'll have a flower for you to throw down the hill and you can say a word of appreciation to Gary (out loud or not).
He was a great rider and a great friend to our community. I really want to thank him for all he's done for us, and that will always live on within us. We're better off for knowing him and that's what makes like better for all lof us!!
I never heard more details about what happened given he was supposedly riding in a group.
Does anyone still do the Sunday Morning Ride out of SF anymore.
Back in the day (pre-1973), we used to meet up at a Texaco station on Van Ness near Pine around 0700 with kick stands up by 0800 to also wait for the fog burn off, and head up and over on the 101, fly formation over the GG and rumble off on 1 and up Tamalpais for a **** and a smoke. We'd then continue on 1 through Muir Beach and up to Pt. Reyes for gas and to buy smokes (because they used to be cheaper up there). Often from there we'd head inland on Pt. Reyes / Petaluma Rd, sometimes to the Sonoma wineries and even up into Napa County. A few would hit the wine tasting rooms and offer to pay for my gas if I stuck with them and lead them back to the City because I didn't drink. The point is, when I did the SMR, at least once a season we'd loose somebody off the cliffs on 1. We'd try to help them but as many know, the drops along there are very steep and in spots 150 or more feet. It was a real bummer when we knew it was hopeless to get to them, let alone in time. We'd usually have to split quickly when a crash occurred due to lack of shoulder. We'd leave a volunteer to wait with others heading for the nearest telephone (of course cell phones were a pipe dream then); as we had first hand experience with the local yokels and CHP who were almost always much less than nice to us and who never seemed too concerned about getting there quickly when someone crashed. On the other side of the coin, they mostly appeared out of nowhere when we did not need them. My SMR Cafe Racer. Magneto ignition, no generator. In the tail cowl lived a 9v dry cell battery for the brake light & headlight.
05-20-2012, 10:56 AM
