My Good Deed for the Night

[jstark47]

Coming back from my father's house after being out for a South Jersey ramble, Mrs. Stark and I passed what looked like a bike in distress. It was hard to tell, just got a glimpse, but the bike's angle looked wrong. I pulled over and she followed, don't think she saw him at all (very wide-eyed look through her face mask.) Turned out to be a Harley down at the edge of the road. Rider was OK, I think he had pulled over, didn't see the little drop-off at the edge in the dark, hooked the front wheel over it and dropped the bike. Couldn't quite get it up by himself. Bike had floorboards, engine guard, etc, so wasn't really all the way down, more like a 45 degree angle. Too bad it was dark - guy couldn't see he was being bailed out by a couple on a metric cruiser and a British sport-tourer! He was very thankful.

Contributing factor to the drop.... well, if you could have smelled his breath like I did when I was next to him lifting the bike....... ride to drink, drink to ride. What is it with these guys? He rode away OK after we got him back up on the bike. Hope he wasn't going far.

Jonathan

[Scoutmedic]

Despite the other guys "problem", it's still great that you helped him with his dilemma. A bike is a bike is a bike when it comes to helping each other in a time of need.

[jstark47]

I'm enjoying my beer now that our bikes are parked for the night. I'm live and let live for most matters (helmet-no helmet, gear, etc.) But I don't want to see bikes and booze mixed. There's a whole biking subculture that feels otherwise, I'm well aware. I just don't hold with that.

[Scoutmedic]

I agree with you. I can't count the number of accidents I've seen caused by drinking and driving (both cages and bikes). The most serious accidents I've been to involved at least one of the drivers drinking. I put the "problem" that way just to be lighthearted about it and not say he was drunk, drinking, etc.

[jeff_connors]

I feel the same way you do about live and let live. I'm not a big Harley fan and the whole subculture of "outlaw" MC gangs. Probably for that reason and seeing some guys messed up on mc, I did not start this sport until last year (I'm 49). I regret that decision. I love it now but will never be into the "lifestyle" of Harley's.

Having said that, the only other thing I would have done after seeing if the guy was okay and smelling his breath, was to have suggested to him in a nice way not to ride. You would have probably received a poor response. If he wants to kill himself, he is doing everything right MC + booze = short life, but what about the accident he will have? If he goes through someone's windshield, he can injure or kill them.

If I'm ever in that situation, I will offer to call the guy a cab or a friend to pick him up. If they ride anyway, the local cops will be getting a call. No one has the right to endanger others on the road. Just my 2 cents.

[Gummiente]

I love it now but will never be into the "lifestyle" of Harley's.

You should be aware that this sort of behaviour is not limited strictly to Harley riders. I take offense to being lumped in with idiots like the one Jonathan mentions simply because of my choice of bikes.

[jstark47]

Mike-

I 100% agree with you, it's not just Harleys.

But I'll bring up one observation. There are a few taverns sprinkled around the more remote areas of south Jersey where I ride. In the summer, these frequently have crowds of motorcycles parked out front. I'm not bending the truth to say 90% of those bikes are the Harley brand. The owners are usually not drinking lemonade and iced tea in those establishments. (I've been inside to eat, I can see what they're drinking.) I've observed a pronounced correlation between the motorcyclists who mix drinking and riding, and ownership of the Harley Davidson brand. There's no getting around it, I see it over and over.

That said, two of the guys I work with ride Harleys, and they are some of the most responsible riders I know.

[MotoF150]

When im riding and I see a Harley broken down along the side of the road I start laughing and pointing HA HA HA and I use the biker body language everybody understands by kicking my leg out like im kicking over ur bike, but I will stop and help my fellow japanese bikers

[9000white]

when you are gone the motorcycling world will suffer a great loss.

[Gummiente]

I'm not bending the truth to say 90% of those bikes are the Harley brand. The owners are usually not drinking lemonade and iced tea in those establishments.

I'm not going to argue those points, as I have seen it myself many times over the last 24 years in the saddle. However, I have long since discovered that this sort of behaviour isn't limited to one brand of motorcycle or one area of the globe. Stupid is as stupid does and there are many people who fall into that category regardless of what they ride. For example, I have witnessed countless acts of similar stupidity coupled with aggressive behaviour by sportbike riders, but I am not naieve enough to believe that this is standard behaviour for ALL of them. A few bad apples, no?

My point was that Jeff, as a newbie, seems to have mistakenly bought into the belief of what he thinks is the "Harley lifestyle" when in fact one doesn't exist; despite what all the MotoF150's, King Frogs and every other gullible half-wits would have you think. There's nothing that can be done for them, but maybe Jeff could be shown that the overwhelmng majority of riders he'll meet are responsible people who enjoy motorcycling regardless of make or riding style and that these lifestyle "myths" exist only in the minds of those who are too weak to think for themselves.