TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Motorcyclists Are Asset To Community

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

Hot or cold, rain or shine. Not even hurricanes discourage them.

Motorcyclists have been a constant in west Pasco County for decades.

These days, you see motorcycles or street bikes on the move everywhere you look. Motorcyclists have become mainstream. As a matter of fact, there are days I can't decide which seems to be multiplying faster: motorcyclists or drivers with bumper stickers that say, 'Watch out for motorcyclists.'

They haven't always been so accepted.

The '70s were the seedy days of the motorcycle scene here. Bikers were a fearsome bunch. West Pasco was home to many illegal activities that were attributed to bikers. One incident, in particular, sticks out in my mind.

In the late 1970s, three members of the notorious Outlaws Motorcycle Club were arrested in the fatal shooting of a man outside the Shangri-La Topless Luncheon Restaurant on Moon Lake Road. The slaying gave credence to the image of bikers as a lawless, unsavory sort.

Nevertheless, as time went by and motorcycles seemed to gain a more favorable appeal, the attitude toward bikers here seemed to shift as well. What was once thought of as an activity reserved for the questionable characters about town became something with a 'bad boy' appeal. In the 1980s and 1990s, local motorcyclists were more likely to be free spirits than members of a gang.

I remember those days well - the bumps and bruises from skidding out in the sugar sand, the muffler burns on the inside of my calf, the long nighttime rides to nowhere and the raised eyebrows I'd get when people heard I hung out with guys that rode motorcycles.

But even those days are long past.

Motorcyclists today are an eclectic bunch. All the stereotypes seem to be disappearing. The guy on the motorcycle beside you in traffic is as likely to be a pilot or school teacher as he is to be a student, mechanic or CEO. Women are as likely to be riding their own motorcycles as riding on the back of someone else's. And it seems no other activity brings together as many generations - from baby boomers all the way down to Generation Y or echo boomers - as a motorcycle ride.

Perhaps most surprising is that when riders get together today, they're often raising money for charity, riding alongside law enforcement officers rather than running from them.

Whether it's a poker run benefiting cancer research or Toys for Tots, fundraisers for back-to-school supplies or local scholarships, rides to raise awareness for missing and exploited children or to commemorate fallen officers, bikers are contributing a lot to the community.

Web sites for local motorcycle clubs such as the Diva Angels and the Blue Knights give an outsider a small glimpse of the good done by motorcycle clubs locally and across the nation.

Even our sheriff has rallied motorcyclists for worthy causes. Sheriff Bob White is gearing up for his second annual Sheriff Charities Bike Ride on Oct. 14, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Web site. Last year, the event drew more than 700 riders and raised more than $16,000 for the Missing and Abducted Child Response Team command post vehicle. White is hoping for an even better turnout at this year's event, according to the site. And what better reason to ride than to help out the West Pasco Boys and Girls Club?

Events such as this make even the most reserved people want to hop on a bike and go.

I guess that's part of the reason why it seems the more things change here, the more they stay the same. While the image of motorcyclists has changed significantly over the years, the allure of motorcycles persists.

Patti Phillips is a Pasco County native. She can be reached at phillip@phcc.edu.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT