Being a Good Samaritan

One of the first lessons I learned as young rider, circa 1980, was that bikers should look out for each other. If you see a biker stopped along the road, you should check with him or her to see if they need assistance. Most of the time they don't; they're usually making a phone call or taking an impromptu road-side bathroom break. But every once in while, you will find someone really does need your help.

I have given assistance and received assistance from other bikers and I can tell you that this is a tradition we should all appreciate and promote. By the way, don't let pride get the better of you: if you need help, let others help you. Most of the time, we appreciate the opportunity to help others who really need it.

Here are some benefits to being a Good Samaritan rider:

You will inspire new riders and earn the respect of non-riders. New riders will be reassured that should they have trouble along the road, a fellow rider will come along to help them. Non-riders have told me how impressed they are that bikers stop to help each other. Let's continue to set a good example.

More people will want to ride with you. It's natural that other riders will want to join people who look out for them and others. I think it's safe to assume that most if not all of us prefer to ride with the kind of people who have our back. If my fellow riders are willing to stop and help a stranger, how much more are they willing to do for me?

You will meet interesting people. One of my more memorable experiences assisting a rider-in-need came back in 2008 when I rented a house in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. My wife, Sam, and I were driving in my Jeep--the weather was cool and rainy with fog, so we left the Harley at the house--south on the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to Mount Mitchell.

On our right I noticed at a rest area a bunch of bikers standing around a motorcycle lying on its side. That's always a sad sight. It was about 4:00 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. There was not much open on a Sunday in such a remote place and as I said, the weather sucked. I told Sam that if we saw this motley group of guys on our way back, we'd stop and offer assistance. Well, they were still there an hour and a half later, so we stopped.

At first they were wary of us, but the oldest of them stepped forward and spoke to me. He might have been 25 years old--at the very most--and clearly demonstrated that he was the leader. His name was Merle and these guys were all related. (Refer the photo above.) One of the guys was actually injured and his bike was inoperable. I offered to give him a ride to the house we were renting, where Sam then bandaged him up. (This is why we all should cary first aid kits with us.) Merle explained that they we all cousins, part of a large Mennonite clan from Tennessee and Kentucky. We invited them all to stay at our rented house, which was right along the Blue Ridge about five miles away. The next morning, Sam made a great big breakfast--bacon, eggs, pancakes--for us all and we sent them on their way with the request that they pay the favor forward to the next person(s) who needed assistance.

We had a lot of fun hanging out with them. (I'll write about the cause of the wreck and how they fixed the problem another week.)

You will feel more a part of the brotherhood (and sisters) of motorcycling. When you are helped by a fellow rider or give assistance to another, it strengthens the bond we all feel toward the family of riders.

It's true that we gain when we give and when we assist other riders in need, we gain more than we can anticipate. Be a Good Samaritan!

And keep the shiny side up.

-The Long Rider