Stopping for others

[dm_gsxr]

One of my co-workers is newish to riding. Her dad rides and still has his CBR from the 80's (as I understand :) ) and now she has it. He's kept up on it and it's pretty well maintained (looks great).

I say newish because she's been riding it for the past year or two and owns it as of last year. She's a bit wary of pushing too hard because it was dad's bike :)

Monday she learned a new lesson. On her way to work she found herself out of gas up on 119 heading towards Longmont and pulled off to the shoulder. She pulled out the cell and called her husband for help. While waiting, two sport bikes rolled by without stopping as did a cruiser.

The lesson? It's a carb'd bike so it has a reserve tank. She flipped it to reserve and was able to continue to work. :D

This morning she told me about the riders going by her on Monday, then told me that on her way to work this morning (same road; has a wide median if you're not familiar with 119) she spotted a rider stopped on the other side. At the next turn around she flipped back to make sure he was ok. Turns out he'd lost his cell phone but didn't notice it until he got to work. He thanked her and she flipped back to head to work.

Nice to know that even when she was skipped when she was stopped, she was still nice enough to go check on someone :)

Carl

[chad23]

people are just to preoccupied with their own life to care to help others, as if it may inconvenience their day. good for her to still help others even when others didn't stop to help her

[Matty]

if i see someone stranded i usually give them an "ok" signal with my hand, if they give me a thumbs up i keep on truckin. if not, i usually stop and try to help out.

[dm_gsxr]

I'll give an exaggerated look to see if they're ok. Most of the time I get a wave off. I've stopped several times though and generally they're good.

I did stop for one guy on a Harley that had an electrical problem. The bike had died and he didn't have a cell. So I called Rita and had her look up a local place who could help. He thanked me and told me to go ahead.

Heck, a year ago (I guess), I stopped for a guy on a Katana down on 25 near 6th. He was in a little narrow spot in the median. I helped him push it up and then gave him a ride down to Broadway (the 7/11 or Conoco), then a ride back. Even tried to get ahold of someone here who might be able to stop by with a truck or trailer. I finally took him on down to the Conoco and dropped him off.

I did let her know that many riders know that a helmet behind the rear wheel is a request for help.

Carl

[Zach929rr]

I did let her know that many riders know that a helmet behind the rear wheel is a request for help.

I, however, didn't know that. Learn something new...

[Wyck]

There are many reasons I normally don't stop to help someone on the side of the road. One, my schedule doesn't allow it. Two, the only real assistance I can provide is the use of my cell phone or a ride. Three, there's some scary mofo's out there and I don't want to be abducted and killed.

Though if the stars align just right I will stop to check on someone on the side of the road. Especially if someone has been gracious enough to help me out in the not too distant past and I feel the need to repay the karma gods. :)

Edit...I didn't know the helmet behind the weel thing either hmmm...I'm also much more inclined to check on someone on a bike than in a car.

[thatmofo]

I will stop if I am riding with others and I realize someone needs help. If I am by myself I won't always stop:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009115519_apwacarjackerdefeated.html


Edit: I didn't know the helmet behind the tire either

[Gregger]

When my SuperMoto blew a rear tire, I had half a dozen riders stop for me.. I roll the same way.

[Tipys]

I have stopped for others. Others have offered to help me to when needed. I also did not know about the helmet behind the tire good to know.

[charlesard1]

Only a xo#x/ox# doesn't stop! Any rider who's been riding more than a day knows that!! No excuses for being a jerk-NONE! If you dont stop you are what you is-a jerk.

[MVBrutaleRider]

im a big fan of stopping... my first bike was a 95 CBR600F3 that i pushed more then i rode. and EVERY time a biker went by, NOT a one of them stopped. Hell, the death of the bike was me throwing a rod and ending up in a field through a barbed wire fence and 2 bikes rode right past. I was litterally trying to push my bike out of this field, covered in mud and blood from the fence and they didnt stop.... that was the big realization that it sux to be in that position and i wouldnt wish that on anyone.

I even went and took the T3RG first responders course for this very reason.

I will ALWAYS at least give an OK sign as I ride by to see if they are OK. I take a little comfort in knowing that Im carrying though incase shit hits the fan but in 9 years of riding i have never had a problem when stopping to check on a fellow rider. Makarov... never leave home without it.

- Justin

[wankel7]

I was coming back from PMP back to Denver. I got about 10 miles north of Pueblo and noticed a obviously stranded cruiser rider in the southbound lane. So, I kept going for a mile and found a off ramp and turned around.

Went back to him and turned out he had ran the bike out of gas. I had a can with with me so I went down to the next gas station and put a few gallons in the can. Came back around to him and and we got some gas in his bike so he could carry on.

I was glad I was able to help because it was almost dark and getting cold fast and he didn't have anybody that was able to help him.

James

[TFOGGuys]

if i see someone stranded i usually give them an "ok" signal with my hand, if they give me a thumbs up i keep on truckin. if not, i usually stop and try to help out.
+1....I have stopped for everyone from sport bikers to Harley bikers, because in the end, it's not WHAT you ride, it's THAT you ride :)

[Spiderman]

Unless I'm running late for a meeting or appointment, I'll stop.

Couple of years ago I was walking out of Home Depot and saw an older gentleman working on his metric cruiser near where I was parked. He was putting the battery back in, so I went & gave him a hand. He said it wouldn't start, wouldn't turn-over, nothing. It had happened earlier in the day (or possibly the day before, can't remember), and his wife had to pick him up in their cage. We got the battery back in and he showed me what he was talking about. Sure enough, hitting the starter button didn't do anything. I can't remember exactly what the cause was, but I noticed something with the lights on the gauges - I think the whole problem was that the bike was in gear, and he wasn't pulling the clutch in to start it! Boy was he happy when that was all figured out... a little embarrassed, but relieved & happy! :)

[64BonnieLass]

[quote=TFOGGuys;442340... in the end, it's not WHAT you ride, it's THAT you ride :)[/quote]

Absolutely!!! Carl, I'm glad your friend was okay that day and was still in a good enough place to help out another.

I stopped to check on a guy one evening and he was almost freeked out by it. Didn't want help from anybody. And that is okay.

My perspective is that in a way, we are all in this together. Being a decent person, and at least checking on someone is the way to go. What comes around, goes around eventually.

[asp_125]

I always take a second look and give the thumbs up /down sign. Good tip about the helmet by the rear tire. I was coming home from Moab one time in my car, and noticed on the opposite side of the road was a Beemer rider standing by his bike. I pulled around and came back. Turned out he threw a rod. Although his buddy went to nearby Green River to find a truck this was in the middle of the desert in May. Even though there wasn't much we could do to get the bike going, he appreciated the fact that I left him with a couple bottles of water I had in my cooler.

[BigE]

I also usually do a thumbs up/down slow down/driveby but the funniest one had to be I stopped for a kid on the north end of Horsetooth who had an obvious dead bike. Ended up doing a "foil gum wrapper around a fuse" to get the bike going. Now here's the funny part, wouldn't ya think if you just had electrical issues, someone stopped and fixed it so your bike would get home...well, wouldn't ya just go home to figure out what caused the fuse to blow in the first place? This kid...uh, nope, he continued on to do the whole Rist/Buckhorn/Masonville back to Ft. Fun loop. Guess he was happy with his bike repair. :D

[Mister BOYD]

Good to hear some people stopped. When I low sided a couple of weeks ago across a major intersection in littleton, not a friggin person who saw me wreck stopped. I slid 60ft across pavement and nothing. 5 mins later someone stopped in an escalade cause I was facing the wrong way in traffic, sitting on my bike a little shaken up. It doesn't hurt to stop and never pass up anybody that just ate it.. That's just f'd up.