At last summer has finally arrived! It seems like it's been a long time coming. A sure sign of summer around here is seeing motorcycles everywhere. Those who know motorcycling will tell you that it's a lot of fun. Those who don't know anything about motorcycles sometimes give them a bad reputation because they don't understand them or the people who ride them.

Motorcyclists are a culture of their own. They come from all walks of life and income levels but all share a love of riding and a feeling of freedom you get when you are on the bike. It's a passion that you can't understand unless you experience it. Just like with cars, some take their love of bikes to the extreme with the way they ride or how they sound and look but it is all for the love of the motorcycle experience. 

 When I first started riding many years ago, I learned the hard way how dangerous riding a motorcycle can be. I let my guard down for a moment and I crashed hard. Fortunately, I came away with only a concussion and a totaled bike, but I was lucky. I learned a valuable lesson that day. From that day on I rode like I had eyes in the back of my head and there were a couple of incidents since that time that I was ready and avoided a possible accident.

I think a lot of people who don't know about bikes think that they can stop quickly and /or turn on a dime. In most cases this is not true. Just like a car, they need the proper amount of space to get stopped. There is also the vulnerability factor. The rider of a bike is exposed to the elements and has no protection to speak of against contact with another vehicle. Of all the vehicles using the road, motorcycles are the most vulnerable and sometimes hard to see.

We all have to share the roads and I am sure that just about everyone has had an experience with another driver that annoyed them at one time or another. I know that all people who ride motorcycles aren't perfect drivers but the majority are good riders who respect the rules of the road. When you are out and about this summer and you are sharing the road with a bike, give them a little space. Under that helmet could be someone you know.