For our bike-ridin', chicken-lovin' friends (grab the tissue box)

[Dawn419]

Skip's Mom sent us this one today, still in tears as it really hit close to home for Skip and I ...

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THE
BIKER

I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the
grocery store line.

But, you didn't see me, put an extra
$10.00 in the
collection plate last Sunday.


I saw you, pull your child closer when
we passed each other on
the sidewalk.

But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at
the local mall.

I saw you, change your mind about going into the
restaurant.

But, you didn't see me, attending a
meeting to raise more
money for the hurricane relief.


I saw you, roll up your window and shake your head
when I rode by.

But, you didn't see me, riding behind you when you
flicked your cigarette butt
out the car window.


I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at
your children.

But, you didn't see me,
when I took time off from
work to run toys to the homeless.


I saw you, stare at my long
hair. But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten
inches off for Locks of
Love.

I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather jackets
and gloves.

But, you didn't see me, and my brothers
donate our old ones to
those that had none.


I saw you, look in fright at my
tattoos. But, you didn't see me, cry as my children
were
born and have their name written over and in my
heart.


I saw you, change lanes while rushing
off to go somewhere.

But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my
family.


I saw you, complain about how loud and
noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the
CD and drifted into my lane.


I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car. But,
you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was
safe behind me.


I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove
down the road. But, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg
when
she told me to take the next
turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain. But, you
didn't see me, get
soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go
on his date.




I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few
minutes of time.

But, you didn't see me, trying to turn
right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in
the lane I was in. But, you didn't see me, leave the
road.




I saw you, waiting impatiently for my
friends to pass. But, you didn't see me. I wasn't
there.

I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn't
see me.


Because, I died that day you cut me off.


I was just a biker.
A person with friends and family.

But, you didn't see me.

Re-send this around in hopes that people will
understand the biker community.


I hope you never loose someone that rides.


EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO
RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA
SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY - LIVE TO
RIDE . . .
RIDE TO LIVE

After a 20 year "young" kid ran his red light as we were going through our green light...



Keep those knees in the breeze!!!

Dawn & Skip

 

[Moonwalker]

"Loud Pipes Save Lives!"
From the looks of that bikle, you guys are lucky to be here!!!


I too am suffering from PMS.....need to run a new fuel line.

 

[speckledhen]

That choked me up, mainly because I was one of those bikers who rode with other bikers people took sideways glances at when we entered an establishment. DH and I rode with the Christian Motorcyclists Association and often took road trips to meet up with the Sons of God, made up of many former Hell's Angels. They still looked the part, some of them. Bikers can be some of the most generous people on earth, I've found. I'm so glad you and Skip survived your accident and came back to us. I had friends who didn't survive theirs.

 

[CarriBrown]

Wow Cyn!!

Although, I must nag at you... You'd better wear a helmet!

Dawn... I am speechless. You both are lucky to be alive. I'm not a roadbike rider, but I am a dirtbike rider, and I've buried one friend and have one that is brain damaged.

Everyone, ride safe!

 

[Moonwalker]

The local Starbucks hosts a biker nite some Saturdays, run by a group of Christian bikers. They raise money for all sorts of things by doing fund raising rides, karaoke contests and other creative things.

I had a couple of friends that were both champion motocross racers. They both died in traffic accidents, both when drunk drivers veered into the wrong lane. They WERE wearing helmets, but when a car hits you at 80 mph, head on (John) and your body (only) goes through the windshield, helmets don't help much. He was still wearing it when they found it 3 hours later. Joey was coming home from his GF's house and someone changed lanes without seeing him. And it was at night with headlights on.

People just don't see bikers, even when they look right at them!

I have had to lay mine down several times to avoid a car or truck.

....and people wonder why I am such a defensive driver.....

 

[SpottedCrow]

My cousin was a biker...He's dead now because some drunk felt the need to leave his car to get another drink.left the car and some idiot woman was too important to let Bobby and his friend out of the lane...Bobby died a couple of days later...I ALWAYS make sure to give plenty of room to bikers and truckers too...

 

[ams3651]

My friend and I talk about this all the time. We know those guys with the long hair, tattoos, leather. But they do toy runs for Christmas, runs to raise money when a buddys girlfriend died and left 2 kids behind, runs to raise money for the local childrens hospital. And many of them would help you if you needed them but many wont stop for strangers in need because of how they might be viewed.

The same thing happeded to my oldest sons father, kid ran a red light. He was in the hospital for months with a shattered pelvis and had to be bolted, plated and screwed back together and had to learn to walk again. He is lucky he was wearing a helmet.

My own boyfriend had to throw his bike down to avoid being hit by a garbage truck less than 2 blocks from my house. He rolled for another block.

 

[speckledhen]

Wow Cyn!! Although, I must nag at you... You'd better wear a helmet!

I dont ride anymore, but Carri, I promise, I've never ridden a motorcycle without a helmet and anyone who does is an idiot, plain and simple. People just dont see bikes, even great big, honkin' Goldwings like ours was. In that pic, I was just sitting for the snapshot. Some stupid woman ran into the back of my DH while he was stopped to turn left into our subdivision way back in the early 90's. She went around him on the right because she was too impatient to wait two seconds for him to turn and ran smack into his tag. Totaled the bike. At least he wasn't hurt badly. I was 4 days out of the hospital from major surgery and couldnt drive.

 

[nccountrygirl]

Oh Lord I'm crying now. Dawn that is so true, I have been there done that. Thank God that you and Skip were spared that day. Here's a pic of me in 1988 after a wreck. I was in the hospital for 11 days. We were run off the road by a drunk on the way back from the lake. He never even stopped to see if we were all right.

 

[Moonwalker]

I not only ALWAYS wear a helmet, I wear a full face motocross type!
There have been several times I have been glad of it and seen people that wished they had been wearing a helemt with the chin piece and visor.