AZKomet Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 While in a remote north AZ wilderness area we were off roadin it and I saw a rider target fixate and down a 200' embankment they went. Now the grade was about 45 degrees with a lot of trees and brush. If I did not see them do it then I would have never known it happened and would have searched an area of trail of 20 miles w/o luck of finding the rider due to thick foliage. The rider was hurt and could not have made it back to the top of the trail. The rider was about 60' down the hill and the bike about another 100'. Given the previous post about the down and deceased rider who was missing for days I can clearly see how a rider can be missing for an eternity. I have been procrastinating about the Spot and I have now definitely changed my mind about its usefulness and value in a situation. I am always into high risk activity and do not want to take any more chances with luck in the future so by the end of the day..... The rider was hoisted up and out to a ER and will be fine but off work with a bruised body and severely painful knee that requires crutches and a ortho visit. Nobody is immune..... Link to comment
Troy Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I can see why a Spot tracker would be useful in an off road situation. I also remember a couple of years ago in the California foothills, a teenage girl went missing for over a week, she was found in her car, under a bridge on a highly traveled section of Hwy 49. The car went off the road prior to the bridge and ended up out of sight of traffic and the air search. I would carry a Spot if it was given to me and I'm considering one as a future purchase but it is fairly low on my list just because of where and how I ride. It will quickly move up the list if I pick up a Dual Sport. Link to comment
bgf50 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 My wife just bought me the new spot messenger today. I'm in the process of registering it and setting everything up. I do a lot of multi day rides on the RT. I don't always follow my pre -planned route. I also have been doing a lot of off road riding since getting the KLR. I noticed that the majority of places I ride on the KLR have no cell phone reception. I think it is worth the price. Bill 07 R1200RT 09 KLR Link to comment
John Ferris Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I have had a SPOT for a year and its great. You should get the tracking, if you have an accident you may not be able to push the help or 911 buttons. I was riding with a friend and we got separated. He called his wife and she looked at the SPOT tracking and saw where I was and saw a restaurant, googled it and called me at the restaurant, not on my cell. Link to comment
clint64 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I have had a SPOT for a year and its great. You should get the tracking, if you have an accident you may not be able to push the help or 911 buttons. I used the SPOT for over a year and my wife really likes the tracking. I tend to ride alone many times and this gives her a good idea of where to send the search party if needed. Link to comment
malcolmblalock Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I have one, bought last December. Since I ride alone most of the time, don't tell others where I'm going, and live alone, I could be missing for quite some time (days at a minimum) before anyone knew I was gone. And I don't like the idea of being injured just off the highway down an embankment for days. So, the Spot seemed to be the most cost-efficient way to get help if out of cell phone coverage area. When going on a long ride (a week or more), I let family know the direction I'm traveling and when I'm leaving and general time I'll probably return. I do tracking then so they know how the trip is going and can watch my progress. They seem to like being able to see where I am. I also send an "I'm okay" message when I'm in for the night so they know where I am and that I'm safe overnight. They like that feature. I think it boils down to whether you want to be found or not. With one, you might be found. Without one, you probably won't. Link to comment
Sailorlite Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Yes, get the SPOT device and the extra tracking option! My wife's attitude changed from wishing I'd stop riding to one of "hey, it's fun to know where you are and watch your progress". That's worth about $1MM as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment
Danny caddyshack Noonan Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 If you're on the fence on one of these. Read the first few pages (important stuff starts on P.3) of this ride report on ADV. If you have a couple hours to spare, read the whole thing for some amazing photography and, if you're a bit older, a pang of jealousy for finding it pretty friggin' hard to just ride for more than a day or two. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=496492 Link to comment
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