I have only recently sold my street bike(s) and I'm not just some random guy talking **** from behind a computer. I've ridden for years now and have been fortunate to have never even dropped a bike at no/low speed. That's not to say I've never opened up on a twisty back road, or worn the Michelin Man off the edges of my Pilot Powers, but there's a time and place for messing around.
I know JoshuaASE very well, so I hope what I'm typing isn't offensive to him of the the injured/family of the injured rider.
I don't know why anyone could feel sorry for a guy stunting at 80mph. I don't know why I could feel sorry for a guy stunting at 55mph on the interstate. I'm actually more pissed that people do this kind of stuff, especially with how thick trafic was on the way home (I live on the southside and the traffic was dense all the way from The V to below 285) and I'm thankful he and his bike didn't fly into the path of an onrushing car or other bike.
I've been on a few rides with sketchy stunt guys (unbeknownst to me beforehand) and it was my first and last time ever riding with them. I think tryign to be a safe rider is also knowing how to choose your riding buddies.
You can be a "biker boy ruff ryder" type guy and ride dangerously and put yourself and others at risk if you want, but unfortunately you're putting anyone else at risk too that happens to be near you when you decide to stunt/race/100+mph weave through traffic, etc.
You can also be the safest rider around and still ride with morons and get killed because of their carelessness.
You can't liken stunting on the interstate to speeding in a car. It'd be more like a guy doing e-brake slides at 40mph in the middle of a busy divided highway, or someone drifting through midtown traffic - it's just completely irresponsible, and IMO far worse than speeding.
I have NEVER had the desire to stunt my bike, and maybe that's a bias that cloud my reply to this whole topic, but if I was going to try my hand at it it'd be in a secluded area like a closed industrial park, and I'd make sure it was within limping distance to the nearest hospital.
You can be an expert as something, but when there are variables like traffic, and anything mechanical involved (throttle sticks, tire blows out, etc.) experience won't mean anything. Limiting the collatoral damage (ie not stuntng on I-75) should be any would-be stunter's priority IMO.
;)
I'm glad he's okay, but I hope that anyone riding with him would see this as a wakeup call. If you have kids then it's exponentially not-smart to be riding with at-risk riders or stunting/hauling ass 100+mph on the interstate system.