Quote:
Originally Posted by alex.s
you are completely correct, jet. i think riding in large groups with people you don't know is pointless (outside of charity and memorial) and dangerous. if a bunch of bikers came up behind me being chased by cops, you are completely correct- i would GTFO the freeway and away from the OBVIOUS danger. if i knew there was going to be that much **** where i was going, i either wouldn't go there, or i wouldn't ride a bike there.
you can't tell me the guy didn't expect crazy **** to be happening.
its like being in a riot. "i wasn't with them! i was simply standing here minding my own business while everyone around me was looting and pillaging" ... OK!
this is kinda a problem that i have with most motorcyclists. they think they are a car. they think that they can be idle and mind their own business, and if they just follow the laws nothing will happen. that's not how motorcycles work. you need to be proactive in your own safety. dont be idle, either be defense (gtfo) or offensive (gtfo faster)
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The reason they chose Memorial Day is because it was already a popular day for individual motorcyclists due to being off work with most places closed and warm weather. It wasn't a "riot" and bad things weren't "expected." Also, there were just as many bikes on the surface streets. You can't just pull off the freeway in Daytona or Sturgis during a bike event and expect to no longer be surrounded by bikes.
Thought process:
It's warm outside and I happen to be off of work with nothing else to do. It's a good day for a ride, which is an independent thought I had on my own. Also, most places are closed because it's a holiday, so there isn't much
else to do. Which holiday is it? Oh yeah: Memorial Day. Well, forget that idea then! A couple years ago people noticed how popular riding was on this day of the year it kinda became an unofficial rally. There's nothing wrong with that, but last year some people misbehaved for the first time ever and this year the police will be cracking down on it. As a law abiding citizen, I should not be discouraged into sacrificing my holiday just because they are doing this. On the contrary: I should be
encouraged because they are fixing the only problem I had with riding on this day. Unfortunately, as much as I want to legally enjoy my motorcycle on this particular day with these stronger-than-usual incentives, I can't because I might wrongly be associated with those people because of the number of wheels beneath me. Fair or not, I'm going to give up the only nice riding day I may have for a long time just because a few more people started riding in recent years.
Maybe I see it differently because I didn't have a car for four years, had to work every Memorial Day, and would have been pretty angry if I got caught up in this mess just because I had ride to work on two wheels.
Also, may I point out that the thing that happened to him was not "safety" related? This isn't about being safe, unsafe, or being proactive in safety. The problem is not that he thought he was like any other car on the road, but that he really was
legally like any other car on the road and yet he was unfairly treated differently anyway.