We can enjoy our Ride without been in danger

The write up below is from a Ghanaian biker on the recent mishap of a fellow biker in Accra over the past weekend. It is worth the read....if only we take it to heart and learn the lessons therein.

"To The Ghanaian Biker Community: Pause, Reflect and Act

It is with great regret that I write this article. Since the news of Emmanuel Kobby Acqua's accident broke, I decided against immediately posting anything about the incident since I was not there when it happened in the first place and also since I did not want to appear judgmental on what actually caused our friend's untimely demise until I had gotten enough information on what transpired that evening.
No matter how we analyze the incident or what went wrong or what could be done better, Kobby is gone!!! His young, promising and vibrant life cut short because of certain critical decisions he took within the final few minutes of his existence on earth. He will not come back. No matter how we cry, exhort, shout, blame or whatever, he is not coming back.
To us who are still alive and who still love this passion of motorcycling no matter the apparent dangers associated with it, there are only four things that I will reinforce in this article. Those who know me well will agree that I have been trying to share these tips all these years to those who care to listen.

1. The Highway is not a Trackway. There are obstacles that are many and varied on the public thoroughfares. Some might not be in your line of sight until you have fully committed yourself. No matter how hard, fast we ride or what tricks we think we can pull off, have this question in your mind - "In the event that something happens, can I save the situation and myself?" If your conscience does not give you a clear message, stand down. It has been a lifesaver for millions worldwide. If your bike is also not performing optimally like it should, please don't push it. Stand down and try and get a mechanic to resolve the problem. If there is a ride scheduled, let it go until that problem is solved.

2. Don't ride to impress. Unless in very unavoidable situations, your safety and whether you stay alive to enjoy riding another day are controlled by no other person than You, Your very hands that hold the throttle and clutch and Your same very feet that control that gears and brake. Have it firmly tucked in your subconscious mind that should something happen to you, it affects the wider circle and community of your immediate family, friends and associates, biking fraternity etc. The hurt, pain, heart-ache and collateral damage that you will leave behind lives on years and years after you are gone.
Even the heavy weight of responsibility that is placed on the shoulders of those who should go ahead and tell the family that their loved one who should be coming home like the rest of his friends but rather has been lodged in the morgue is a responsibility that only a few can shoulder. I have been there more than once and I know what I am talking about. These duties can scar one's conscience for a lifetime. Just one year after the painful demise of Jehad Ashkar, here we are now having to go through the same cycle for Kobby.

3. We are and should be worthy Ambassadors of our passion. It is not about the loud deafening pipes, how fast we can ride, run down our speedometers to the last digit to smoke another fellow rider etc., pull off the best stunt trick that is yet to be written or pub crawl with fellow bikers until your eye-lids are dropping with fatigue. We are in the process of institutionalizing motorcycling in Ghana to make it better, safer and also endear ourselves to the wider motoring public. From one motorcycle club in 2008, we now have about eight clubs in Ghana and I do not have doubt that these numbers will continue to grow with time. No one would be better advocates of our sport that we ourselves who ride. The task ahead of us is still great and we owe it to ourselves and the generation that is upcoming to ensure that we endeavor in every way possible to keep casualty rates to the barest minimum levels.

4. Group rides can be very enjoyable and, at the same time, they can also end up in calamities!!! The earlier we accept this, the better it will be for all of us who ride, who belong to clubs and who enjoy the company of like-minded friends. Sometimes these skills go beyond our individual riding capabilities and need to be honed like a sharp knife on how the group bonds as a collective unified riding unit. This reflects in how the order of the day's ride plans out while at the same time enabling us to look out for each other and avoid the obstacles and ever present dangers that are always out there against us motorcyclists. And that is why roles such as the Lead Biker, Road Captains, Sweepers and tail riders are dispensed out to an experienced few to coordinate a groups' ride.

Until, we all individually listen to advice, act out our roles as responsible bikers and conform to best practices of our sport, which at this stage is recreational, since we are yet to have properly designated professional trackways in Ghana, I am sorry to say that we will continue to suffer losses within our ranks. Even those within us whose skills have extended into stunting are aware of the risks of pulling off such tricks on the public roads, no matter how we do admire them when they are in their element.

I do not heap any blame on anybody or any individual biker, group of bikers or on Kobby himself. No one should get me wrong here. For decades I have shouted myself hoarse on these issues. Some care to listen. Others do not give a damn. There are times that I myself question my commitment to this passion of ours and whether I should still soldier on and talk. Some Senior Bikers, whose experience cannot be questioned or doubted in anyway, have gone quiet, and have decided to be solo riders due to the way some of our younger members disregard their advice. To me, these are people whose expertise is crucial in guiding all of us to conform to best practices of our passion. However, until we ourselves show the appetite to imbibe safe riding skills, these people will continue to remain in the background.

At the first-ever Bikers Forum Meeting at Oxygen on May 14th, 2017 it was like all the plenty talk and references to safety and responsible riding were thrown out of the window immediately we dispersed. Then I asked myself whether it would be prudent to spoil the party and remind our young ones of what we just talked about or whether it would be better to stop showing my age and let them learn the rules of restraint on their own the hard way. The sad thing is that when it comes to the crux, lives are lost and a life gone through these accidents is a life that will never come back no matter how we regrettably wish we could roll time back and snatch back that life from the hands of death through any means possible.

Depending on road conditions, I believe we can still ride slow or fast according to our capabilities. I believe we can either be town riders or venture our further than others as our Adventure Without Limits (AWOL) Brothers are pioneering. If it is your thing, I believe those of us who have the heart and have spent time to perfect the craft, can still stunt within reasonable parameters which do not compromise on certain safety principles. I also believe that we all can still enjoy the freedom and independence that motorcycling gives us while minimizing on danger factors by just being aware that our passion, like all contact sports, is one that comes with its hazards and risks.

A Biker down in one club affects all of us who belong to the other groups. To the members of the Ultimate Riders Motorcycle Club, members of The Bikers Forum GH, his Family and Friends, I offer my condolences. Helmets Up to his memory and the good times he had with us all during his stay on earth. This is not the time for acrimony since it will not bring Kobby back to life. However, we can learn from these unfortunate situations. Let's close ranks, offer prayers for the repose of his soul, console his family and ourselves in any way possible and move on.

For me, as long as I have life's essence flowing in me, I will continue to speak for, share my experiences and advocate for responsible and best practices in this passion of ours called motorcycling as much as I can on any platform I find myself. God Bless!!! - Walter Kudzodzi."

writtwritten by Walter Kudzodzi of Bikers GH.