A Risk Worth Fighting For

By: Jeanette Tran

A few days ago I found out that one of the riders on the forums that I frequent was in a terrible motorcycle accident, which has left her lying in a hospital bed. A big rig truck was attempting to make a right turn, did not see her, and had ended up hitting and pulling her under the truck. As a result, the tires crushed her pelvis and she was dragged along underneath the truck along the road. She was fortunate to have survived the accident, but the past few days have been a struggle, not only physically for her, but also emotionally for her family and friends, and the whole Bay Area motorcycling community. It is always painful to hear about riders who are involved in accidents, but this one in particular caused a tidal wave effect throughout the motorcycle community.

Her name is Tyler Risk. And it is no surprise that she alone can cause such a huge response from hundreds of motorcyclist, because no matter where she is or whom she is with, she always has a contagious smile on her face and is never afraid to approach a stranger to start a conversation. She has been riding for about eight years and has always been a major presence on the forums long before I had joined it. She is very passionate about riding and is always looking out for the other female riders. I remember on my first group ride she approached me and we started chatting a bit, and she told me about her all female riding group called Dangerous Curves. This group had monthly rides, parking lots drills' days, and casual social events all geared towards female riders. Not only does Tyler participate in that, but she also runs an all female motorcycle touring company called Northstar Moto Tours. Tyler acts as a tour guide for female riders, from all around the world, who want to take a motorcycle ride through the various roads throughout California. In my opinion, it is one thing to be a female rider amongst the many men that take up this sport, but it also take a whole other level of independence and leadership to actually put together groups and functions that help reach out to the other females of the riding community.

Tyler holds a place very dear in my heart (as I am sure she does for many other people as well) because she had reached out to a newbie rider like myself and helped me further advance my motorcycling experience. Last summer, one of my goals was to go on an overnight camping trip on my bike. I was browsing the forums and I just so happened to notice a thread that Tyler started regarding an overnight trip during Labor Day weekend. I posted up stating that I really wanted to do a long distance overnight trip on my bike, but I had absolutely no camping gear except for maybe a sleeping bag. At the time, I had only met Tyler briefly once before and she was kind enough to offer me a spot in her tent for the trip. To make a gesture like that to a complete stranger, only to help me out, so that I too can experience the joys of an overnight motorcycle camping trip, made me realize how big of heart she has. Not only that, but throughout the camping trip, she was very patient with me and gave me pointers here and there in order to make sure I was having the best time I could possibly have out there. If it was not for her, I know I would not have been able to have such a wonderful riding experience logged into my memory.

When we all heard the news of Tyler's accident, many riders immediately offered her family any assistance they might need. Within minutes the thread was pages long, filled with prayers and wishes for Tyler's swift and full recovery. It was as if every single rider was on stand by, ready for action in order to do anything possible to bring Tyler back to her old smiling self again. It sends chills down my spine to know that this accident had to have happened to such a wonderful person like Tyler. The accident was so shocking and such an eye opener for some, I even heard some riders start to consider hanging up their keys because of the unfortunate events that comes with motorcycling. However, Tyler's accident does not scare me away from riding. It is so ironic that Tyler's last name is Risk because I know that despite this accident, and any other risks that may come with motorcycling, Tyler has such a fighting spirit and such a passion for riding that even after all of this, she will probably continue riding the second she heals up. With that being said, I hope every rider out there is fortunate enough to have met their own "Tyler" which will continue to inspire them to keep on riding.

In the mean time, I will continue to pray for Tyler's swift and full recovery as well as for the safety of all other riders out there. Ride safe out there.

Published: Jul 07, 2009

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