No Helmet
I was driving downtown Wednesday night on my way to a buddy’s to chill out, when I was stopped at a red light on Young Street and a dude a motorbike pulled up on my right. I didn’t glance over at first, but I could feel his eyes on me, so I turned, and sure enough, dude was peering into my car, with a bit of a sneer on his face. Then he looked away as he revved the engine of his crotch rocket (it wasn’t a Harley, and from what I’ve been told by Harley riders, all other bikes are crotch rockets!). I think he thought he was VERY cool. Impressed I was not. I couldn’t believe this guy wasn’t wearing a helmet, jacket…anything…I could care less what he was doing. Guy was wearing a white t-shirt, a pair of shorts and running shoes…that’s it.
So big deal right, a guy on a motorbike. But then he did something that really got my mind whirring. When the light went green, he peeled out…before raising his handlebars and doing a prolonged wheelie, then slamming back down on both wheels. A little farther up the road (and almost out of my sight by now) he did another one.
My first reaction was absolutely, completely mixed. Right down the middle. One half of me screamed out (in my own head of course) “AWESOME…that was fucking cool!” And it was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone do a wheelie on a motorbike before…let alone on a major strip of highway…let alone with no helmet on. But at almost the exact same time, the other half of me was screaming “What the FUCK are you doing man? Are you INSANE? You IDIOT!”
Two very different responses…and it made me realize just how fucking crazy a species we humans really are.
I totally understood what this guy was doing and why he was doing it…yet at the same time, I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure he probably loves motorbikes, and loves nothing more than riding around, without a helmet, feeling the wind against his bald head, popping wheelies…the rush…the adrenaline…the risk…the danger. I get it. Some people really know how to live! Now me, growing up, my parents made it crystal clear from an early age that there were two things wasn’t allowed to do…smoke cigarettes and ride a motorcycle. I never got into smoking (cigarettes that is…)…and I’ve never been on a bike…so I guess you could say I did what I was told…but I doubt I’m the type of person who would have been into motorbikes anyway (not much of a car guy either, and speed doesn’t really do anything for me…other than make me look for police cruisers on the side of the highway)…but still, I understand that for some, they just have to push the envelope. Its in the genes.
But then I thought about what would have happened if this dude had flipped his bike right there and then, landed on his head, and busted it (and everything else) open? I would have been required to stop…get out of my car…and ‘try’ and help the guy. I would have had to ‘act’ surprised (“Oh my God…are you alright??!?!?!) when really, I would have been rolling my eyes (“Oh wow…you’re hurt…that looks bad…man that was stupid!”). I mean, he’s the idiot…yet I (society) would be the one cleaning up the mess. And its this little bit of information that seems to lacking in the heads of these bikers and road racers…sure, its fun and games when your doing 150 km/h on the highway…but what happens that one time when it doesn’t go ‘as planned’? What if some random mother with her kids in the back turns right in front of you in her mini-van…and you swerve to avoid her…only to hit a tree? Or one of the wheels on your speedster is over inflated and you blow a tire just as your about the cross the finish line…veering into a bus or a bus shelter?
So big deal right, a guy on a motorbike. But then he did something that really got my mind whirring. When the light went green, he peeled out…before raising his handlebars and doing a prolonged wheelie, then slamming back down on both wheels. A little farther up the road (and almost out of my sight by now) he did another one.
My first reaction was absolutely, completely mixed. Right down the middle. One half of me screamed out (in my own head of course) “AWESOME…that was fucking cool!” And it was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone do a wheelie on a motorbike before…let alone on a major strip of highway…let alone with no helmet on. But at almost the exact same time, the other half of me was screaming “What the FUCK are you doing man? Are you INSANE? You IDIOT!”
Two very different responses…and it made me realize just how fucking crazy a species we humans really are.
I totally understood what this guy was doing and why he was doing it…yet at the same time, I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure he probably loves motorbikes, and loves nothing more than riding around, without a helmet, feeling the wind against his bald head, popping wheelies…the rush…the adrenaline…the risk…the danger. I get it. Some people really know how to live! Now me, growing up, my parents made it crystal clear from an early age that there were two things wasn’t allowed to do…smoke cigarettes and ride a motorcycle. I never got into smoking (cigarettes that is…)…and I’ve never been on a bike…so I guess you could say I did what I was told…but I doubt I’m the type of person who would have been into motorbikes anyway (not much of a car guy either, and speed doesn’t really do anything for me…other than make me look for police cruisers on the side of the highway)…but still, I understand that for some, they just have to push the envelope. Its in the genes.
But then I thought about what would have happened if this dude had flipped his bike right there and then, landed on his head, and busted it (and everything else) open? I would have been required to stop…get out of my car…and ‘try’ and help the guy. I would have had to ‘act’ surprised (“Oh my God…are you alright??!?!?!) when really, I would have been rolling my eyes (“Oh wow…you’re hurt…that looks bad…man that was stupid!”). I mean, he’s the idiot…yet I (society) would be the one cleaning up the mess. And its this little bit of information that seems to lacking in the heads of these bikers and road racers…sure, its fun and games when your doing 150 km/h on the highway…but what happens that one time when it doesn’t go ‘as planned’? What if some random mother with her kids in the back turns right in front of you in her mini-van…and you swerve to avoid her…only to hit a tree? Or one of the wheels on your speedster is over inflated and you blow a tire just as your about the cross the finish line…veering into a bus or a bus shelter?
Don’t get me wrong. I like sports cars. They’re nice to look at, and I’m sure they’re a lot of fun to drive…but having been in an accident before, and having seen my fair share of others, I am well aware of the power and destructive capabilities a car possesses. That’s why I rarely get up over 120 km/h…that’s why I try to keep a safe distance from the car in front of me…and that’s why I wish guys who drive like an F1 drivers on Toronto’s roads would wake the fuck up to the fact that what they’re doing not only puts them in danger, but puts the lives of other, innocent people in jeopardy. The guy on the bike? He was just the alpha male poster boy for this gang of speed freaks.
Guys...if your going to act like a reckless, thrill seeking idiot…....ahhh fuck it, nobody listens to me anyway...
It's all your fault Wyatt and Billy!
. . .you too Evel......
posted by neil at 8:57 PM
2 Comments:
No helmet on a motorcycle... it's like a mockery to every person with actual brain damage. Guaranteed that guy will eventually make a splash on the pavement.
I've seen guys pull this shit on the FREEWAY of all places. We were all speeding up the 405 (arguably the busiest freeway in the entire city, especially up the westside corridor), when an entire gang of these kids come blowing by on their crotch rockets. So not only were they weaving in and out of all the lanes (it's legal to split lanes in California), they were popping wheelies at speeds exceeding 120 km/h (75 mph).
It was ridiculous.
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