Question about Benefit Rides/Events/Etc..

[Trip]

I am talking mainly about stuff for downed sportbike riders and some other riders that go down and need monetary support because they have no insurance or backup plan for their loved ones. Not really talking about a car hitting someone or other nonfault accident, I am talking accidents from riding aggressive.

My question is do you feel the need to support these?

Yes, I ride beyond what should be done on the street. Yes, I am willing to accept the actions for it. Yes, I have my finances in place to not be a burden to loved ones.

The thing is with these bikes so cheap, most any tom/dick/harry/jane/mary can buy a sportbike and proceed to do 5x the speed limit. Some end up on the side of the road with no financial means to support themselves now that they can't work or pay for the bills they have incurred in the damage and put their family in tight financial spots.

Do you see what I am getting at? What are your thoughts on these things? Personally I do not feel any need to support such irresponsibility. There are much better causes I chose to support with my extra finances.

[askmrjesus]

I've done it for people I know, but just once for some guy I never met, but there was a cool t-shirt involved in that one. :lol:

JC

[the chi]

For me, it depends on the individual.

If its someone I know, I might help out as I can, with say a GC for walmart or something, I dont like giving people cash for anything as it can be misused.

As for typically, no, I dont usually, perhaps its so common down here that they just dont do that kinda thing.

I tend to agree with you tho, if you're taking the risks we do, you need to have your shit straight so you dont leave behind alot of BS in the event you off yourself. :shrug:

[tommymac]

A lot of the "clubs" up here do that for their fallen brethren. I wouldnt waste my time on any of it. The Er guys know whenever they have a club vest on that they prolly did something stupid to remove themselves from the gene pool. They usualy also let NYPD know because the rest of them show up at the hospital and think they own the place.

Tom

[HurricaneHeather]

I can honestly say the situation has never come up. If it was someone I knew I might consider it, but for a total stranger probably not.

[Amber Lamps]

I am talking mainly about stuff for downed sportbike riders and some other riders that go down and need monetary support because they have no insurance or backup plan for their loved ones. Not really talking about a car hitting someone or other nonfault accident, I am talking accidents from riding aggressive.

My question is do you feel the need to support these?

Yes, I ride beyond what should be done on the street. Yes, I am willing to accept the actions for it. Yes, I have my finances in place to not be a burden to loved ones.

The thing is with these bikes so cheap, most any tom/dick/harry/jane/mary can buy a sportbike and proceed to do 5x the speed limit. Some end up on the side of the road with no financial means to support themselves now that they can't work or pay for the bills they have incurred in the damage and put their family in tight financial spots.

Do you see what I am getting at? What are your thoughts on these things? Personally I do not feel any need to support such irresponsibility. There are much better causes I chose to support with my extra finances.


I've gone on a couple of these rides mostly to hook up with friends or whatever. I also have a hard time feeling sorry for these people. Heck, when I first moved here a guy that had befriended me died doing wheelies by campus. I went to the memorial and the benefit ride, paid my fee, etc. Well this year they had a ride to memorialize his passing. His parents show up with a brand new F-350 duallie, a HUGE camper trailer/toy hauler and some exotic $40,000 three wheeler! Apparently, the chick that pulled out in front of him had insurance...:idk: Maybe I'm just hating, in just the fall/winter of '07, I found out I have throat cancer, wrecked my bike, lost my job and my fiance'.... Shit happens. You can't sit on the side of the road waiting for someone to help you...:idk: I'm dopey right now, hopefully this made some sense.:lol:

[RACER X]

i bought my last gun from such a fellow.........sucks for him, great deal for me.

depends on the situation i guess.......but chances are if he were acting a dumbass, i wouldn't do it. we're already prolly already paying for his med. treatment.

[pauldun170]

...in just the fall/winter of '07, I found out I have throat cancer, wrecked my bike, lost my job and my fiance'.... Shit happens. You can't sit on the side of the road waiting for someone to help you...:idk: I'm dopey right now, hopefully this made some sense.:lol:

Dude...hows your throat?
Everything Ok now?

[jtemple]

I've been on one benefit ride. It was for a local soldier that was killed in Iraq.

[Archren]

The group I'm in supports fallen veterans, but that's more for those who were KIA/MIA and to support their familes.

As far as for people who die doing something stupid.. if I didn't know them, I wouldn't go out of my way probably.. but who knows, I'm kind of a sucker for hard luck cases, and if I saw a family struggling to make ends meet, I wouldn't necessarily judge THEM on the idiocy of the person who left them in that predicament. :shrug: But it'd definitely be on a case by case basis.

[the chi]

I think Trip is talking exclusively about riding/rider benefits, not other types of benefits or rides. Like if someone died from riding agressively...

If its for a fallen soldier or military member, thats a whole other type of thing, and I am 100% for those types of benefits!

[askmrjesus]

I think Trip is talking exclusively about riding/rider benefits, not other types of benefits or rides. Like if someone died from riding agressively...


When I was racing, is wasn't uncommon to set up a fund, pass a hat, or whatever, to help out a guy that went down hard. Sure, he knew what he was up against, but he was still, "one of us". :shrug:

JC

[wildchild]

when you do something stupid (ride beyond your means) or illegal, why should others praise you for it by having a benefit ride?

You takes your chances
you pays your fees
sometimes the fee is death.

if you can't afford the cost of admission stay out of the game.

[wildchild]

When I was racing, is wasn't uncommon to set up a fund, pass a hat, or whatever, to help out a guy that went down hard. Sure, he knew what he was up against, but he was still, "one of us". :shrug:

JC

legal racing is totally different. it's a sanctioned event and you were well within the bounds of said event yeah we'll pass a hat for your medical or to help your family. if you wad on the street being a knob. too bad.

[Tmall]

I really don't have any sympathy in these cases. If you choose to live by the sword so to speak, you have to expect to get stabbed at some point.

And I believe if you're going to be reckless on the streets, you should be prepared for the consequences.

So no, I feel no need to support financially anybody who makes those decisions.

[the chi]

legal racing is totally different. it's a sanctioned event and you were well within the bounds of said event yeah we'll pass a hat for your medical or to help your family. if you wad on the street being a knob. too bad.

I agree. If someone goes down in a race or on the track ts a totally different animal than someone hurting or killing themselves by riding aggressively on the street. Id be as happy to pass the hat around for that type of incident as I would for a lost soldier, or a good charity (like toys for tots, cancer poker runs, animal welfare runs, etc). :dthumb:

[askmrjesus]

legal racing is totally different. it's a sanctioned event and you were well within the bounds of said event yeah we'll pass a hat for your medical or to help your family. if you wad on the street being a knob. too bad.

Judging from the street speeds posted in the "How fast have you gone" thread, it would seem that almost all of us have been a knob at one time or another.

I would have a hard time judging somebody for doing the same shit I've done in the past.

JC

[the chi]

Judging from the street speeds posted in the "How fast have you gone" thread, it would seem that almost all of us have been a knob at one time or another.

I would have a hard time judging somebody for doing the same shit I've done in the past.

JC

:lol: But would you want your friends to "pass the hat" for you killing yourself being a dumbass? I wouldnt, as I brought it on myself and I have prepared for the event something happens. Nor would I want them highlighting my manner of death, proving my stupidity!

[Amber Lamps]

I agree. If someone goes down in a race or on the track ts a totally different animal than someone hurting or killing themselves by riding aggressively on the street. Id be as happy to pass the hat around for that type of incident as I would for a lost soldier, or a good charity (like toys for tots, cancer poker runs, animal welfare runs, etc). :dthumb:

Okay some of the morning regimen has worn off.:lol: Okay my stupid point was that even in cancer cases the patient, more times than not, engaged in behavior which at the very least contributed to their situation (smoking, drinking, etc). Obviously children are excluded.

[askmrjesus]

:lol: But would you want your friends to "pass the hat" for you killing yourself being a dumbass?

As long as there was drinking involved (at the wake) and people were calling me names, yes. :lol:

JC

[the chi]

As long as there was drinking involved (at the wake) and people were calling me names, yes. :lol:

JC

Thats totally different now! You cant change games in the middle!! When I do go, I too want a GREAT party, and I hope my friends rent out Jennings and tear it up in my honor! :wink:

[askmrjesus]

Thats totally different now! You cant change games in the middle!! When I do go, I too want a GREAT party, and I hope my friends rent out Jennings and tear it up in my honor! :wink:

Nope, same game. :lol:

I just don't go to benefits that don't have beer. It's depressing.

JC

[tommymac]

legal racing is totally different. it's a sanctioned event and you were well within the bounds of said event yeah we'll pass a hat for your medical or to help your family. if you wad on the street being a knob. too bad.

problem is theres a lot of other knobs out there so they seem to take care of thier own. A few years ago a club had a benefit ride for one of their fallen (ok whatever) and on that ride someone looped their bike doing a wheelie and broke his neck. I planned on riding the day of that event so I wanted ot know where they were going so I could go somewhere else and avoid the carnage. Plus the cops have a field day on these and impound a ton of bikes for no licenses or improper paperwork.

tom

[wildchild]

Judging from the street speeds posted in the "How fast have you gone" thread, it would seem that almost all of us have been a knob at one time or another.

I would have a hard time judging somebody for doing the same shit I've done in the past.

JC

i'm not judging per say, i've done crazy illegal speeds myself. i've always told those around me if I go down being an idiot don't cry for me. i deserved it. hoist a beer and believe me when i say i went out having a good time.

my cousin went down very hard, they called family in to say their good byes etc. i didn't go. he went down after a good night of partying and shouldn't have been riding at all. if you check out that way hope it was worth it but don't ask me to cry for you.
BTW he survived, and did the same damn thing 2 years later. Survived again and finally quit riding. funny thing after all was said and done I was the one he thanked. guess it was somewhat of an eye opener to hear what I had said when they asked me to go visit him.

[wildchild]

problem is theres a lot of other knobs out there so they seem to take care of thier own.

tom

isn't that the truth. all teary eyed etc, he was too young to die blah blah blah. nope he was too stupid to live that's all.

[tommymac]

isn't that the truth. all teary eyed etc, he was too young to die blah blah blah. nope he was too stupid to live that's all.

prety much summs it up.

Tom

[Trip]

When I was racing, is wasn't uncommon to set up a fund, pass a hat, or whatever, to help out a guy that went down hard. Sure, he knew what he was up against, but he was still, "one of us". :shrug:

JC

Racing without the funds to pay for a bad crash is kinda on the same path, a little different cause it's legal and you are doing it around paramedics and such. It's not like you guys went on the net to pass around the hat and get local businesses involved like some of these benefit rides though. It was mostly from your group, you didn't get shirts made up for it or something similar.

The group I'm in supports fallen veterans, but that's more for those who were KIA/MIA and to support their familes.

As far as for people who die doing something stupid.. if I didn't know them, I wouldn't go out of my way probably.. but who knows, I'm kind of a sucker for hard luck cases, and if I saw a family struggling to make ends meet, I wouldn't necessarily judge THEM on the idiocy of the person who left them in that predicament. :shrug: But it'd definitely be on a case by case basis.

KIA/MIA is definitely not what I am talking about, thats a good cause.

I am talking about someone doing 95 through the dragon and putting themselves into the hospital with 95k hospital bill and now can't work their $8 an hour job.

when you do something stupid (ride beyond your means) or illegal, why should others praise you for it by having a benefit ride?

You takes your chances
you pays your fees
sometimes the fee is death.

if you can't afford the cost of admission stay out of the game.

pretty much what i am getting at

Judging from the street speeds posted in the "How fast have you gone" thread, it would seem that almost all of us have been a knob at one time or another.

I would have a hard time judging somebody for doing the same shit I've done in the past.

JC

I am not saying don't do it, I am more like saying if you do it, how much of a liability are you going to be if you fuck up.

[Archren]

KIA/MIA is definitely not what I am talking about, thats a good cause.

I am talking about someone doing 95 through the dragon and putting themselves into the hospital with 95k hospital bill and now can't work their $8 an hour job.

I guess I tried to address that in the second part of my post, but I didn't do so well. :lol:

[askmrjesus]

Racing without the funds to pay for a bad crash is kinda on the same path, a little different cause it's legal and you are doing it around paramedics and such. It's not like you guys went on the net to pass around the hat and get local businesses involved like some of these benefit rides though. It was mostly from your group, you didn't get shirts made up for it or something similar.

True, that's a different story.

I'm just saying that if I knew the guy, I'd probably help out a little.

Unless I didn't like him anyway, in which case, fuck him. :lol:

JC

[HurricaneHeather]

I guess I tried to address that in the second part of my post, but I didn't do so well. :lol:

No, I think he just ignored the rest of your post. :lol:

[wildchild]

Racing without the funds to pay for a bad crash is kinda on the same path, a little different cause it's legal and you are doing it around paramedics and such. It's not like you guys went on the net to pass around the hat and get local businesses involved like some of these benefit rides though. It was mostly from your group, you didn't get shirts made up for it or something similar.

Racing without survival funds is pretty much an every day thing for many racers. Almost all of the guys I know who race would be very set back if a serious crash occured.
I guess the reason I would be willing to pony up a little for them is because, we as fans and pit crew and "instigators" are there watching them and encouraging them to do it. When things go well we are there cheering and bashing along with them. talking trash about next time whatever. We are in essence a part of it. When things go bad you feeel impacted and almost guilty. Would they race if we weren't there? Of course.

Funny I went home last night and on the way stopped to get gas. There on the counter was a donation box for a biker. Young kid's pic said had a bad wreck needs help with meds etc. I thought of this thread and almost felt compelled to drop some coin in the box. Only problem was I know a little bit of the circumstance in the crash, too young, too much bike, too fast etc. Walked out, without dropping the coin. I may soften as time goes on, after all it is a small town. Every one in our town knows I was the guy who moved in with that yellow rocket looking thingy right? (you'd think they'd realize I have something different now) :) In small townise I should be first to pony up because i rode one of those too. maybe later..........