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I believe this is very important. If we can help people to understand and if that understanding can save even just one life then it is worth that minute it took to read and email it. Please help me to get this out to as many people as we can.

The chain reaction to get this message out can start here with your help.

THE BIKER

When you see us moving past you quickly:

Don't take offense or think we're trying to "show off". Ninety five percent of the time, we're trying to get out of your blind spot or taking ourselves out of a potential dangerous situation that has evolved around us. Distancing ourselves from you does not mean we want to race, but that we're giving ourselves the edge we need at the moment. Hitting the road hurts and can ruin the lives of our friends & family.

When you hear our horn:

Don't take offense or think we're trying to aggravate you. All we're doing is letting you know where we are in relation to you on the road, and we're more than likely aware of your inattentiveness to us while you're talking on a cell phone, eating, reading or involved in some other distracting aspect to your driving. It's important to us, and you, that you know we're there. If you could see what we see and understand how your life could be cut short because someone is not paying attention to their driving, then you'd probably change your driving habits.

When you hear our loud pipes:

Don't become angry and hostile toward us. Yes, some are quite loud, but for some, there's a purpose behind being loud. It's about letting you know we're close by and we're constantly hoping that our investment in this accessory will help save our lives. Our pipes are really not about our ego...it's a pride and personalization to our form of transportation.

When you see us in our clothes:

Don't become fearful of us or think us weird. Our leather jackets, chaps, gloves and boots are the barriers between loosing massive amounts of flesh should something cause us to go down...nothing more, nothing less. Safety gear is paramount to our riding. We wear patches on our jackets, and pins on our vests. These are symbols of pride and honor within our group(s), individuals giving back to those who gave. These things bond us as a brotherhood and sisterhood among bikers. Not that we're better than anyone else, but that we have the same kind of nobility and pride in our accomplishments as you may have in the various aspects of your life. I guess one could say; our patches and pins are the decals and the bumper stickers of our involvement with society and the general public, of which we are very pleased to be a part of in our own little way. If you ever get thrown to the pavement at 50 mph because of a thoughtless driver you will be very thankful that you were wearing chaps, helmet, jacket, and gloves.

When you see us in a restaurant:

You don't have to shield your child or feel intimidated. We have family, wives, husbands, children and loved ones too, just like you. We smile; we laugh and enjoy the moments we have. We are approachable, and would befriend you, if given the opportunity.

When you see us in a parking lot:

Don't convince yourself that we're there to "get you". More than likely, we just finished a long ride and are taking a break. Or, we may be meeting up with other riders for a charity run for young children, or another very worthy cause. We may just be admiring one another's bikes, sharing our pride with other brothers and sisters, just like you do with your personal vehicle. It's what we do...it's a part of our lives, and we'd be more than welcome to share with you what riding a bike is all about...if you'd only ask.

When you see aggressive riding bikers:

Don't put us all in the same stereotypical category as those whose behavior and actions w

 

wow, very cool post! i'll be emailing it to people.

thanks for sharing that.


i think alot of people take offense to a biker "flying" past them at only a couple mph over the speed limit. i myself do that, as stated in you're post......simply to get myself away from a potential accident, and to stay out of somones blindspots.

again, great post.

 

That would make an incredible commercial on television. That way everyone sees it.

 

+1. Sounds like an excellent idea.

 

I'm going to talk to a buddy of mine who is an amateur filmmaker to see how feasible this would be to create a 30 second to 1 minute commercial. Maybe get the local news stations to play it as a public service announcement.

 

+1
Keep us updated with your progress. I would be interested in trying to push it here in the N.W, if it gets off the ground.

 

+2

 

Good advice and all true...but I still put cagers where I can see them, way back, or way in front.

Don't trust anyone...not even another motorcyclist as far as 100%.

But that reminded me of this Poem type thing.

Very beautiful and very true.
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Another excellent poem, thanks for that. I am a new rider and only have put 75 miles on the bike as of yet and have already seen some potentially seroius situations arise! I appreciate the responses from everybody and would love to see it become a public service announcement of some sort. Happy New-Year too all and as always safe and happy riding!!

 

Iam going to send this out to as many people as I can. Even before I had a street bike I would always watch out for bike and give them the space and respect they need.