DEEP TROUBLE: Runaway Motorcycle on a Costa Rica Mountain Road
Adventure Rider Radio – Motorcycle Podcast
Adventure Rider Radio – Motorcycle PodcastMay 29, 2026
DEEP TROUBLE: Runaway Motorcycle on a Costa Rica Mountain Road
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Car
74 Yamaha TY80
The Yamaha TY80 is a small Yamaha dirt bike from the 1970s. He’s mentioning it because it was his first bike and it helped shape how he learned to ride in the dirt.
A trials bike is made for slow, technical riding—like climbing over rocks or riding through tight obstacle courses. It’s less about going fast and more about controlling the bike carefully.
Term
enduro motocross type bikes
Enduro-style riding is off-road riding over longer routes, not just a short track. “Motocross type” usually means more aggressive dirt-bike riding, so the phrase suggests he rode bikes that could do both kinds of dirt fun.
Car
2023 1290 Super Adventure R
The KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is a big, powerful “adventure” motorcycle meant for long trips. He mentions his 2023 version as one of the bikes he has while planning this Costa Rica ride.
Car
2017 KTM 690 Enduro R
The KTM 690 Enduro R is a lightweight, dirt-focused motorcycle with one main engine cylinder. He picked the 2017 model for his trip because the route has creek crossings and only works well in the dry season.
A motorcycle uses a chain and gears (sprockets) to send power to the back wheel. If the teeth on the gears get worn down, the chain doesn’t grip as well. That can make the bike feel off, so replacing the worn parts fixes it.
If the sprocket teeth get worn down and rounded, the chain can slip or not sit correctly. That wear can also make the chain stretch faster. It’s a clue the bike was ridden hard or not maintained well.
The rear fender is the part above the back tire that helps keep water and dirt from spraying up. If it’s held on with zip ties, it likely means it was broken and not fixed properly. That’s a sign the bike may have other problems too.
Tire life refers to how much tread is left. “5% life left” means the tire is almost bald, so it won’t grip as well. On wet or rough roads, that can be dangerous.
The contact patch is where the tire touches the road. If it’s mostly worn in the center, the tire may not have as much tread on the edges. That can mean less grip when you lean into turns.
If your speedometer shows 0 even when you’re moving, the bike isn’t getting the speed signal. That makes it hard to know how fast you’re going. It can also mean something is wrong with the bike’s sensors or wiring.
The check engine light means the bike’s computer found a problem. Sometimes it’s small, but it can also affect how the engine runs. If it’s on, you should get it checked.
A bearing helps the wheel spin smoothly. If a rear bearing is wearing out, the wheel can start to feel loose or cause vibration. That’s serious because it can affect control and could fail.
A motorcycle chain can wear and stretch over time. When it stretches, it may need tightening and can change how the bike pulls. If it stretches a lot quickly, something about the chain setup or wear history may be off.
They adjusted the chain so it has the right amount of slack. Too loose can cause problems and too tight can wear things out faster. Getting it set correctly helps the chain last and stay safe.
Third gear is one of the bike’s gear ratios. It’s usually used for steady climbing or moderate speed—if you can’t shift, you’re stuck with that ratio’s limits.
A motorcycle has brakes on both wheels, but the front brake is the one you squeeze at the handlebars. On a super-steep hill, even the front brake may not be enough to stop the bike from sliding if the tires don’t have enough grip. That’s basically a traction problem.
S curves are roads that bend left then right (or right then left) like an “S.” On a steep mountain, they’re harder because you’re constantly adjusting your balance and steering. If the road is slippery, it gets even more difficult.
A shifter issue means the bike’s gear shifter isn’t working right. On a steep downhill, gears matter because they help control speed without relying only on the brakes. If shifting is unreliable, it can make the descent much harder.
The clutch is what lets you smoothly connect and disconnect the engine from the gears. When you’re going very slowly or trying to control a bike on a steep hill, the clutch helps you avoid sudden power changes. It’s one of the main controls riders use for careful speed control.
The triple clamp is the part that connects the front forks to the bike’s frame and controls the steering. If the bike starts to rotate around that area, it can swing or change direction in a way that feels out of control. On a steep hill, that can happen when traction is poor.
Engine braking means you slow down using the engine instead of the brake pads. It’s like letting the bike’s motor resist rolling forward, which can help on steep hills.
The rear brake is the brake on the back wheel, usually controlled by your foot. If you use it a lot on a steep downhill, it can get too hot and stop working well.
Overheated means the bike got too hot. The rider implies that heat-related problems contributed to the brake/engine situation that led to losing control.
A runaway bike is a motorcycle that won’t slow down when it should. In this case, the rider lost effective braking, so the bike kept speeding up downhill.
Second gear is a lower gear that usually helps you get moving and can slow the bike a bit when you’re off the throttle. Here, because the brakes were gone, being in second didn’t help enough to stop the runaway.
The kill switch is a button that shuts the motorcycle’s engine off. In this story, even after using it, the bike still kept rolling because it already had a lot of speed.
A “Moto boot” is motorcycle riding footwear designed to protect the rider’s foot and ankle during crashes and aggressive riding. Here it’s important because the rider uses the boot sole against the road to scrub speed, and it gets destroyed—showing how extreme the forces were.
Leot is a motorcycle gear brand, and the rider mentions their boots to emphasize quality. The fact that the sole still ripped off under extreme sliding forces is used as evidence of how intense the runaway situation was.
Flat track is a motorcycle racing discipline run on oval tracks, where riders often slide the bike through turns. The host describes the characteristic technique: stepping the rear end out and using a steel-shod “shoe” to grind along the surface for controlled sliding.
A “steel shod shoe” refers to the metal-tipped sliding element used in flat track to allow the bike to slide while maintaining control. Because it’s designed for abrasion, it can survive the grinding contact that would otherwise destroy normal footwear or other parts.
In motorcycle control, the handlebars are the primary interface for steering input. Even when braking and traction are compromised, holding the bars can still provide some ability to aim the bike and keep it upright.
A “high side” is when a motorcycle starts to slide and then suddenly grips again, flipping the rider up off the bike. It’s usually a worse crash than sliding out and falling to the ground.
Term
sailing
Here “sailing” means the bike and rider leave the ground—like getting launched off the road or off the side of a drop. It usually happens when control is lost and there’s no safe way to recover.
“Bailing” means choosing to jump off the motorcycle on purpose instead of staying on when a crash is unavoidable. The goal is to land in a way that hurts you less.
A “low-side” is when the tires lose grip and the bike slides on the ground, usually with the rider falling more to the side than getting thrown up. It’s often less violent than a high-side, but it can still be dangerous.
Ligaments are tough bands that help hold a joint in place. If an ankle ligament is damaged, it can make the ankle unstable and may need treatment to heal properly.
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage in your knee that helps cushion and stabilize it. If it’s torn, the knee can hurt and may need an operation depending on how bad the tear is.
X-rays are a medical scan doctors use to see bones. The rider says they didn’t get one, so they’re not sure if a finger was actually broken.
Car
KTM 690
KTM 690 is a KTM motorcycle model line. Here, it’s mentioned because the ditch was shaped in a way that matches where that bike would end up if it dropped into it.
The Ford Edge is a family-sized SUV that’s meant for normal roads and daily use. When the road is rough—like hitting the edge of a ditch—how the tires and suspension respond affects how safe and stable the vehicle feels. That’s why it might be mentioned in a conversation about what happens when a tire drops into a rut.
If you drop into a ditch deep enough, the bike’s main structure can hit the ground. Once that happens, it’s usually stuck and needs a tow truck to get it out safely.
They’re talking about the basic tools that are supposed to be included with the rental bike. Without them, you might not be able to fix a small problem on the spot.
“Torqued” means tightened to a specific tightness measurement. Doing it correctly helps keep parts secure and avoids problems from being too loose or too tight.
The brake lever is what you squeeze with your hand to slow the bike down. If it breaks, you may not be able to brake at all, which is a big problem on a steep hill.
“Drag their brakes” means holding the brakes slightly on the whole way down. That keeps them hot and can cause them to stop working well when you need them most.
“Lowest gear” is the gear that makes the bike go slower without needing to force the engine. On a steep hill, using it helps you control your speed without overheating the brakes as fast.
Brake fade is when your brakes start working worse because they get too hot. On a steep downhill, that can happen quickly if you keep braking hard the whole time.
Brake fluid is the fluid that helps your brake lever create stopping power. If it gets too hot, the brakes can feel weak or stop working well.
LIVE
One of the most frightening things that can happen to you while driving a vehicle is
being part way down a long steep mountain road with switchbacks and realizing that you
can't slow down.
I mean, that would be terrifying in a car or truck.
They've got four wheels, a steep belt and a cage around you and airbags.
Now put yourself on a motorcycle in that situation, a rented motorcycle in a foreign
country.
It isn't your bike.
You don't know the bike as well as you know your own bike, the controls, the way it feels.
And there you are, hands gripped on the handlebars, tightening ever so tight, the road is dropping
away in front of you, the surface is loose, the corners are blind and the bike is literally
running away with you.
Your speed keeps building and your options quickly disappear.
And at that point, you're not thinking about riding anymore.
You're looking ahead, trying to figure out how much longer you could hold on while you
search for some way, some place, some idea to get the things stopped.
But as the speed increases, this question changes again.
Suddenly you know you're not going to stop it.
There is no safe way to bring this motorcycle to a stop.
You are going to crash.
So where can you crash and have the best chance?
That is where Seth Cooper found himself in Costa Rica.
Now he's an experienced rider, grew up riding the dirt, he knows motorcycles.
But on this day, on a rented bike, on a steep mountain road with switchbacks,
things narrowed down until there were no good choices left.
That's what makes this such an interesting deep trouble episode.
The story matters because of how Seth got there, because of the small things that we
can accept without realizing what they add up to in the end.
I'm Jim Martin. This is Adventure Rider Radio.
Stay with us. We got a good one for you.
to Adventure Rider Radio.
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Today we have another of our deep trouble series.
Deep trouble is an exclusive series found only here on Adventure Rider Radio.
It's stories from riders that have experienced catastrophes, breakdowns,
being lost injuries or any issue that has led them into deep trouble.
And of course, no one wants to run into deep trouble.
But if there was no threat to dodge, no line in the sand, a skirt,
no precipitous edge to perilously approach, there would be no adventure.
And because adventure lives in that gray zone between safety and danger,
it's all about riding the gray zone, your gray zone, whatever that is.
And our deep trouble series is about helping you ride the gray zone without crossing into danger.
By hearing stories from those who have fallen into trouble, struggled,
and returned with lessons for all of us, and possibly how to deal with it,
should you find yourself in deep trouble.
On this episode, Seth Cooper finds himself riding a nightmare stuck on a runaway motorcycle
on a steep mountain road with switchbacks wondering how it will come to an end.
My name is Seth Cooper. I am currently bouncing back and forth from between Costa Rica and New York,
trying to live and make the transition to live in Costa Rica.
I have a dog care business, which is my primary source of income here.
Dabble on a few other things.
Let's begin with how you ride and what you ride at home.
I mean, I grew up in the dirt. My first bike was I think a 74 Yamaha TY80,
which was technically a trials bike when they still had seats.
But yeah, over the years, I've tried to stay in the dirt as much as possible.
I rode enduro motocross type bikes until probably my early 20s when I realized that
I could see a lot more. I currently have an older 2001 640 and a 2023 1290 Super Adventure R.
Well, let's talk about this trip to Costa Rica. So what was this and what was your plan?
We've been transitioning for like, I would say the last year and a half,
trying to get settled down there, get everything set up.
Transitioning because you've bought a property down there and you're...
Yeah. Yeah. Transitioning our lives. Yeah. From the US to there and still having a lot of
obligations back here in the US. And because of that, I hadn't been on a bike that much
for the previous 18 months and my wife needed to head back to the US for some dental work.
I thought, you know, I'm not too busy now. This is a perfect opportunity for me to,
you know, go explore for a few days. So yeah, I arranged a rental from a company I was familiar
with. And so the reason why I chose this bike, there's a little town called Drake Bay down on
the Southern Pacific coast. And there's only two ways to get there. There's a road that's very
seasonal because I think there's seven or eight river or creek crossings, which is impossible
during the rainy season. The other way to get out there is on a ferry. So I was going to take
the opportunity since it was dry season to finally ride out there. This bike was almost 10 years
old. What is the bike? It was a 2017 KTM 690 Enduro R. I figured if doing all these creek
crossings and pretty rough road, if I drop the bike, it's already been dropped probably and well
used. So it's not going to be the end of the world if I put a couple of scratches on it.
So when did things start to go wrong for you? I guess pretty much right away.
I wasn't seeing it that way at the time, but yeah, like I said, I had arrived at my schedule,
you know, a few minutes before my schedule pickup time. When I arrived, the mechanic told me that
the bike had to be had to go to the dealership to have the have the sprockets in the chain replaced.
He showed me some photos. He said the person who rented it before me had really thrashed it
and rounded off the teeth on the sprocket. So he told me 20 minutes and after about 20 minutes,
I started getting geared up. The bike still hadn't arrived and, you know, time kept passing and I was
really uncomfortable. I wasn't sure whether just to start stripping out of my gear.
In Costa Rica, it's typical to kind of be a little, not necessarily timely. Time is just
an appointment. Time is just kind of a suggestion. So it was one of those situations and when the
bike finally showed up, they had a few more things to do and, you know, I noticed that the rear fender
was zip tied together and of course the rear tire being, you know, maybe at 5% life left in it.
It's worn out. Yeah, I was, I mean, I think it almost had a solid center contact patch,
but, you know, I'm notorious for getting every possible mile out of tires. So it wasn't like,
it wasn't a deal breaker for me at all, especially given the fact that I was this anxious to get
this whole thing started. So yeah. And then when I, I noticed, I noticed a couple of things
immediately with the bike that weren't ideal. You know, so I started out and I noticed a few
more things like the dash wasn't registering my speed. Just had zeros across it. The check engine
light was on. I thought I felt the rear bearing like starting to get, when I was on the highway,
getting a, you know, getting a little loose. And then I had to, because it had a new chain,
a new final drive on it. After, by the time I had gotten back down to my, to the town where I live,
the chain had stretched quite a bit. And so I just stopped by a local motor shop in the town there
and had them tighten it up. And they also verified that the, you know, that the wheel, one of the
wheel bearings was getting pretty loose. What else? The hand guard. Yeah. One of the hand guards was
the right side hand guard was missing. It was the full hand guard on the left side with the,
with the bar and the plastic on the right side. It was just the inside bracket was there, but
nothing else. Is there a reason that you would look at this bike in the condition that you're
describing and think, yeah, it's okay, you know, for the money I paid, I'm fine. Or is it just,
this is the way it is in, in Costa Rica or? Yeah, you know, I've, I've given that a lot of thought
like why, like, cause this was all avoidable. This is totally avoidable. I'm not even, I'm not
even trying to like put blame on you and say that you're anything is this before we even hear the
story. But I'm just sort of curious of why you would look at this bike and think, ah, whatever,
I'm going to, or you just feel like you want your vacation, you're going to make the best of it.
Yes. I mean, maybe a combination of things. I wasn't really too concerned because I was going
to try to get into some, you know, to some rough stuff with the bike. Oh, I see. So you figure,
in a way, the bike is kind of appropriate. Yeah, I see. I had purchased, you know, I had
requested because most of the like auto and motorcycle insurance policies and that
insurance is I think largely a state agency for the mandatory mandatory insurance. You can buy
private insurance if you want like comprehensive coverage or extra coverage or whatever, but
most of these policies do not cover theft. So I usually will add that on to the policy and
which, you know, I did this time as well. And, you know, I told the owner of the rental company,
you know, what my destination was and, you know, that I wanted, you know, a little extra insurance,
you know, just in case anything was to go wrong. What happened when you rode away?
Because they were late getting the bike. It was just too late in the day to get to my destination
before dark. So I kind of started to have having to adjust my plan. After that, I planned a different
ride for the, like, you know, just like a short 50 mile loop local to my place for the next day.
And that's when everything went wrong. What is this 50 mile loop talk about? Like describe it?
Okay. So, so my place is on the Pacific coast, about 500 feet above sea level. And
this whole mountain side is, is just dirt roads and in the area where I live. And I had just kind
of mapped out a route through one of the towns up on the side of the mountain that I had wanted
to check out. So I was going to go south down the coast up the mountain across and then back down
the mountain and back home. So this is no longer the route that you plan with the water crossings
and the, exactly. Yeah, this is, yeah, this was like totally, totally improvised. I had no idea
really what to expect. I mean, I did somewhat, but, but 80% of this route, I'd never, I'd never
seen it before. So you're just enjoying riding a bike? Yeah, absolutely. That's right. So what
happens next? So I set out, I set out to do this loop and you know, the road up the mountain
was a lot. I mean, it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle, but it was, you know, it was,
I would, I'm estimating here, but I would say from sea level to where I got to almost 10,000 feet
up that increase in elevation occurs over like five or six miles. So it's a very,
very steep climb. It's hairpin, switchbacks, livestock running around loose, like a very
rural agricultural area on the side of a mountain. So I made it, I made it to the top where I was
downshift. And you know, I thought I just missed it and I tried again, but just hit air.
And I, you know, I slowed down and looked down and the, and the gear shifter was just hanging
there on the, on the shaft. And so I pulled over to check this out and the set screw had backed
out a little bit. And you know, I looked at it and I was like, yeah, this is an easy repair.
And I pulled the seat off the bike and I was like, oh no, where's the toolkit?
The toolkit was missing. So that was another issue with the bike as well, I suppose.
So at that point, I knew I couldn't keep going. The bike was in third gear when this happened.
I mean, I could have jammed it down into first, but I didn't want to, you know,
I didn't want to damage the shaft because I had passed a repair shop down on the coastal road
right before I started up the mountain. And I, you know, my plan was to hobble the bike back to
that repair shop where they would certainly have tools and, you know, they could, you know,
correct this problem in 10 or 15 minutes and I'd be right back at it. So, so I decided, you know,
to try to, to try to get the bike down, back down. So you're going to turn around,
you're going to ride the bike back down. Now, when you said the hill is steep,
how steep is this? How could you describe it? Like in other words, if you're standing on the hill,
if you were going to walk down the hill, would you feel yourself leaning backwards? Is that
sort of steepness? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I would say some of these slopes were
comparable to like a black diamond ski slope. Wow. Okay. So these are the types of slopes that if
you stop on the bike and you sit there with the front brake on, it's going to start to slide.
Oh yeah. Oh wow. Oh yeah. I don't know much about like commercial trucks. It's not uncommon to see
like a tri-axle dump truck that's made a delivery up one of these hills and their brakes fail
coming back down and there'll be, you know, a big ball of crushed steel somewhere on the side of
the mountain. Oh jeez. I mean, not super common, but you know, I've seen it a handful of times and,
and that's too many. Right. So yeah, I mean, extremely steep slopes and, you know, S curves
all the way. Right. So you worked getting up there. Yeah. Yeah. It was a little, it was,
it was a little bit work. There's, I'm not sure if this is like a nickname for the road or it's
just the name of the development up this mountain, but it's a stairway to the stars.
That's appropriate, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. That's right. So would you say, would you think about
riding back down now? You know, you have a shifter issue. Are there, are there any other
issues with the bikes that you have to deal with? Only the things that I've mentioned up to that
point. I see. I started, I started, you know, rolling down, covering the clutch and the front brake.
When I came to the first steep, very steep, like descent and I decided, you know, I was going to,
you know, just hop off the bike and, you know, try to walk it, walk it down that first steep section.
So, so I, you know, I killed the engine. I got off the bike and I was, you know,
I was creeping down, but the, the back tire being in the condition that it was would start to slide
and the, in the, in the chassis of the bike would, would rotate on the, on the triple clamp.
You know, I had the handlebars in my hand walking it, but the back of the bike would like swing,
would, would swing around because of the tires basically because the tire was, I mean,
mostly because the hill was so steep, but yeah, the, the condition of the tire definitely didn't
help, helping that. So, so when that was happening, I got into a position where I
couldn't really hold the bike up any longer without kind of like having my arm twisted
in an awkward position. I, you know, I dropped it and because the right hand guard was missing,
I snapped off the front brake lever. So yeah, that's, you know, that's definitely not ideal
because I'm just getting started out. I, I decided, you know, I decided to keep going.
So, you know, I, when I would come to a very steep section, I would, you know,
usually try to get off the bike and, and kind of work it down, you know, just using the engine
braking, just, you know, releasing the clutch while I was walking into.
Right. You're just slipping the clutch as a, as a brake. And is it in third gear still?
No, when I dropped it and broke the, broke the front brake lever off,
I was able to manipulate it down into second. And, you know, I was, I was still, I was still
hesitant about, about messing with that because I, you know, I didn't want to damage that,
I didn't want to damage that shaft. My whole, I was still, I was still determined to get that
bike to the shop and, and get it repaired and, and, you know, finish this loop.
So at this point, like there were some less steep sections at which time I would get,
I would just, you know, hop on the bike and try to keep my speed down.
I was covering the rear brake quite a bit, which ultimately heated it up to the point where
it failed on me. So, so yeah, I was, I was made pretty good progress. I got about halfway down
the mountain and I was back on the bike, just coasting, coasting, trying to, trying to, you
know, very conscious of the condition of the bike and definitely making sure that I wasn't
picking up too much speed and I was keeping it manageable. But then all of a sudden I came
around this corner and there was, it was steeper, one of the steeper sections again and,
and I, at this, at that point I didn't realize that, you know, that the, that the brake fluid
had overheated on the, in the rear and I, you know, I started picking up way more speed than I
comfortable with and I smashed the rear brake and it went flat and that instantaneously I,
I realized, you know, the dire situation that I was in.
You're on a runaway bike down here. I'm on a runaway bike.
And so you're in second gear, you have no brakes now. What were you feeling when you stepped on
that brake, when you hit that part and you could feel it start to pick up or maybe you
just see that it's dropping off quickly and you step on that rear brake and it's not there.
Pretty much instant panic. Yeah. I mean,
this, like, I mean, these rows are cut out of the side of a mountain. So on the inside,
you have like a dirt bank. I mean, there may be drainage ditches and other storm water control
mechanisms along the side of the, on the inside of the road where the, where the dirt bank is,
but you know, there's still a dirt bank there on the outside. It's the side of the mountain.
It's, it's generally a pretty severe drop off. So panic. I panicked. I thought maybe I could
ride it out a little bit and maybe it would flatten out and I could, I was just kind of like looking
for anything. And let's see, like, so the first, the first thing I did, I just, I just kept pumping
the brake. Oh, I killed the engine. engine, killed the switch and I kept pumping the
brake, but the bike had so much momentum. You know, the bike's in second gear and it feels
like it wants to start. You can hear, you know, you can hear it trying to like, it sounds like it
wants to start. And I mean, I don't know if that can cause damage to your, to your motor, but I just
had never had that in all the years that I've been on bike. I've never had anything like that happen.
Like you think it was firing. It sounded like it was trying to fire.
I was trying to fire. Yeah, absolutely. Even though, you know, even though the kill switch was off,
you know, second gear could do nothing to slow this bike down. I was just gaining speed, gaining
speed. And I don't know how I made it through like, like the first really sharp corners.
Um, you know, like I literally flat track the bike like through these first two or three sharp
curves and, you know, every time expecting to go down because I mean, I'm not a, I've never
learned those techniques, but I don't know if this somehow, somehow came to me and I, and I, I mean,
I had a good minute and a half, two minutes being on this runaway bike, you know, to think about
what the likely consequences were. And I mean, yeah, I thought that I, you know, I was, I thought
this could be it. Did you put your foot down? Yeah. So while I was pumping, pumping the rear
brake with my right foot, not being able to figure anything else out to slow the bike down,
I started digging my left foot into the, into the road surface, um,
you know, trying to scrub off some speed that way, which, you know, was useless. I mean,
I just ended up peeling the sole right off of my, my Moto boot.
It peeled the sole off. These are quality boots. Yeah. Relatively new. These are Leot,
um, like a 4.5 or a five or something. Yeah. Yeah. They're the 4.5, uh, 80 V boot.
Well, Leot makes amazing gear. So I mean, to destroy it, it kind of gives you an idea of
what sort of pressures or what sort of forces are involved here.
Yeah. I mean, I didn't peel it completely off, but like all the way back, I mean,
it peeled it all the way to the, to the, you know, to the back of the ball of my foot.
So only the heel part was still attached to the boot once this was all said and done.
So you really are flat track because that's what flat track is.
It's flat track is they step the back end out and they're putting a,
like a steel shod shoe down and sliding it along steel because it's going to do just that.
It's going to rip it apart otherwise. So you really, like you're booting it. You're out of control.
Out of control. I mean, no, you're holding it.
I mean, the only control, the only control that I had was,
was the fact that my hands were on the handlebars and I could steer that I could steer.
That's it. And you're upright still at that point. Yeah. And I'm upright.
I mean, it's, it's, it's amazing all the thoughts the human mind can process when you're,
when you're adrenaline's like that and when you're in panic mode and like, yeah, this
like so many things just, you know, hit hit all at once in a short time.
Yeah. Because, you know, I, I had in some way, I guess I had come to terms with the fact that I
wasn't going to be walking away from this. I mean, because obviously I had no way to know exactly
what my speed was, but, but I have a pretty good sense. And I would estimate that I was,
that the bike was going 60, 65 miles an hour when, when I made the decision to bail.
Now you, so you're holding onto this bike, it's gaining speed on you all the time.
You know, you're not, you don't have much longer before the thing's probably going to
high side on you, or you're going to go sailing off the, off the side of the mountain.
When you say you decided to bail, what does that, what does that look like in your mind
at the time, bailing? Finding a soft spot to aim the bike at and
try to come off in a way that, that wasn't going to destroy my body. And, and I mean,
to be honest, I mean, I, I guess I've considered these things having, you know,
been a rider for so many years, but, but yeah, I mean, like trying to find the least
the spot where, you know, the, to minimize, you know, the consequences, I suppose,
because what was coming up ahead of me, I had to make, make a choice.
It was another very sharp left switchback turn on a, another very steep section of the mountain.
And like I was, I knew, I knew I couldn't, I wasn't going to be able to steer through it,
even using the techniques that I had done, you know, substantially slower speed before, but
yeah, this didn't, this, this, this didn't feel like it was possible.
And I thought, you know, maybe I could low side into this corner because I, you know,
I have intentionally low-sided, you know, bikes in the dirt, a handful of times.
That first, that seemed like my best option, but I was like, the outside of this curve is a drop-off
that I have no idea like how far down it goes or, I mean, it's,
I just have to assume certain death if I went over the side of this, you know,
if I went off the side of the mountain, that's this particular spot.
Well, when you say bail, I was thinking that you're thinking of actually jumping off the bike,
you know, sort of like, I'm not even sure how you do that, but low-siding maybe.
But when you're saying you're looking for a soft spot on the side of the road,
as soon as you just said it, I started running through my mind.
What was the last time I saw a soft spot off the side of a road?
Yeah, nothing soft when you're, when you're going that fast, but I was just like,
trying to find like the most ideal, like something that you look, you know,
look like there might be a, just like maybe like a pile of dirt with no jagged rocks or,
yeah, but I mean, just when you describe that, it tells me how, how dire the situation is.
And you're looking for something on the side of the road that's going to cause you the least
damage. I mean, that is a really scary gut wrenching situation to be.
And even just me listening to it, I could feel my gut tighten,
imagining what that must have felt like.
Yeah, it was, it was quite overwhelming. And ultimately, like I just had to,
I had to get off, I had to stop. I, I couldn't, I couldn't take it anymore.
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Like I was coming up on this on this, on this switchback curve really fast and
and you know, it took me a couple seconds to realize that, you know, that I wasn't
like getting through, getting through this corner was the worst choice that I can make
at this point. So I just kind of aim the bike at an angle towards the dirt bank on the inside of
the road and just kind of loosened up my grip on the handlebars and prayed for the best.
What did you think was going to happen there? What were you anticipating?
You know, I thought I could, I thought of, you know, my angle was right. I could, I could get,
I mean, there's not really a shoulder. I thought I could get into the ditch and maybe slow the
bike down enough where I could, you know, I could come off of it at a much more slower rate of speed
and. Right. Yeah. So there's a bit of a ditch there and you're going to use that to your advantage.
Right. Which sounds like, like the only choice really.
Yeah. I mean, I, you know, headed myself here, but I drove back up to the spot of the accident,
the scene of the accident about a week and a half later and, and yeah, like it was even worse than
and then what I had remembered in terms of what my choices were and that situation because
yeah, the inside was, so whatever was there was, was, I had no choice. It was just.
So you aimed for the ditch, but you didn't find what you were counting on?
Not at all. The rainy season down in Costa Rica is pretty severe. So, you know, they're always,
especially on these steep grades, they're, they're always, they're always fighting against
mother nature to keep these roads passable for at least a four by four, you know, vehicle.
You mean because the water runoff is so. Yeah. Just because of the erosion and the,
and the heavy rains will just destroy some of these roads. I mean, it's not uncommon at all
for there to be sections of these like more underutilized rural roads to be closed or
impassable for long periods of time. And so a crew can get there to make the repairs.
And they're all dirt. Yeah. All dirt gravel. So in this particular spot, I would assume that
there had been like a stormwater problem that, that was a problem spot in this particular area
of the road. And I don't know if this happened to be like some kind of, some kind of catch basin.
There was a concrete, it was a custom formed concrete structure. Essentially it was a
a pit that was six or seven feet deep, but it was clearly intended for catching stormwater.
And what happened? Right where I, this, this pit was right there at this, in the spot where I
left the road and the bike drop just dropped right in and I kept going off the bike. Yep.
Yep. I, the bike just dropped into this hole, came to a dead stop and I, I kind of went like,
you know, tumbled and went over the handlebars. Summer salt, right? Yeah. Kind of, yeah. Kind
of that. A couple, couple tumbles and I don't know what the distance was, slid a little bit
further and, you know, was expecting to start, you know, figuring out what kind of injuries I had.
I mean, my, I guess the first impact, you know, as far as my body's concerned was on the right side.
Yeah. I had a little bit of pain, but I just assumed that with the adrenaline and,
and what had just happened that I, that I, you know, I just needed to,
to relax for a bit and then, you know, kind of evaluate what my situation was.
You know, at that, at that point, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm not quite thinking clearly, you know,
I'm shocked to be alive. Like, yeah, all these things, all these things at once.
Well, how did you come to stop?
I think that I was on my, on my backside. Yeah. When I came to a stop, I was sliding on my backside
and kind of rolled over onto my, into like a sitting position, like on the ground.
You know, one look at the bike, you know, I knew that there wasn't going to be any more riding for me
on this trip, particular, on this particular trip. I mean, it snapped the triple clamp,
clean off the, you know, the front end was just connected to the rest of the bike by the throttle
and the brake cables and the wiring harness. So yeah, so yeah, like, like it was clear right away
that the bike was a lost cause. So yeah, then I was just like, you know, trying to regain my
composure, get some water in me and calm down. And I still wasn't sure like the severity of my injuries.
So, so yeah, I just kind of like paced around for, I don't know, 15, 20 minutes.
And there happened to be a road crew who had been where I had passed them a couple of times.
I passed them actually on my way up, both on my way up and on my way down,
you know, I've passed them actually several minutes before, before the accident,
but they were finishing up for the day and they were on their way down the mountain and they were
the first, first people that I had seen up to that point. None of them spoke English and my,
my Spanish, I'm, you know, a beginner Spanish speaker. So communication is still a bit difficult
for me in most situations. Yeah. So, so yeah, they were just kind of like,
you know, just rubber necking, I guess. And then a few minutes passed and an SUV pulls up and stops
and a very nice lady approached me with the water and, you know, asked what she could do to help.
And I had no cell phone service. So she was able to call an acquaintance of mine down on the coast
and, you know, arrange. And then she ended up giving me a ride down there. And so I could arrange
to recover the bike and, and all that. But yeah, wonderful lady. And she worked with Americans
and Canadians in her business. So her English was perfect. And that was that, yeah, that was very
fortunate. So how, how bad were you? I mean, what sort of injuries did you get? The main
impact to my body was on my right side. As I said, I had some ligament damage in my ankle. And
the worst thing is a torn meniscus in my right knee, which looks like it's going to require
an operation to repair. And I, you know, I, I didn't go for x-rays. So I don't, I, I, I assume
that one of my fingers was broken. But I never confirmed that with an x-ray. But yeah, I mean,
that's basically the extent of it. I mean, a few minor abrasions, you know, where the sleeve of my
shirt came up a little bit, rode up on my arm and a little bit on the right hip.
Very minimal injuries considering what had happened.
You were really so lucky. So lucky. Yes. Absolutely. I mean, we have pictures in the show notes
to show the listeners if they want to go look at this, but that thing that you went into,
that drain ditch, I know how they made it by looking at the photographs. What they've done
is they've taken the KTM 690 and they made a cast of it, basically, and they made this six or seven
foot hole that, so it fits into like it's a slot. It looks like it was meant to be in there.
Like they used the original shipping crate from that pike to form this, to form this thing up.
Yeah, it was like made, it was the perfect fit. What a horrible thing on the side of the road,
just for that reason. I mean, geez, you know, it's, I understand what they have it there,
but a grill would have been handy at this point. Oh yeah. A great over it. A lot of the biggest
dangers on the roadways of Costa Rica are the shoulders or the lack thereof or the edge of
ditch. Basically, if you drop a tire into this ditch, you're the frame of your vehicle sitting
on the pavement and you're not getting out of there without a tow truck. I mean, this is like...
Like you understand, it is what it is. I mean, you understand why it's there, right?
In a lot of mountain places are like that. I mean, there's certainly, in British Columbia,
where I spent a lot of time riding the mountains, there's roads that have all kinds of weird things
like that off the sides of the roads. And yeah, if you go into it, well, you're having to deal with
whatever it is, but I just think you're so lucky. Like it's horrible that you hit the hole, obviously.
Had you just been just passed that, it might have turned out different. But who knows? Like,
we don't know any of the variables. It sounds like it really kind of worked out perfect. You came
out really with considering what you went through minimal damage. Absolutely. What happened to the
bike? Like, what happened expense wise? Did you have to pay for this? Did your insurance cover it?
Well, that's a whole another part of the story. So in Costa Rica, when you're involved in any kind
of vehicle accident, the first thing you do is you call the transit police and then, you know,
they dispatch someone out to take a report and then you call the insurance company. And they
also dispatch an adjuster out there who can assess the damage like before the before the
vehicles ever even removed from the accident scene. And that is that is the standard
operating procedure for for any kind of vehicle accident in in that country. And I knew this,
but I did not have like, as I mentioned, I did not have a signal on my phone. So when I got down
to the bottom of the mountain and finally had a signal, I realized that I had forgotten to grab
the insurance documents from the bike before I left the scene. And that I did not because of that
reason, I did not have the I did not have the phone number or didn't even know who the insurer was.
So I called the owner of the bike.
The rental company? Yes. I called the person who oversees the the rental company
and explained to him what happened. The reason why I was calling him was to get the information,
the insurance information, so I could make that call. And when I asked him for the
insurance information, he said, no insurance, no police. And then, you know, he went on to say
that he says, because he said, because you're not you weren't you were not on a public road,
the insurance will not cover this accident. That was like an old shit moment. Because I had
definitely read the contracts when I'm, you know, when I'm renting a an expensive machine that I
might be on the hook for. Did you know like this wasn't a public road? Because everything you
described so far, it sounds like a road. Well, definitely getting to that. So this situation
was still all unfolding this, you know, had been 30 minutes since I just had this crash. So
you know, I just kind of accepted what he said at that moment without, you know, giving it much
thought because I still had to find help getting this bike recovered and still had a lot of things
to accomplish to get this all sorted out. And again, you know, being that I'm not a fluent Spanish
speaker, you know, that makes those tasks like that a little more difficult. So when you know,
when he told me that I just left it at that for the time being and the acquaintance whose home
I was given a ride to, she was able to call somebody with a pickup truck and
and he had a couple guys and the four of us went back up there and hook some straps to the bike and
and we're able to lift it out of the hole and you know, and then we managed to get it loaded up on
the truck and we took it back down to this person's house and just kind of dumped it off the truck.
And you know, it's a bit of time passes, we recover the bike and I had had the
forethought to mark my location on a map exactly where the accident happened. And I went back
to that and I noticed all these like hotel like kind of wellness center type businesses that were
on this road. And then I remembered that it was the road crew who first arrived at the scene after
my accident. And I was like, he's telling me this is not a national public road. So I
I took a screenshot of the map and I sent it to him right away and I said, how is this not a public
road? And of course, I went back to the contract and reread that to make sure that, you know,
I hadn't missed anything or something wasn't lost in translation or either way, the accident did occur
on a national public road. It's very bizarre when the person responsible for the bike tells you
like not to contact the police or the insurance company. He was maybe perhaps trying to get
to have me believe that that I wasn't on a public road and that, you know, that the bike wouldn't
be covered. Now, there were things that you looked at on this bike and you describe these things
at the start of this, the things that you notice that were wrong with the bike, the general condition
of the bike from what you're describing. It was in poor condition. What I would describe as poor
condition with a tire. It was a poor condition. Well worn, almost exhausted pretty much. I think
most people would say that tire is worn out. You can see it in the photos and the show notes.
So there's definitely mechanical things there. But okay, so let's go back and look at this and
see what we can learn from this so that somebody else can avoid something similar.
What would you've done differently? Like if you were to show up for a rental now and you look at
that bike the way it is, just the stuff that you could spot right off. Would it be a showstopper for
you? Well, yeah, after this experience, yeah, almost certainly. It's tough, isn't it? Because
you read the bike, you planned your vacation. You're very excited about going and you're all
set to go. I mean, all of your plans are made and everything. And then you're presented with this
bike that looks to be substandard. And I know how, you know, our minds work. We start making excuses
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What do you come away with? What lessons do you have in your mind that you've learned from this?
Well, I mean, this was all avoidable. Clearly, I noticed a few of these things,
right away. Like you said, I was just anxious to get out on the road and enjoy the time.
But if I were ever presented with a bike that was even remotely close to the condition that
this 690 had been in, I would ask for something else or, you know, I would just wash the plans,
I suppose. Yeah. Because even like, because I'm thinking, you know, if it was me and I went to
ride this bike, I can totally see me getting on it, riding away, because you can't really see
the things that are going to happen, the things that are going to sort of build on each other.
Like, you know, you notice the missing handguard, but you don't really, you think there's a
potential that it could break the brake lever, but who would think you're going to be at the
top of this mountain where the brake lever is broken and the gear shifter slips off the spines,
you know, and there's no toolkit, you know, so these things that line up. But if you'd back up
and say, and I would now because I know your story, if you look at the bike and you think, no,
this is probably going to just be all kinds of problems and potentially cause something very
serious. I mean, you could have lost your life with something like this. You know, this is not
something that's, that's just an inconvenience. It's not, you were put out from this. You were
really put in a dangerous situation. Now, I know some of it, you can back up and you can say, well,
you know, maybe if you hadn't done this, that, maybe not got on the bike,
just left it on the top of the hill sort of thing and called them. There's all different
ways to look at it in hindsight, but, but it's certainly, I think that overall condition of
the bike, having heard your story now would scream to me and say, okay, this is a no go,
because it tells you something about the motorcycle itself. It tells you something about
the company that, that is renting out a motorcycle like this, even you showing up and having all
these repairs being done while you wait, while it's eating into your rental time, right,
kind of leads to it. I know you're saying it's Costa Rica. So I mean, there's a certain amount
of leeway have to be given there, given there, like I'm talking about it from a Western perspective,
you know, and, and that's different. I understand that, but it's just those little
things that would, that would sort of give you indicators now, but let's, so let's walk back
through this. So, so on this hill, when you get up there, when you have no gears, for instance,
when you realize that you can't shift it, that's a really big part of slowing our motorcycles down.
On top of that, you've got a tire, which that's pretty much bald on the back.
Did you have any sort of thoughts of packing it in at that point?
Maybe fleeting, but I was in a very remote area. I would assume able to take me several
hours to get back down the mountain on foot. I don't know. It's a bit of a conundrum. I mean,
for me, I was there, you know, I'm somewhat established in this country, but I imagine like,
if had I been on vacation and I had to take time off of work, and, you know, this is something
that I'd been planning for months and months and months. I don't know what I would do in a situation
like that. I mean, still, I mean, guess the risk profile doesn't doesn't really change
just because, you know, the renter circumstances, given I don't know. I
take as much as I did when I was 10 years old and I got the hang of it. You know, I was just so
much looking forward to this, to this opportunity that I don't know if at that point anything
could have stopped me. That's another factor is you're, you know, the state of mind and
Yeah, it's getting sold too much on something before you do it that you'll, that you'll accept
almost anything. But what about you build up the anticipation so much that like, you know,
there's no backing out. Yeah, we go to buy something like a motorcycle, for instance.
So excited about it. Next thing you know, you find yourself paying more than what you should
have. At least that can happen. I want to go right to the top of the hill there. When you're
at the top of the hill, you found out the shifter was slipping. You couldn't actually,
you couldn't shift the gears at all. You were stuck in third gear and then you pull the seat
off and you find the toolkits gone. Okay. So now you said like, you would have thought to check
for a toolkit normally or is this something you think you should have? I agree. I think that's
something that I would now, that I know your story as I said, but what about bringing your own
toolkit? Like what about like, even though you're renting a bike, what about like not
necessarily a toolkit, but what about even just like a Leatherman or something like that?
Yeah, that even, even something as simple as that may have been all the difference in this
particular case. Yeah, it could give you something, right? Like you give you at least a chance at doing
something. I mean, yeah, I, yeah, I mean, I most likely would have been able to tighten the gear
shifter up enough to get somewhere, you know, where it could, you know, could be done with a
proper tool and torqued, you know, torqued to the right spec and all, you know, et cetera, et cetera.
But I'm thinking some basics, right? Some. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. A basic tool. That would,
that would be something that I would take from this. And the other thing is, so you're at the top
of the hill, you can't get the bike to change gears. That's a huge potential for a steep hill,
especially describing how steep it was when you said you came up and then further down,
you break the brake lever. Would that be a showstopper for you now? Would that be a thing of
where you just say, that's it, I can't go any further? Having learned what you've learned?
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. For this particular road, you wouldn't want to be
on anything other than a perfectly functioning bike. Period. Yeah. And of course, it's easy to
say, like I always say in this, you know, hindsight is 20, 20, so it's easy to make judgments afterwards.
When it comes to braking on a really steep hill, I think that a lot of times people will drag their
brakes and that's a mistake because your brakes will quickly overheat and then you'll find yourself
with no brakes. But actually, let me back up. So when you think of a hill, any time we're on a
really steep hill, you're always better off to start in your lowest gear because to try and gear
down once you're already gaining speed, especially if your brakes fade, it's just about impossible
or very, very difficult. So you start off in your lowest gear and then you use your brakes
alternately. So you apply them and then you let them off and you apply them and you let them off
and you try and control your speed that way because dragging the brakes gives them no time
to cool down. They overheat, you lose your brakes and then things just go downhill from there.
Yes. And I, you know, something else, I mean, I was in largely, it was in direct sunlight,
you know, in the 85, 90 degree temperature. So, you know, that the ambient, just the ambient
temperature already had the, you know, already had the brake fluid warmer than what I would
normally have here in the Northeast. Yeah, totally, totally unnerving to be on a runaway
anything, but in this case of motorcycle on such steep grades. And, you know, the sharp
curves on this road just add another layer. Well, when you were describing going down,
I was wondering about what about oncoming traffic, you know, there could have been a vehicle
coming the other way. And if you have no way to slow, I mean, you can't swerve, it's not going to
work. It's just such an incredibly high risk situation to be in. And when you first said in
this story, the submission for Deep Trouble, I looked at this and I thought, well, what is the
procedure for a runaway motorcycle? Well, even just a runaway vehicle for that matter on a hill.
I know that we should be starting off in our lowest gear that makes sense for the hill.
We should apply our brakes and release our brakes, allowing them to cool. But once those two things
fail, what's the emergency procedure? The only thing I can come up with is the roads that like
in British Columbia that I'm used to driving, they have runaway lanes on some of the really long
steep hills for mainly for, well, I guess for anything really. So you could bail out on a
runaway lane, which is a specially designed lane that goes uphill at the end of a long steep run.
It is soft sand helps slow you down. And sometimes they have some things in there for you to hit
that may be full of water or whatever. In any case, it's a proper runaway lane. But other than that,
I couldn't find any, you know, sort of neat procedure for a runaway motorcycle in this
situation. Maybe I'll have to look at one of those books that give you hundreds of ways to get out
of everyday emergencies. But you did say you shut the ignition off. And there's one thing that
sort of jumped out of me because I'm not sure there's an advantage there. Do you know whether
there's an advantage of shutting it off? No, it's something that I'd never had to consider before.
But of course the gears are everything. Like we know this going down a hill to not be able to
shift it down. I think you put yourself in a real dangerous situation, not to mention all the other
things combined with the tire, the brake lever, eventually that broke, et cetera. You mentioned
about calling them about finding out your cell had no service. That's one of those calm things that
always comes back, right? Of where we're riding and what are you using for comms? Did that worry
you at any or was it not enough of a remote place? Cell service is pretty widespread there.
I wasn't too concerned about it because I knew maybe just even walking, you know, a couple
hundred yards back up the mountain or I knew it was just a matter of finding the right spot to get
to get cell service because I don't generally ride with a GPS unit either. I use my phone for
everything. So for that reason, you know, I tend to keep an eye on my signal strength.
And I carry a Garmin in reach with me at a pretty much all time. So I had that, you know,
if things had been really bad and more remote than I in a more remote area. Right. So the reason
you're talking about walking, you would have had to walk down the hill to get cell services to call
insurance is what you're thinking. Right. Yeah. To call it. So it's a, you know, you have to stick
to the, you know, the reporting procedure. Yeah. So it's quite a wake up call your story for renting
a motorcycle. And I think obviously the best thing is, and I think you did this because you said it
was a company that was familiar with it, but deal with companies that you find to be solid companies
that, you know, have a reputation, et cetera, et cetera. And we all know all the ways that you
can check those things nowadays, but that's, that's, you know, that's pretty good due diligence in my
mind. But I guess, you know, you've got to be a little bit more thorough when a bike arrives,
or you go to pick it up and things are in the condition they are, at least, you know, that's
what it would point to, to me, to, um, to again reassess, I guess, the company, once you get
there by the condition of the motorcycle, right? Absolutely. Yes. Um, going forward,
if I happen to rent another bike, I will definitely have a whole different way of approaching it in
the future. That was Seth Cooper from his home in New York. We've got some photos that you will
want to look at in the show notes for this episode, Seth's bike after the crash, the road, and more.
You can follow Seth through his Instagram at ADV range rider. We have all of that in the show
notes for this episode on our website, adventureriderradio.com. Now, if you've experienced some deep
trouble that you think would make a good episode, drop by our website, adventureriderradio.com,
and click on pitch a story. This episode was brought to you in part by green chili adventure
gear at greenchiliadv.com, best rest products at cycle pump.com. Anytime you're dealing with
these companies or anything you hear on adventure rider radio, let them know you heard them here.
And this show is built on a model of advertising and listener support. The combination of the two,
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Well, that about wraps up another episode of adventure rider radio in which you're
hoping enjoyed listening to it as much as we did making it. I hope you're getting something from
these deep trouble stories. I really enjoy doing them. It's interesting to see what we can learn
from someone else's, well, mishaps, I guess. Now it's time to get out there and ride your bike.
If you're not doing that already, I hope you're able to do that right now. I just want to throw
it there one more time that this show is built on a model of advertising and listener support. We
really would appreciate your support. Drop by our website adventureriderradio.com and click
on support. Don't forget about the other shows that we do. You can find everything at adventurerider
radio.com. And if you haven't given us that five star review, wherever you find your podcast,
everywhere you find your podcast, please do that for us. We'd really appreciate it.
That helps other people find the show. Thank you to our producer, Elizabeth Martin. My name
is Jim Martin. Thank you so much for listening and I will talk to you next week.
I'm Ted Simon and here I am on adventurerider radio again and extremely happy to be here
with Jim Martin.
About this episode
Seth Cooper’s Costa Rica nightmare starts with a rented 2017 KTM 690 Enduro R that arrives with red flags—“the rear tire being, you know, maybe at 5% life left in it,” “the check engine light was on,” and “Just had zeros across it.” On a steep, switchback mountain descent, shifting and traction issues escalate into brake failure: “I smashed the rear brake and it went flat.” With no usable braking, he bails, weighs crash types, and the bike ultimately ends up with “it snapped the triple clamp.”
One of the most frightening situations a rider can face is realizing the bike won’t slow down on a long, steep mountain descent. That’s exactly what happened to Seth Cooper in Costa Rica. In this episode of DEEP TROUBLE, Seth shares how a rented KTM 690 Enduro R, an unfamiliar mountain road, and a series of seemingly manageable decisions combined to create a genuine survival situation. It's a story about risk, assumptions, bike condition, route choice, and how options can disappear faster than you expect.
Since 2014, Adventure Rider Radio has shared adventure motorcycle travel stories, Rider Skills, Deep Trouble episodes, tech and gear features, and conversations with riders from around the world. New episodes of ARR are released every Thursday, with new episodes of RAW released monthly on the 21st.
