bawls
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posted November 13, 2008 10:18 PM
A breed apart
Someone posted this up on the vmax boards, and i thought that you guys would like it. Reminded me of being a kid.
"...The bike's passenger seat swept up just enough that I could see over my father's shoulders. That seat was my throne. My dad and I travelled many backroads together...searching for the ones we had never found before. Travelling these roads just to see where they went. Never in a rush, just be home by supper. I remember wandering down a backroad with my father, sitting on my throne watching the trees whiz by, feeling the rumble of our bike beneath us like a giant contented cat.
A motorcycle came over a hill towards us and as it went by, my father threw up his clutch hand and gave a little wave. The other bike waved back with the same friendly swing of his left wrist. I tapped my dad on the shoulder, which was our signal that I wanted to say something. He cocked his head back slightly while keeping his eyes ahead... I yelled, "Did you know him?" "What?" "You waved at him...who was that?" "I don't know. Just another guy on a bike....so I waved." "How come?" "You just do...it's important."
Later, when we had stopped for ice cream, I asked him why it was so important to wave to other bikers. My dad tried to explain how the wave demonstrated comradeship and a mutual understanding of what it was to enjoy riding a motorcycle. He looked for the words to describe how almost all bikers struggled with the same things like cold, rain, heat, wind, and drivers who didn't see them, but how riding remained an almost pure pleasure.
I was young then and I am not sure that I really understood what he was trying to get across, but it was a beginning of something. Afterwards, I always waved along with my dad whenever we passed other bikes. I remember one cold October morning when the clouds were heavy and dark, giving us another clue that winter was heading in from just over the horizon. My dad and I were warm inside our car as we headed to a friends house. Rounding a corner, we saw a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of the road. Past the bike, we saw the rider walking thru the ditch, scouring along thru the tall grass, crowned with a touch of frost. Dad pulled over and backed up to where the bike stood. I asked Dad..."Who's that?" "Don't know" he replied..."but he seems to have lost something. Maybe we can give him a hand."
We left the car and wandered thru the tall grass ditch to the biker. He said that he had been pulling on his gloves as he rode, and that he had lost one. The three of us spent some time combing the ditch, but all we found were empty cans and bottles. My dad then turned and headed back to the car and opened the trunk. He rummaged thru various tools, oil containers, and this and that until he found an old pair of crumpled up leather gloves. He continued looking until he found an old catalogue. I understood what he was doing with the gloves....but I had no idea what he needed with the catalogue. "Here's some gloves for you" my dad said as he handed them to the rider..."and I brought you a catalogue as well." "Thanks"..I really appreciate it." He reached into his hip pocket and pulled out an old chain wallet. "Lemme give you some money for the gloves" he said. "No thanx" dad replied as he handed them to the rider. "They're not worth anything and they're old anyway". The biker smiled. "Thanx alot." He pulled the old gloves on and unzipped his jacket. I watched as my dad handed him the catalogue and the biker slipped it inside his coat. He jostled it around, positioning it up high, centered, and then zipped it up. I remembered now making sense of why my dad had given him the catalogue. It would keep him a bit warmer. After wishing the biker well, my dad and I left him warming up his bike.
Two weeks later, the biker came to our home and returned my father's gloves. He had found the address on the catalogue. Neither my father nor the biker seemed to think that my dad stopping at the side of the road for a stranger and giving him a pair of gloves, and that the stranger making sure that the gloves were returned, were events out of the ordinary for people who rode motorcycles. For me, it was another subtle lesson.
It was spring of the next year when I was sitting high on my throne, watching the farm fields slip by when I saw two bikes coming towards us. As they rumbled past, my dad and I waved, but the other bikers kept their sunglasses locked straight ahead and did not acknowledge us. I remember thinking that they must have seen us because our waves were too obvious to miss. Why didn't they wave back? I thought all bikers waved at one another..... I tapped my dad on the shoulder and yelled..."How come they didn't wave back?" "Don't know. Sometimes they don't." I remember feeling very puzzled. Why wouldn't someone wave back?
The next summer, I was finally old enough to learn to ride a motorcycle with a clutch. Many an afternoon were spent on a country lane beside our home, kicking and kicking to start my dad's old 1955 BSA. When it would finally come to a sputtering start, my concentration would grow to a sharp focus, as I tried to let out the clutch slowly enough, and bring us to a smooth take off. More often than not, I would lurch forward..... and I would begin to attempt to kickstart the motor again.
Eventually, I got my own motorcycle license, and began wandering the backroads on my own. I found myself stopping along sideroads if I saw another biker alone, just to check and see if he needed help.......and I continued to wave at other riders. But I remained focused as to why some riders never waved back. It left me with almost a feeling of rejection, as if I were reaching to shake someones hand, but they kept their arm hanging by their side. I began to canvass my friends about waving. I talked with people at Biker events, asking what they thought. Most of the old riders told me they waved to other bikers and often initiated the friendly air handshake as they passed one another.
I did meet some riders tho, who told me that they did not wave to other riders because they felt that they were different from other bikers. They felt that they were a "breed apart". One guy told me in rather colorful language, that he did not "wave to no wussies". He went on to say that his kind of bikers were tough, independent, and they did not require or want the help of anyone, whether they rode a bike or not. I suspected that there were some people who bought a bike because they
wanted to purchase an image of being tougher, more independent, a not-putting- up-with-anyone' s-crap kind of person, but I didn't think that this was typical of most riders.
People buy bikes for different reasons. Some will be quick to tell you what make it is, how much they paid for it, or how fast it will go. Brand loyalty is going to be strong for some people whether they have a Harley, Ford, Sony, or whatever... Some people want to buy an image and try to purchase another person's perception of them. But it can't be done. Still, there is a group of people who ride bikes who truly are a breed apart. They appreciate both the engineering and the artistry in the
machines they ride. Their bikes become part of who they are and how they define themselves to themselves alone. They don't care what other people think. They don't care if anyone knows how much they paid for their bike or how fast it goes. The bike means something to them that nothing else does. They ride for themselves and not for anyone else. They don't care whether anyone knows they have a bike. They may not be able to find words to describe what it means to ride, but they still know. They may not be able to describe what it means to feel the smooth acceleration and the strength beneath them, but they understand.
These are the riders who park their bikes, begin to walk away and then stop. They turn and look back. They see something when they look at their bikes that you might not. Something more complex, something that is almost secret, sensed rather than known. They see their passion. They see a part of themselves. These are the riders who understand why they wave to other motorcyclists. They savour the wave. It symbolizes connection between riders, and if they saw you and your bike on the side of the road, they would stop to help and might not ask your name. They understand what you are up against every time you take your bike on the road.....the drivers that don't see you, the ones that cut you off or tailgate you, the potholes that lie in waiting. The rain. The cold. I have been shivering and sweating on a bike for more than 40 years. Most of the riders that pass give me a supportive wave. I love it when I see a younger rider on a "crotch rocket" scream past me and wave. New riders carrying on the traditions. I will continue in my attempts to get every biker just a little closer to one another with a simple wave. And if they do not wave back when I extend my hand into the breeze as I pass them, I will smile a little more. Maybe their just mistaken about who is a "breed apart."
The Author is unknown, but the message is clear.
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SteveWFL
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posted November 14, 2008 06:08 AM
nice !
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Shane661
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posted November 14, 2008 06:21 AM
quote:
These are the riders who park their bikes, begin to walk away and then stop. They turn and look back. They see something when they look at their bikes that you might not. Something more complex, something that is almost secret, sensed rather than known. They see their passion. They see a part of themselves.
That is really awesome. I always wondered, "am I the only crazy person who admires a machine like this?". When I was younger I had some fast food places that I rode to daily. I always had a special parking space, and place to sit while I ate. I would just sit there and admire my bike.
Now days I don't get to do that nearly as often as I used to. But since I've bought my 14 I've found myself doing it a lot more. I've found that the bike is a part of me. I've not been there for years, and it's good to be back.
I've also never been one to say "Harleys suck", or such. It seems that I can look at most any motorcycle and find something I like....and if not, I still want to ride it! 
Shane
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CrotchRocket
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posted November 14, 2008 06:49 AM
Wow, Shane...Im really glad I talked you into the 14 then 
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Superman T
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posted November 14, 2008 07:44 AM
Nice write up by unknown....Wow I have to say that most of the info I read really conveys my history with my dad which use to to stop for most to help out(whether in a car or on a bike).Now days, things/people are sooooo crazy and unappreciative that you must think twice to stop, help, and reveal where you reside. A wave cost nothing and is a good notion to another which is positive and invest in the bond between humans/bikers. With all of the negativity in this world, why not give something back positive. I've had many Corvettes which have a similar alliance with other Vette owners. You can always tell those that have not invested in the history of the machines and the human partnership we share. Looking at the actions today shows where we are as a nation and I try everyday to give positive actions and attitude to my fellow man,family,& friends. But being real with life, sometimes I got to pull my alter ego(Haus) out and take out the trash
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1badvespa1400cc
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posted November 14, 2008 07:53 AM
Very good story thank you for posting that,I used to ride on the back of my dads bikes when I was younger,we lived in miss. at the time and rode all of the back rodes out in the country where we lived.Man I miss those days.
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Tool Man
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posted November 14, 2008 09:01 AM
Quote:
I've also never been one to say "Harleys suck", or such. It seems that I can look at most any motorcycle and find something I like....and if not, I still want to ride it!
Ditto +1.... I've ridden hundreds, and owned at least 20+
They just keep gettin better 
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07zx14blk
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posted November 14, 2008 10:51 AM
My Dad was a Motorcycle Cop, and I spent a lot of time in his side car as a kid growing or behind him on any one of his motorcycles. These days I will always pull over to help out a fellow biker, and will go out of my may to insure they are taken care of the way I would hope someone would take care of me. Having said that, I apologise I will never again say Harleys Suck... It's just because it appears to me that they are the majority of riders that do not wave back... even thou I still wave at everyone (especially on a shity cold day or when it is raining).
It a great day to ride and with Snow on the way tomorrow... I had best hit the road!, and I will insure I give anyone I pass a full off the handle wave.
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Tron392
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posted November 14, 2008 02:02 PM
I wave to all motorcycles that I pass by but not all wave back sport bike wave but i don't get any from the Harley guys. I asked a Harley rider why they don't wave to sport bike riders he say that most Harley guys don't like Jap bike riders. Is this True.
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Tron392
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 03:47 PM
Most harley riders are also a bunch of rich yuppies that only got their bikes as a status symbol and ride around with their noses up in the air so to speak. I know that not all harley riders are that way, but working at a honda, yamaha, harley davidson show all through high school that's what i saw. I still want to ride every bike that i see though. Harley, honda, hodaka, Maco, husqvarna, kawi, aprillia, it doesn't matter to me. If it has two wheels and at least one brake I'll throw a leg over it lol.
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icarus
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posted November 14, 2008 04:00 PM
Tron, I started out on a sportster and got a bunch of shit from guys on big twins for
having a "womans Harley." But thanks to Keith Black, Andrews cams and S+S
carburetors I couldn't hear them as I left them in the dust. Some of the people that
don't wave back because you're on a jap bike bought into the "biker attitude" because
thats what their lame-ass friends were doing also. Did I knock jap bikes when I
started out? Yes. For a while. But then I realized, it's not what you ride, its that you ride.
Besides its your money and you can spend it how you want. Harleys are great for the
long haul, for me anyway. But nothing beats having a bike that can do 80mph in first
gear. That being said, I wave to everybody.
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 04:17 PM
I'd just like to throw it out there that I spewed dr pepper out of my nose when you said that harleys are good for the long haul. The only long hauls that they're good for are the ones that they get in nice enclosed trailers or in the back of a truck lmfao.
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icarus
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posted November 14, 2008 04:24 PM
 Edited By: icarus on 15 Nov 2008 00:37
Bawls, did 692 miles in one day on my Road King with a fused lower back. No trailer queens here.
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 05:11 PM
I'm just ribbing you a little. I've done a 700 mile day across the desert in late june on my 14, and 700 miles in a day on any bike is a long day lol.
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icarus
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posted November 14, 2008 05:23 PM
Yes it is. I didn't look at my bike for a week because it made my back hurt when I did.
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smokehouse4444
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posted November 14, 2008 07:03 PM
Most everyone waves around here in central Texas. Harley riders wave as much or more than anyone. Very young riders or BMW riders tend to be the ones who don't wave. Actually, around here it usually is not so much a wave as it is two fingers pointing to the road. As in, keep the rubber side down. Great story bawls, enjoyed it.
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 07:10 PM
It always makes me happy to go home (paris texas) and have people in cars wave to me. That's something that you don't get in southern california lol.
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smokehouse4444
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posted November 14, 2008 07:17 PM
Yeah man, my dad had a "summer" place up in Northern Minnesota. I'd visit and wave to folks on the backwoods roads. Dad just laughed and said, "This ain't Texas, noone waves around here".
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2005 Ducati 999 with all the goodies
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 07:21 PM
what part of texas do you live in? Next year, i'm planning on taking a trip back to texas and pulling the 14 on a trailer. Maybe we can go racing
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smokehouse4444
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posted November 14, 2008 07:28 PM
I live in Austin. The San Antonio Raceway is about 60 miles from my house. And as you probably know, there are lots of twisties in this part of Texas. C'mon down. I'm outta here tonight. Take it easy.
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 07:37 PM
My brother actually moved to austin not too long ago lol. He's in a couple of bands there.
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icarus
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posted November 14, 2008 07:38 PM
Bawls, I just spewed Dr Pepper out of my nose when you said you were going to
put your 14 on a trailer.LOL, have fun.
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Ozonkiller
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posted November 14, 2008 08:03 PM
Oddly enough, in the 124,000 miles ridden thru 6 time zones, I have observed that the "non wavers" seem to vary by regions. Most noticably in the northeast, the Harley "biker" crowd almost seems adamant about not answering a wave...
But with out a doubt the least friendly are the Gold Wing crowd. When I pointed this out to a very close friend of mine who rode a wing, he said I was imagining things. Then we went on a 5000 mile ride around the northwest and he rode his VFR Honda. Much to his chagrin, he had to agree
You meet the nicest people on a Honda???
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bawls
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posted November 14, 2008 09:08 PM
quote:
Bawls, I just spewed Dr Pepper out of my nose when you said you were going to
put your 14 on a trailer.LOL, have fun.
you like that don't you? lol. My wife isn't too keen on driving 1650 miles while i ride my bike and we have to pay for 1.5x as much gas. That and it's a 3 day ride vs. a 1.5 day car ride and i only get to take 2 weeks at a time for the most part lol.
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smokehouse4444
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posted November 15, 2008 05:07 PM
Played in a band on the side for a long time. That's where my name comes from, my old band. My sister has lived in Palos Verdes Estates for about 17 years, and my dad lived out in LA for about 5 yrs before that. Small world, ain't it?
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2005 Ducati 999 with all the goodies
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