Facebook rant

Now, I ain’t trying to make any enemies here. I’ve driven motorcycles most of my young life. I had a Moto Guzi, a Harley 350 cc TT racer and a Suzuki 250 cc dirt bike. I’ve also driven a 550 Suzuki road bike and one of the first Kawasaki 750’s (scared the shit out of me!)

And I have no problem with “knowledgeable” riders doing whatever the hell they want to do. Go for it!

But, today I was heading home on the Expressway and was passed by a crotch rocket. It was driven by a guy who I would guess had just got his license. His passenger was a chick I would peg at 13 years old (Geezer Alert: everybody looks younger than they are at my age.)  She was wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops! And, neither one was wearing a helmet.

Again, I have no problems whit the new helmet law. My brother in-law, Terry actually went to Lansing to protest them (he drives a killer Harley that has yet been unbeaten at the drag strip).

But, trust me, I went up against a stump I didn’t see, off road, and damn near lost my leg (I would have except for a an ex-army doctor just home from Vietnam who claimed he could save it. He did…)

But I’ve had two knee replacements since and a whole lot of pain. Which brings me to my next question: WTF you gonna do if you have to lay that bike down?

I knew a guy (old dude, as he had a gas station my brother Peter worked at) who had to lay his Harley down because of a car/truck accident. He was wearing full leathers and steel toed boots, and yet looked like a bad case of road rash for half a year later.

So, as cool as it is to feel the wind in your hair, for Christ’s sake, if you haven’t been doing this for 30 some years, put a goddam helmet on!

You want to talk about head injuries, just ask my daughter, Amy.

I’m done now…