How to be PRO Active - help us fill in the blanks

I try really hard to get people thinking and talking about the issues at hand but sometimes my frustration and anger over the type of behaviour that causes grief for the rest of us gets the better of me and sometimes I have more guts than brains...if I was a guy I'd sport more black eyes....my father always said I should have been his first born son.

Our community has some issues that are making us targets and have communities wanting to muffle us for good.  The situation in Edmonton is a prime example - I have heard from riders that the tickets are already flowing freely now that bikes are out.


I get frustrated when people don't read what I write but only pick one or two words and then go AHA - witch - she's wrong and then close their minds so I thought I would try something else...

I want dialogue and ideas to flow...so let's try this approach and you tell ME how we should deal with the various situations I set down here. Feel free to tell me about scenarios that I haven't put down here as well and how you have handled them...

1) If a rider who is part of a group you are going for a ride with is riding in a dangerous fashion - high rate of speed, bobbing and weaving in and out of traffic, passing semi's on the right hand shoulder, splitting the middle (coming in between two riders who are riding in proper formation) - what remedies are available to you? Last fall we had just such a situation here in GP - we chose to talk to the rider as we felt there was an opportunity to educate or at the very least make the rider understand that we did not find his behaviour cool.

• Ban that person from being part of your group's night rides - tell them they aren't welcome if they are going to ride in that manner.
• You could ignore the behaviour, shake your head and talk behind his/her back.
• You could shake your head and leave the group
• You could________________________

1 A) Let's say this rider's behaviour is endangering lives - at the very least his/her own - if you have exhausted all other possibilities and if other motorists have not already done so, would you consider calling the cops or would you just shake your head and go your own way? 

What else could be done?

2) Let's say you have talked to this rider and then banned him/her from participation in your group (they are a hard case) but you see this rider exhibiting the same behaviors elsewhere...

• You could warn all of the riding clubs/groups in your region about this rider and their conduct
• You could shake your head, talk behind their back
• You could shake your head and mutter to yourself some people's children
• You could______________________

3) If someone was doing a burn out where it was truly not appropriate to be doing so like during your local toy run...

• You could ask that rider to leave the function
• You could shake your head and walk away and talk about them behind their back
• You could never go to another toy run
• You could_________________________

4) If someone was doing a burn out at a stop sign/set of lights...

• You could shake your head and ride away at the first opportunity
• You could yell out "What do you think you are trying to prove?"
• You could__________________________

5)  If someone was riding their bike in such a way as to set off a couple of blocks worth of car alarms...

• You could - the next time you saw this person, have some kind of discussion about consideration for others
• You could forget about it until the next time 
• You could shake your head and say some people's children
• You could___________________________________

I want you to share with me the creative way/s you have for dealing with those members of our community that have forgotten or do not understand that their actions and behaviors reflect on the rest of us.

In one case I saw a group of riders literally turn their backs as a collective group and draw ranks after witnessing a burn out by a rider in a parking lot. He got off of his bike and went to approach the group - he was all smiles like he had just done something wonderful and they literally in unison turned their backs and refuse to talk to him...he got back on his bike and left...

Stupid laws get put in place because of stupid actions, we don't need any more stupid laws.

What can be done? 
When is it right or appropriate to talk to some one and what do you say?
How can we appropriately police ourselves without risk of loosing our teeth or our sense of community?
When is it right or appropriate to call the police - if ever?

I would love to hear your stories - HOW have you taught others in your riding community that their bad behaviors are costing you and others? I would love your ideas on what we can do to start educating those who don't seem to know better.

Talk to me - don't bury your head in the sand and say it's not my job - don't be complacent - PLEASE get involved - PLEASE....talk to me - let's come up with some concrete ideas folks - if we work at this together we could protect our rights to loud pipes - we could protect our community and its freedoms...but we have to do it as a collective, as a group.

Poet and a whole group are willing to look at starting a rider's rights group - how about a responsible rider's group....

We will be announcing the winners in the show 'n' shine later today!
I can't wait to see which machines have won and I want to thank everyone including our sponsors for having particiapted. It was alot of fun to do!

If you are going out for a ride today PLEASE ride like everyone is out to get you, and everyone around you is blind and can not see you and for the love of all things motorcycles - PLEASE use respect with that right hand...

Belt Drive Betty
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