The Kindness of (Not Total) Strangers

Although I’m better known for being a cynical bastard than a « Chicken Soup for the Soul » kind of guy, sometimes perfect strangers do things that make me want to re-evaluate my perception of modern society. Case in point is Mike. For now we’ll keep it on a first name basis because a) I’m not sure he’d like to have his full name in print on the net in some guy’s blog, and b) I don’t really know what his full name is.

Mike is from Nova Scotia, but he’s good friends with John – who’s from Ontario. I’m somewhere in the middle here in New Brunswick. Anyhow, to make a long story short, John had a touring windshield for the V-Strom that he was willing to part with and I was willing to take; but how do you ship a windshield without the hassle of packing it and paying exorbitant shipping fees? That’s where Mike comes in!

Mike was in Ontario for other matters, and agreed to take the windshield and meet me in Moncton on his way back home. This was great for me as a) it saves me money, and b) well, reason “a)” should be enough! Mike gave me a call when he was close to Moncton and we found a place to meet-up. He gave me the windshield, we had a coffee and spoke about motorcycles for a bit as he’s been a rider for awhile; not to mention that he had just bought an old Honda dual-sport for his son to learn how to ride (what a great Dad - all I ever got was Lego blocks and bicycles). He tried to convince me that his ST1100 was the ultimate sport-touring bike, and I begged to differ that the V-Strom could hold its own against any bike (i.e. typical biker "my-bike-is-better-than-yours" banter). After a few chuckles, he got back into his truck and drove off.

Now I usually balk at the whole “biker brotherhood” shtick, as it all too often sounds like yet another tried and true Harley-Davidson marketing ploy to get bored accountants and suit-and-tie lawyers out of their office and among the living – but in some instances there is a bit of truth to the stereotype (as there is to most stereotypes). Non-motorcyclists out there probably can’t understand why a good touring windshield would be important – and I don’t blame them; but Mike most likely understood, which is probably why he agreed to make a detour on his way home to drop off this piece of Lexan to a guy he’d never met before.

So here’s a big tip of the helmet to Mike for making the delivery, and to John for parting ways with such a nice piece of plastic. You guys are just another reason why motorcycling is such a great thing.