Lead By Example
When you're a rider, you represent the sport everywhere you go.
Most of us as riders know this firsthand. People will ask you questions in elevators about your gear, your bike, your H2 (if you're just about the safety as I've often joked). When I'm walking down the halls of work in my gear...I expect smooth female robot voices sounding system alerts and steam coming from vents on either side....but I digress...
Seriously, what could start out as a half-hearted query from a curious onlooker can turn into a sit-down with Barbara Walters.
Here's a typical conversation:
'Hey aren't you hot in all those leathers?''
Better to sweat than to bleed', I usually reply. (This is a great one-liner at a light too).
'Heh...good point. Road rash sucks huh? What kind of bike do you ride?'
'Yamaha R1'
This will often generate a look of simultaneous confusion and recognition....
'Is that one-a-dem crotch rockets/Ninjas/riceburners?'
'Heh...it's a sportbike...you have cruisers like Harleys, standards like an old Triumph or Norton (casting a wide net here) and sportbikes like mine'.
'Interesting...how long ya been riding?'
'Roughly 6 years or so...'
'My uncle/brother/sister/cousin-twice-removed rides and exploded into a million pieces (insert favorite horror story here)'.
'Yes, it can be dangerous, but if you start off with the right training you'll be fine, and you're not exactly guaranteed safety in a car anyway.'
This is where the conversation goes from idle questioning to some myth-busting and education. I usually go off about MSF, gearing up properly, dispeling myths about lane-sharing, inform about the use of the carpool lane (a surprise to many people) and everything else I can squeeze in.
By the end of the conversation, I've given the interested party some information about where to sign up for MSF and given them their fill of exciting info about learning to ride. I talk about having worked up from a small bike to a literbike, and the thrill and freedom that I experience on a daily basis....not to mention gas and time savings.
On my last bike, (2002 SV650S) I was lost and had pulled off the freeway to make a phone call. This older man (admittedly, not someone I'd peg as a rider straight away) practically ran at me to ask me questions. Why he waited till now is known only to him, but he had so many questions about the bike...where did I get it, how much, how could he learn, have I crashed, etc. etc. Even though I was lost and a little annoyed, hot and late, I was glad to answer his questions. It put me in a good mood to see how enthusiastic he was, and answering his questions gave him a sense of purpose and direction.
I remember how exciting it was when I was learning to ride my scooter. I gave it up for a bit, and I never stopped dreaming of bikes. When I got back into riding via MSF around 1999-2000, I felt like I was re-claiming a piece of myself. In a very real sense, I was. I remember the huge amount of questions I had...feeling as if I couldn't get them answered fast enough. Thankfully...I had Google and broadband...but not everyone is so info-savvy.
So...everywhere you go...remember, you're an ambassador for riders everywhere...that means, best not to be pulling 100 mph standups on the freeway or lane splitting at 90 mph blasting mirrors apart....and when noobs have questions...help them as much as you can. You'll not only feel good doing it, you'll help someone enter the sport in the safest way possible and better yet, you'll help to shape a new ambassador for the future. :D
