You Don't Know Me

© Renee Silverman

Anyone who rides a motorcycle is by definition a Hell's Angels, biker-gang type of guy, right? That stereotype held sway for many years, but now everyone pretty much now knows that's not the case. Still, misconceptions about so-called "bikers" exist. So what else do people "know" about about people who ride that is just plain wrong?

1. You have to be a daredevil to ride a motorcycle.

Everyone knows motorcycles are dangerous, right? And you're taking your life in your hands any time you climb on one, right? So all motorcyclists must be daredevils, right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

First off, motorcycles, like cars and guns and so many other things, are not inherently dangerous. It's what people do with them that can be dangerous. Used properly, with good training, your chances of getting hurt are slim. Used recklessly they can kill, but that's user error or misuse, not the object itself.

Second, certainly you don't have as much protection in a crash on a motorcycle as you do within the steel cage of a car, but if you make a point to ride safely and defensively you can ride for a lifetime without a serious wreck--just like in a car. And if you choose to wear some of the excellent protective gear available, even if you do wreck you won't necessarily suffer much more than road rash. Have you seen those racers who wipe out at 100 miles an hour or more? They generally slide, maybe tumble a bit, and then jump right up and go running off to wherever the bike ended up.

Of course, sometimes people do die. Just as they do in cars, on bicycles, or crossing the street. If you get in a bad enough crash you will die. And no matter how careful you are, if it's your day to die it's going to happen. But just as you don't have to be a daredevil to cross the street or ride a bicycle, it's not necessary for riding a motorcycle either.

On the other hand, it does help to be adventurous.

2. Bikers are big boozers and hang out in bars a lot.

This is absolutely true about some motorcyclists. Also accountants, nurses, sales clerks, computer programmers, garbage collectors, and so on. In the meantime, it is completely untrue about the majority of bikers, or anyone else. Some people are boozers and others are not.

You may see or hear about "biker bars." The reason biker bars even exist is that some places make it known that they do not welcome people in leather and the other accouterments of riding. Places that go out of their way to make bikers welcome get more biker traffic, and become known as biker bars. But non-bikers are welcome, too. And a lot of people who ride, don't even hang out at biker bars, or any bars for that matter.

In the meantime, there are biker groups whose specific focus is on sober riding. And while many poker runs stop at bars, others specifically avoid stopping at bars because they do not want to encourage riding and drinking.

3. Bikers love loud pipes.

"Loud pipes save lives," claim many riders who have loud pipes. And they do love that sound.

"Loud pipes risk rights," claim others who dispute their life-saving value and fear the wrath of city councils that are all too ready to vote in discriminatory laws that punish every motorcyclist, regardless of how loud their bikes are.

So this is only a partial misconception – some love them, and some loathe them, afraid that pipes on some bikes will ruin the fun for the rest of us.

4. Bikers hate helmets and helmet laws.

Just as with loud pipes, which some bikers love and some don't, the motorcycling community is divided on the question of helmets. There is less division, however, on the question of helmet laws.

Many bikers, especially among the sportbike crowd, swear by their helmets and would never dream of riding without them. For this group it doesn't matter if there are laws requiring helmets or not, they see it as a basic matter of safety. Others, particularly among the cruiser, or Harley, types disdain helmets and wear them only if the law requires it. In the middle are those who choose to wear helmets or not based on the weather, the road, and whatever other factors they deem relevant.

In short, there is no unanimity at all regarding wearing helmets, but the numbers come together much more solidly when the issue is helmet laws. Motorcyclists tend to be an independent bunch and they don't like having someone who doesn't ride trying to tell them what they should or must do. For helmets, this boils down to the phrase, "Let the rider decide."

Certainly there are riders who believe helmets should be mandated for all riders, but they are in the minority. Even many riders who themselves would never ride without a helmet are adamantly opposed to helmet laws because they see this as unwarranted government intervention. In their minds, riding without a helmet is stupid but it's not against the law to be stupid.

5. You don't want to mess with bikers, they're scary and violent.

Like so many other stereotypes, there are certainly a few bikers of whom this is true, while for the vast majority it's absurd. Do you think you have something to fear from the guy who does your taxes just because he's wearing a leather jacket and chaps and has a bandana on his head? Does your attorney scare you just because he rode up on a Harley?

In the motorcycling community there is a term, the "1-percenters," used to describe the true "outlaw" bikers who are legitimately scary and who live outside the law. The term probably derives from the idea that "these are the 1 percent who give the rest of us a bad name."

6. Bikers have their own subculture and give society at large the finger.

Beyond the fact that that guy you see going down the street on that Harley may well be an attorney or doctor, the truth is that bikers are just people like anyone else. They have mortgages, kids, and jobs that pay those mortgages and feed those kids.

In fact, in many cases, when the kids are young and money is tight the bikes end up getting sold. Then, when the kids are grown and they're in their peak earning years, it's time to finally get back into riding. Sure, they'll put on the leather and hang out in the biker bars and pretend to be badass dudes, but then they go home, flip on the football game, fret about the state of the economy, and become indistinguishable from any other working stiff. They don't give society the finger, they are society. They're your neighbors, your friends, your coworkers-heck, they may even be you. If you're lucky.

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