My wife and I road to Cullman AL for a graduation party for my nephew where my family was getting together as a mini family reunion. I had not seen part of my family in 4 years and so much had happened. This was also Donna’s first major road trip in three years.

I was supposed to be writing this article while I was there but was having difficulty coming up with anything that I liked or felt passionate about. I got the bright idea that I would ask my college bound niece to help me write this article (I was hoping she would write while I dictated the ideas and she would make it work). Well she kind of turned the table on me and started a brain storming session with most of the family together. What came out of it was a couple of hours of fun and an exchange of perspective for a group of cagers and motorcyclists. So I am going to address these one at a time and hope you enjoy what you are reading:

Back seaters- crack kills: We do not want to see your butt crack any time it is not sexy or appealing. (I do believe that a nice pair of tight boy shorts is appealing on the right bike)

Revving the motor: I call this the look at me syndrome. This is the guy that is always revving his motor for no purpose or reason when he pulls into the parking lot. He racks the throttle every two seconds as he is looking for a place to park.

Crotch rockets, those are retarded. You don’t do that: This is about the guys riding down the highway on the rear wheel or splitting the lanes at 110 mph.

40-something-wannabe’s you don’t have to pretend “hobby” : We all know these guys. They have never rode or rode as a teenager but now buy a Harley and think they are bikers. These are also the guys that 5 years down the road you can buy a like new bike with less than 10,000 miles.

I love bikers. They’re the biggest teddy bears I’ve ever met my entire life: This is the caring hearts that bikers have not only for their own but for the kids and charity.

Motorcycles: Loud and scary: I scared my Mother when I started my bike close to her with her back to me. Sorry Mom.

She looks hot on the bike, but he don’t love her. She don’t love her either. (Flip flops and tank top): We all see this every weekend. They pull in on the bike and she is in sandals or flip flops shorts and a tank top. The bike does not have to be moving for someone to be seriously hurt or burned. I have talked with many a young lady who has told me that they were just running up to get something to eat or the local store for some milk and someone pulled out or large pot hole and they went down leaving a reminder that boots and pants lessen the potential for permanent scares or broken bones. This is a whole subject by itself.

Cagers, we’re people too: As a motorcyclist we have a often put all cagers in the same enemy category when what I found is they are just uneducated. All they see is a group of scary looking outlaws that want to rule the road and all we see is a cager that wants us off the road.

Visuals. YOU are responsible, not the cagers: It’s not that they intentionally run us off the road or pull out in front of us, they just don’t look for us. We can be hidden behind a door post a bug on the window a cable on a pole that is in their vision path. If you doubt that, hold a pen or pencil up as a bike is coming at you it will amaze you how close it is before you really see it. That’s why programs like “Look Twice” work and educate drivers to the fact we are there and closer than you think. So the next time you want to give a one finger salute think about how visible you were to them. Maybe you could have done something to make yourself more visible. I ride like they cannot see me that has made nonevent and has kept me out of harm’s way.

My awesome niece; my inspiration: My niece Abby is not shy and she actually put how great she is three times in the notes. I do have to thank her for the insight and the great conversation that came from doing this brain storming session with the family. We made jokes and talked and had fun as a family, even though our worlds are miles apart.