I’ve been fascinated about this since quite a while, and the interest was rekindled at the India Bike Week 2015. Watching these cunts enter the arena on their 20 lac Harleys wearing only a tight, black, sleeveless leather jacket with a bunch of patches on it made me wonder if I was entering a motorcycle festival or a BDSM fetish party.
Have you ever felt that drop in respect for a fellow motorcyclist when you see him ride in a T-shirt and a chaddi? Have you ever had these facepalm moments watching such show-offs make a fool of themselves on public roads? Have you ever experienced the contempt and the hate for these irresponsible bikers?
But why?
Why does it matter if somebody is wearing a helmet or not, or boots, or jacket gloves pants for that matter? It’s not like his disregard for his own safety affects your life in any way, or does it? Fuck India, even the American Motorcycle Association always tries its best to make sure no mandatory helmet laws are ever passed on their soil.
But then why do we still feel that way? Here’s my dissection of this problem, and the answers I think explain this weird phenomenon.
1. They are always just show-offs:
Have you ever seen a helmet totting, fully protected, properly geared good for nothing show-off? I haven’t. The urge to redline your bike till the engine disintegrates seems to have a rather strong connection with the need for grabbing public attention. These Kardashians of the motorcycling world may be able to afford these big bikes, but they definitely don’t deserve to.
Biking is an art, and it’s disgusting to see someone whore out on two wheels. Bikers hate non-geared bikers because most of the second kind isn’t the least bit interested in doing ANYTHING even remotely related to biking. They molest their machines for the charisma that comes with being a rider, and that’s all they care about.
2. They endanger themselves and others:
While going to Bangalore from Goa last week, I came across an interesting sight just around Tumkur. A pre-pubescent fart on an RX-100, with a pillion, was popping wheelies in the middle of the highway, which a triple-riding bunch of buttlickers on an Activa were filming on their phones. None of them were wearing even shoes, and I clearly remember somebody wearing just a vest.
Yes they were too young to understand what they were doing, yes they had too much testosterone in their system to realize how stupid they looked, yes.
Such behavior generally comes to people who don’t really understand how dangerous 2 wheels can be. They pull such stunts oblivious of the hazard they are putting themselves and the others around them into. It’s almost always a direct consequence of the show-off part, but such idiocy makes bikers hate such “bikers” even more.
3. They embarrass the whole community:
Ask your parents what they think of your biking friends. Mine hate them all, the entire motorcycling culture too. They don’t see the point, don’t understand the need, but get this, their reason for such unwarranted abhorrence is not people like you or me, it’s always that joker on a Dio that they saw crash into a truck, or that moron on the Pulsar who cut them off in traffic, or that imbecile on an R15 who launched into a Chaat shack simply because he was too fast on the turn.
It’s easy to remember the bad stuff, not so easy for the good one. People remember the experiences they have with such nincompoops on the highway, and that generalizes their view of the entire kind. What makes things worse is the fact that for every well-behaved rider on the road, there are 500 fools jacking off, ejecting their sticky goo willy-nilly.
4. They die:
This is, by far, the most important reason why I personally detest other non-geared bikers. I don’t really care how much attention-seeking antics these people execute, or how much others on the road hate me for their actions, and I’m capable of keeping myself safe no matter how hard someone else tries, but I have no control over their death, and the subsequent news stories that my parents read in the papers.
22-year-old crushed under a crane with his motorcycle up his ass.
Biker dies after dropping 1000 feet off a mountain with no parachute.
Motorcyclist loses life after attempting to have anal sex with hot exhaust.
While I was having that soul-touching conversation with Gavin about the biking culture in India, he said something really meaningful to me.
Back in the 90’s, there was none of this ATGATT bullshit! We rode shitty little bikes wearing nothing more than shitty little clothes. But you know what’s they difference between our generation and yours? We didn’t die.
And I couldn’t agree more. People used their brains in the past, now it’s all just #YOLO madness. I would like to show to my parents that bikers really value their lives and attempt to stay safe in every conceivable way, but that’s not what the news reports.
Statically speaking, motorcycles are far more dangerous compared to cars, and we understand that. We also understand that just wearing riding gear isn’t going to save your life. But there’s nothing you can possibly say your dad when he puts his finger on another grisly death story of a biker and asks you to stop being a kid and get a fucking car.
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So yeah, the next time your brain fills up with rage watching one of these nipple-pubes dance around in front of you on the highway, think of the reasons why you shouldn’t punch them in their throats, break their necks and send them sliding face-down towards certain death. If you can’t find any, for the love of all things holy, go ahead.
I really appreciate the motivation of being a safe rider that u have posted here. Riding without a helmet or safety gears is definitely a BIG no. Recently saw many groups showing their brotherhood spirits during the Independence day rallies. Many were without helmet, dont understand if they were supporting a cause, or just showing of their muscled bikes. Basic safety such as Helmet has to be used. Our community compares that small cc biker who tries to act smart and faces instant justice or even gets away with it, honestly, no superbiker supports that or even becomes affiliated to such acts.
Anyhow Akhil,
The only thing that i dont appreciate here about ur post is the HATRED you have for IBW, you mentioned that the riders were entering the venue without any gears or helmets, well its a simple logic that given the fact Goa has got hot climate and the event organized during the Jan-Feb month, It will be very impossible to roam around in the venue with all Safety gears on. Talking about helmet, many dont prefer to roam around with a helmet in their hands while roaming around, enjoying the fun of the Event. You do know that none of the riders who come for the event ride to the vent from their respective cities with out proper Safety Concerns. I havent seen any as yet. They guys who come on big bikes with tight clothings are there just for fun, and ya a little bit of show off too. If you have a big bike you have that kind of attitude in some or the other manner. Calling them pathetic and not good enough riders is simply idiotic. Many of them have crossed more than 50000kms on their bikes for which they get the badges and all. I personally know a frnd who has clocked 30000kms on his Suzuki V-Storm in a years time, and thats not the milage you make buying vegetables from the market on your bike.
My only argument here is plz dont abuse or call anyone names (cunt as u mentioned), for an event which you couldnt enjoy. Sometimes it just feels that you have this jealousy factor coming in of not owning a superbike. If you do own one, pardon me.
Regards
Abhishek
I don’t own a superbike, and it’s completely possible that there’s some latent jealousy that makes me say such stuff.
That is an awesome Blog.
I am an Orthopedic Surgeon, and i am a biker too. I have seen so many broken bones and have fixed them. But i have seen so many lost lives as well.
I have been in a motorcycle crash once, but i was in full gear, so i escaped with just my Right toe being fractured.
Ride Safe, thats the only thing i want to say…
Hi Akhil…earlier when I didnt now about ur blog I wore helmet occasionally…but after reading ur blog I rectified my self and now I wear helmet always when I ride….so thanks for saving my life..
Awesome buddy!
Why no recent blogs?
Been traveling a lot mate, and being a lazy son of a bitch 🙂 Will post something today!
Iv had a chappra in chappals on a splendour desperately wringing his throttle wanting a….RACE!…At a tapri he caught up and said all this gear is worn by…RACERS!…Gyaan 101..
Haha, happened too many times to me too! Stupid ignorant kids.
haha that never ever tragedy all bikers who gear up face when they have to explain why you gear up so much!!
and everyone automatically assumes you ride like a 200,000bhp bike; I’ve had people follow me to my bike and then their face drops when its just a puny Duke 200!!
You know the most annoying though? Cops! Everytime I go through a nakabandi, i get stopped. And its pretty time consuming taking off all the gear man, gloves then sunglasses then helmet then balaclava! Then they make you get off, and spend 200hrs examining the papers (I really don’t get it. You see ONE LINE on an Insurance paper, the date and who its registered to. You see ONE DATE on a PUC, and registration is a 10sec job… It can’t humanely take more than a minute).
But because you wear gear, you are OBVIOUSLY suspicious. It gets crazy when the cop is a decent fatherly figure, and starts explaining nicely why its so dangerous to ride fast… Stupid dicks
Haha, I know man! sad sad stuff.
Fuck people and what they tell you. Do the right thing, wear appropriate gear.
I saw cops in Pune doing a drive to stop all 2 wheelers without wearing helmets in front of German Bakery in Pune. I was impressed when I saw them there the second day. I hope they continue.
Then I read somewhere about how they’re harassing riders with DOT and ECE certified Helmets simply because they didn’t carry an ISI badge. Stupid, ignorant fucks. These guys should be kicked in the balls..
btw Akhil, why do I have to fucking provide my email address and name EVERY TIME (!) to comment your your awesome fucking writes? what’s up with that man? Do you have some kind of a register/login thing? I’ll sign up in a jiffy. or if you know some magical way in which Chrome can remember me on your website, pls cure my lack of software skills..
Just saying it’s more convenient..
That’s sad indeed, Police sometimes create more problems than they solve.
I am still using the most basic comments system on the site, so can’t really register for it. If you don’t clear your history often 😉 your name and Email should be auto filled. Wil try to upgrade to Disqus when I can find some time 🙂
Realtime update.
Saw a huge cross section of cunts without helmets stopped at koregaon park in Pune. I got such sick joy seeing them suffer, I was congratulating the smiling cops. Thankfully all the cops were wearing those open face white helmets to tell off arguers… What joy!
Haha! Sad state of affairs man.
I don’t have all the gear, not yet.. So, I am not taking my bike out.. 🙁
Get it all ASAP!
absolutely right man!
Thanks buddy!
Explain to your parents!! Hahaha! First explain these bloody cops who think that wearing gloves and a decent helmet = racing. I am not rude to these people usually. But when they realize they fucked up when they caught the wrong person, they come up with weird rules like ‘Aapka headlight chalu hai, aapko pata hai ki headlight chalu rakhna bhi crime hai’ or ‘aapka number plate nahi, sticker hai’ ‘license fade ho gaya hai’ ‘gaadi ka poora paper dikhao’ ‘yeh balaclava nikalo, humko kaisa maalum ki aap hi hai jiska license hai’
Why?? Because fuck you, thats why!!
Coming back to why this happened. It happened, because I stopped when they came to commit suicide in front of my motorcycle, thats why.
These people mentioned above in your article slickly cut and pass by these cops, sometimes flicking their uniform caps and these cops just stand and say ‘marengey saale aise hi’ and harass traffic law abiding citizens.
You hit the nail right on he head mate! So frustrating to see that happen, but sadly it’s so frequent that it does 🙁
Are you going to the moon? Are you into racing?
These are the questions I face when people see me geared up. And due to the posers my parents didn’t get me a bike for a very long time.
“Are you racing?” Heard that so many times! I don’t understand from where they get this idea.
Same here mate, every time I asked my dad to get me one, he would pick up that day’s paper and show me some news of some douche dying on his bike. Irritating.
I was very happy and excited for the weekend (Fri & Sat) until I saw the last photo. Dreadful
Tell me about it.
True Words Akhil,
Today gave my colleague a lift from work till his stop, a good 15kms or so, And I was fully geared too, , and I had to explain to him why I wear it, they are under the impression that I go insanely fast , that’s why I wear the gears.
Trying to educate the general public is also a waste of time and energy, sad fact.
Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna
Sad indeed!