What Is A Biker: A Tribute

Each month we run an article profiling a rider that, in our opinion, exemplifies the traits of a true biker.

What are those traits?

Loyalty. Loyalty to family, friends and country. Being there, without question or complaint, when needed.

Brotherhood. This one is a little more difficult to define but if you have it you know what it is. It is being part of something bigger than oneself. It is being willing to put the needs of the brotherhood ahead of your own needs. It is looking out for each other, it is having the other person’s back.

Across this country there are hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders that are not “bikers”. It is not because they ride the wrong type of bike, there are many people who own the “right” bike that are not bikers and there are many who ride every thing from “Crotch rockets” to “Rice Burners” who are bikers.

There are many bikers who have not ridden their bike this month and maybe not this year. Not because they don’t want to but because (in their sense of loyalty and brotherhood) they have laid aside their love of riding while they pursue their love of something bigger – their love of freedom, their love of democracy, their love of the United States and their desire to do whatever they can to protect their loved ones.

So, who is this month’s Lone Star Biker? We don’t know for sure because the images that we see don’t differentiate between those who ride and those who don’t. The images we see are of the Sailor who has a Honda at home in storage standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier directing the landing war planes. We see images of the soldier helping a small child in Irag instead of riding his BMW. We see images of an airmen servicing planes instead of servicing his Triumph. We see an image of a marine , his face smeared with grease paint instead of grease from His Harley, as he stands watch in a hostile fire zone.

We see images of the maimed hobbling on their crutches or sitting in a wheel chair instead of on their motorcycle. We see images of service husbands and wives as they and their children bid final farewell to a mother or a father who has given their all for their country.

Bikers? Often in viewing the pictures and the videos of the men and women in battle, returning from battle or shipping out we wonder about them as civilians. Maybe we crossed paths at a rally, rode together on a poker run, assisted in the same benefit, or simply gave each other the low wave as we passed on the highway?

We know just by the laws of average that a certain number of them are bikers. What could better qualify a person as a true Texas Biker than someone who has laid aside that which gives them personal pleasure and put their love of country and our security ahead of everything else?

This month we salute, and honor, all those bikers who wear our country’s uniform and who stand ready...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "A Tribute". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Sep / Oct 2005 where this article was originally published.

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