The Biker Code: Wisdom for the Ride
by Stuart Miller & Geoffrey Moss
Simon & Schuster/$12.95
I like bikers. No, really. While they may be looked upon with scorn by some of the more tight-assed members of society, bikers are among some of the most decent, down-to-earth people I have ever met. That's why I was intrigued when saw that this slim, black-covered volume arrived at the office. Basically a quote book, The Biker Code is put out by, believe it or not, Simon & Schuster. One might wonder if the publishing giant isn't facing financial trouble to have consid-ered printing this book. But let's face it: There are hundreds of thousands of bikers out there, and few publishing companies cater to this populous niche market. So, S&S, we salute you.
Now, do bikers really have a code? Um … no. Well, not technically, at least. But every biker will tell you otherwise. They'll also each tell you something different, but the honor behind each code is the same: fierce. There's also no denying that bikers (thanks in no small part to Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda) are a symbol of American freedom, and in the wake of Sept. 11 we need as many of those symbols as we can get. So, riders, we salute you, as well.
The Biker Code is another one of those books that speaks best for itself. The quotes are funny, silly, obvious and just plain ludicrous. But several are thought provoking, gleaned from years of traveling the highways and byways of America and speaking of a type of freedom few of us will never really know. And it'll make a helluva gift for your biker friends.
"The good we do no one remembers. The bad we do no one forgets." – Stephen "Rhino" Williams
"If you're a street rider, don't ride like an asshole." – Al "Smurf " Jacoby
"The most important thing is camaraderie." – Laura Waters
"Ride to create a mood, to experience the beauty and romance of the road." -Daniel J. Fredman, M.D.
"Be ever vigilant – you could lose everything in a moment." – Mike Burnett
"Don't ride with an attitude." -David "Leather Guy" Hodes
"For some there's therapy, for the rest of us there's motorcyles." -Grace "Amazing Grace" Verderosa
"Always leave an escape route." -Marty "Flash" Sabba
"Start with Steppenwolf bellowing out "Born to be Wild." -Ruben "Gypsy" Rivera
"Watch out for young girls – they have no respect for a bike." -Martin "Marty" Shapiro
"Ride or die, baby." -Ariel "Prince" Darmanie
-Kelli K
This article appears in May 22-28, 2002.
