I'll Call You....and other lies

You can ride high atop your pony
I know you won't fall...
'Cause the whole thing's phoney.
You can fly swinging from your trapeze
Scaring all the people
But you'll never scare me

Stevie Nicks...Bella Donna





There are some things that should be just obvious. Wouldn’t ya think?

So I had this cool CB900 Honda motorcycle. It was quick and very smooth since it was shaft driven, as opposed to the chain driven I was accustomed to. I discovered that when I tried to apply chain lube. Apparently a good sign to quit smoking so much dope.

Back then I would just take day trips, ranging from jaunts about the county to full blown trips to Seattle. At the time the speed limit was still 55, so it took a bit to do this. I knew a few other folks who had bikes and would often join them. One of these folks rode a Harley and was part of a “Biker Social Club”. It was not unusual to ride along with these club guys and it was as a rule just a bunch of people on motorcycles enjoying the experience of riding.

One day we came to a crest on the road that dropped down into a local town. Upon reaching it my riding buddies pulled off to the side of the road and I of course followed suit. My Harley Buddy walked over and explained that since we would be heading through town they couldn’t have me ride with them. Image and all that. But he went onto explain it would be OK for me to go through town 1st and I could wait for them on the other side and we could ride together again. In some bizarre way I felt that it probably made sense. I was already comfortable with my role of being the date you had on Saturday but under no circumstances would I be invited over for Sunday lunch to meet the family. It is after all about image.

I don’t believe my story is unique, let alone all that unusual. I suspect we all know people who we have been told that you just can’t ride with us in public. We have all probably treated someone in that manner. Now that I’m older, hey the AARP says I am, I sometimes cringe at what I allowed to pass for perfectly acceptable behavior.

Being one of the “cool” kids is tough and not for the faint of heart. I ‘m ok with not being one of the cool kids, I have learned that quality and loyalty far outshines how you look on your bike. I just wish I had learned that years earlier.