Motorcycle on the Motorway?

[dstepper]

Stranded motorcyclist tells of night spent in the forest

Buena Park man recovering after fall down ravine

By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register
Dennis Chesebro spent Monday night shivering at the bottom of a rocky ravine in the Cleveland National Forest. His right leg dangled lifelessly from his knee, a mass of torn ligaments ripped and twisted by rocks and brush as he plunged from the trail above.
The 47-year-old cosmetics manufacturer willed himself to ignore the throbbing in his leg. His face was scratched and scraped. His throat was raw from hours spent screaming for help. He looked up the steep canyon wall and saw his Honda 650 off-road motorcycle, with his helmet strapped to the back, dangling over the side.
His wife, Kay, would be getting worried. He was just going for a ride, he had told her. Kay had warned him not to buy the bike: He was getting too old for that kind of thing. But at 47 he still had a lot exploring to do, he told her. And on Monday he had set his sights on Santiago Motorway.
"Trail" is a misnomer: Narrow and covered with rocks and chaparral, it is usually tackled by only advanced mountain bikers, and even those are few and far between.
Chesebro's motorcycle gave out somewhere on his way down the motorway. He took off his helmet and began walking, making his way along the brush-covered path. About 4 p.m. the rocks and dirt gave way. The 270-pound Chesebro grabbed at the wall with the work gloves he was wearing, but he slid down the length of the ravine, bouncing 90 feet to the bottom.
"It all happened so fast. I didn't even have time to think," Chesebro said.
He yelled, and he yelled. No one heard him. He tried his cell phone. There was no signal.
"I know I shouldn't have been out there alone," he said. It was getting dark – and cold. In a long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans, he shuddered through the night.
Morning came, and the canyon began to heat up. No one was coming to help. Using his motorcycle kneepads and a couple of sticks, Chesebro tried to make a brace for his leg. He started crawling up the canyon, backing up slowly.
"I knew I had to do it," Chesebro said. "I just kept going." Inches at a time he made it up the canyon, dragging his injured leg behind him.
A few feet below the top he stopped. He couldn't make it anymore. And then, two heads appeared – mountain bikers peeking over the rock slide at the top.
"He looked like he was just taking a break," climber Eric Foltz of Lake Forest said.
"Hey, are you OK?" Foltz yelled down.
"I'm OK, except for my busted leg," Chesebro yelled back. Foltz, 43, and his brother-in-law Jim Helsel, 38, of Laguna Niguel rushed into the ravine.
CThey handed over their camelback water bags, and Chesebro drained them. Helsel rushed to a house down Santiago Canyon Road to call for help.
Foltz tried to keep the injured man talking. Chesebro spoke about his wife – and tried to get rid of the motorcycle that had put him at the bottom the ravine.
"He told me: 'It's yours. It's yours. I'll sign it over to you tomorrow," Foltz said. "But I just kept telling him, 'No, … you'll be back out there."
More than 20 hours after Chesebro tumbled down the canyon, firefighters airlifted him to West Anaheim Medical Center.
With doctors working to reconstruct his damaged leg, Chesebro is hanging up his helmet.

[Buzzsaw]

Wow, he's lucky that he made it through the night and that the MTN Bikers came along.

He shouldn't give up riding though. Just something to learn along the way. Don't ride alone no matter what your riding.

[tkblazer]

wow, he's a lucky guy to make it through all that. Hopefully he'll give up that motorcycle for another two wheeled cycle

[dstepper]

I did not think you could take motorcycles on the Motorway.

[Schecky]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

wow, he's a lucky guy to make it through all that. Hopefully he'll give up that motorcycle for another two wheeled cycle

At 270 lbs, that would be a good thing.

[dhshuttlemonkey]

Lucky for him temps have been higher than normal.

[LBmtb]

Originally Posted by dstepper

I did not think you could take motorcycles on the Motorway.

Didn't think so either. I've never seen them there. Doesn't seem like the type of trail that would be fun on a motorcycle. At least he's OK though.

[mtnbikej]

Originally Posted by LBmtb

Didn't think so either. I've never seen them there. Doesn't seem like the type of trail that would be fun on a motorcycle. At least he's OK though.

The gate at the top of the Motorway was supposed to keep them out. However, I think someone recently tore it out. Guess I'll find out this weekend when I ride up there.

mtnbikej

[Pain Freak]

Yep, I looked it up. No motorcycles allowed on the motorway. Last time I took a major tumble on my Honda CR250 I gave it away too. My brother in law brought it back a few weeks later, but I never rode it again. I ended up selling it.

[ocrider]

theres motorcycle gates but they go around it. ive seen motorcycles on it b4

[TURNERob]

The sign at the top has a picture of a motorcycle circled with the line going through it. I wonder which part of the trail gave way.....and if it is dangerous to mtn bikers going down Lucky guy though, wasn't wearing his helmet either

[PHAT TIRE]

I've seen mototrcycles up there too. I'm sure there's some alternate routes that they know of. I love when people ride anything with their helmets off.

Originally Posted by PHAT TIRE

I love when people ride anything with their helmets off.

even boogieboards?

sucks to hear about that guy eating shit, he is very lucky indeed. i used to have a pic of the sign with the motorcycle with the circle and line through it, can't find it or else i'd post it. i wonder if he got a ticket for riding a motorized vehicle on the motorway, kind of ironic that you can't ride a motorized vehicle on a trail called "the motorway"...

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by i am dino

even boogieboards?

sucks to hear about that guy eating shit, he is very lucky indeed. i used to have a pic of the sign with the motorcycle with the circle and line through it, can't find it or else i'd post it. i wonder if he got a ticket for riding a motorized vehicle on the motorway, kind of ironic that you can't ride a motorized vehicle on a trail called "the motorway"...

At one time it was a fireroad.

[killa Cali Kid]

Originally Posted by dstepper

At one time it was a fireroad.

and next yor gonna tell us STT was a truck trail so here comes the easy part, dean got any pics of you and PF riding motorway as a fireroad

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by killa Cali Kid

and next yor gonna tell us STT was a truck trail so here comes the easy part, dean got any pics of you and PF riding motorway as a fireroad

I wish I had been riding back then, I was living up in Mendocino County. Now Mr. Freak may have something.

[Von-Diggity]

Originally Posted by i am dino

even boogieboards?

sucks to hear about that guy eating shit, he is very lucky indeed. i used to have a pic of the sign with the motorcycle with the circle and line through it, can't find it or else i'd post it. i wonder if he got a ticket for riding a motorized vehicle on the motorway, kind of ironic that you can't ride a motorized vehicle on a trail called "the motorway"...

Here is that picture.

[Winger]

The article said:

He took off his helmet and began walking, making his way along the brush-covered path. About 4 p.m. the rocks and dirt gave way.

I met one of the rescuers Tue night. They saw the motorcycle hanging off the edge and went closer to investigate. It was about a 15 minute hike up the trail when they returned with help....as a gauge of where it happened.

[boboso]

Read the story the day it came out. Glad he is okay...

Did not sound like he was 1)allowed on the trail, 2)all that experianced, and 3) totally unprepared.