Big Eyes: The Other Lowes Highsides the Aprilia MotoGP bike at Phillip Island Images by Marco Guidetti (The) By Staff Saturday, February 18, 2017 The other Lowes, factory Aprilia rider in 2017, suffered a big crash at the recent Phillip Island test. When a young rider steps on a MotoGP bike for the first time, all things seem possible. There is incredible power, deft braking and complex electronics to assist a rider. At first it seems like success is a foregone conclusion. Back in the 500 days veteran riders would wait in the pit lane for rookie riders to come in after their first laps on a GP bike. They’d look to see if he had “big eyes” or not. The bigger the pupils the more terrified he’d probably been. Then after a new GP rider has a few big crashes the realization comes. That the MotoGP bike isn’t always trying to help you get success. Under some conditions the power, braking and electronics are … Working in unison to actually try to maim or kill you. Later, on the plane home a new rider will realize that if the bike had landed just a few feet more to the left He’d be in a hospital or worse instead of in First Class. Or, if his arm had bent the other way his hand would have went straight into the rear chain and sprocket. Post-crash there’s so much adrenaline flowing you can pick up the bike easily (unless you’re Pedrosa). The ‘Holy sh*t did that just happen?’ moment. Lowes was luck that in this crash he wasn’t too injured. A bump from the corner worker and it’s back to work. Return to News