Kickstand--Top Ten Truisms For Motorcyclists

Every form of endeavor probably has its truisms and clichés. Some are worth remembering; some not so much. But either way, here is RideApart’s anthology of selected motorcycle truisms, not necessarily ranked in any order or included based on any profound underlying truth. In fact, it's often the case that truisms just aren’t always true.

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1. “There are two kinds of riders—those that have fallen and those that are going to.” We don’t know who actually coined that phrase, but it seems entirely likely that if you ride a motorcycle long enough, it's bound to be made true.

2. “If it looks slippery, it probably is.” Once again we are unsure of attribution for the originator of this practical admonition, but speaking from personal experience, it has proven to be an accurate assessment of the situation in the vast majority of cases. Riding on snow with street tires brings this into very clear focus—although knobby tires don’t necessarily improve anything.

3. “If you have a ten dollar head, get a ten dollar helmet.” Judging from helmet prices these days, it's nearly impossible to get a ten dollar helmet even at a yard sale.

4. “Ride it like you stole it.” This truism was taken seriously 46,061 times in in the U.S. in 2012, which is the number of bikes stolen that year according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

5. “Speak your mind but ride a fast motorcycle.” This is a paraphrase of the old Will Rogers quip, “Speak your mind but ride a fast horse.” Much of what Will Rogers had to say was golden when he said it, and still is today.

6. "Chrome won’t get you home.” No doubt coined by someone afflicted with chrome envy after seeing a blingy Harley glistening in the sun—perhaps as it sat out of the action on the side of the road.

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