Many of us in the motorcycling community have a lot of common experiences, both on the bike, and off. Here’s a few things that I, and a few contributors, would like to tell you non-riders:
Motorcyclists have a lot of common experiences both on the bike and off. Here are a few things that we'd like to tell you non-riders. Click To Tweet- I don’t trust you. Yes, I just blew my horn because I was pretty sure you didn’t see me coming. Why? If you come out of that intersection and hit me, at best I’ll be seriously hurt, and at worst, I’m going to die. I don’t want to die.
- I’m always careful. I’d appreciate it if you were, too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Well, be careful out there” from non-motorcyclists after talking to me about riding. Have you ever thought that if you were more careful and vigilant about motorcycles, I wouldn’t have to be as careful?
- That guy riding like an idiot? I don’t like him, either. You probably pass more motorcyclists than you realize in any given day, but the one you notice is the guy who rides too fast for conditions, breaks basic traffic rules, and pisses you off. I don’t like that guy, either, because he’s representing a sport that I love in a way that makes you dislike it.
- I’m more like you than you think. Seriously, we’re not all Sons of Anarchy types, or stunters, or whatever other stereotype you want to throw out there. We come from every walk of life, gender, age group, sexual orientation, and any other category you want. We’re parents. Some of our kids ride, and some don’t. But we’re a lot like you.
- I don’t want to hear why you “used to ride.” If you stopped, you stopped. That’s fine. But your reasoning is immaterial to me, and it’s unlikely that I haven’t heard it before. Nor am I interested in someone you know who was hurt or killed on a bike. We all know someone who has had that experience. We may have had it ourselves. If you think it’s going to change our minds about riding, you’re wrong.