Bikers!!

[crystal_19]

Let me start by saying, those who know me on this board probably know that my DH and I are bikers. We used to fly colors, belong to a club, but now we are independent.

Last night I got VERY upset!

I was watching one of my favorite shows "The Cleaner", I LOVE it. But last nights episode really got under my skin and I just wanted to vent. The episode had to do with getting into a motorcycle club to clean up one of the members. Again, made it look like all bikers are hard core biker trash!

ALL BIKERS ARE NOT BAD!!! I don't care what I hear or what I'm watching but anything to do with bikers its always portrayed as bad. We dont all do drugs, drink, and commit crimes. To tell you the truth most of the time when we are riding as a group do you know what were doing? RAISING MONEY FOR A CHARITY, USUALLY CHILDREN!!!

I get so angry when DH and I are out maybe in our leathers and mothers shun the kids from us or look the other way. Do these people think we are all one big group of bad nasty bikers? Really?

The poem below sums it up, I hope you have time to read it.

I saw you,
hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me,
put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you,
pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me,
playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you,
change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me,
attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you,
roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me,
driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette
butt out the car window.

I saw you,
frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me,
when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you,
stare at my long hair.
But, you didn't see me,
and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you,
roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me,
and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you,
look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me,
cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in
my heart.

I saw you,
change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me,
going home to be with my family.

I saw you,
complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me,
when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you,
yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me,
pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you,
reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me,
squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you,
race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me,
get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you,
run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me,
trying to turn right.

I saw you,
cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me,
leave the road.

I saw you,
waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me.
I wasn't there.

I saw you,
go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me.
Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker,.....
A person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.

BEING A BIKER IS NOT A CRIME!

[loveswolfs]

One of the stores i worked at for 3 years never knew what my home life was like. I just dont talk about my out side life much to any one. I use to hear remarks about bikers all the time from my co workers on how bad they are. I use to go home and vent about it all the time. So one time when i was on vacation i stopped up at work to pick up my check and walked in with my chaps, vest & colors on, boy did i get the looks from ppl. When i came back a few said they were really sorry for the things that they had said, and that they had no idea about me. I said thats the thing you dont know who any one is or what they do out side of work. One of the guys in my club was a sheriff who wore colors so no not all of us are bad ppl. My ex club use to take up a collection for food & clothes for battered women & children, every xmas we would find a needy family and buy them a real tree & gifts for the whole family plus food for that day.

[PrincessArky]

I guess I am just different I never thought of any bikers like that just because they were bikers...........hell I have 4 kids and I worry more about ppl who look like me doing something to my family than I would someone different

[Jenefer3]

The bikers here are really good people, well most of them, there's always some bad apples in every bunch you know? Every Christmas they do Jumbo's Toy Run and collect new toys and/or money and then throw a huge party for underprivileged kids. It used to be at a skating rink but that closed down, but they would pay for all the kids and their family members to skate the entire time, the kids got to sit on Santa's lap and get a present. They do it in memory of a guy named Jumbo.

I don't assume that because someone is a biker that they are white trash or that I'm any better than them. The only time I think badly of someone is when they show reason to think less of them.

[DBackFan]

My oldest Son is a biker and wears the red & gold. I have to admit..at first I hated it but lately I have been so proud of him. There is a new red/gold club here in Moses and they are a 12 step club. I just rented one of my mobiles to a member and I guarantee you..that is one tenant I will NEVER have a problem with.
Now I see my Son with all his tatoos, leathers and beard and I think what a great guy all the way around! (BTW he has a VERY good job too)

[Unicornmom77]

I am not a biker myself, although I would LOVE to own a bike, I know bikers are just like anyone else, some good, some bad.

Thank you for this post!

[Mom2-3boys]

No preconceived notion that ALL bikers are bad here! I live in South Dakota go to Sturgis know the bad ones to stay away from but also know that a good majority of them are hard working people that just want to get away and let their hair down!! My husband just got a bike a week ago.....I'm too scared to ride with him LOL

[lymi]

My brother is a serious biker. I understand. Like anything else, there are good and there are bad. For some reason, the bad always gets the lime light. Same with anything. We live in a mobile home. The phrase "trailor trash" really gets me mad. We have a very nice place. People are just judgemenal. Sad but true. We always notice that if a tornado or something hits, they will show the mobile homes before they show the brick houses. Yes , bikers are good, but society likes to look at the negative

[crystal_19]

My oldest Son is a biker and wears the red & gold. I have to admit..at first I hated it but lately I have been so proud of him. There is a new red/gold club here in Moses and they are a 12 step club. I just rented one of my mobiles to a member and I guarantee you..that is one tenant I will NEVER have a problem with.
Now I see my Son with all his tatoos, leathers and beard and I think what a great guy all the way around! (BTW he has a VERY good job too)

We are R&G supporters!! They are good people and they have huge hearts!

SYLB!

[April78945]

I absolutly love bikers. My uncle is a serious biker and would run so many charities it was insane. When my great uncle died, every biker from Ma to Canada rode down, it was amazing. He was 99 when he died and left me two bikes which I have no idea what to do with..one is a Triumph or somehting like that and the other is a Harley. The triumph looks like a bicycle because it is so antique. I just look at them and imagine my great uncle when he used to ride from here to Canada.

[Char]

I was raised on bikes... and, dated bikers a lot... still 'do' biker bars and runs etc... most I know do drink and party, but, most also have good jobs (takes some cash for those Harley's...lol), and, are understanding, safe, decent people. I was never crazy about all the tats (my BF came home covered with them from the service...lol), but, bikers are just 'people'. They do a lot of charity stuff here too... the "Toys for Tots" runs, the one they do for the Humane Society etc... most here are good ones.

But, there are some 'bad' bike clubs... being a biker, I'm sure you've heard of them, and/or are aware when they come into your town... it puts all the good bikers on alert. And, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so, the bad bikers get all the attention.

I ride myself (did, and still could), and, have been on the back of many Sportsters, Softails, and Low Riders... :D

But yea, except for 'Wild Hogs'...lol, most flicks put bikers in a bad light.

[nksnuck]

I have hung with sweet as apple pie bikers and the kind you would not go down an ally with. I knew the 2 HA's that got killed in the Laughlin casino a few years back, one was at my house the day before. That was not good for us bikers and will always haunt us. That is what is reported on the news over and over and over. They show 2 seconds of a toy run but if there is a fight you can watch it on the news and on line over and over. I have been looked at on the freeway and at restaurants by "those" moms, it sucks. I don't have a criminal record, graduated High School with straight A's, my son is a scout, he is in GATE, I donate used house items, volunteer at the school, I'd give you the shirt off my back. I get dirty looks because I have tats, color my hair and hang with bikers. Does a bike make a person, no. I try to keep my past with the rowdy bikers quiet because no matter what people judge by that. That is not me and will never be me. I worked at a Harley dealer for almost 5 years and I loved it. I love bikes and bikers not crime and drugs. It sucks that the only real way to see all the good is to read the Thunder-Press(plug plug). Yeah, I have been in it way back in like 2004, "If you see Jan".

[stetne]

I never knew any bikers or anything about bikers growing up. Neither did my kids but my son was obsessed with Harley's when he was about 6-7. We would go someplace and he would always run to a motorcycle if it was there and would gawk at them on the road. He would even tell us that when he turned 16 he was getting one. I also found out around that time that my husband's deceased father was a biker and in a biker club. I wish we would have had some momento of that for my son. He's now 12 and obsessed with Corvettes.