The Personal Blog Of
Boston Motorcycle Lawyer

Lend a Helping Hand to Bikers in Need
April 23, 2010

Several years ago, I purchased a beautiful Suzuki Marauder 1600, customized it, and rode it all over South Florida. My bike looked great, rode great, and handled like a champ.

Too bad, I didn’t read my owner manual.

One night I was riding and the forward control bracket of my shifter disconnected as I was downshifting to 1^st gear. Luckily, I was in second gear and was able to keep the bike moving. Another stroke of luck was that this happened right next to a gas station.  I was quickly able to get off the road and into a safe and well lit area.

It was about 11PM and I was about 20 miles from home.

I only had the bike for a few months, never had a problem with it, and purchased the bike without the owner manual. I figured I could fix the problem with the motorcycle tool kit but I wasn’t sure and had no idea where it would be. My initial thought was that it would be under the seat like on sport bikes. But of course, to get the seat off, I needed tools.

Luckily, a biker was in the gas station, saw my struggles, and offered a helping hand. He rode a Honda VTX 1300 and was familiar with motorcycle maintenance and metric cruisers. He was able to help me find my tool set, fix the forward control, and I was back on the road in 10 minutes.

This spring, there will be lots of bikers out on the road that will be as clueless as I was regarding basic motorcycle maintenance and repair. There will also be bikers who drop their bikes and need help picking it up. These are minor problems but to a new biker, they can seem catastrophic.

The guy who helped me out gave me the motivation to learn more about my bike so that I would never be so helpless again. Maybe you can do the same for another biker in need.

Remember to always use caution and your best judgment when stopping to assist a biker or any motorist.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in the Boston or Andover area, contact personal injury lawyer and avid biker Tom Kiley! Or order a FREE copy of Tom Kiley’s motorcycle accident guide, Do Loud Pipes Save Lives.