Becoming a Biker, Part 3: Instant acceptance to the club

A year ago I covered the Laconia Bike Week for the newspaper wearing ear plugs. The black-leather-clad crowd looked silly to me, as well as the men who spent fortunes chroming-out and customizing their pet bikes.

Today, I own an ensemble of black leather, and shop for more. I have a Harley-Davidson with loud pipes and enough chrome to make me proud . . . but not proud enough.

When my friend read the sticker I pasted on my black helmet last weekend after attending the Laconia rally (WANTED: A Meaningful Overnight Relationship), she concluded motorcycling had opened up a whole new side to my personality. She’s right.

First there’s the sheer joy of riding. The wind blowing on your face, the motorcycle revving under you, and a feeling of oneness with Nature and the Machine. It’s a rush.

Curves in the road feel like those cheap carnival rides that spin you faster and faster in a circle until you’re sideways in the air. Your body, gravity, and speed keep the bike exquisitely glued to the earth.

And if you like meeting men, there’s nothing better than being a single woman on a Harley. One Friday night, for example, on Ocean Boulevard in Hampton Beach, a guy riding a Harley-Davidson Heritage bike pulled along side of me. We chatted through the stop and go traffic. Eventually, he suggested we ride off to his house. When I declined, he disappeared down a small side street. Fun.

Men also approach me when I park. Guys see me with my bike and the next line out of their mouths is: “Nice ride.” A welcome change, however, from “nice eyes.” I’d rather talk about my bike any day.
The club

Having a bike is like being a member of a national club. We all wave at each other on the road. Strange bikers pull up along side you at a stoplights, or ride abreast for a few miles and then disappear.

Last weekend, I rode past a motorcade of bikers. They were going the opposite direction on Bypass Route 1 toward Eliot, Maine. I banged a U-turn and joined in the fun. It was exhilarating to be among the 25 bikers rumbling down the back roads in staggered formation. People doing yard work stopped and stared. Many people smiled.

This Harley has also given me something that two years of living in the Port City has yet to accomplish. A steady supply of chums to hang out with day or night in downtown Portsmouth.

I park my bike (free) in the in Market Square among the rows of bikes on the street. Buy a double tall latte from Cafe Brioche and enjoy the biker crowd.

You don’t have to talk to hang. But, if you’re in the mood for a little conversation, there’s never any fear of what to say after hello. Everyone speaks the same language: chrome accessories, performance add-ons, unreasonable sound laws, engine sizes, and more technical stuff.

A photographer named Dante serves as the unofficial welcoming committee, introducing newcomers to the regulars. He is also the giver of names. So far, he’s dubbed individuals with names like Beanie Boy, Haystack, and Smoking Bob (who always rides up with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth).

Come to think of it, I don’t know these men by any other name. Seems everyone has a handle, like CB operators. I can’t wait to see what mine will be.
The diversity

Another thing I like about biking is the mix of people, men mostly, that I meet — from doctors to mechanics. Some are well-heeled and meticulously groomed. Others are scruffy, like the guy with a full body tattoo called Ripper. He was sitting at the Smokehouse at Weirs Beach in Laconia last weekend. I ended up at his table because it was the only one empty and because it had a front-row view of the endless parade of motorcycles turning the corner onto Lakeside Avenue.

Soon, Ripper and I were having a great time commenting on the passing bikes, dissing the Japanese sport bikes, and admiring the women riding big Harleys. But there weren’t many of those.

It’s only been a few months since my descent into the world of motorcycling. I’m sure there’s more to learn, and enjoy.

And, if by chance, you see me riding my white Harley decked out in black leather, feel free to laugh. I’m not too proud to admit it’s all a bit childish. And in the end that’s what it’s all about. Having fun and freeing that inner child in all of us.

I'll be sure to pass that nugget of wisdom along to all the professional motorcycle racers that wear, and swear by quality helmets.

And that relates to street accidents in WHAT way? You may not have noticed this,but there ain't too many curbs,steel mailboxes,trucks pulling out of sides streets,etc,etc,etc on a race track.

You don't like to wear a helmet? Fine, but please keep your misinformation to yourself.

If you want to wear one,fine. Just don't try to sell that HorseHllary here to people who know better. Or are you going to try to tell me helmets protect your head from anything BUT a glancing blow at speeds over about 10-15 MPH?

I've personally seen guys walk away from accidents after sutaining damage to their helmet that would have been real messy if it'd been their head instead.

I have too,on the race track. Never PERSONALLY seen them do anything but kill or hurt people on the street.

I said: I'll be sure to pass that nugget of wisdom along to all the professional motorcycle racers that wear, and swear by quality helmets.

You said: And that relates to street accidents in WHAT way? You may not have noticed this,but there ain't too many curbs,steel mailboxes,trucks pulling out of sides streets,etc,etc,etc on a race track.

Well, let's see. Race tracks are made of asphalt, as are roads. The helmet is there to protect you against impact with the road more than anything. As I said above, they may not be able to save you from every impact, but they can certainly help absorb some of the blow.

I said: You don't like to wear a helmet? Fine, but please keep your misinformation to yourself.

You said: If you want to wear one,fine. Just don't try to sell that HorseHllary here to people who know better. Or are you going to try to tell me helmets protect your head from anything BUT a glancing blow at speeds over about 10-15 MPH?

If you fall off a bike at speed, what is the relative speed with which your head hits the ground? No more than that. The vertical component is what counts. And as far as glancing blows go, I'd rather have some protection in the case I hit my head than none at all. You've apparently decided that you WILL be killed in any bike accident where you hit your head. I've decided to try and avoid that, if possible.

I said: I've personally seen guys walk away from accidents after sutaining damage to their helmet that would have been real messy if it'd been their head instead.

You said: I have too,on the race track. Never PERSONALLY seen them do anything but kill or hurt people on the street.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, that might be true for those crappy half-helmets and beanies that some people wear. Those things are ideally designed to present a nice grabby edge to the pavement if you fall. That is not true of a proper full-face helmet. I have personally seen helmets from riders who went down, ON THE STREET, where the helmet sustained damage that clearly would have been very nasty if it had been their skull that hit the pavement instead. I knew only one person personally who died in a bike accident, from internal (ie not head) injuries. I know many others who have gone down and their head was probably the best protected part of them. Not one has been killed or injured by their helmet. What do you propose is the mechanism of street accidents that causes helmets to injure their users, when this is not the case on the track?

Honestly, I can understand being anti-helmet-law, but not anti-helmet. The only place I've ever seen any anti-helmet information is at places like ABATE.

What do you propose is the mechanism of street accidents that causes helmets to injure their users, when this is not the case on the track?

Whiplash resulting in broken necks is the actual injury caused by helmets worn by street riders. The bigger concern is the restricted vision and hearing make it more likely you will have the accident in the first place.

Honestly, I can understand being anti-helmet-law, but not anti-helmet.

It's all part of the same statist package. Remember "All we are asking for is a small section of restaurants be set aside for non-smoking. Is that too much to ask for? It's not like we are going to demand anybody quit smoking." The next thing you know,they are telling lies about second-hand smoke dangers,and getting away with it. My all-time favorite lie was the one where they claimed second-hand smoke was actually more dangerous than actually smoking.

The only place I've ever seen any anti-helmet information is at places like ABATE.

Think about this carefully,ok? ALL the other sources or places for information about helmets are somehow connected to the helmet industry,and want to sell more helmets. Either that,or they are connected to the gooberment.

The bigger concern is the restricted vision and hearing make it more likely you will have the accident in the first place.

I might agree with that to a certain extent, particularly for riding in traffic. I do find full-face helmet limit vision a little, some more than others. Not usually an issue, but possibly in traffic. I don't do much riding in traffic, personally - just not enjoyable usually.

I don't believe that statement is completely accurate, but there is some truth in it. I still believe, from my and many other's personal experience, that helmets do provide useful protection against many impacts that would otherwise cause serious head injuries. I think there is good evidence from racing that they do provide useful protection on the racetrack, and good reason to believe that they will provide similar protection in a variety of circumstances on the street.

As I implied, I'm in favour of freedom of choice in this issue, I just don't think the protective abilities of a good helmet should be discounted, or their possible risks overstated, when making the decision whether or not to wear one.

Enjoy the ride man, whatever your choice in bikes and gear. We've got that in common, anyway.

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