THE LIFE: THE LION’S DEN Fraternity…a brotherhood that is what you do. I learned at the scene from the Trooper (later confirmed by Robbie) that is was Ryan and Jesse that were involved in the accident and not June, Derrick or Robbie (my PA & NY club members) but whether we share a patch or not if you go down on my watch or while riding with my club I am there for you because that is one of the more essential principles that this Motorcycle Club community is built upon. Unable to see the two guys involved in the crash and with the rest of the pack nowhere in sight we were left with no other option but to head back to Clutch Control and meet up with or wait for the guys to arrive since that was the plan at the start of the day. Unimportant details omitted, I did get a call back from June that they were at Clutch Control and not at the hospital before Chase and I left the hospital and I was able to get the incident details to Robbie who came down from NYC with all the non-club riders. Ryan and Jesse sustained pretty serious injuries but survived the accident and I have not heard what became of their motorcycles however I suspect they will end up stripped and added to the inventory at A&J Cycle Salvage in the near future. The guys who were riding with Ryan and Jesse went back to the hospital later that day after we all had left Clutch Control and gotten something to eat. The subject matter of our meal discussion was obviously the accident and the injuries of our riding companions as well as the day’s excitement, highs and lows. While sitting at The Wrap Shack Kitchen & Bar (good looking out on the delectable grub Efrain) in center city, enjoying some well deserved and delicious food and drink it didn’t matter that Chase, “Shank,” “Tiger” and Kirby weren’t flying colors or share the same back patch as June, Derrick, Robbie or myself. It didn’t matter who had been riding for longer than anyone else and it didn’t matter what motorcycle one person was riding as compared to those of the rest of us. All that mattered was that we were together and that we rode. The hundreds of passersby while we ate our meal at the bistro seating outside The Wrap Shack made no distinction between club riders and non-patched motorcyclist. We all paid the same money to park in center city. We all attended the same motorcycle event that day at Clutch Control. We all responded the same way to our friends’ unfortunate collision. Immediately and with concern and care. The discussion back at Clutch Control and the points I tried to drive home with Chase and the others revolved around the collective response to the accident and the news of the accident being a “Motorcycle Club response.” When a brother goes down we rally for that brother. Even tho in this instance the injured parties were not patched and as I later discovered went down because they were being reckless on an unfamiliar road and ignoring directions from my club brothers leading the ride, they too enjoyed the benefit of the club response. I know to a non-club affiliated motorcyclist and the non-riding general public being a member of a Motorcycle Club on the surface seems like little more than paying monthly dues to party, drink and look badass with matching leather vests and a colorful back patch but there’s so much more to it than what an outsider looking in can see. Being in a Motorcycle Club means never riding alone even when by yourself. Being in a Motorcycle Club means you are associated with something that is greater than the sum of its parts. If nothing else, what the events of this particular day showed us all as I walked around that hospital emergency room frantically looking for answers or a familiar face is that, when things go badly being in a Motorcycle Club means someone being there for you in the waiting room. Never underestimate how important that is because not everyone made it home that day. I thanked Harry for his diligence and for always having Zero 2 Sixty MC’s back out there. He’s a good guy who I have known for many years. A genuine biker whom I am happy to know and call a friend. There was not much in the way of remedying the situation or offering aid that I could help with by rushing to the accident scene or showing up to the hospital but Harry bringing the incident to my attention enabled me to at least show up. I was able to damn near circle the city before I got a phone call back from my guys who were actually there but sometimes all you can do is be there. I say it frequently but as motorcyclists we can never hear it enough, ride safe. 84 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM
* Ride In Peace Mike “Joker” Thomas (1973 – 2009) ** For you generation Y “millennials” reading this, Frogger is a video game from the 1980s created by Konami where players controlled a frog navigating its way home by crossing a busy congested traffic heavy roads and rivers full of hazards.