EAGLE LAKE, Maine — A Caribou man who obtained his motorcycle permit in the mail on Saturday was killed the following day when he failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into a guardrail, according to officials.
Jason P. Michaud, 26, was violently thrown from the bike and died at the scene from massive internal bleeding, Maine State Police Trooper Dan Marquis said Monday.
“He was thrown probably 50 to 70 feet down an embankment,” the trooper said.
Michaud’s upper torso and head hit the guardrail when he was thrown and Marquis believes that is what caused his death.
Michaud was operating a 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan Motorcycle at about 11:45 a.m. heading northbound on Route 11 in Eagle Lake with three other companions riding motorcycles.
“He came around a right hand corner down a hill and drifted off the right hand side of the road, striking a guardrail,” one witness said.
Michaud was wearing a helmet and protective riding equipment, and speed was not a factor, the trooper said.
“His lack of motorcycle driving experience was a major cause of the crash,” Marquis said. “I think he just didn’t lean” into the curve.
Condolences to his family and friends.
Prayers to his family and friends.
Very sad
This is a heart breaker. So sorry for the loss of this young man and condolances to his family.
This is horrible. I just think that riding a motorcycle is not as easy as most people think. I had a couple of friends who bought motorcycles and sold them quickly once they realized that it required more ability than they thought.
Another Maine motorcycle fatality. There’s been way too many this season for a variety of reasons.
When riding as a group, experienced riders please remember to adjust your riding to the least skilled in your group. Don’t make them ride to your skill level…they usually can’t.
Condolences to the family.
Very sad. I was in Eagle Lake a month ago and there were more motorcycles than cars. Can’t blame them – it is absolutely beautiful! I met some bikers in Grindstone on the way home and chatted – very nice people. It sounds like this accident was due to driver inexperience. Just be careful out there everyone and watch out for the moose/deer! I always make it a point to get out of the county before dark. You just can’t see the moose until you’re right on top of them.
Condolences to his family and friends. Here is a clear example of why everyone should be required to pass the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course prior to getting an MC permit or license endorsement. Sounds like he’d likely have avoided the crash with some instructed experience.
i think he did take the class…could be wrong tho….
If he had taken the MSF course he’d have gotten his license, not just his permit. Even though I had prior experience with motorcycles back in college, I took the MSF course a few years ago and am a big believer in it. You get to practice basic skills and gain confidence in a safe and supervised environment so when you eventually get on the road you are more prepared and less likely to have something like this happen to you. RIP
I would like to send my condolences to this young mans family. I have ridden motorcycles for over 40 years now. I will only say,I ride very carefully.I also think that when it is your time to go it doesnt matter where you are what you are doing.May this young man rest in peace. My feelings are with you Jason
Heartbreaking. So many fatalities this year, two of them within just a few miles of where I live. GW1800…nice to see you again (bought my GL1200 (’86) two weeks ago.) Took my wife for her first ride on it today.
My thoughts are with this man’s family and friends…(my wife’s family is from Eagle Lake…)
So sad…
This is sad. There is no way to get experience doing anything unless you do it. Yet inexperience is being cited as the cause of this accident. My condolences to this young man’s family and friends.
OMG, so sad. It was the 1500cc model a little too much bike to learn on. Condolences to his family.
prayers go out to the family
RIP in Jason. Sincere condolences to your dad and to your mom. Hang in there.
My condolences to Jason’s friends and family.
The first time anyone rides a bike it takes a while to get the hang of it. The fact that you don’t turn the handle bars rather lean the machine takes a little time to master. Any of us could have been killed the first few times out. I will pray for this family. So sorry for your loss.
Thank-you for saying that, Bushfan. It’s so important to remember, it could be any of us, at any time, for any reason, our fault or not. It’s so easy to quickly point blame, but, like most things in life, rarely is it that simple.
Thanks again…
I’m not a rider, so pardon my ignorance. I am trying to gain information, so please no smart alec remarks :o)
You say that when you turn you lean into it, rather than turn the handle bars. Does that apply for turning from one road to another, or a left hand turn from a complete stop in traffic too? I get that you lean when the road itself turns, but am curious about the more defined turns.
*The request for no smart alec remarks didn’t apply to you specifically Bushfan. I’ve asked legit, information seeking questions in the past, and received very condescending, sarcastic, rude answers. It was more of a generic statement. :o)
This will sound backwards, but when you are travelling at higher speeds, a slight pull on the handlebars opposite the direction you want to turn will cause the bike to lean into the turn. You lean with it. So, if you are traelling at 45 mph and the road is bearing to the right, slight pressure on the LEFT handlebar will make the bike lean to the right and make the curve. At lower speeds, such as from a complete stop, you have to turn the wheel in the direction you want to turn. It takes a little experience and familiarity with the particular motorcycle you are riding to figure out where the changeover is, but by taking your time with a new bike, you will get it.
Thank you very much for taking the time to explain it to me!
Hi Jemilee,
If you ask ten people, you’ll get ten different answers, so I’ll preface my answer with that.
Basically, yes, you need to turn the handlebars some, but, it’s not so much a “turn”, as an adjustment. And the adjustment is to the direction opposite the turn (just like a bicycle). This causes the bike to “lean” (or, “fall”) in the direction you want to turn…
…for example, if you want to turn right, you would turn the bars left, and the bike will “fall” (lean) to the right…you also lose a little bit of traction when you do this, so you accelerate (give it a little gas) going around the turn, to maintain positive traction.
If you have interest in the subject, there are lots of great videos available on YouTube…
Please, anybody that rides a motorcycle and doesn’t know what counter steering means, Google it. I rode for 20 years just leaning into corners and wondering why it always scared me. When somebody explained counter steering to me in my 40’s the light bulb went off. Now I fear no corner, in an emergency I can crank on the bars and force the bike to make the corner. Too many riders don;t learn this soon enough. I feel so bad for Jason and his family. RIP
I’m not sure I understand what your apparent attitude is (re: “Please, anybody that rides a motorcycle and doesn’t know what counter steering means”)
Good advice! Since i’ve been a scairdy cat after my first bike a century ago (I thought I was ready : Dad called them murdercycles, some car hit me), I get my bike thrills from watching dirt bike races: Watch what they do in slo-mo with the pegs in the dirt while the handle bars are going slightly opposite. Not an easy learning experience with no one onboard to teach you as in a car.
Still, a sad story and I feel so bad for the guy and his family!
I do too. It’s all to common, I’m afraid. I live on Route 141 near Monroe center, and there were two riders killed either on t his road, or only a couple miles from me, this year alone. Sad, tragic. And what makes me especially sad, knowing this young man never really got to know the joy that I have riding, because he just started.
I feel for his family and loved ones.
Thanks for the reply. Loosing some one that young from cancer, stupidity or inexperience is wrong to us.
Thanks! No, my interest isn’t great enough to watch videos, but I certainly appreciate the reference to them! I’m perfectly happy having 4 wheels under me, and steel (or whatever it is) all around me. I just didn’t understand what was being said.
Thanks again for taking the time to explain it to me!
You’re welcome, Jemileesmom. Thanks for your interest…Stay safe, no matter how many wheels!
A motorcycle at speed “counter-steers” , if you push on the right handlebar the bike will go right, or if you pull on the left handlebar the bike will go right. It goes the opposite direction you are pushing or pulling.
ie; steer left to turn right
The bike leans to turn, the handlebar does not turn, it is the lean that causes the turn. Failure to lean with the bike counteracts the natural counter-steer and reduces the lean of the bike and the turning radius.If you are stopped or going slow, then there is no gyroscopic force being generated by the spinning tires and the handlebar will turn normally – push on the right and the bike goes left, pull on the left and the bike goes left.
My condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Michaud.
Thank you for your explanation!
So sorry to his family for their loss. But indeed people should take the class rather than just getting a permit and learning on their own. With the class you are taught by experienced MC riders. You have to pass their test not just written but riding. When will this state make it so all riders have to take the class??
Condolences to the family and friends
Eagle Lake Fire and Rescue
This is so sad and I realize how this easily could have been me. I took the permit course 2 years ago and, after much practice in the driveway, abandoned parking lot and very quiet side street, that first corner was STILL very hairy! The first time you counter steer/lean on a bike does NOT feel natural until you do it a few times. Then it’s as natural as can be – the only way I can describe is that you become a “part” of your bike when you corner. The first time for me wasn’t quite like that. It was more a fight me vs. bike. I thought I was going for a ride through a field, but thankfully I was going slow enough to brake. I’m a confident rider now (however, I realize that you are never a pro at this and there is always more to learn, new experiences to encounter, etc.), and I am really starting to wonder about the permit course. It doesn’t prepare you for riding. That being said, it’s a wonderful, and much less expensive option, for people like my husband who has ridden bikes his whole life and just wants to ride legally years later. People do have to be responsible for their actions. Going down a main road isn’t a good idea until you know what you’re doing.
Thank-you for sharing your experiences…