What Every Biker Should Know
The two-wheeled code of the west
It used to be that all bikers shared a common bond, an unspoken code of ethics and behavior that transcended words and was built on actions. There was never a bible written on this Biker’s Code of the West and there was no need for such a tome. But the times they are a changing and there seems to be a lot of new riders out there. These days the riders you see blasting down the tarmac are just as likely to be clad in shorts and sneakers as jeans and engineer boots. And the roughest, toughest looking biker you pull up next to could be your doctor or lawyer and may be wearing a Rolex watch under his leathers. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as these new riders learn the Code of the West just as we old timers did. Easyriders has been around the block a few times regarding biker etiquette, not that we’re the world’s authority (though maybe we are) on the subject. Being a biker used to be about using your creativity to take a basket case old hawg and, using only grit and ingenuity, turning it into a one-of-a-kind eye dazzler, then risking your life on the asphalt on a bike you made yourself out of pride. Bikers wore leather and grease because they knew cagers would just as soon run them down as look at them, so they had to be intimidating. We were a breed unto ourselves with no union, no support group, and in many cases, no family (they threw us out). We had to make it in the world on our own, against all rules against mainstream society, and against all odds. You know, we survived and prospered because of the Biker Code of the West and we never took shit from anybody. As an old scooter tramp named Jug once said. It’s every tramp’s job to school the young. How else are they gonna know a Panhead from a bedpan? With that in mind, we bring you a primer on the basic two-wheeled Code of the West. Take heed brothers and sisters, for our Code is a hallowed one filled with honor and loyalty, the likes of which have not been seen since the days of knighthood.
The biker commandments
Don’t take any shit Be kind to women, children, and animals but don’t take any bullshit. This is an essential part of being a biker. It has to do with respect and honor. Anyone can be a brash, quick-tempered lout. Be cool, stand tall and back up what you say with action.
Never lie, cheat or steal. Another way of saying this to always tell the truth. Bikers are always the greasy bad guys in movies, but every real biker knows that his world is his bond. Your word is all you have in life that is truly yours. Guard it carefully and be about something noble, for you are a true knight of the road.
Don't snitch. If you see a wrong, right it yourself. If you are about anything, you’ll take care of problems yourself and never feel the need to snitch someone off. Snitches are the lowest life forms on earth, right up there with bike thieves. This rule goes hand in hand with the next one...
Don't snivel. Absolutely no one likes or respects a sniveler. Another way to say this is to hold your mud. Still another way to think of it is. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most of life’s little inconveniences work them selves out whether you snivel or not. Keep your chin up, dammit. You’re a biker, not some lowly mollusk.
Never say die and never give up. Whether it’s in a fight, a debate, or a business deal, no matter how bad it gets, a biker never gives up. That’s why you see a lot of wealthy bikers these days, cause they don’t know how to quit in any element of they lives. In the biker world of rugged individualists, only the strong survive.
Help others. When a brother or sister is broken down by the side of the road, stop and help them. Even moral support, if that is all you can give, is better than riding on by. Remember life is about the journey, the ride, not getting there. You already are there and don’t just help bikers, show the world that we are better than our image portrays us. Courtesy costs you nothing and gives you everything.
Stick to your guns. Do what you say you’ll do, be there when you say you will. This is called integrity. This al
so goes back to standing for something. Like the song says. You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.
Life us not a drill. Yeah, this ain`t no dress rehearsal. This is life go out and take big bites of it. You’ve got nothing to lose and bikers don’t stand around waiting for the party to come to them. You only go around once. Tomorrow you could be road kill thanks to a chain smoker asleep at the wheel of his caddy. Live life now, make the most of each moment. This is not a drill.
All right, now let’s review. You are a biker, a modern- day knight of the road. Protect the weak, walk tall and stand proud. Your word is your bond. Stick to your guns. Don’t take any shit. Life is not a drill. Now go forth and ride. When in doubt ride. That’s what we do....ride. If you want to ride around in a Day-Glo Hawaiian shirt and sand
als, go for it, but if you intend to look like a ass, at least don’t act like a ass. These commandments are just a few of the broad strokes; there is a lot more to being a biker than buying a bike. If you just buy a bike, you are a motorcyclist. Being a biker is a way of life, a proud way of life we hold in high regard and with a burning passion for the open highway and for life.
Now ride, dammit.
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