GENTLEMEN BIKERS:

She is not with us any longer. She died several years ago. But she told us a story of Bikers that changed my view of what Bikers are like. Her name was Jo Ann. She was a very gentile lady by any standards and was a leader in the religious group called Science of Mind. It was hard for me to picture her astride a motorcycle, but this is the story she told, and I do believe that it is true.

In her younger days she lived in the huge metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia - USA. Needing transportation and being economy minded, she decided that a light weight motorcycle would be more efficient than an automobile and so she purchased one.

She did the necessary training in order to pass a license and motorcycle safety test and, with license in her saddle bag she set out to learn the lessons that only experience can teach.

During the first week or so of her new venture she did very well. She managed to keep the machine from falling over when she came to a stop light and, after a few minor scares, began to feel fairly confident and even began to think of herself as a biker.

The big test came the day she decided to go down into the main hub of Atlanta to do some shopping. She had carefully avoided the heavy traffic areas until now. But she decided she was ready for the real traffic and so she girded up her courage and struck out for what was called, “Five Points”, which could be a traffic nightmare.

She was proud of herself for the first few minutes, obeying all signs, making the proper turning signals, and keeping her speed well within the limit. But just as she approached the main intersection where all of the traffic focuses into one big hub of a wheel, the unthinkable happened! Her engine quit.

She had always had a bit of a problem starting the engine with its “kick start”. She was a rather small and light weight young woman and was not known for her physical strength. In the crowded hub of Five Points, Atlanta, the most experienced biker might let a few swear words fly with such an untimely event.

So there was Joann, in the middle of the traffic, under the stop light, and with every attempt to start the engine just adding to the problem by further flooding the already flooded engine. As row after row of cars began to blow their horns in harmony and disharmony and as the lights changed several times with no one able to move because of this “crazy woman who let her motorcycle stop right in the heart of traffic - she shouldn’t be driving a motorcycle anyway! etc. etc.” You get the picture I am sure.

She was doing everything she knew to do and nothing was working. She gestured to everyone as the roar of the horns got worse. Her gestures were, of course, saying that if they would just be patient maybe that would help her think of what she needed to do. At the very moment that she was tempted to throw the machine down and walk, no, run away, a very curious thing happened.

A line of bikers came upon the scene and realized immediately the situation that Joann was in. The lead biker glanced back to the others with a knowing smile and lead about eight of the huge Harleys into a “circle the wagons” sort of formation around Joann and her little bike. The honking roar of menacing trucks and autos came gradually to absolute quiet. If such a scene had been staged in a movie it would have brought down the house in laughter.

These bikers continued to circle for several minutes as Joann “got herself together” enough to unflood her engine and get it started again. As they heard its healthy whine the bikers gave their salute to Joann and resumed their journey to some new adventure. And Joann had a story to tell her friends for the rest of her life. You can bet that she never let a bad word about bikers be said in her presence ever again!