rubber_side_down: an image problem

We are our own worst enemies.
The fellow accused of riding a motorcycle on Briggsmore at 80 miles per hour with the front wheel in the air made me cringe. He is innocent until proven guilty, of course, but the news story doesn’t do much to improve the image of motorcyclists among the non-believers.
The folks who pull such stunts on the street are in the minority, as are the bikers who are truly thugs.
But they contribute to a negative image of motorcycling that taints us all.
I have nothing against stunt riding, and in fact enjoyed a stunt riding show at the International Motorcycle Show last month in San Mateo. But it was in a fenced off area of a parking lot – not the middle of Briggsmore Avenue.
Once when I was riding down in the Los Angeles area, I saw a guy riding a wheelie around an on ramp into the traffic on I-10. I didn’t know whether to admire his skill or curse the idiocy of doing something like that in such heavy traffic.
Car drivers do dumb stuff too, of course, but people are more likely to notice and stereotype motorcycles if they don’t ride themselves.
The biker thugs – the gang-bangers who deal drugs, intimidate people and brawl and shoot at each other in casinos – are also a huge negative vibe for the non-cycling public.
That situation is complicated by the fact that a large contingent of mainstream motorcyclists have adopted the look (and sound) of the biker gangs, leaving the public to sort out who is dangerous and who is not.
Why should we care? Because if the public’s image of motorcycling is overwhelmingly negative, it becomes very easy for legislators to pass laws that restrict motorcycling.
An example: Some cities have passed laws that require motorcycles to have stock, EPA approved mufflers. Trucks may be louder, hot rods may have straight pipes or glass packs, but only motorcycles are subject to the laws.
Many biker clubs work at counteracting the negative images with toy drives, poker runs for charity and the like. But until we tone down the 80 mph wheelies on public roads and ear-splitting pipes in residential areas, the sport is at risk.