What’s really wrong here

I know we all share one of those phenomenon’s, and you can ask me later how I know. There are many actually, which seem to be human nature, but I want to uncover this one here- let’s call it ‘false loyalty’. Let’s begin with some examples to also point out how dangerous this can be, for herds and down to the individual.

Like, blindly follow a president no matter what comes out of of his mouth or what he does. A love for a brand no matter how bad it is actually. That rock star you’ve loved to death, even when he was a crackhead and alcoholic and beat up his wife. That friend you admire so much, and who seem to be so cool when reckless  riding. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not judging you because we all have this in us. I believe it is a kind of protection of what you love and you don’t want to see it gets hurt. Just like mother love, who would defend and protect her child no matter what it did. So we’re good here… relax :-)

BUT… false loyalty makes you oversee or even not see reality very often actually. Sometimes even if you do- you fight to death or find arguments the stuff to achieve peace of mind for something which is actually really wrong. If you take a honest look into yourself, then I bet you’ll find out that also you have ‘this’ in you. For the most people it comes out subconsciously. Being in favor of someone/something can be very dangerous, yet can have huge herd effects. Something, I believe, the Nazis took advantage of. You, the individual, feel absolutely OK with it- but you are actually equally responsible for the stuff going down, right?! It seems that if ‘your hero’ looks bad- that also this throws a bad light on you, because there is this kinda connection. Bad decision making and not knowing (most of the time) that you are standing on the wrong side is the outcome.

How does all this come to us, the motorcycle community? Well, here it is. Groups, so like the motorcycle community herd up. We are brothers and sisters who have something in common and we defend what we have no matter what. Though, that kind of loyalty blinds us quite a bit and often we’re not able to see who’s really wrong. Just like in those YouTube video series’s ‘Crazy People VS Bikers’. The title polarizes already, doesn’t it?! I want you to watch it and then compare what you see with what I see below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1oBdyRD0rg

00:00 That rider was passing the blue car and went on throttle to also pass the gray car… on the right side. That’s not a escape maneuver. This is stupidity and showing off. That makes it 0:1 against us, so ‘the not the crazy ones’.

00:12 I agree, the car could have give more space, but since nothing happened, is it really worth  to scare a teen and to hit the car?! I mean, we are passing cars like that with every lane split, right? 0:2 I’d say.

00:42 The rider passes on the right which is technically illegal. Not 100% sure but his speed is well beyond 45. The long rig his blaming deep out of his heart is merging to the right before the rider was even see-able. Also, when you pay attention. If it really would have been that “close”… why does he come off the brakes half way and keeps rolling next to the truck. Because he wants to rant and dramatize. He’s looking for trouble. 0:3 I’d say.

00:55 Sure, the car should not have change lane, but was it really that close? The rider was defenetly in the blind spot, but the car merged extremely slow so that the rider could have just rolled a little to the left. This has some “I own the road character”, and he should not bring himself nor others in danger by zigzagging, almost standing on a freeway to discuss through a open window. 0:4 I’d say.

01:33 Yup, that car passed a other car over double yellow. Now those un-helmet rock stars start playing Sheriff and actually passing cars on the shoulder to chase him down. Seems that the blue car behind one of those guys gets a little angry because they are blocking the street now. Sure the guy is inpatient but he only tells them to go, while the rider flipping him off. 0:5 I’d say.

02:35 Yep, the car merged a little early to the right but it wasn’t close ate all. In fact the rider stayed super stubborn on his route. Not an inch to the right lane which seen to be all clear to go around. He even had so much time to rev his ego out. 0:6 I’d say.

02:48 Yai. We’ve found the first ‘crazy one’. So it’s 1:6 right now.

02:55 Don’t know what this is. Don’t roll back vs don’t stay in the blind.

03:08 This is actually a real ass move. The rider saw the signal- goes on the throttle just as much to block the van from merging. F’n dirty move, and the finger tops it off. 1:7 it is.

03:22 Yep, not really clean, but the car had the blinker out and the biker actually slowed down so that the driver probably had to think ‘they let me in’. In fact nothing happen, but the ride dramatizes the nothing and to calm his ego. 1:8 I’d say.

04.39 Another dirty move. The rider actually didn’t pay attention to the front. The car merges and he could have go easily on the right lane. Instead, stubborn on path and honks the driver away. He is looking for trouble with his helmet cam, that’s all. 1:9 I’d say. He’s also playing a good Samaritan at the end of the clip.

06:05 I have no clue what the car driver possibly done wrong. The rider is acting up for nothing. At this point I believe he’s only looking for trouble and to play Sheriff. 1:10 for sure.

06:25 The rider is totally in the blind spot of the car. In fact it never was that close. He didn’t had to brake or swirl hard- actually had plenty of time to honk the horn. Nothing happened and is not worth flipping the bird, cuz’ that happened to all of us ones. Can’t tell if the driver checked his left shoulder, so I call this 2:10.

6:45 I seriously have no clue wtf is going on here, but that lady seem to have issues. Though… maybe… when you look back on what I am pointing out and ‘see’ what’s really wrong- than that lady is maybe just sick and tired of motorcycle riders in general. This is the picture what the “crazy people” actually have of most of you: Loud, rude, ego driven, owning the road, and so on and so on…

Before you feel bad with me… look at it objectively and not with false loyalty. Don’t blame me for telling and pointing out the truth. I’m sure you have lot’s of stories to tell where it really was a close call- so have I. I know we are a community, but that doesn’t mean that the connected loyalty can make us blind and to defend riders who cause the reputation we have.

Relax and be reasonable. Be a role model- a gentleman. Do that, and you make riding for yourself even more enjoyable.

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp