Commentary

An old saying notes there are two kinds of bikers in the world: Those who have dropped their bikes and those who will. At some point or other, I've dropped nearly every bike I've owned but the new Superglide had not been dropped.

Until this past Sunday.

While on a ride with friends up the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped at Meadows of Dan for refreshments and a head stop at the Country Store. The paved section of the parking lot was full so I parked on the sloping gravel section with enough room to head the bike downhill when leaving.

But a van pulled in close to the bike during our stop and my only exit was to back it up on the incline. While attempting to duck walk it backwards, both my feet slipped on the gravel and I felt the bike start tipping to the right. My friends saw me fight to save it but it went down, trapping my right foot under the footpeg and exhaust. They quickly dismounted and lifted the bike off me (along with some help from a group of metric riders at the store). I hobbled around on the twisted ankle and walked off the pain. With the help of several others, we pushed the bike off the gravel onto the paved area of the parking lot. An inspection found no damage so I remounted, fired her up and we headed off to complete our ride.

By the time I returned to Floyd, my right shoulder was throbbing and I couldn't lift my arm. That shoulder already has a torn rotator cuff so I figured I had aggravated that injury. Arriving home I headed straight for the hot tub and soaked both the ankle and shoulder for about an hour.

Some stiffness now but the injuries appear to be more bruised muscles and a slightly-bruised ego. I survived. So did the bike.

In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the "bikers not welcome" sign is out and police hand out tickets to anyone who ventures into the city limits without a helmet or exhuast pipes that aren't 100-percent stock.

In Florida, a new law takes effect on October 1 that will allow police to seize bikes from those who violate a certain set of laws.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway this summer, rangers armed with decibel meters have orders to crack down on bikers who speed or sport loud pipes.

More than 20 state legislatures will consider legislation this year that cracks down on motorcycles and those who ride them.

It's war out there and the other side has more ammo, more money and the ability make laws with the sole intent of making life miserable for any of us who ride motocycles.

The outcry against bikers is the highest it's been since the aftermath of the infamous 1947 Hollister rally where San Franciso Chronicle photographer Barney Peterson shot his iconic photo (right) that defined the image of bikers in the public mind. Peterson staged the photo, persuading a drunk to pose on a parked bike. The Chronicle didn't run the photo so Peterson sold it to Life Magazine, which splashed it across their pages and created a public outcry against motocycle riders.

Now bikers find themselves under attack again. Some say it's overkill. Others say it's past due. I'm wondering if we didn't bring a lot of this on ourselves.

Marketing guru Seth Grodin once quoted the advertising director of Harley-Davidson as saying the target audience for his company was "a 45-year-old accountant who likes to dress up in leathers on weekends, climb aboard his Harley, and scare the hell out of the locals."

It's no secret that many weekend riders cultivate the bad boy image of bikers. They sport helmets plastered with stickers that promote violence, sexism, racism and mayhem. They replace their stock mufflers with straight-through exhausts or aftermarket slip-ons with few or no baffles. They ride hard, party hard and then put the bike away on Sunday evening and get a good night's sleep before heading back out to the office job on Monday.

But every time a weekend warrior roars through a small town with the throttle cracked he or she creates more opposition to everyone who rides motorcycles. Every time a kid on a metric blasts down the highway at 140 miles per hour he or she generates public support for a crackdown on everyone who owns a bike.

A common myth says "loud pipes save lives." Conventional biker wisdom says that if drivers of other vehicles can hear you they are less likely to do something stupid that will put you and them in harm's way. But statistics compiled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration don't back up the claim. In the last five years, more bikes with loud aftermarket pipes have been involved, per capita, in crashes with other vehicles than riders of stock Honda Goldwings, probably the quietest motorcycle on the road.

Reports Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine, which calls the "loud pipes save lives" theory a "myth:"

Yeah, there are a few situations—like where you are right next to a driver with his window down who is about the to change lanes—where full-time noise-makers might help a driver notice you, but all that noise directed rearward doesn't do much in the most common and much more dangerous conflict where a car turns in front of you. Maybe it's the fatigue caused by the noise, maybe it's the attitudes of riders who insist on making annoying noise, or perhaps loud bikes annoy enough drivers to make them aggressive. Whatever the reason, the research shows that bikes with modified exhaust systems crash more frequently than those with stock pipes. If you really want to save lives, turn to a loud jacket or a bright helmet color, which have been proven to do the job. Or install a louder horn. Otherwise, just shut up.

There are, of course, those who disagree and, like their pipes, they will disagree loudly.

But think about it: Do we ride because we want to look and act like obnoxious bad asses or do we ride for the pure enjoyment of hitting the open road with our bikes?

A headline on the city government web site for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, says it all:

Next comes the message from John Rhodes, the city's mayor:

Myrtle Beach is no longer the location for two long-running motorcycle events. After many years, our residents grew weary of three weeks of noise and traffic congestion each May, and they asked City Council to end the events. As a result, the Harley-Davidson Dealers Association Spring Rally and the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest will not be held in Myrtle Beach.

This was a difficult decision. Myrtle Beach welcomes visitors year-round, but the giant motorcycle rallies simply grew too large. Our staff, residents and businesses strained to keep up with these huge single-focus events. It may surprise you, but our economy is much healthier with a fully diversified visitor base, instead of a concentration on one or two extremely large events.

Please know that Myrtle Beach is not anti-biker or anti-motorcycle. We want folks to come on the vehicle of their choice and enjoy all of the things Myrtle Beach has to offer. We are ending the motorcycle-related rallies because they grew too big and lasted too long. The huge rallies even kept visitors away from Myrtle Beach, and that's not good.

I wasn't planning to go to Myrtle Beach anyway this year. Rolling Thunder is the following week and I'd rather ride to honor vets anyway.

After an eight-week battle with pneumonia and the worst riding weather we've seen around here in years I claimbed back on the Harley last week for a blast into town and then over to Christiansburg to run some errands. The temperature hit the low 60s in the afternoon and the air felt good.

It was my first time on the bike since a Saturday morning ride in 26-degree weather that probably led to the pneumonia. I was suffering from bronchitis at the time and the super cold air didn't help.

I continue to be impressed with the Sportster's power after the Screaming Eagle enhancements. I know the owners of metrics and Buells look down at the lowly Harley Sportster but the 1200 Low with the SE performance package provides all the power I need for crusing the country roads of Southwestern Virginia. The increased power comes on smoothly from 1500 rpm up and I seldom need to downshift to pass cars on just about any stretch of road.

Likewise, the Garmin Zumo 550 with the XM radio antenna provides both navigation and entertainment. I'll probably opt for the Scala Q2 Multiset Bluetooth that allows communication between rider and passenger as well as other riders and also has a wired connection for the XM.

Lord, even Harley-Davidson dealers use "Black Friday" as a marketing gimmick.

Dealers in both Roanoke and Christiansburg open their doors at 5 a.m. Friday, touting discounts of up to 30 percent for the first three hours of business on the day after Thanksgiving, usually considered the busiest shopping day of the year.

Both are also offering discounts on selected bikes.

Come early, bring your plastic and increase your debt -- just like the rest of us.