“The Great Debaters” is a drama based on the story of Melvin B. Tolson who inspired the 1935 debate team at Wiley College of Texas to great heights. In the movie Denzel Whitaker as James Farmer Jr. answers his father’s question of “What do we do?” by repeating the advice he had obviously heard many times before, “We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do.” While this father’s advice was meant to guide his son’s life, it’s not bad advice to guide our riding either.

What is it we want to do and what do we have to do to be able to do it? Whether it’s cruising through the crisp clean air along rain washed roads during that first spring ride, seeing puffy white clouds in an azure summer sky that look like they will be poked by the needle spires of deep green conifers climbing up the mountainside or riding among the brilliant colors bursting from the rolling woodlands on either side of the shade darkened grey country roads, we want to keep on riding.

We want to continue to enjoy our passion for traversing the countryside on two wheels. We love the freedom and independence we feel when we’re in control of our motorcycle. We relish the full body experience that brings all of our senses together as we follow the back roads, be they near or far. Even the short rides clear our minds of the toils and troubles of our daily lives and we cherish how recharged we can feel when we park our bike at the end of the trip.

To do what we want to do, we have to steer clear of problems on the road. We have to be aware of condition of the road surface ahead so we know how much traction we have available to us. We have to see all the roadway signs and markings to prepare for what others might be doing. We need to watch traffic around us to see how other drivers might impact our ride. We have to stay focused on our riding so we can avoid the traps that might ensnare us and steal our fun.

We have to recognize that we are smaller than cars and are hard to see on the road. We have to understand that our smaller stature makes it difficult for drivers to judge our speed and how far away we are. We have to keep in mind that we represent only 3% of the traffic on the road and drivers don’t always see us. It would be wonderful if all drivers looked twice for motorcycles, but we have to remember that they don’t so we have to approach intersections cautiously. We have to be ready to yield the right of way to errant vehicles if necessary to avoid a major problem.

The bottom line is that we have to do what we know is right to continue riding. We want to enjoy our freedom on the road so we have to make allowances for the actions of others. Sometimes that may slow us down a little in getting to where we’re going, but that just means we get to ride a little longer. This may not seem fair at times, but it is what we have to do to do what we want to do. We want to ride more safely so we can continue to savor our passion for the lifestyle we love.

Ride Smart! Ride Safe!