redclfco
New member
The guy who stopped at the accident with me who is driving an old Ford Escort says to me this morning as we wait for the LEO to show up at the accident…
"There are only two kinds of motorcycle riders those that have had an accident, and those that have yet to crash" In another time, I would have taken that thermos/coffee cup in his hands and shoved it where the sun does not shine. But I am no longer that type of guy.
We both came on to the Elko, MN exit ramp to discover a guy with one side of his pant leg covered in blood, struggling to get out from under his bike where he and his pan head went down in the corner gravel as you turn left off the exit ramp.
Considering he had no helmet, no gear, he was lucky he only ripped up his leg and palm as he went down. Some other motorists had already called 911 by the time I arrived. I stayed with him till everyone arrived, and along with me one guy decided to stay for the fun, I will call him “The Cage Escort Fat Driver Guy” The cage/escort fat guy with a thermos size cup of coffe was using a comparison to me (full ATGATT) and the knucklehead riding the Pan Head Harley, and he wanted to engage me using the line that every motorcyclist will end up like Mr. Bloody Harley guy sometime in their life. He got a "no comment, fat guy" look from me.
I chose not to comment because with age, one learns restraint, the cage/thermos guy made it back to his car and left without an expanded orifice in his never regions, and I walked away wishing that "Joe Public" had another perception of the motorcyclist. I just kept my mouth shut, and let him think what he wanted; now was not the time to spout off what I thought of his assumptive statement. It is not true that everyone, in their motorcycling career has to go down in a blaze of glory. I hate that phrase, and think it is extremely derogatory towards motorcyclists in general. You too will crash and burn was what he really meant with his statement. I disagree.
#1 I ride that road, and turn at that corner twice a day, every day and go through that same patch of gravel. I never have fallen, because I watch what-the-heck I'm doing, and unlike my bloodied comrade setting on the curb with the bloody leg, I have adequate tread on my tires to be turning; he was down to the threads on both front and rear. He told me he lived in New Prague a few miles from where he went down. He knew the road well with this corner being a few miles from his house.
#2 Yes I have dropped a bike or two in my youth, but I do not prescribe that every motorcyclist must drop their ride like my bloody friend on the curb, which is what Mr. Escort Thermos guy was referring. Mr. Bloody was riding a bike which was not safe, and only ended up riding away in the white ambulance because of his lack of gear. Take the same rider in ATGATT, the ATGATT guy would have walked away with his pride injured, but no blood; I mean the guy just slid out; the difference was the gear! When I started riding, ATGATT was an old army jacket, Levis and an open face helmet and logging gloves. New riders have the technology and affordable textile jackets with armor to make the old tried and true safety factor obsolete. With MSF courses and other safety training, there is no excuse for foolish behavior. You don’t have to ever go down; simply not true, IMHO of course!
While waiting for my turn with Mr. LEO, I was looking at the bike, and from what I could see, the bike had many other war wounds in the chrome, sort of revealing the riding habit of the owner, assuming he was the long term owner. You think you would learn after the first couple of times dropping a bike.
So I don't agree that everybody riding has to go down in a blaze of blood, in fact I will go out on a limb here by saying there are some who will never have to go down...ever... if they ride like their supposed to ride...what do you all think?
"There are only two kinds of motorcycle riders those that have had an accident, and those that have yet to crash" In another time, I would have taken that thermos/coffee cup in his hands and shoved it where the sun does not shine. But I am no longer that type of guy.
We both came on to the Elko, MN exit ramp to discover a guy with one side of his pant leg covered in blood, struggling to get out from under his bike where he and his pan head went down in the corner gravel as you turn left off the exit ramp.
Considering he had no helmet, no gear, he was lucky he only ripped up his leg and palm as he went down. Some other motorists had already called 911 by the time I arrived. I stayed with him till everyone arrived, and along with me one guy decided to stay for the fun, I will call him “The Cage Escort Fat Driver Guy” The cage/escort fat guy with a thermos size cup of coffe was using a comparison to me (full ATGATT) and the knucklehead riding the Pan Head Harley, and he wanted to engage me using the line that every motorcyclist will end up like Mr. Bloody Harley guy sometime in their life. He got a "no comment, fat guy" look from me.
I chose not to comment because with age, one learns restraint, the cage/thermos guy made it back to his car and left without an expanded orifice in his never regions, and I walked away wishing that "Joe Public" had another perception of the motorcyclist. I just kept my mouth shut, and let him think what he wanted; now was not the time to spout off what I thought of his assumptive statement. It is not true that everyone, in their motorcycling career has to go down in a blaze of glory. I hate that phrase, and think it is extremely derogatory towards motorcyclists in general. You too will crash and burn was what he really meant with his statement. I disagree.
#1 I ride that road, and turn at that corner twice a day, every day and go through that same patch of gravel. I never have fallen, because I watch what-the-heck I'm doing, and unlike my bloodied comrade setting on the curb with the bloody leg, I have adequate tread on my tires to be turning; he was down to the threads on both front and rear. He told me he lived in New Prague a few miles from where he went down. He knew the road well with this corner being a few miles from his house.
#2 Yes I have dropped a bike or two in my youth, but I do not prescribe that every motorcyclist must drop their ride like my bloody friend on the curb, which is what Mr. Escort Thermos guy was referring. Mr. Bloody was riding a bike which was not safe, and only ended up riding away in the white ambulance because of his lack of gear. Take the same rider in ATGATT, the ATGATT guy would have walked away with his pride injured, but no blood; I mean the guy just slid out; the difference was the gear! When I started riding, ATGATT was an old army jacket, Levis and an open face helmet and logging gloves. New riders have the technology and affordable textile jackets with armor to make the old tried and true safety factor obsolete. With MSF courses and other safety training, there is no excuse for foolish behavior. You don’t have to ever go down; simply not true, IMHO of course!
While waiting for my turn with Mr. LEO, I was looking at the bike, and from what I could see, the bike had many other war wounds in the chrome, sort of revealing the riding habit of the owner, assuming he was the long term owner. You think you would learn after the first couple of times dropping a bike.
So I don't agree that everybody riding has to go down in a blaze of blood, in fact I will go out on a limb here by saying there are some who will never have to go down...ever... if they ride like their supposed to ride...what do you all think?
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