Karma Bites
From the Editor
Several months’ back I received an email from a reader, named Solo, who was vey pissed off. Solo had recently attended a charity event at his local dealership where everything was going good; it was a nice day for a ride and everyone was having a good time. But then when it was time to hop on the bike and split, Solo noticed that someone had stolen his gloves. In an instant what was once a great day with people showing their support for a good cause, a grey cloud immediately materialized over Solo’s head. Sure the gloves only cost him 30 bucks, which wasn’t that big of a deal, but Solo was more pissed about the principle of the whole thing. Why would someone steal a pair of gloves, especially at an event surrounded by your fellow motorcycle brethren?
After reading Solo’s letter it got me to thinking about a few other people I know who have had things stolen from/off their bikes. About three months ago my friend, Kyle, rode down to Long Beach, California, to cruise the shoreline and stay with some friends. When he woke up at around three the next morning to ride to work, Kyle noticed his helmet wasn’t where he left it, hanging off his handlebar. Now I’ve lived in Long Beach before and I know that there are definitely some shady parts of that city, but where Kyle was staying was in a safe and friendly neighborhood. But I guess that doesn’t really carry much weight seeing as how when mass murders are caught, their neighbors usually seem to say, “He was the nicest guy, always so friendly.” But I digress. Fearing he was going to be late for his 48-hour shift at his fire station, Kyle called his friend who lived a few miles away and asked him to bring him a helmet. Obviously, the friend wasn’t too pleased with the fact that he had to roll out of bed before the sun was even up to drop off a helmet, but he knew he had to help Kyle out.
Even one of our former editors had his helmet stolen right off his bike. It was pretty obvious that the sticky-fingered culprit wasn’t much of a motorcycle person, since the helmet was secured to the bike with a thin cable and a pad lock, but yet the thief ripped the hell out of the chinstrap in order to free the helmet from the cable.
A few years ago, I remember stopping by my friend James’ shop to see what he was working on. As I walked into his shop I noticed that he had one of the saddlebags off of his Street Glide. When I asked what he was working on at the rear of the Street Glide, James bitterly replied, “Nothing.” As I stared at him with a puzzled look he proceeded to tell me about how the night before he had ridden over to his local watering hole to meet up with some friends. After hanging out for a couple hours he walked out of the bar and over to his bike where he noticed his saddlebag was gone. Of course the first thought would be that maybe it fell off on the ride over to the bar, however, James had tossed some gear into the saddlebag and locked it before he went in. Actually, out of habit, James locked both saddlebags before he walked away from the bike. Now if you’ve ever priced saddlebags you know that they aren’t cheap, especially when you add in the cost of having a replacement bag color-matched to your custom paintjob, as James had to do.
It sucks that due to the nefarious activities of others, there are products such as saddlebag, seat, helmet, and jacket locks available. I’m not upset with the companies that make those products, just the opposite, I’m glad that someone has come up with solutions to help deter thieves. It’s just unfortunate that instead of just worrying about our bikes being stolen, now we have to lock and secure just about every part, accessory, and piece of riding apparel we own to keep them from “walking off.”
I took some psychology courses in college, but not nearly enough to delve into the psyche or thought process of those who feel the need to steal from others. But I do know Karma isn’t just the name of that stripper down at the Pink Poodle. Karma can come back to bite you in the ass!
Until next time,
Eric
“Obviously, the friend wasn’t too pleased with the fact that he had to roll out of bed before the sun was even up to drop off a helmet, but he knew he had to help Kyle out.”