Ace H. Peterson

Arizona District Educator

“Don’t Leave Home Without It”

Rider Education and those especially who labor as educators have spent considerable time stressing the importance of proper riding gear and motorcycle safety inspections.  It is most likely we can state that starting the riding season and hopefully before each ride, you and your co-rider have completed a full T-Clock inspection of the motorcycle.  Remember, you only have two wheels, so there are some items that should get more attention than others in the inspection process.  We could perhaps state then, that all inspections have been completed, and you are properly attired.  You are now ready to hit the road, right?

Wrong!  What did you forget?  Ask yourself, what is the most important item to be checked before starting out on your motorcycle?  The answer is “you”.  If you are not prepared physically and mentally to ride your motorcycle to the best of your ability, what are you doing leaving home on it?  The safety and life of you, your co-rider, and other persons in encountered traffic depends on your skill, your attitude, and your aptitude.  Remember the sub-title above?  It is a play on the old Karl Malden commercial for American Express that used to play on the television.

Another expression I like is, “your attitude and aptitudes will determine your altitude”.  You can apply that in many areas.  What I am stating, and your educators echoing is this; your frame of mind determines the way you ride, the way you are perceived, and the amount of risk you are either willing or unwilling to take.  One figure I picked up in Motorcycle Consumer News states, “consider that a full 97.4 percent of those out there in the community don’t ride and see you as a fringe nut case”.  Thus, your attitude etc. may determine how other traffic affects you and your safety within their driving habits.

Therefore, don’t leave what is the best of your abilities, the best of your personality, attitude, and knowledge behind when you ride away from home.  Do a preflight check on yourself!  Therefore, chin up, eyes on the horizon; ride with pride and confidence.