As I posted up in my “recap” post a while back, a friend and co-worker, Charley “Tuna” Sweezer, was killed last year by a hit and run motorist.  To honor our friend and fellow rider, there was a benefit “poker run” this past Saturday, with all proceeds going to a charity organization that he supported.

It was a beautiful (albeit HOT) summer afternoon.  There were somewhere around 100 riders, of varying ages and experience levels, all brought together by this man whom we all admired, who was affectionately known as the ‘Leader of the Misfits.’ 

Now while Charley was not typically one to wear his riding gear (he said he’d throw on a helmet and his chaps if he was going on a long ride), I was still a bit dismayed to see that, even following his death, none of the riders in attandance thought to protect themselves.  Other than my own friends who’d come with me (who, of course, donned their riding jackets, jeans, boots, gloves and full-face helmets), there wasn’t a ‘geared up’ rider in the whole pack.  Now I know there’s a different mentality between ‘cruiser’ riders and sportbike riders with regard to riding gear, but I guess I would hope that the death of a friend and fellow rider might make at least a FEW other riders reconsider their stance on the matter. 

Anyway, back to the story…. So poker runs will typically traverse a path through the city, stopping at various restaurants and establishments.  And oftertimes, some of these stops will be at bars.  I have a bit of an issue with this, as I feel it encourages drinking and riding (something I’m very adamantly against).  But there’s that whole freedom of choice thing, so I guess I just hope that people will make the safest choice possible, both for themselves, and for other riders (and motorists) on the road.  This simply wasn’t the case during this rider…..

The very first stop was less than 2 miles from the registration/starting point.  It’s a small biker bar/hangout.  They were well stocked on soads and ice cold bottled water, but even at 11:00 a.m., easily 90% of the riders in the group opted for beer.  Or BEERS, I should say, as very few stopped at just one.  Knowing that the heat (and lack of water consumption) was going to only exacerbate the effects of the alcohol, my friends and I decided to leave the first stop early and get out ahead of the group (just to be safer).

The next stop was, again, a bar.  And the first thing on everyone’s mind upon arrival was “Get me a beer!” *sigh*   Again, my little pack and I decided to hightail it out of there, and enjoy the nice stretch of road that took us to the next stop (an actual restaurant this time, not just a bar).

Half an hour or so after we got there, the rest of the herd caught up to us.  We had already been seated, gotten some lunch ordered, and were enjoying nice tall glasses of iced water and tea.  And as expected, the other riders made a bee-line for the bar, this time not stopping at just beer, but partaking of a vast array of mixed drinks.

By the time we’d finished with lunch, there were more than a few slurring, stumbling riders around, and we decided to just skip the last stop (which was, again, at a bar).  As we walked out to the parking lot, there was a small group of absolutely shit-faced riders hanging out on the front porch, enjoying a smoke… I was just disgusted.  What kind of a way is this of ‘honoring’ a fallen rider?  How does getting drunk (and not wearing anything to protect yourself, not even a helmet) and throwing a leg over your bike show honor to our friend?  How does that sort of behavior honor his memory?

In short, it doesn’t.  And yet, because it was a motorist (and not by any fault of his own) that he was killed, I’m sure none of them see it that way.

If they do a 2nd annual Tuna Run in 2009, I’m going to have ‘Don’t drink and ride!’ t-shirts made, and my friends and I will proudly wear them.  Even if one rider gets the point, it will be worth the effort.

RIP my friend.