by Kevin L'dux

Created on: August 07, 2008

If we lived in a perfect world and gravity didn't play a role in motorcycling, safety equipment would be of little consequence. The bike wouldn't fall over, who needs a kickstand? No skin would touch pavement so gloves and helmets are moot as well. Jackets and pants are not needed either so shorts are fine. However, I live in the real world and not the "Twilight Zone".

Helmet laws are something I shake my head and laugh about. Ask yourself why some jurisdictions make it mandatory; if you can't think of a reason do research into the matter.
I have ridden two wheeled vehicles most of my life and driven cars for over half of it. I have seen the populations of every major city or town I have lived in or visited skyrocket.
The surrounding areas of Washington, DC, where I now reside, is one of the fastest growing of any I have been in years. Sure, New York and Los Angeles are large cities with lots of sprawl but the state of Maryland, which wraps around DC, has grown so fast the infrastructure never knew what hit it. Northern Virginia, on the western side of the City and Potomac river is a leviathan of bedroom communities.
One of the facts of life one must accept when living here is commute times of an hour just driving across town on the weekends. Rush hour is maddening for the reason traffic increases daily as more and more people move to the area and add to traffic.
I mention all of this because I have driven cars and ridden a motorcycle on the highways and byways of the region. In my opinion there is too much traffic on the roads to enjoy riding a motorcycle. Most people don't know it but you can block the sight of a motorcycle 100 yards away with just your forefinger or thumb. Any rider knows that. When people in cars are trying to beat traffic at a light or sign that sliver of their vision will block out a bike.
Add to that a bunch of riders wearing shorts, tank tops and flimsy shoes while darting about in traffic as if it didn't exist. Most of these riders don't possess a proper pair of gloves to cover their hands.
Too many riders think themselves to be invincible. I know from experience there are two classifications of riders - those that have and those that haven't. One's knowledge is different in either case.
What separates the two? That's actually quite simple and there are already several who know that answer. The easiest answer is gone down. Some might say crashed or wrecked. I prefer gone down as that explains exuberance over ability and we all get that at

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>