Get Back Whips Considered Deadly Weapon

For some time now, law enforcement in San Bernardino, Riverside and other CA Counties have been citing biker’s for having a deadly weapon in their possession. A gun? No…. A Knife? No… Then what? And not only have biker’s been stopped, but arrests have been made and the bikes impounded.

Most of us have clicked on a “get back” made with braided leather, normally in our club/ministry color’s…. They’re cool looking and as we ride, the whip raises like a wing in the wind. They’re just popular additions to our bikes persona and if we are honest most of us are 50/50 on the first and second reason for putting them on our handlebars. Number one is definitely the look…but number two happens to be what we know about how this innocent looking item can be used to take some “Silly Billy’s” attention off of wiping us out while we can make a quick escape.

I know I’m preaching to the choir when I relate the dangers we face every time we’re out on the roads, but for the sake of folks who don’t ride but may end up reading this….bare with me. You see, though most of us have loud pipes to call attention to us….we are many times unintentionally targeted because we’re smaller than the average vehicle out on the road, folks just don’t look for us, and far too many are putting on their lipstick, eating a big mac or talking on their cell. Though California passed a law banning the operation of cell phones, other than hands free…..people just don’t get it… when Susie’s talking to Mom on the way home from work with the crying baby in the back seat, she won’t see us….she won’t hear us….until it’s too late.

Okay that’s one side of the danger zone….but there’s the other which is something that gets many of our blood to boil. These are the folks out there that see us….hear us…..and want to purposely show their bravado by intentionally swerving into our lane, even trying to hit us when we are (*legally white lining). We have no doubt been shown how to use the whip if we are faced with this dangerous scenario with no way out. The whip is made with a quick release (originally used for horses that are trailered for a quick release in case of an emergency). When we pull on the whip it disengages and slides through our right hand allowing the metal clip to be on the end that can then be swung around toward the vehicle (especially a window), thus you can figure out what will happen to glass when the metal clip is swung toward it! No matter the ingenuity or lack of…..in doing something like this……Rider’s generally understand that the whip might work better than their boot kicking the side of the vehicle.

Anyway, it stinks that there are really people out on the roads who target us purposely….nevertheless they do. Am I advocating vandalism? Not at all….don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger. And so…..LA County has now joined the frenzy and so if you are pulled over with a “get back” you may find yourself in jail, your bike impounded, and spending lots of time and money getting yourself out of a jam that in my mind is just another ploy to profile bikers. We would never use a “get back” as a weapon. It is only a tool to protect ourselves against reckless drivers, but its main purpose is to show
Club/ministry colors. So, our members won’t be riding with “get backs” anymore, at least until the plastic clip ones are available in purple and black.

*White Lining or Splitting Lanes is LEGAL in the state of California! Why is it allowed and under what circumstances? First, most of us run bikes with no radiator and so we totally depend upon moving so the air cools our engines. We are permitted to do this maneuver when vehicle traffic is stopped or traveling 35 mph or under. The top speed we can travel at between lanes is 40 mph, but we should use extreme caution and be in a position to quickly maneuver our bike to make a safe stop if necessary.