[CaptCrashIdaho]

Motorcycles, Life and Karma by Capt. Crash

If you’re reading this you’re at least interested in motorcycles, which is important because I want you to remember what it’s like to be with a group of NON-motorcyclists. Imagine you’re in the lunch or break room and you’re the only who rides. It’s possible. The cheap TV sitting on top of the soda machine is running some kind of newscast and you notice above the anchors shoulder a little motorcycle helmet and some kind of police tape or something that visually says: MOTORCYCLE STORY.

Fortunately there’s a remote standing next to the TV and you say to it, “Steve-O, turn that up!” Steve the accountant is pleased with this new cool nickname so he reaches up and cranks up the volume. The anchor reads:

“Sheriffs deputies say the motorcyclist was splitting lanes and riding erratically before losing control of his motorcycle and striking a parked car. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. No word on if alcohol was involved but Deputies tell us the victim was not wearing a helmet.”

Now, and this takes imagination, what if the News Anchor turned to their Co-Anchor and said, “Should have been wearing a helmet; sounds like he got what he deserved!” How fast would you be on the phone? Where do you send the first E-mail? What Forums will you post in? Can you make it to the “Fire Fred the Unfriendly Anchor” rally that will happen next week? Are you ready to ride around and around the station revving your engine?

Now imagine the same situation differently. The Anchors blather a moment and pitch it to the weatherman. Sitting in her corner of the break room Tina from Shipping says: “That guy got what he deserved.”

“Pardon?” You say.

“That guy on the bike,” Tina replies, “I mean really, if you ride without a helmet you get what you deserve.”

What do you do? It’s a tough spot. America’s getting to be a pretty rough place, a ‘sow the wind, reap the whirlwind’ kind of place. It is true that he knew the risks…

So you listen a moment and say, “Bikes are dangerous, but so is eating pizza or operating a crane. Anytime anyone gets killed, not matter what or how it’s a tragedy for someone.” Then you gather up your half eaten lunch because you’re not hungry any more because someone’s husband/father/boyfriend/brother/child won’t be coming home and that’s a tragedy anyway you cut it. Everyone looks at you askew because you just threw water on their chance to grind on some loser without a helmet and you mumble something about having to make a call and you slip out.


There is another choice; you can hang out and join in. This is your chance to be king. You can be right. They know you ride, whatever you say will carry some weight. You’re the expert! It’s fun to be the expert. You read somewhere that the number 1 killing injury to motorcyclists is striking the back of their heads on the pavement so you talk about the importance of helmets.

“Then you’re an IDIOT if you ride without a helmet,” Tina says.

“Gotta protect your most valuable assets” Quips Steve-O, “I bet they were wearing chaps!”

Big laugh. It’s inappropriate and you know it but you can’t help yourself and you kick in: “Motorcycling is a dangerous business—you buy your ticket, you take your chances.”

“Yep” says someone, “they got what they asked for—they got what they deserved.”

Ever done that? NO? Not even in a forum? On line? Where nobody ever really knows who you are? Really? I have. I admit. In the public privacy of being online I have been a jerk. Haven’t we all?

It’s OK though, the motorcycling family occasionally breaks down. We become fractured and like that moment in the break room we forget who and what we are. Online it seems to be worse, we’re not just trying to hide in a group but we become part of that anonymous voice that isn’t accountable for what it says.

We can be ruthless, even cruel. We laugh as cosmic justice deals out its hard reward.

Stunter dies on freeway?--Got what he deserved.

Cruiser goes wide, hits tree?--Shouldn’t try to ride fast on those things, shoulda bought a sportbike.

Girl falls off back of bike, skin grafts needed?--ATGATT baby, live and learn.

First time rider dies coming home from shop where he just bought the bike?—Idiot should have got some training.

Then after posting and applauding all this cruelty imagine you’re on your ride home one day and you let your eyes drop. You start thinking about something, anything, maybe its taxes or bad judging at the Olympics and you’re not focused on riding anymore. Suddenly there’s a mini van left turning in front of you! How did you miss that? Didn’t they signal? It wasn’t there a second ago!

You grab a big handful of brake and, since you weren’t scanning enough you didn’t notice the diesel stain on the road, and the front tucks and you get spit right into the van. You hear that cracking noise that you can feel…and there goes the rear tire of the van! Damn, that was close! You must have hit the front quarter panel and bounced off! At least they didn’t run you over.

Then it’s quiet, it’s always quiet after a crash, the world stops. Mentally you decide to do a systems check (that cracking sound wasn’t good—you felt it). You wiggle your fingers.

And they don’t.

And your feet won’t wiggle.

You must be stunned, it’ll come back, you got zinged, and you’re just numb.

Your hearing starts to return. Someone’s screaming and crying. Sounds like kids from the minivan. You try to turn your head but it won’t go--a face appears in your field of vision, just a normal guy in a Corona shirt positioned in the center of your face. He speaks.

“I’m a certified EMT. Don’t try to move. Can you hear me? Are you having trouble breathing?”

Sirens, firemen, cops, crying children, there’s a backboard, someone’s cradling your head, you can feel that and the oxygen mask, and somewhere a woman keeps crying and saying, “I never saw him, I never saw him”. She’s completely hysterical, you can hear her babies crying for their Mommy…”I never saw him!” the crying Mother sobs…

Then a male voice answers, deep & comforting, “Its ok ma’am, motorcycling is a dangerous business, you buy your ticket and you take your chances I’m sure he knows the risk…”

It’s never fun to hear your own words used against you.

Someone once taught me if you want to give justice be ready to receive justice.

You want mercy? Then you need to be merciful.

Come on Ladies and Gentleman, Motorcycling is a sport and a passion, a lifestyle that’s full of good people who make bad choices and some who just have bad luck. Should we turn our backs and mock them? Or reach out with a little mercy? Nobody’s perfect…and if you are? Are you really the kind that throws stones? Next time you hear about some poor biker who does something stupid give them a break. They made a mistake; maybe they didn’t know better or maybe they knew better but just bet the wrong horse on the wrong day.

Karma. Do unto others. You get what you give, nobody wants what they deserve.

Maybe it’s time to give a little kindness—heaven knows you may need it someday.