Yes.
This bike, to be exact.
I was leaving a club and went to walk a friend to her car. When I came back to the club, I found a gaggle of very drunk college girls all over my bike, with one standing over it. They were stumbling around and trying to take pictures. They were completely oblivious to me walking up, helmet in hand.
I pulled my best command voice and told them all to take three steps back. Most did, except one, who got in my face and started screaming “you can’t tell me what to do!”. To which I said that yes, in this instance I can, indeed, tell her what to do. At this point club security showed up and said I should go, while they take care of the drunks.
I got on the bike. The belligerent drunk girl lunged at my back, security guy put an arm out to hold her back, her boyfriend took offense to that and threw a punch at the security guy. I didn’t actually see that, as I was already riding off, but I’m told the rest of the night didn’t go well for the drunk girl and drunk boyfriend. They are banned from that club, too. Alcohol sure brings out the stupid in some people.
I really don’t understand why people do this. Not touching other people’s stuff without asking is basic courtesy that most people in Western society should learn by the age of 7 or so. This is even more important with motorcycles, which can be knocked over and damaged. Fixing paint and bodywork isn’t cheap. The rider may be in a hurry, and you will be holding them up. Some people see their motorcycle as an intensely personal space, and having other people in it is very upsetting to them. There is a million reasons to keep away from other people’s bikes.
If you think a bike is cool, tell the rider, most will enjoy the compliment. You can ask if you can try it, or take a picture on it. It doesn’t cost anything, and the worst you will get is a “no”.
Ultimately, if you want to sit on a bike, get your own. Then, you will understand how we feel.
There have been a number of responses along the lines of “it’s only property”, and “the nice thing is to just let them have fun”.
Fixing a bike is time. Fixing a bike is work. I do the work, I don’t send it out to a shop. (Most of my bikes are so old only custom shops will work on them, anyway) It’s not just property. I think people should respect other people’s time and work.
As to letting people have fun - sure. That’s not a problem.
Couple of weeks ago, I was working in the garage and a couple of neighborhood kids came along. A boy about four years old, and his older sister. The boy wanted to climb all over the shiny red and white FJ I had out in the driveway. The sister told him to wait and came up and asked me if they could sit on it. I told them they could and held the bike while they got on and made some motor noises.
Kids were happy. The girl said she wants to get a bike in a few years when she’s old enough. I told her that if she still lives in the area when that happens, come look me up, and I’ll tell her all about how you get a license. I think there are a couple of future riders there.
The sister was being polite, but she did much more, even if the didn’t realize it. The FJ weighs 590 pounds (270 kilograms for the rest of the world). If it fell over on the little kid, it could easily kill him, or at least injure him pretty badly. This stuff isn’t harmless.
Read other answers by Mike Shurkin on Quora:
- How do you maintain your motorcycle?
- How do I get a motorcycle license?
- Can I shift a motorcycle with only my thumb?
from Quora http://ift.tt/2jffwWP
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