NOT ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE SAFETY BRIEFING!

  • Published
  • By Rick "Grumpy" Myers
Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas --  Reference "Pedal to the Metal" (May/June 2011 issue, page 8), it appears the vehicle driver was at fault, but all too often the motorcyclist is the one to blame -- he's his own worst enemy.

Ok, I hear ya. Ugh, another motorcycle safety briefing! I know I'm preaching to the choir. Who knows more about how dangerous these things are than the people riding them? Certainly not the driver who can't quit texting or the soccer mom who needs her make-up adjusted. How about the driver who just got off work and can't wait to get home (or wherever they go). We've all seen drivers who we would like to pull out and slap silly.

As dangerous as these people are, though, the biggest danger to us motorcyclists is, well ... us. How many times have you seen someone you're riding with do something less than smart? Did you say anything to them? How many have taken that drink then climbed aboard? If you've ridden much at all, I'm sure you've seen the racer "wannabes" cutting corners, dragging their knee, many times on the wrong side of the road. How about the 100 mph wheelies on the highway?

The bad part of that is these riders usually take someone else with them.

How about taking off for a ride wearing no shirt, cut-offs and flip-flops? And their friends wonder why they got killed? Not to mention what they do for the already stellar motorcycle image. Talk about people you want to slap silly!

Now I know, none of you reading this is guilty of doing any of these things, right? Yeah right! At some point in your riding you have done something that you know you shouldn't have. I have, and if you're honest with yourself you will admit that you have too. You can probably remember those things just like it was yesterday.

Maybe it was.

I've been riding for 45 years both on and off road. I have done so many things I shouldn't have I can't count that high. Sometimes I wonder how I'm still alive. But I learn from those things and try not to do them again. Don't get me wrong, I really like going fast and pushing my limits, I just don't do them on the road anymore. That's what track days are for.

So you're tired of these lectures?

Here's a way we might start to get rid of them. First, identify and correct your problems. Then talk to the friends you ride with, especially newer riders, about things you've seen and what they've seen. By making them aware of hazards you encountered, your friends might not repeat them. A Motorcycle Safety Foundation course that is available on every base for no cost goes a long way in identifying these problems.

When you ride with a group, before you take off make sure everyone understands what is and isn't acceptable. With everyone on the same page the ride will be more fun and safer.