One of the people I met during my road trip in September/October was Cindy, owner of Style Saver Scarves.
She recently had her product featured on Garage Girls. I figured that since we’re still a month or two away from riding here in Ottawa, I’d show you the video in case you want to order one of these great scarves. Check out their website here.
Dear Bike,
I know the weather is pretty nice for Ottawa in January. I know that they are calling for temperatures around 0 C (32 F) all week. But it’s not time to go out. Yes, we’d have no problem riding at this temperature in the Fall, but it’s different then. There’s no snow on the ground.
It’s just not time.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that you’re not together right now. I’m glad some of your parts are taking a vacation. It keeps us from getting tempted.
Hang in there. It will only be a few more months until the riding season is here. I promise.
In my last post, I shared about the process to becoming a member of a motorcycle club. As a result of that process, membership is incredibly important and something that is taken very seriously. Guys are proud of their club. In fact, in some cases, their love for the club overshadows everything else.
This time, I want to talk about the sense of family found in most motorcycle clubs. Again, if you haven’t done so, please read the second post in this series, where I explain what I mean by motorcycle clubs. It will help those who might disagree with some of what I will say below.
One thing you will discover with most clubs is a strong sense of family. They truly see the other members as brothers (and sisters). They will do anything for one another. Anything. If a brother is in need, his club is there. It’s one of the things I love the most about clubs.
A club stands together. No matter what. Even if a member is in the wrong, they will stand with him. If a member acts like an idiot in public and finds himself in trouble as a result, his brothers will be right there beside him in the middle of the trouble. That doesn’t mean they will condone the behaviour. Often the club will address the behaviour of the member and make it clear that it’s not acceptable. However, that meeting will take place privately. Publicly, you will simply see people who stand together.
I can’t speak for most churches, but I want Bikers’ Church to function in that way. In fact, it’s been a priority of ours since day one. When someone becomes a member of Bikers’ Church, there are expectations on them. We expect them to treat other members like family. To stand together. To defend one another.
We believe this so strongly that there have been a few times when we have challenged a person who broke this fundamental principle. We challenge those who publicly criticize another member. We take issue with those who treat another member with a lack of respect. We expect our members to stand together. To defend one another. If there’s an issue, we’ll deal with it. But it will be done privately, among those who are affected.
I remember a few years ago one of our guys breaking down a few hours from Ottawa. One phone call and he was looked after. Another member headed to meet him with his truck. It didn’t matter what else was going on. A brother was in trouble and others rose up. I could tell story after story that demonstrates this sense of family.
I think of my family growing up. There was my older brother and my younger sister. There were times when we would get frustrated with each other about one thing or another. I might criticize one of my siblings to my mom. But if someone outside my family attacked my brother or sister, I would rise up to defend them regardless of the validity of the attack. You simply do not go after my family without going through me.
I don’t believe there is anything more damaging to a church than gossip or murmuring (groups of people whispering, complaining, and bad mouthing someone). Nothing drives me more crazy. I do everything I can to keep gossipers off the leadership team at Bikers’ Church. I don’t want them around. As far as I’m concerned, they’re dangerous.
When I hear of people within Bikers’ Church who are murmuring, I do what I can to address it. Among our leadership, we have a policy. If someone approaches a leader to criticize another member of the church, the leader is expected to interrupt the person and say something along the following lines: “Tell you what, if you have an issue with that person, then we should address it. Let’s call them and arrange a meeting between the three of us. You can share your criticism directly to them, and I’ll help mediate the issue for you.” It’s amazing how often people don’t want to go to that step. Why? Because they really aren’t trying to resolve an issue, they’re just looking to complain.
Look, I realize that even in the best of motorcycle clubs, there are times when this sense of family falls short. Let’s face it, even in the best of families, the ideal sometimes fails. The point I’m trying to make is that for the most part, that sense of family is celebrated in the club scene. It’s something many churches could learn.
In my last post, I explained what I meant by the terms Church and Motorcycle Clubs (M.C.). Now, I want to dive into some of the specific things that I believe we can learn from each other.
I want to start with membership.
First, let me explain how one becomes a member of a typical motorcycle club. In most cases, it’s not an easier process. Before a club allows you to where their patch (also known as “colours” or “cut”), they want to make sure you fully understand the philosophy behind the club. Membership is something that is earned. The process is rarely easy. But in the end, I believe it’s one of the main reasons that most club guys value their membership above almost everything else. I know many guys who will refuse to take off their patch no matter who asks them to do so. It is their most prized possession.
There are a number of stages to club membership. It begins with a Hangaround stage. A Hangaround has no real status in the club. He is simply someone who, well … hangs around … at club events. He might hang out at the club house or participate in bike runs sponsored by the club. However, he isn’t unnoticed by the club. If someone in the club views the Hangaround as potential club material, he may be invited to move on to the next stage.
That next stage is the Prospect stage. In most clubs, you don’t ask to prospect, you’re invited to do so. If a club member thinks you might be a good fit for the club, he’ll “sponsor” you. As a prospect, you are at the bidding of all the members of the club. You work hard. You do whatever you are asked to do. Your the guy who is washing the floors, carrying food and drinks to the club parties, running errands for club members. The primary job of a prospect is to learn. He follows behind the members, watching them, learning from them. Many clubs have a rule that prospects are to stay quiet at public events. Speak only when instructed to do so by a member. In other words, stay in the background, work like a dog, and learn the ropes. The prospect stage can last anywhere from six months to a few years. Some never move past this stage. Some quite because they find being a prospect demeaning. It’s usually easy to spot a prospect in a club environment. He may be wearing a patch that clearly states he is a prospect. Or, he may be wearing part of the clubs colours (usually the club logo (or emblem) and one rocker (the rockers are the top and bottom patches. One usually states the name of the club, the other usually has the city or state the club resides in).
After a period of time, if the prospect’s sponsor (the guy who originally invited him to join the club) feels the prospect has earned it, a vote will be held by the members of the club. Most clubs require a unanimous vote in order to approve a prospect for membership. The vote is always private and no prospects attend the meeting where the vote is held. If approved, the prospect is granted full membership into the club.
When a prospect becomes a full member, most clubs hold a party to celebrate. After all, it’s a big deal for both the prospect and the club. They are telling this guy that he has worked hard, has proven his value, and is now part of a very close group of friends. He’s family. He now enjoys all the rights and privileges of membership.
Can a person ever move down the “ladder” from member to prospect. Absolutely. There are a few reasons why a member can be put back to prospect status, but I’ll explain those reasons in a later post.
So, what can the Church learn from the membership process of a Motorcycle Club? I believe a lot. However, there are a few challenges we must face when we compare the two.
First, most churches strive to be inclusive. In other words, churches want everyone to feel welcome. M.C.s don’t carry that same desire. While they want to be friendly with most people, M.C.s are very exclusive. Members are seen very differently than non-members.
In a lot of churches, there has been a movement away from membership. Again, it’s done out of a desire to make everyone feel welcome. But I think in the end, it hurts one of the very key principles that membership offers: value to the church. You see, in a club, members will do just about anything for the club because they have poured a lot of “blood, sweat, and tears” into the club. It’s difficult to have that same value in a local church if there isn’t an effort required to be part of any area of the church.
At Bikers’ Church, one of our key values is that you belong just by showing up. We want every person who walks through our doors to feel he/she is a part of the Bikers’ Church family. It’s important to us. However, that doesn’t mean that every person who comes through the doors at Bikers’ Church can dictate the direction of the church. Just because you attend a few weeks doesn’t mean you get to have a say in the philosophy of the church.
From the very beginning we felt it was important to have a membership. To be a member at Bikers’ Church, you are required to take a course that goes over the history of Bikers’ Church. It tells the story of how we began and why we do what we do. It explains our foundational beliefs and the core values that make us Bikers’ Church. If, after the course is completed, you want to become a member, then you are required to sign a paper committing to living out the core values. Membership is only valid for the calendar year, and every person, including staff, are required to make a fresh commitment each January. Each membership form is reviewed by the Servant Leadership Team (Church Board). Those approved are acknowledged during a service.
Even so, I’m not convinced that we value membership at Bikers’ Church enough. I wonder if there should be a minimum waiting period before one can become a member. We don’t require someone to be a member in order to serve in certain areas of the church, however we do ask people to attend a minimum of six months before they serve in any area (such as behind the bar, running a video camera, etc.). We want people to have a basic understanding of why we do what we do before they get involved in an area within the church.
I think membership should be something that we value much higher. It should be celebrated. Not so that we make a clear separation from members and non-members. I do believe that you can still make everyone feel like they belong and still celebrate those who commit fully to being part of the church family.
When you become a member of a motorcycle club, you are proud of that connection. It’s easy to spot a club member. They are almost always wearing their patch. They bike often has club images on it. Even their cars usually have club stickers. Heck, I’ve seen club members who even plaster the front door of their house with club logos. They get tattoos with the club’s name. They boast about their club to others. It would crush a lot of them to ever lose their membership within the club.
How many churches can boast that? Now, I do admit that Bikers’ Church has that kind of “loyalty.” Most of the members have a CCBC sticker somewhere on their motorcycle. Most wear Bikers’ Church t-shirts or sport the church’s logo patch on their vest. I don’t think anyone has tattooed the church’s logo on their bodies, but it wont surprise me if someone does.
I realize that there are many reasons why we don’t emphasize church membership the same way a club does. I understand that the focus of most churches is to life up the name of Jesus not the name of the church. What matters most is that God is honoured and glorified, not Bikers’ Church.
Still, I wonder if there’s something we could learn about how we view our local church from the way a club member views his club.
You turn. Comments?
Note: This is part two of a series of posts. To read the previous post, go here.
I thought it would be good to explain a few things before I actually dive into specific areas that I think these two groups could learn from each other. After all, when you use words like Church or Motorcycle Club (M.C.) you cover a lot of diverse areas. There are so many different ideas of what is meant by Church. The same is true when it comes to Motorcycle Clubs. So, let me take a few minutes and explain what I mean with both terms.
When it comes to Church, I am speaking of an institution that is made up of people who consider themselves followers of Jesus Christ. I am not talking about a specific denomination or style of worship. The Church is an incredibly diverse subculture. As such, it can be very difficult to define. Many critics of the Church argue that one of the primary problems of the Church is it’s lack of respect for various cultures. They argue that the Church strives to force people of different cultures into specific molds. Timothy Keller, in his book, The Reason For God, argues that nothing could be further from the truth.
Christianity … allegedly forces people from diverse cultures into a single iron mold. It is seen as an enemy of pluralism and multiculturalism. In reality, Christianity has been more adaptive of diverse cultures than secularism and many other worldviews….Christianity was first dominated by Jews and centered in Jerusalem. Later it was dominated by Hellenists and centered in the Mediterranean. Later the faith was received by the barbarians of Northern Europe and Christianity came to be dominated by western Europeans and then North Americans. Today most Christians in the world live in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Christianity soon will be centered in the southern and eastern hemispheres. (pp 40-41)
When I use the term Church it can be very difficult to generalize. How the Church functions in North America can be very different than in Asia or Latin America. So, let me be clear that since my experience with the Church is limited to Canadian Evangelicalism, I will be talking about the Church in that context. I’m sure that most of my criticisms and suggestions can fit nicely into any part of the North American Protestant Church, but I wont assume such.
Also, please note that when I use the lower case church, I am referring to a local body of Christ followers. For the most part, it will be Bikers’ Church that I am referring to. The Capital “C” Church is the larger context of the Global Church.
In many ways, we face the same challenge when we talk about Motorcycle Clubs. After all, there are a lot of different types of motorcycle groups. There are Clubs, Associations, One Percenters, Affiliations, and groups that simply rally around a specific cause. In some cases, these groups have very little expectations or rules that dictate the behaviour and expectations of their adherents. Some have formal memberships, some do not. In some cases, it’s as simple as going to a website and ordering a “patch.” For other groups, membership takes years and requires a number of steps that the potential member must pass. Some groups have hundreds of members in one location, while others limit the size of each “chapter” to a few dozen at most. Even Wikipedia’s definition of a Motorcycle Club is unbelievably general: A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles. No kidding.
When I speak about Motorcycle Club, I am talking very specifically about those groups that follow a very clear set of rules and expectations. Generally speaking, these rules and expectations can be found in just about any group that has a three piece patch. Most of these clubs also have a small patch with the words M.C. on it. While all outlaw clubs (One Percenters) will follow these rules in some fashion, the rules are not limited to these clubs. There are many Christian clubs, family related clubs, sobriety clubs, law enforcement clubs, to name a few, that also follow the general rules of an M.C. As well, there are groups who choose not to use the M.C. label (Motorcycle Ministries (M.M.), for example) who often follow the same expectations. You can see the challenge one faces when endeavouring to write about Motorcycle Clubs.
While this may seem over simplified, I believe there are a general set of rules and expectations that one assumes have been met and are being followed when they see a biker wearing an M.C. patch. It is from this list of expectations that I will draw on some ideas that I think the Church could learn.
Now that we’ve made that all clear as mud, let me talk about an area that both groups have in common. Both are very misunderstood by those outside of their groups.
I believe both groups are often misrepresented by the Media. Now, I’m not a “let’s blame everything on the media” type of guy, but the reality is, both groups are often thrown in with the “radicals” of their respective groups. Call it lazy reporting. Call it misinformed sources. Call it bias. Whatever the reason, the fact is that most of the time, M.C.s are labeled as gangs. In fact, often a Motorcycle Club is actually referred to as a Motorcycle Gang. I’ve seen Christian and Sobriety M.C.s referred to as “gangs.”
The reality is most M.C.s are made up of law-abiding people. In fact, many have zero tolerance for any type of illegal activity among club members. Are the members of some clubs actively involved in criminal activity? Sure. But they are the exception, not the norm. In fact, there’s a reason why some Clubs wear an additional patch with “1%er” on it. Most do not, and almost all of the ones that do not wear the “1%er” patch have zero interest in illegal activity. The debate of questionable behaviour within “1%er” Clubs is best left for another time. Although it’s an interesting debate to say the least.
At the same time, the Church is often labeled because of the behaviour of a few. The majority of Christ followers strongly believe that their role is to make a difference in the lives of their family, friends, and the people of their community. They’re not mean-spirited, judgmental, or bigoted. They don’t hate certain groups. They love God. They love Jesus. They strive to live a life that would represent Jesus to others. Yes, there is a small group of “fanatics” who do stupid things. They carry signs that speak of God’s hatred for certain groups. They justify their behaviour because they believe the end result is what truly matters, even if the behaviour is contrary to everything Jesus taught. However, I believe that this group is a very small group – perhaps the Church’s “1%ers.”
I love what Keller says about Christian fanatics in The Reason For God:
Think of people you consider fanatical. They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian but because they are not Christian enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, empathetic, forgiving, or understanding – as Christ was….What strikes us as overly fanatical is actually a failure to be fully committed to Christ and his gospel.
How very true.
As I already said, I’m not a “blame everything on the media” kind of guy. I think there are a couple of other reasons why both these groups are so misunderstood by the general public. Motorcycle Clubs are designed to keep people at a distance. Let’s face it, grab a bunch of big guys with long hair and beards, dirty jeans, leather jackets and loud Harleys and you’re going to intimidate some people. And, for most Club members, that’s just fine with them. If someone is intimidated by you, they are less likely to bother you. Most club members like being left alone. They are part of a group because they’ve connected with others. They are quite happy just hanging with their brothers, and the less you bother them, the better. Bikers like having a bravado or machismo that keeps others at a distance.
I love the video of a well known Christian motorcycle group that shows a bunch of the members pulling over to help a lady in a broken down car. She’s sitting inside with the doors locked, refusing to unlock the door or roll down the window. The guys show her their patch which clearly identifies them as Christians, and yet she remains frightened. It’s no surprise if you were looking at the situation through her eyes! Even today, although I’m not a part of an M.C., if I’m riding in a pack of bikes, we intimidate those around us. Cars generally move over when they see ten or fifteen bikes pulling up behind them.
Most Motorcycle Clubs have little interest in changing this perception. They want to be seen as tough and intimidating. Yes, I’m speaking generally here, and there are a few exceptions. For the most part club members have little interest in changing this misunderstanding.
The misunderstanding that the Church faces is different. Most Christ followers do not want to be viewed in the same light as the fanatics. The challenge for them is how to change the public perception without coming across as self-serving. You see, a Christ follower focuses on doing things quietly, behind the scenes. Most are not wanting recognition for the good that they do. That’s not why they do it. Christ followers serve their communities because they believe God wants them to do just that. They don’t do it so that people will applaud them.
So, how does the Church change this public misunderstanding. To be honest, I don’t think they need to worry about it. I believe that when Christ followers focus their attention on loving their family, friends and neighbours, they will achieve more than any “media campaign” could ever do. I believe that Bikers’ Church has proven this. I have heard or read of many times when a biker in Ottawa has criticized Bikers’ Church by lumping us in with “all churches” only to be corrected by another member of the motorcycle community. Often, the person doing the correcting will say something like, “I’m not a part of Bikers’ Church, but they are good people and they are nothing like what you are describing.” I believe the more we do good within the motorcycle community, the less we’ll have to explain public misunderstandings about the church.
Alright, there you have it: one way that the Church and M.C.s are the same is the misunderstanding both experience within the general public. However, the reasons and response can be somewhat different.
Next time, I’ll start to focus in on some of the specific expectations that you find in an M.C. and what the Church could learn from them.
Feel free to share your comments.
Yeah, I know. Having the Church in the same title as the M.C. seems like a strange thing to do. In the words of my friend Kelly would say, it’s a juxtaposition! Just how do these two groups fit together?
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about both these subjects. My thoughts about the Church are focused mainly on a church called Capital City Bikers’ Church. My church. It’s filled with some amazing people. People I love dearly. Many of them I haven’t seen in a few months while I’m on this three month break. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking of them. I’ve been contemplating the many areas of Bikers’ Church, considering ways we can improve and strengthen what we do. I’ve been asking God to give some clear direction for the future of Bikers’ Church. I believe he is doing just that.
At the same time, my mind has been on the biker culture. There’s a bunch of reasons for that. In an older post, I shared about some friends (the aforementioned Kelly and her man Jase) who experienced a major fire at their bike shop. After talking with a couple of bikers (Mike & Fred), I decided to set up a way for people to donate to help these bikers. I was amazed at how many people rose to the occasion. Total strangers donated. It was is amazing.
Another reason for why I’m spending a lot of time thinking about the M.C. (Motorcycle Club) culture is the time I spent with a friend during my road trip. His passion and love for his patch was very evident to me. Whether he continues in his club or not, he reminded me again of the dedication required to be part of a true M.C.
Finally, I find myself thinking a lot about M.C. culture because I’m addicted to the television show Sons of Anarchy. Without question, it is the most well written, character driven drama on TV right now. Every episode keeps me captivated and once I’m done watching, I find myself drawn to the culture. Not the gun-running, illegal activity of the culture, but the no-holds-family-first passion that M.C. members have for each other.
Before we started Bikers’ Church, we actually established a Christian M.C. here in Ottawa. We did it right. The club followed all the typical rules of any M.C. I was very excited about the club. Once the church got going, I found myself struggling with trying to do both. Specifically, I struggled with the need for a church to be inclusive while a club is, by nature, exclusive. In the end, we decided to shut down the M.C. in order to put all our efforts into the church. I still believe it was the right decision.
During the club days, I remember many pastors asking me about the process for becoming a member. Hangaround, Prospect, dues, regulations were all words that pastors found fascinating. Over and over, I heard statements like, “If only I could implement the same process in the church.” “If we put the same expectations on a church member that a club does on one of their members, we’d accomplish so much more in the church.” There’s so much truth in their thoughts.
And so, over the next few blog posts, I want to share my perspective on what the Church can learn from the M.C. culture. And, perhaps I’ll even toss in a few thougths about what the M.C. culture can learn from the Church. I think you’ll be surprised at how many ways these two groups can imitate one another.
More to come. Click here to read part two.
Comments?
I should probably admit something right off the bat. I’ve never read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I’ve tried. Twice. Both times, I found myself quickly bored and distracted, and the book ended up back on the shelf. I looked for it a few weeks back and I can’t even find it anymore. I’ve likely given it away with the hundreds of other books that I’ve boxed up and taken down to the used book store.
I’m also not a big fan of the whole Zen thing. True, I haven’t spent much time exploring it, and some of the philosophies I’ve read seem to be very biblical ideas, but for the most part, I think Zen is, well, overrated.
With those admissions, you might find it strange for me to be sitting down to write a review of Mark Richardson’s book Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Fair enough, but as I dived into this book, I discovered that this book offers so much more than just an examination of Zen or Pirsig’s book.
The first time I picked up Zen and Now was two week’s before my Road Trip. I was looking for a couple of “motorcycle books” to take along with me. Since Richardson’s book had a motorcycle on the cover, it peaked my interest. I read the back cover and decided it wasn’t my kind of book. So, I put it back on the shelf. I now regret doing that.
A few days after I arrived home from my trip, I was over at a Starbucks that is connected to a Chapters book store. I needed something to read, and so I wandered back to the motorcycle section. Once again, the bike on the cover caught my attention. This time, I found a chair and decided to read a few pages to decide if it was worth buying.
Richardson had me hooked with the first two paragraphs.
I can tell from the sign by the bank, without turning my head from the road, that it’s nine thirty in the morning. The sign flashes to show it’s 80 degrees, and the heat’s already coming through my jacket. It’s going to be hot today. That’s okay – on a motorcycle, heat is always welcome.
The small town passes, and I’m back among the fields. The bike’s running well this morning, and both of us are stretching out a little, starting to relax on the road now that this trip’s finally under way. You’ll have to excuse me if I think of her sometimes as if she’s a person. It’s just me now, me and my old bike.
Immediately my mind rushed back to the first few days of my own road trip. I remembered the feeling so clearly. Just me and my old bike. I was hooked. Over the next 275 pages, I would have many flashbacks. Many moments when I felt like Richardson was telling my tale. He got it. I didn’t know the man, and yet felt like there was a connection between us. Coincidentally, Richardson’s road trip took place just before his 42nd birthday. My own trip ended one week before my 42nd birthday. Yes, there was a connection. I only wished I could describe things they way he managed to picture them. And yet, perhaps I did, in my own way.
This is a book about a man who decides to retrace the route detailed in Pirsig’s Zen and the Art. And yet, it’s much more than that. It’s also about a man discovering some things about himself. Sharing his own experiences. Discovering his own way.
I pause as I write that last line. If you read the book too casually, you wont see Richardson discovering his own way. Instead, you’ll just see another Zenite trying to duplicate the journey of someone else. In fact, for the first half of the book, it frustrated me. Richardson, and many others before him, map out every stop that Pirsig and his riding companions made. Every known meal stop, hotel or campsite, even pee break was entered into a GPS system. And yet, I kept wondering if the guy they were trying to follow, Robert Pirsig, would ever do that? Would he ever follow the route of someone else? Richardson does an excellent job bringing Pirsig to life, and from what I can tell, the answer is no, he wouldn’t. Pirsig would likely tell all these people following his route to blaze their own trail. Ironic, I guess.
The book actually has three paths. First, Richardson takes you along with his own ride. Without a doubt, this is the part I enjoyed the most. As I already explained, I felt connected to him because of my own road trip. He even goes through the same emotions as I did – the loneliness, the thrill of unknown curves, the rush of running on reserve.
Along with his own ride, Richardson shares the story of Pirsig’s travels. He doesn’t simply quote from sections of Zen and the Art, but rather shares “insider” information, from people he meets along the journey. He spends time with the people that Pirsig talks about in the original book. As he travels a particular road, he shares what happened with the original “Zen Riders.”
Finally, Richardson also shares the story of what happened between the time of the original trip and his own. As someone who loves to study people, I found this incredibly insightful. You discover what shaped Pirsig before his trip, and how the success of the book affected the rest of his life. It’s an incredible story.
Zen and Now is a great book. In fact, it has quickly become one of my favourite motorcycle books. Is it perfect? Of course not. I wish Richardson would have continued the story and told of his own trip home. One where he plotted his own path. No longer bound by the route laid out by Pirsig. I would have loved to know more about his journey home.
Over all, I highly recommend this book. As I wrote about my own journey, many of you commented that you found yourself caught up with the ride. You felt like you were tagging along with me. Trust me, you’ll feel the same as you read Zen and Now.
One last thing. Reading this book did not cause me to rush out and grab another copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Actually, quite the opposite. I have less desire to read the original now. Why? I enjoyed Richardson’s account so much that I can’t help but think that the original would almost ruin things for me.
If you want to pick up a copy of Zen and Now, you can find it at Amazon or at Chapters. Also, Richardson has a website dedicated to Zen and Now, but I would suggest waiting until after you read the book to visit his website. Or at least don’t look at the pictures. I had every character in the book visualized a certain way, and once I saw the pictures, that changed. I’m glad I didn’t look until after I was done reading the book.
Pick up Zen and Now, you’ll be glad you did.
One of the best written posts on why a person rides a motorcycle. Read it here.
Two stories come to mind when I think of my step-father. Actually, a lot of stories come to mind, but there are two in particular that I’ve been thinking about this morning.
I remember when he first told me the one story. We were driving somewhere in his old “shaggy van”. You might remember those vehicles. Gary’s was complete with the wall-to-wall carpeting, bed, sink, etc. A classic. We were talking about motorcycles. I was thirteen and my step-brother and I had just purchased our first dirt bikes. Gary was as excited about it as we were. After all, his life had revolved around bikes.
“Stay focused when you ride.” He told me. “I’ve seen too many accidents that could have been avoided if guys paid attention.” I sat silent. Listening. Gary wasn’t much of an authoritarian. He was like a big brother. More often than not, he was a bigger kid than me and my siblings. It drove my mom nuts, because she was always having to lay down the law on her own. In fact, later on, she would tell me that it was part of the reason they split up.
As a thirteen year old, I was in awe of my step-father / big brother. He epitomized coolness. He had been a founding member of an outlaw motorcycle club, and was still close to some of his club brothers. He owned a Wide Glide. In my eyes, a chopper. It was the coolest bike I had ever seen. Every time he fired it up, it sent a chill down my spine. That bike represented an entire culture to me. In fact, it’s the reason I ride a Wide Glide today. It has always been my dream bike.
He laughed, and I turned to look at him. He had the most playful, childlike laugh. “I remember riding down Bank Street one time. It was a beautiful day and I was enjoying the sun on my face as I rode my bike. I noticed a woman walking down the sidewalk and started checking her out. I lost my focus. At least my focus on riding. I didn’t notice that there was construction happening up ahead. I was too busy trying to look cool for the girl on the sidewalk.” He laughed some more. “That’s when I hit the car in front of me. It had come to a full stop, and I rode into it at decent speed. Hard enough to bend my forks back! Yup, you have to stay focused!”
I thought the story was so cool. I have the coolest step-father in the world! After all, I could relate. Every guy who rides can. When we are on our bikes, we think we are so cool. And it’s easy to lose focus. I have to remind myself of that often.
Gary told me the second story one day as I was in the process of rebuilding the engine from my first street bike, a 1985 Kawasaki LTD 550. I had blown the engine (a story for another day) and was attempting to fix it with the help of some friends. “We used to make parts out of just about anything for our bikes.” He said. “I remember taking a cart from a grocery store because I thought I could make handlebars out of them.”
“Did it work?” I asked, once again in awe of just how cool this guy was.
“It did for a while.” He replied, laughing. The problem was, they couldn’t stand up to the vibrations of my bike. One day, I was riding along the Queensway (the main highway here in Ottawa), when the left side of the bars snapped off! I hung on with the other hand and maneuvered the bike over to the side of the highway. I still can’t believe I kept it up.”
I think of that story every time someone asks me about the bars on my Wide Glide. Home made bars that had to be reinforced after a trip I took through Northern New York. A day into my trip, I noticed a crack forming at the base of the left side of the bars. I pulled into the garage and borrowed a drill and put a screw into the bar, hoping to keep it from coming apart. They lasted me the rest of my trip, the bar breaking off in my hand just after I pulled back into my driveway. The bars are still on my bike, reinforced so that hopefully they last.
I’m thinking a lot about the motorcycle community these days. I imagine it’s because I’m about to embark on a pretty significant road trip. As I enjoy the open road, just me and my Wide Glide, I hope to meet some people with stories to tell. “Shopping Cart Handlebars” type stories. Personal experiences of bikers and their machines.
Bikers are a mixed bunch. They come from so many different backgrounds. They have so many stories to tell. I look forward to hearing some of those stories.
And perhaps telling a few of my own.
