World motorcycle organization asks riders to stay home

[GreenMachine]

This important message has specific information relating to the USA, but the information is important to all worldwide. Please visit your countries IBA club for the latest information.

We understand no one wants to be told what to do, but even if you argue that you will bring gloves for gas pumps and/or cleaner to wipe them down and not interact with anyone, our friends in the medical community are telling us that you do NOT want to be in a hospital right now. While having an accident is probably statistically not likely, this is when odd things happen. Even if we are out there riding remotely, rural hospitals impacted as well: most of them funnel serious trauma cases to larger city-based hospitals, which are the very ones that are already gearing up to deal with Covid-19 patients.

Reports from riders last week (before a lot of the close-business orders) are suggest that if you hit bad weather, there are few places to shelter. Many states have closed rest stops. Some have reopened for truckers, but that still leaves you out in the cold. Even truck stops are mostly closed for any kind of sheltering.

Many of our favorite stops for bathrooms are now closed to the public. Even the normally dependable McDonald's has closed many restrooms. Our always-open Waffle House, who the Federal Emergency Management Agency has used to monitor the effects of natural disasters in a given area, has closed over 400 stores so far. Breaking down on the road is very likely to leave you stranded, as most motorcycle shops are closed in many locations.

Twenty-three states have full shelter in place orders, while 13 have variations on those orders.

Iron Butt Association

[Vegasrider]

So far every motorcycle training site is closed, meaning people like me are unable to teach new riders how to ride and certify them. So my 3 classes for April has been cancelled. I'm scheduled to teach 19 this season.

[RenoRider75]

It's good advice that is so hard to follow.   

However, it's true that the one place I do NOT want to be right now is a hospital, so I think I'll ride around my neighborhood once in a while to keep the battery charged and the oil flowing but not much more.

I was riding back down Geiger on Friday and another motorcyclist decided to pass a long line of cars over the double yellow in a blind corner.  Unfortunately for him and me, I was coming the other direction through that corner.  I had to do a quick mid-turn maneuver to hug the right side of the road while he went by steering all over the place and panicking.  It was the pucker moment that convinced me to stay home; fortunately the weather right now is making that an easy decision. 

[GreenMachine]

Holy chit!    So so glad you were able to navigate that situation safely.   

I haven't ridden anywhere locally for over a month, not even to get fuel.  I'm somewhat afraid of riding out in the open behind other vehicles, whose drivers might be coughing and I wouldn't even know it.  Then there's the fuel pump handles.  Blech!

The weather has been just cruddy enough to make it worth laying low inside instead as much as possible.

Note: There is one rider in the club I hope uses their own discretion in riding or not.  Let the chips fall where they may.  You know who you are.   

[GreenMachine]

I was reading some discussions on their site today and a few riders expressed their desire to ride across all 50 states and/or hit up historical landmarks across the country, etc, but were asking for advice on whether they'd get certification during this period.  The leadership responded quite openly that they are not a policing organization and couldn't verify SaH orders against locations visited by riders, but that each rider should take responsibility for their actions and exercise good judgement.  Kind of the same as we are asking and our state officials are asking of their constituents.

There's some hidden meaning in exersing good judgement.  As good as our intentions may be to live free, there could be unforeseen consequences from our actions.  The more we ride, the greater the likelihood that if something does turn out bad, whichever way contact and spread goes, that we have unknowingly helped spread the virus.  With this in mind, being a conduit for the virus and potentially transporting it to all 50 states, for instance, would be one horrible footnote to any person's life accomplishments or any organization's mission.

Strange times.