You may recall me mentioning the Wave in a previous article. It’s not dead, but apparently, it may have suffered a mild stroke, according to the recent experience of one of my riding crew.

My friend shared his experience of taking his spare bike out for a ride and having the famous, ‘minor mechanical malfunction’, which left him on the side of the 405 freeway with no tools other than his expert command of the various Anglo-Saxon profanities. During his stay along the greenery at the side of the road, he shared his disappointment and disgust at the fact that several riders tooled on by, waving at them….but not ONE bothered to stop.

No one.

Now he spent several paragraphs on our Chapter chat line talking about how the more experience riders always give homage to the ‘Wave’ and how every rider worth his salt is bound by honor to stop and see about helping a stranded fellow. Yup. That’s the way it used to be, he said, and that’s the way it’s SUPPOSED to be…..it just AIN’T anymore. He railed on about how bummed hi was that no one seemed to give a rat’s ___ about his, sitting there counting his spokes.

It’s all these new riders, he claimed. These nouveau-chic, weekend-riding, new-leather-clad, no-tool-carrying, non-mechanical, un-brotherly chumps who don’t understand that the great wheel of biker karma keep on turnin’ and someday THEY will be stuck on the side of the road…..with no tools….and no cell phone….in the rain.

THEN they’ll know how he felt.

Several members of the chat group went on to sympathize with his plight or to say that THEY, personally, would ALWAYS stop for a biker, even if they didn’t have tools or know how to fix his problem; or to commiserate with his accusations of a lack of comradeship among bikers; or to say that it surely must have been an isolated experience, since they, themselves had always found help when THEY needed it.

All of their input may have been true, in their own experience. I’m sure that they would have stopped, if they had just happened along that road, at the time he had been broken down. But, let’s just set “If I coulda-woulda-shoulda aside for a minute.

Here is the real question that we should be asking ourselves: How often do we talk about the traditions of riding that the more experienced folks take for granted? How often do we do the educating and handing down of the things that will ensure that newer riders KNOW about them?

It’s easy to sit and b**ch and complain about the lack of brotherhood among one group or another….but what are YOU doing about it?

With so many factory choppers and bobbers now being tossed out the door by dealers all over the country, you see fewer bikers out there that even HAVE the space to carry tools. And, I’m almost ashamed to say it, many, MANY of the new riders have the money to buy the bike of their dreams….but not the slightest clue how to take care of it or fix it on the road. It’s easier to just take the thing into the dealer and get the service done.

Maybe so….but stuff happens. And, contrary to popular belief, not everyone carries a cell phone. So, if you ride along and spy a rider sitting at the side of the road, don’t make the assumption that he or she has already called for AAA and a hot latte…..Stop and ASK!!. If they wave you on: fine. You did what you are supposed to do. But, if they look up with the expression of a drowning man seeing a lifeline, you’ll be glad you stopped. Even if it was only to lend them a couple of minutes on YOUR cell phone to call for help.

My point is, TALK about it, especially with new riders. Ask what emergency gear they carry and urge your dealers to point this out during a sale. I think it is a huge disservice to a new customer for a salesperson not to mention the need for a good, basic tool kit. It’s an extra sale item, of course, but it also gives them a chance to educate new riders about traditions.

A good riding jacket has pockets for all kinds of stuff, including a cell phone. But a good riding ATTITUDE has the ability to change lives by the simple act of being able to help another rider. To paraphrase an old movie line: “If we talk about it, they will learn!”

So keep the traditions alive…

…and Ride Safe out there!