Clarksville, TN – In just the short time I’ve been riding, I’ve done some pretty stupid things. Things I’ve thought about when I got home. I didn’t do them on purpose, it was the nature of the beast as a rookie rider.
I remember the time I was feeling pretty cocky while traveling through Texas. Speed limit is 75 and some good old boys in a pick up were acting like, well, two good old boys in a pick up.
I took off around them in the right lane. As I was giving them the all too famous “look” I quickly realized that I was drifting onto the shoulder of the road. GRAVEL AND ALL!
After steadying my bike and realizing how close I had come to the guardrail and death, I slowed down and pulled off the road. It was time for a cigarette and a quick chat with God. Good old boys 1, crazy old biker 0.
I started riding when I was 63 years old, so I’ve outgrown all those stupid impulses we had as young punks, but for that brief lapse in sanity, I thought I had done myself in.
The bottom line was, I wasn’t going to let those guys “outcool” the Harley guy.
We’ve all done stupid stuff, but doing it on a motorcycle could be deadly. I got cocky when I goofed. Luckily it wasn’t serious and I’m still riding. Most of us learn the hard way that this is nothing to fool around with. It’s serious business handling a motorcycle.
I recently posed the question on my Facebook page about the stupidest things you’ve done on a motorcycle that you got away with. Here are some of the responses I got:
“Took off across a golf course at night, with no headlights and landed in a sand trap.”
“Rode standing on the seat when I was about 25…once. Nobody told me how hard it was to get back down without falling off.”
“Outrun the cops.”
“Bounced off a guardrail”
“Forgot to put my kickstand down at the gas pump and we just laid over against the pump and it pinned me.”
“100 yard wheelies and jumping hills”
You get the picture.
Being a biker encompasses a lot of things, but by its very nature, it’s one of the COOLEST things you can do EVER!
The whole world is drawn to us ala Easy Rider, Sons of Anarchy and Chips. Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Norman Reedus and more.
The freedom, the danger, the excitement, the open road and yes, the biker chicks. The solitude of the open road. It’s all wrapped up in that motorcycle.
Your own personal “cool” could be the color of your bike, the leathers you wear. It could be the accessories or lack thereof on your bike. It could be your woman, your tattoos, the company you keep.
WHATEVER!
The bottom line is you don’t have to do stupid stuff to prove anything to anybody. Being a biker is just too damn cool to begin with in my opinion. I NEVER thought I would meet so many incredible people at this time of my life, and I used to run with rock stars and politicians.
None of them compare with the brothers and sisters I’ve met on this journey. Luckily we’ve all learned that being a fool, ain’t cool. That’s why we still have the shiny side up and the rubber on the road.
Much love to you guys. Thanks for following my journey.
