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In memories of Craig Hightower, 7/20/1961 - 8/14/2007

I've been riding for about 7 years, and going to the Eastbay dinners for about 6 years. Craig was a great guy, I can't imagine anyone saying otherwise. The motorcycling scene will certainly have a void without Craig.

And wtf is brushed? He was hit. I'm up for any memorials or rallies.

Bradley
 
AFM732 said:
and the wine-tasting day when he rented a van and volunteered to be the designated driver for another bunch of us
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That was a very very good time. I'd just moved to Berkeley from Tucson when he organized that. Soren and I joined in and meeting you and Craig and the rest of the people on that trip was one of those things that made me feel like I'd made the right choice in calling the Bay Area home.
 
masameet said:
I'm going to miss his insights and the spirit that emanates from his writings.
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I will too. A nice way to remember Craig and his writings would be to draw inspiration from them and contribute our own from time to time.

I knew him more from his writings than in person, but I did go on a ride over Sonora Pass with him about six years ago. He was a fun loving, generous soul and a terrific rider.

When I read the Tribune's account, I was struck by how ordinary the circumstances sounded. Craig was a guy who you'd expect to survive anything less than a meteorite. Even so, he's a guy who deserves much more to be remembered for how he lived.
 
tzrider said:
Craig was a guy who you'd expect to survive anything less than a meteorite.
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Well said. Craig was a rider to whom I would never favorably compare my own skill. I know the worst is possible for any of us, but this really brings home just how dangerous street riding can be, even for a true expert rider, minding his own business, going to work in good weather.
 
I read through his table of contents and for some reason i think his death on a motorcycle as tragic and shocking as it were, somehow was like a bookend to his life and passion for motorcycles. A horrible way to end a young life, and cherished person...but for some reason i think if i were in Chris' shoes, my expiration if any way would want to be on my bike...not from cancer, random shooting, or other reason save for having a stroke in my sleep.

Its a shitty death...but he was on his bike loving life, and shared that love with everyone.
 
wackyiraqi said:
That account is fucking nauseating.

I just love it when some cocksucker in a monster SUV merges in and on a bike and gives that "SORRY, I JUST DIDN'T SEE YOU ASSHOLE" look when the rider honks.

I drive a pickup truck for work, and I have NO problem seeing motorcycles.

There's just no fucking excuse for this.
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+1bazillion


The SUV driver was questioned and released pending further investigation.
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And he probobly just drove on into work and told the story of how he just killed someone with his SUV to all his coworkers. Prick should be in jail, but nooooooooooo, send him on his way, just another "accident".
 
Man, this is basically my path to work every morning, except I turn on Jackson to get to 880N. This morning I saw some cops block off a couple lanes on 7th past Jackson and I *thought* I saw a motorcycle, but I couldn't be sure and I needed to pay attention to traffic.

I seriously hope justice will prevail and the driver punished severely (with our "justice" system, doubtful). Regardless, I wish him many many years of restless sleep, haunted by the travesty that he has done.
 
yakking said:
I seriously hope justice will prevail and the driver punished severely (with our "justice" system, doubtful). Regardless, I wish him many many years of restless sleep, haunted by the travesty that he has done.
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Could be a felony, where death is due to an illegal act (unsafe lane change, for example) if the SUV driver is cited. But, don't hold your breath with the justice system. Another rider, Gary Kunich passed away under similar circumstances. Link is to a post regarding the final sentencing for Nichole Moore.

Ride like ya stole it, Craig...
 
Craig was a good friend.

We'd lost touch over the years. I knew him long before there was a BARF, from the USENET ba.motorcycles days and when he used to ride like a lunatic with us on the Monday Night Ride.

Craig wrote a couple articles for Squidly's Online Motorcycle Magazine when I was running that back in the mid 90's. I'll dig around in the archives and see if I can pull them out.

Ride hard and fast wherever it is you ride now, my friend.

-Mike-
 
How terrible! I can normally shrug off the deaths of others for having not known anything about them, but after reading a bunch of stuff on Craig's website, all I want to do is :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry
 
My god I'm speechless, numb. I met Craig years ago, we rode together, and every now and again we'd cross paths like maybe once or twice a year. Just joined him a litttle while back on the Mitoma memorial ride. It always feltlike we'd just talked the day before. The riding, or more lately the paddleing stories always entertained me and I looked forward to our next get together. With this event I feel a little less comfortable in the world. God speed Craig.
 
This isn't happening....

My mind is numb. I met Craig at the start of the Motogirlies. Spent 10s of thousands of miles chasing him around the Coast, Sierres and southwest even Costa Rica. I chased him in sea kayaks in Alemeda and whitewater kayaks in Colorado. I followed him up some of the most knarly mining roads we could find in the Rocky Mountains. He nicknamed me The Princess of Darkness because it seemed when ever I got near one of his bikes some part of the electrical system would fail. He was the kindest, nicest, most generous guy you could ever meet. He literally would give you the battery out of his bike. His skills as a motorcyclist were six sigma. Very few could claim to be a better biker. I can't believe this happened.

Borg_Girl
 
I just heard the bad news. I haven't logged in here since 2004. Craig and I have kept in touch a bit since I moved to Texas through e-mails.

This just freaking sucks. Craig was a great guy, and someone who helped Rick and I a whole lot when racing Super Dino with advice, parts etc. for our old GSXR's. I still have Craig's old GSX-R 1100 racebike in the garage, along with his original "#868" Tornado bodywork. I raced it in 2004. I was just thinking about him a couple of days ago as a matter of fact.

You will be missed brother. The motorcycling world lost a valuable, inspirational and fantastic individual.

Godspeed.

- Ross S.
 
WOW ...... what a dark and sick feeling came over me when I read the horrible news of Craig's fatal crash!

I've known Craig for over 16 years, going way back to the days of Steve Mitoma's "Performance & Design" motorcycle shop days.

Craig's always been such a smiling face to be around, and a guy who ate-breathed-and-slept motorcycles for as long as I've known him. Dirt, street, touring, racing were all venues that he's actively pursued, and done with great passion, skill, and success.

To me, I've always seen Craig as one of the "tough old soldiers"of the Bay Area motorcycle community, that had seen it all, done it all, and could make it through anything that the sport could possibly throw at him.

Craig seemed like a guy that had such a solid foundation of experience and skill in every facet of motorcycle riding (including the jungle of the "real world" of the public roads), that he'd always make it through to the other side, no matter what was thrown at him while on a bike.

Unfortunately we all know that even the best can get bit in this sport, as sometimes "shit just happens". It seems that Craig's passing is one of those worst-case scenarios.

From the newspaper report, a cinder brick wall in his path, at a worst-case moment where him and his bike were put off course by contact with an SUV. What are the chances? A million-to-one? Yep, "Shit does happen", and unfortunately in this case to one of the true ICONS in our local motorcycle community. It's a real loss! :(

No events going forward (unfortunately) can bring Craig back, but IF it turns out that there was significant negligence by any other party involved, that was the root cause for the death of such a street-wise and skilled rider, let's hope that the fullest degree of appropriate action is taken to address the associated responsibilities. The objective being to send out a message to others that may potentially take the life of another local motorcyclist in the future, through negligent driving. If something positive can come from Craig's passing, that might ultimately benefit the safety of other riders in the Bay Area, I know he'd like that.

There's no question that the extensive number of years that Craig's life crossed paths with the local motorcycle community carried with it a HUGE positive influence. He won't be soon forgotten! Despite Craig now having moved on (in body), he'll continue to ride along well into the future, within the minds of all us riders that he's touched along the way; but now has left behind.

Godspeed Craig. :rose

Gary J
 
Damn sorry for the loss. I pass that street/intersection every morning around 3:50am to start work at 4am I work at the BART building there. I always have a feeling that someone is going to run a red because of the time (so early in the morning). In this case, it looks like drivers error from the SUV, maybe because he was tired from still getting up.
 
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In memories of Craig Hightower:

RIP Craig.Wish you the best on the other side.
 
RIP
I'm not sure if you feel the way I feel but you know, God takes the best ones first.
I'm not sure if I met him or even remember meeting him..with my braincells down to 5 and all....

OH wait a minute.... I know Craig....man...noooo!
:cry


Be safe out there.

-RB :cry for the fallen Riders
 
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Wow. I have known Craig for almost twenty years, rode with him many times, raced with him, had dinners after AFM races and many rides. Along with Eric and Gary, I knew him through an initial meeting in Steve Mitoma's P&D shop.

I saw him last at his first trackday in several years at Sears, when he was zipping around on his street SV embarassing guys on shiny $10k sport bikes.

Godspeed. He went out doing something he loved.

The world is a smaller, colder and lesser place now, a whole bunch of sunshine just disappeared.
 
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