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Once upon a time a motorcycle rider who was
returning to the activity after a few years away bought a used
metric cruiser and joined a local club. He took a refresher riding
course and started going on various outings, glad to be back in
the saddle. As his experience and proficiency increased, so did
his enjoyment as well as his acceptance by his fellow riders. One
day, after a particularly brisk and technical ride that involved
lots of neat twisties, an older, wiser, much more experienced
rider approached the motorcyclist with a strong suggestion, even
an order. “Don’t ever cross the yellow center line!”
“Huh?” said the rider. “Why not? If I can see that it’s clear
ahead in the other lane, why not utilize that space and make the
turns wider and hence easier?”
“Three reasons,” said the old pro. “First, someday even though you
think you can see that all is clear, maybe a bad surprise will be
waiting, one that could get you killed! Second, it’s illegal and
could get you a ticket if a law enforcement officer happens to
observe it. Third, it’ll make you a better rider by learning how
to safely negotiate all turns, no matter how tight, while
remaining totally in your own lane!”
“Hmmm, I see your points,” agreed the rider. “I’ll try that from
now on.” And thus it came to pass that the rider broke that bad
habit he’d formed and did indeed learn to ride with tighter
tolerances, more safety margins, and even greater enjoyment.
The story is true. The rider was me. The club was BMMC. The pro
was Bart Iden. Thanks, Bart!
Observing some fellow riders recently, I think the message being
presented here is timely and important enough to pass along. At
BMMC we pride ourselves on being a top-notch group of
motorcyclists. No BMMC group rider should ever feel good about his
or her performance if he/she crosses the centerline. Let’s work to
always keep improving both as individuals and as a group.
One additional comment on a different topic. When asked by the
Leader why the Number 2 rider was not staying, on average, one
second back in the opposite tire track, the response was “Because
if I did so, you and I would leave the rest of the pack in the
dust! Every time I stayed with you a big gap developed behind me!”
Friends, you cannot control the spacing that goes on behind you.
All you can control is how well you are spacing on the rider
immediately ahead of you. If, in fact, you are spacing properly
and a large gap does develop behind you, it’s the duty and
responsibility of successive riders to pass so as to fill in the
gap.
Everyone can have a bad, low-biorhythm day and not maintain the
spacing expected. That’s OK! That’s why sometimes you need to
position yourself near the Sweep or even decide to forego the
group ride altogether that day. No problem! But if the inability
to keep spacing develops after you are already near the front or
middle of the pack, then wave the following rider(s) around. If
you don’t signal, and he or she does a safe pass anyway, please
realize that they are not being discourteous to you but are merely
doing what’s expected of them right out of the BMMC Riders Guide.
Speaking for myself – and probably a few others, too – I know that
I feel pleasure and pride when a BMMC group rides cohesively and
presents a sharp, unified, appearance to those who see them on the
road. And when that doesn’t happen? Yuck! It’s embarrassing and
frustrating. When you ride with BMMC, you ride with the Best!
Let’s show that to the world!
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