Might As Well Face It - You're Addicted To Bling!

My yearly pilgrimage to the Caraquet Lobster-Bike Rally (catchy name, no?) was last week. Although I don’t particularly enjoy motorcycle rallies, it’s nevertheless become something of a tradition for me. First, it's a "all-style" rally - so you run into (not litterally) crotch rockets, cruisers, adventure tourers and even - yep - scooters! This year it seemed like scooters were planning an invasion of sorts judging by the shear number of 'em put-putting around. Secondly, it's in my hometown of Caraquet and it gives me an excuse to ride up and see the family. Of course, the rally has its share of testosterone-heavy events, like the ever popular tire burnout or the wet T-shirt competitions; but it’s also a great opportunity to hang-out with other motorcyclists of various backgrounds that share a common fascination.

This fascination with motorcycles can be on many levels: some find the act of riding itself an exhilarating experience – being able to lean into a corner and countersteer is something car drivers will never experience and it brings you closer to the actual act of driving than anything else. Others are die-hard wrench-heads that love to see exactly how many extra horses they can squeeze out of a few cylinders; this was prominent at the mechanics’ competition where “the best of the best” took to their wrenches to compete against the clock and – more importantly – against each other.

Other people simply like the bling.

Many times over the course of the weekend I was blinded by excessive amounts of chrome attached to unsuspecting HD’s, Road-Stars, Vulcans, Boulevards and whatever else. One chopper actually had a gold-plated engine case, exhausts, rims and other bits and pieces. I talked to the owner, Gary, and he confided (more like bragged) that it had cost him insane amounts of money to customize his bike; the only reason he stopped customizing was because he claims it was going to cost him his marriage! One thing he mentioned really caught my attention: “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop… It was an addiction!”. C’mon Gary – get a life! I’ve seen friends battle nasty addictions to alcohol and various drugs that often leave them scarred for life physically and emotionally, but I had to laugh in this guy’s face when he admitted his gold-addiction (which, by the way, is not a wise thing to do when the guy in question is the size of a truck).

All through my conversation with Gary he kept mentioning how his golden two-wheeled trophy (a Yamaha RoadStar, by the way) was a “great machine”. Now I don’t disagree with Gary since many of my friends and riding buddies have Yamahas and I can vouch that they are very reliable. I just wondered what kind of experience he had with the bike given that the odometer read 270 kms!

I don’t want to judge the bling factor too much; if it makes you happy (and doesn’t hurt anybody), so be it! But I hope they’ll forgive me if I don’t consider them to be serious motorcyclists (by my personal definition). To me, a serious motorcyclist (in no specific order):

• has ridden higher than 3rd gear,
• has seen the sun rise and fall from behind the handlebars,
• has ridden in the rain, wind, cold and even possibly snow,
• rides with full gear not only for safety’s sake, but also because it is more comfortable during thousand kilometer days,
• doesn’t give a damn that his jacket isn't blazoned with a Harley-Davidson logo (or any other logo for that matter),
• rides his or her motorcycle to work, store, errands, etc… not just to the local watering hole on Friday nights,
• would rather spend money on heated grips than chromed rims,
• would never, ever, trailer his or her motorcycle to a rally (or anywhere else - unless it's broken down)!

I don’t want to come off with an "I’m better than you ‘cause I really ride" attitude. My philosophy has always been: "It doesn't matter what you ride - as long as you ride". Like I said – whatever makes you happy. Just understand that bling doesn’t impress me and don’t be insulted if I'd rather talk to the guy sitting on the mud-encrusted high-mileage GS than bow to your chrome altar.

Chain, Chain, Go Away...

Clean, dry, lube, ride, and repeat.

Those are the basic instructions you need to learn when riding a chain-driven motorcycle. Some don't seem to mind too much. But then again, some seem to spend more time shining than riding, and on longer trips their bikes are usually tagging along in a trailer! Not that there's anything wrong with being a chrome worshiper; it's just not my thing.

I got into motorcycling as a means to travel. I’d read books like Jupiter’s Travels and Ghost Rider; so these are the people I wanted to emulate. Problem is, Ted Simon never mentioned how often he had to stop to oil the chain and change the sprockets when on his ‘round the world trip. Neil Peart didn’t have to worry of such things, he had a shaft. Ah yes, the elusive shaft. It used to be a rarity among motorcycles, a piece of automotive technology grafted onto a two-wheeled vehicle. Shafts are now commonplace, even on entry level cruisers (like the Yamaha V-Star 650). Alas, I’m not a cruiser guy; and most of the bikes I like that are equipped with shafts are beyond my financial resources.

Maybe BMW could sponsor me! I’d write about what great bikes they produce, cleverly ignoring some of the “issues” they’ve had with the splines on their final drives, and they’d reward my lack of journalistic integrity with a new R1200RT. Yeah, I know I’m dreaming…

About the cheapest bike out there that would fit my needs is the Yamaha FJR1300; which isn’t a bad thing in itself, since it’s a great sport touring rig. At least, that’s what almost every magazine review and comparo have said about it. Now my only obstacle is getting the boss (wife) to approve such a purchase. Maybe it’s time for some flowers ;-)

Too Many Images...

So I finally broke down and bought a digital camera. I can imagine some of you are dragging their mouse pointer towards the bookmarks section of your browser right now because you're expecting some sort of techno-phobic rant about how digital isn't better than film... Read on; you may be surprised!

First of all, I'm not a technophobe. For those of you that read my motorcycle posts you should know that I tend to gravitate away from carburators and more towards EFI. Same goes for photography. I've always been a fan of digital image manipulation (i.e. digital darkroom) because it makes professional photography techniques more accessible. You no longer need a darkroom with enlargers and bottles of image fixers and other chemicals. A decent computer with Photoshop will do the trick. Although, I admit, Photoshop is almost as expensive as a complete traditional darkroom!

My biggest beef with digital cameras was the lack of quality; still is, actually. You see, my 20+ year old Minolta SLR still consistently outperforms my new Fuji S2 Pro. Doesn't really make sense, does it? You see, film technology has evolved by leaps and bounds, just like its digital counterparts. Even a budget point-&-shoot camera loaded with pro-quality 400 speed film will outperform even the most expensive digital SLR in many situations.

So why is everybody jumping on the digital bandwagon? Money baby, M-O-N-E-Y! I've done a few wedding gigs and the latest craze is "non-intrusive" or "documentary" style pics. These are basically un-posed pics of the bride fixing her makeup or the groom putting on his socks. For whatever reason, people like it. The problem with doing this style of photography is that alot of it is hit-or-miss; in other words, you'll be shooting alot of film to get very few sellable pics. In comes digital photography. I've got two memory cards that each hold about 1GB's worth of photos. If that's not enough, I've got a digital wallet onto which I can dump the memory card's contents (it holds 40GB). This effectively means that I can machine-gun the shutter throughout the whole ceremony then sort through the pics and select the best ones when I get back to the studio. Once the initial selection has been made, I can print out contact sheets for the client or have them browse through the pics on the website. They can then make their selection, including size and number of prints, and I print them out then mount them in albums or frames and the job is done!

Here's the other cool bit: they can give their online photo album's address to grandparents, aunts and uncles and they can also order prints. It only takes a fraction (and I don't use that word lightly) of the time that is used to for me which means I make a better profit margin while charging less to my clients and offering them a better service.

Like I said: M-O-N-E-Y!

Cabin Fever... or The Impatient Motorcyclist.

So the kitchen sink clogged-up beyond belief last Saturday. Leftover bits and pieces of food from the garbage disposal’s diet were floating around in gently spiralling motion, which would have been kind of beautiful had it not been for the stench. What does this have to do with motorcycling you ask? Patience, my friend. You see, being the man of the house (i.e. slave to my wife); I took it upon myself to try and fix this nuisance that was depriving me of the great pleasure I get when doing the dishes. I trotted out in the snow to the storage barn in the corner of our land in search of a plunger and drain snake (“our land” is actually one tenth of an acre in suburbia – the seventh circle of hell). After fiddling with the frozen lock for ten minutes, I finally got in and froze in my tracks when I saw it: my motorcycle (actually, I was also literally frozen in my tracks)!

It almost seems like years since I put it away for the winter. I’ve got to give credit to my brain for effectively masking out the thought of motorcycling throughout most of these cold months; I guess it’s a form of self-therapy. Somehow when I saw it there in the corner, the overwhelming urge to ride it came back with a vengeance (damn you, brain for giving up on me). The best I could do for now, given the 50+ feet of snow outside, was to sit on it and pretend I was somewhere warm; which was a particularly difficult thing to imagine considering that the seat was rather cold on my – ahem - twiddly bits. Eventually I managed to mentally filter out the cold (or my body simply went numb) and enjoy my brief daydream of a ride down some summer road through twisty corners with no traffic. The lack of feeling in my extremities (all of them) ultimately brought me back to reality with a deafening thud. Dismounting the bike proved to be a rather disgraceful dance since most of my joints were no longer functioning within normal parameters due to lack of heat. Regardless, my little fantasy did me some good and proved to be helpful therapy in coping with the long wait until the snow melts and Mother Nature brings the warmth of Spring back to my life.

I slowly made my way back to the house with images of summer rides still filling my mind. I somehow felt as though things weren’t that bad and the wait for warmth would now be bearable. Of course, all feelings of well being were completely shot to hell when I walked through the door and saw my wife still pointing at the kitchen sink. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to go back to the storage barn and get that plunger and snake... But first I’ll just dream a few laps around the neighbourhood.

Motorcyclists: Our own worst enemy!

Read a great article by David Hough in Motorcycle Consumer News last weekend regarding the use of "Straight Pipes" on motorcycles. To my surprise and delight, Hough took the whole "Straight Pipes Save Lives" theory and flushed it down the can! How refreshing it was to finally hear a true motorcyclist (i.e. someone who rides for reasons other than image) speak up against the lies and propaganda being touted by certain interest groups.

For years many motorcyclists have been singing the praises of loud pipes (that is, if you can *hear* them singing), claiming that they force car drivers to take notice of motorcycles. Others even claim that the loud rumbling of exhaust pipes gives a menacing tone which makes other drivers think twice before messing with you! Obviously the rumbling tone has also affected their ability to think.

The truth is, loud pipes are dangerous. A motorcyclist must above all be aware of everything going on around him or her. If you can't hear that SUV's horn coming up too fast behind you because your chrome beast makes more noise than a 747 at take-off: you're roadkill! Hough also raised more scientific proof, like the fact that exhaust noise is comprised mostly of low frequency content, thus making it omni-directional. In a nutshell, this is the same theory as a subwoofer for your home theatre system. No matter where you install the subwoofer, the sound will propagate omnidirectionally and make itself heard throughout the room. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the location from which the sound is emanating. So in other words, although a car driver may hear the rumble of straight pipes coming, they won't be able to dicern from which direction the sound is coming.

Many independant studies have shown that straight pipes do little to nothing to prevent accidents. The latest of which being the MAIDS study in Europe. There is, however, undeniable proof that loud pipes are having a negative effect on all motorcyclist's rights and privileges. Many towns and cities have adopted laws that either limit or prohibit the use of all motorcycles during certain hours and/or on certain streets.

There's also the whole issue of outside perception. The bikers who claim that loud pipes make them seem more menacing are absolutely right! Which just adds fuel to the fire for any group that is pushing to implement restrictions on motorcyclists.

Let's face it: as motorcyclists we are greatly outnumbered on our roads and highways, and the majority rules. If we keep being a nuisance to other motorists, we're just our own worst enemy.

A word of advice to motorcyclists out there who are thinking of getting loud pipes to ensure that they get noticed - paint your bike hot pink with flashing purple lights instead; I guarantee that more people will notice you than you would care for!

The Long, Cold Winter...

So now its official: winter is here. The new year is here and it's brought a suitcase full of snow in the guise of a blizzard. This time of year always conjures up a bagful of mixed feelings. On one hand, I’m happy to see the holidays are here. It’s a great time of year to get together with family and friends, reflect on the year gone by and simply have fun. There are, of course, the gifts under the tree and the massive turkey dinner prepared with love by the family matriarch (which, invariably, leaves grandpa snoozing in the easy-chair from over-exertion at the table). There’s also a feeling of general brotherhood; goodwill towards men and all that. People seem to smile more often and shake hands more willingly. That is, of course, if you stay away from the dreaded shopping malls; or as I tend to call them “Hell in a shopping basket”!

Winter also has a flipside for many of us; the other side of the coin, so to speak. For a great number of men & women around the world, winter means “No Motorcycling”. Now to all you four-wheeled commuters out there who have never seen the sunrise over a set of handlebars: don’t try to understand what I’m talking about, you simply can’t. I won’t try to make this an overly ideal or romantic affair, like the lone-biker-down-a-desert-highway image that manufacturers over-use in their ads, because it isn’t.

Motorcycles and their riders have a constant love/hate relationship: it doesn’t idle right, or the seat’s too high, or the windshield’s at the wrong angle, or the pegs are too far back, and so on and so on... But the funny thing is that they keep coming back for more! No matter how burnt-out a motorcyclist might be from working on their ride and spinning wrenches in the shop their smile goes from ear to ear when they press that small red button and bring the two-wheeled beast to life. Which is precisely why winter can be so darn depressing for some of us living North of the snowbelt. Ever look at a motorcyclist’s face when he or she is prepping their bike for a long winter’s nap? It’s a mixture of pride and sadness; proud of another great riding season, and sad to see that it’s coming to an end.

The advent of the Internet and the online motorcycle communities has helped ease the burden of hibernating for some bikers, but it’s also added salt to the wounds of others. Who really wants to hear about a biker in sunny Florida riding around in tropical temperatures when you can’t even stand to look out the window because the frost and snow is too depressing? Winter can also be quite costly for motorcyclists as it gives them plenty of idle time to think-up new ways to “accessorize” their bikes. A great man once said that “We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch”, and many snow-bogged motorcyclists do just that!

There is an upside to hibernation though: the incredible feeling of childhood joy you get come spring when you can finally take out the bike and go for that first ride. You meet up with your riding buddies, show off any new toys you may have added over the winter, and bitch about how your bike isn’t quite right yet! “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” they say, and I tend to agree. It’s almost like having two holiday seasons! Come to think of it, I’ll keep the snow and bitching: it only makes me appreciate Spring that much more when it finally comes around.

“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart!” – V. Hugo

More Pontificating About Protective Gear!

WARNING: I'm about to take off on a personal rant about one of my biggest peeves - motorcyclists who ride without the necessary protective gear. If you're one of these idiots, than you might want to go read something else right now if you're the type to get offended easily!

[Stepping on soapbox]

I recently got into a heated argument with a fellow motorcyclist regarding the use of full-riding gear on "short trips around town". His point of vue was that getting "suited-up" in riding jacket and pants just to go down the street to the convenience store was, well, inconvenient and thus defeated the purpose. He also went on to claim things like "the odds of having an accident at low speeds is small anyway" or "too much gear is uncomfortable and therefore distracts my attention when riding". To which I replied "Bullshit" and "You're full of it", respectively.

Granted, to rebuttle in any debate with such low-brow answers probably wouldn't win me any points, so I had to follow up with some cold, hard facts. In 1981, William Hurt led a group of researchers in a study of what has become the ultimate reference regarding motorcycle accidents: the (properly named) "Hurt Report". Among the conclusions, I'd like to highlight the following two:

• The median pre-crash speed was 29.8 mph, and the median crash speed was 21.5 mph, and the one-in-a-thousand crash speed is approximately 86 mph.
• Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen in a very short time close to the trip origin.

This affirmation effectively defeats my fellow rider's claim about low-speed accidents. Regarding his statement that a riding jacket and pants were uncomfortable: "Get a more comfortable one!". One of the main problem with many riders today is that they get into motorcycling for the look; in other words, it's just a fashion accessory. They go to the local motorcycle shop and check out the leathers; put on a jacket and pants and strut their stuff in front of a mirror admiring how the firm support of the cowhide holds up their sagging rear-end. Problem is, they don't try it on while sitting on a bike! My riding jacket is the most uncomfortable thing to wear when standing up or walking around, because that's not what it was designed for. Once I sit on my bike, then it makes sense. It offers support in the lower back and bends just right at the elbows and shoulders.

Luckily, we didn't get into the whole "Helmet" issue as you're legally obligated to wear one in all Canadian Provinces (thank God)! This is a heated issue down in the States where some claim that laws that force them to wear a helmet enfringes upon their personal liberties... So what! If tainting your little bit of personal freedom means that you might make it home alive at the end of the day; so be it!

Again, here are a few of the conclusions from the Hurt Report regarding gear and helmet use:

• Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed in impairment of vision which delayed hazard detection.
• Approximately 50% of the motorcycle riders in traffic were using safety helmets but only 40% of the accident-involved motorcycle riders were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.
• Voluntary safety helmet use by those accident-involved motorcycle riders was lowest for untrained, uneducated, young motorcycle riders on hot days and short trips.
• The most deadly injuries to the accident victims were injuries to the chest and head.
• The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention of reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure.
• Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of precrash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.
• FMVSS 218 provides a high level of protection in traffic accidents, and needs modification only to increase coverage at the back of the head and demonstrate impact protection of the front of full facial coverage helmets, and insure all adult sizes for traffic use are covered by the standard.
• Helmeted riders and passengers showed significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.
• The increased coverage of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.
• There is no liability for neck injury by wearing a safety helmet; helmeted riders had less neck injuries than unhelmeted riders. Only four minor injuries were attributable to helmet use, and in each case the helmet prevented possible critical or fatal head injury.
• Sixty percent of the motorcyclists were not wearing safety helmets at the time of the accident. Of this group, 26% said they did not wear helmets because they were uncomfortable and inconvenient, and 53% simply had no expectation of accident involvement.

One of the scariest causes of motorcycle accidents is alcohol use. Almost half of all fatal motorcycle accidents show alcohol involvement. And all indicators seem to show that this will get much worse in the years to come. Why? Because, as mentioned above, many of the people that are now getting into motorcycling are doing it because it's "cool". It's an image thing more than anything else, and as such they aren't really interested in riding at all. So they don't take the time to read up about it, and they don't follow any appropriate training. Most of them are quite content in simply adding as much aftermarket chrome to their machine then riding it down to the local watering hole to show it off. After having discussed the merits of chrome polish vs. wax over a few pitchers of brew, they hop on their strait-piped chrome horse and (try to) ride home. In 50% of motorcycle deaths, they are the ones who end up as a statistic.

Since I'm sure that this rant will fall upon a bunch of deaf ears, I'd like to at least try to get the following message through to ALL motorcyclists out there: Try to wear at least minimal protection when riding. This would include helmet, jacket and gloves. And as a second request, try to get some professional training. A motorcycle is a powerful and dangerous machine, don't expect that "Uncle Bob" can teach you simply because he's been riding for a few years. Another grim conclusion from the Hurt Report:

• The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.

Ride smart, ride safe!

Bikers on the Information Highway...

An odd thing I've noticed since I started riding motorcycles - some of the best biking buddies aren't the ones you see on the road; they're on the net!

I've met and communicated with people over the Internet that share the same passion for motorcycling that I do. Being in a rather "niche" crowd - I don't ride cruisers or crotch-rockets - the Internet has proven to be a great tool for meeting motorcyclists that have similar interests and riding styles. The riders I've met in forums and newsgroups are from as close as my own hometown, or as far as Singapore! Needless to say that I probably never would have met most of these people otherwise. Doesn't that speak volumes about the ability of the Internet to draw people together?

It's a shame that we often focus on the "negatives" when talking about the Internet: fraud, dot-com busts, SPAM, viruses, tasteless content... Truth is, there's alot of really good stuff out there too!

I'm a member of countless forums that are moderated by like-minded individuals that simply do a great job at it. Among them, I'd like to mention V-Strom.info which is targeted to owners of the Suzuki V-Strom line of adventure-touring bikes, and also Sport-Touring Net for those who simply like to travel in a, ahem, "quick and efficient" way.

Moral of this post: if you ever feel alone, check out the 'Net... Chances are, you're not!

Progress Steamrolls On!

Remember the eighties? Sure you do - you're just in denial. I personally embrace the decade of excess because that period in my life was the most defining. I grew up in the eighties and as such I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand the great many changes that integrated circuits (or “microchips”) brought about.

Those of you who know me also know about my passions in life: motorcycling, photography and music. All three of these interests greatly evolved in the mid to late eighties thanks to contributions by modern technology. Motorcycles became lighter thanks to modern alloys and started using more efficient fuel-injection systems rather than antiquated carburetors. Music went from scratchy vinyl and noisy audio cassettes to pristine digital audio on CD’s. This wasn’t necessarily a smooth transition; many audiophiles and purists held on to vinyl as being “warmer” and having a smoother “compression ratio”, etc. Audio cassettes didn’t have any defenders however, ‘cause they really sounded like crap! You’ve got to keep in mind that cassettes were originally designed for taking verbal notes – not recording music. So what happened to these purists, you ask? They gave up and gave in: they’re listening to CD’s now.

The same thing is happening in photography right now. A few years ago digital cameras were nothing more than technological gadgets for the few geeks out there who enjoyed that kind of thing (Mea Culpa, I'm guilty as charged). Nobody would have ever taken a digicam over a film-based camera because there was such a large gap in quality. The first digicams were also incredibly expensive. On top of that, you had to go to pro-quality photo labs to get the things printed (that’s if they actually offered the service at all).

Back then purist photographers kept saying that they would “never” switch to digital. Again, they argued the “softness” and “purity” of silver-based films rather than the “pixelated” and “noisy” images of digital. Then something wonderful happened: technology progressed! A few well known pro-photographers started doing digital – and bragging about it. One word: WILDFIRE! Now the photographers that are still using film-based photography are being left behind and the ones that have converted to digital are leading the way.

In photography, as with music in the eighties, it all comes down to economics. Digital is cheaper and more accessible than analog. Entire recording studios can now be carried around in a laptop (ex. Latin pop-star Ricky Martin’s self titled 1999 hit album was entirely tracked, mixed and mastered on a Mac G4 tower, not in a multi-million dollar studio). A photographer in the “digital darkroom” can now retouch images on the fly and in a fraction of the time that it used to take. Not to mention that if they mess up, there’s an “undo” button! No more complex chemical baths, darkrooms or tricky airbrush techniques.

So what’s the next big thing? I’d be willing to predict that within the next 10 years cinematic production will go entirely to digital – no more Panaflex cameras. Small high resolution video cameras will feed directly into a mainframe computer and the splicing will be done digitally.

Here’s to progress!

ATGATT

OK. I don't want to preach or whine, but I got to get this one off my chest. If you're gonna ride a motorbike - please wear the appropriate gear. I've had it up to here (picture my index finger hovering about 6 inches over my head) with these biker dudes who ride around wearing a beanie helmet and t-shirt. And I'm not just talking about cruisers; you crotch-rocket riders out there in shorts and t-shirts (or even shirtless) aren't cutting it either. Funny thing about crotch-rocket riders is that they usually ride around with a $500 Shoei racing helmet, but somehow forget to protect the rest of their body! Then again, the helmet is probably worn as a fashion accessory rather than protective gear.

I mean really - isn't your life worth the price of a freakin' riding jacket? Talk to someone who's gotten road rashed once and they'll tell you how much fun it is. And about the beanie helmets - my riding instructor once called them brain bowls and I find the term quite fitting. I wear a full-face helmet all the time because most motorcycle head injuries happen at the jaw. Ain't no beanie gonna help you there! Not to mention that I've got enough sense in my brain to want to protect it. By my current calculations, I'm still gonna be paying my student loans for another 12 years - that's alot of money to invest in your cranium! Oh well, it's as they say: "If you think you're smart enough not to need a helmet, you're probably right!"

Oh and here's one last item you should think about - gloves! Now please people, show enough sense to buy some riding gloves that offer protection; not the cheap-leather-open-finger ones. Think about it, if you fall from the bike, even at very low speeds, the first thing to touch the ground will probably be your hands.

I bring this up because I find it unfair that the majority of motorcycle enthusiasts are safe drivers who respect the sport; yet they always get a bad rep because of stupid bikers.

ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time