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May 10, 2010· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

Dear Man Riding a Motorcycle on a Paseo

Hello Sir,

Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Or do you just do stupid things as a matter of habit?

I ask because on Saturday I witnessed something on a local paseo I’ve never seen before. That’s right, of all the crazy things I’ve seen in 6,000 miles of bicycling around this city, what I saw you do Saturday on a paseo in Old Orchard takes the cake.

Congrtalutions! You win the prize for riding a motorcycle with your kid on a paseo.

Not a bicycle with a motor strapped on. Not even a moped or one of those fancy e-bikes that straddles the line between motorized and pedal-powered transportation.

No, you were riding a real honest-to-God two stroke dirt bike motorcycle.

You may or may not have seen me. I was the guy on a bicycle who rode by you with a confused WTF? look on my face. I even thought of turning around and riding up next to you to ask you what the hell you thought you were doing with a motorcycle on a paseo, but you were going too fast.

I realized later what you were trying to do. You’re a dad. You want to teach your kid how to ride a motorcycle. You figure motorcycling is unsafe as it is, so you figure you’ll minimize the risk to your runt kid by taking the motorcycle off the street, where it belongs, and riding it on a freaking paseo.

I bet you even told your wife about your plan.

“Oh George, he’s too young to learn to motorcycle,” she protested.

“Don’t worry about it Doris, I have a plan. We’re going to ride on the paseo! It’s pretty safe there!” you said, feeling pretty smart to have figured it out.

Only it’s not safe you moron. There are people, children, dogs, kites, cats, R/C cars and more on paseos. In fact, sometimes the paseos are so crowded with people (like warm Saturday evenings in May), it’s unsafe to ride a bicycle, let alone a freaking motorbike!

Would you teach your kid to hunt animals by giving him a rifle and taking him to the zoo? I don’t think so!

Epic fail sir.

This weekend Santa Clarita was rightfully proud of two outstanding citizens who received Man and Woman of the Year awards. In my own silent and angry way, I hereby dub you SCV Dumbass of the Year. And if I see you again riding a motorbike on a paseo again, I will not hesitate to follow you back to your house where I will give you a piece of my mind.

Your’s Truly,

Jeff

Dear Man Riding a Motorcycle on a Paseo

Comments (5)

  1. Fred ButlerMay 10, 2010 at 3:15 pm
    This is the first time you have seen this? I see people riding dirt bikes and motor cycles all over the paseos and I don’t bike nearly as much as you do. Heck, the sheriff guys ride up and down our paseos to get to the entrance of the wash. There use to be a little Indian man riding a yellow moped from Wal-Mart down Soledad every day I was biking home around 2:30 pm. I just move over.
  2. scvfanMay 10, 2010 at 3:25 pm
    I hereby request we all collectively start the SCV Dumbass of the Year award. Think of how many nominees we would have. Parents of 6th graders! Snobby Placeritians. People who believe in UFOs! It would be a sure sell-out crowd.
  3. lvogelMay 10, 2010 at 7:17 pm
    We actually have had people ride their motorcycles on our little paseo here. Yup, don’t know what they’re think’n…oh wait, they’re NOT!
  4. navigatorMay 11, 2010 at 8:25 am
    I will speak with the SCV Man and Woman Of The Year Committee. Maybe a new category can be added for you Jeff. It may really boost attendance at the dinner since there are so many dumbasses in town. Newsmakers of the Year may be interested as well.
  5. OlenkaMay 11, 2010 at 5:18 pm
    I’ll second that. I know people on both committees.

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