Scifi Dreams, Motorcycle Reality

For many years, Scifi and Fantasy writers have, at times, written about the ability to be invisible.  The ability to not be seen appeals to some.   You could sneak around with impunity and affect those around you.   The US Military spends billions of dollars trying to make it's war machines invisible to the enemy and for the most part, they have had limited success.   However, I am here to tell you that the easiest way to become invisible is to throw your leg over a motorcycle.     


If you have ever taken the MSC (Motorcycle Safety Course), you learned that you may as well be invisible to the traffic around you.   The trainers tend to emphasize that if you want to live to be a seasoned motorcyclist, you need to ride like the vehicles around you cannot see you at all.   I do not know why, but this lesson has seemed to pass right over the heads of some of the younger riders in my town lately. 

It blows my mind that some people don't get this.   Smaller means harder to see, especially at speed.   We need to take ownership of that fact.  Just because you see the car getting ready to turn in to the road, it does not mean that he/she sees you.   Chances are, unless you prepare for them to turn in front of you, you may end up flying right over them.   

Proverbs 14:16 says "The wise one is cautious and turns away from evil, But the stupid one is reckless and overconfident." Now, I really doubt that King Solomon had motorcyclists in mind when he wrote this, but it sure does apply. If you are wise, you realize that you are vulnerable and will do whatever you need to do to mitigate your risk. However, if you are stupid, you will ride as recklessly as you want to without regard for yours, or anyone else's safety. So I leave it to you dear reader, are you wise, or stupid? Your choice.