I would differ from your view on whether we should complain about someone who is doing a wheelie. Your question perhaps raised a broader issue of whether we should through debate and argument slowly form a "healthy" culture of motorcycling, such that motorcycle will be well accepted by almost everyone as a good sport and a great way of commuting. As you raised the issue about wearing helmet in another article, why is asking people to wear helmet different from asking people not to engage in another purely dangerous form of action, that not only can cause great harm to the rider but a falling bike can easily hurt other bystanders?
I am from Taiwan. Like in many Asian countries, the motorcycle is a way of life. It is what you ride to work and to school. It is not a "toy," like it is here. I have never heard of or seen a wheelie in Taiwan. People there do not hate motorcyclists because most of them at one point of their life have ridden either a motorcycle or a scooter so they understand that motorcycle is there to stay for good reasons. They do perceive riding is dangerous though. In fact mandatory helm law just went into place a few years ago, and some of my physician friends there told me that within a week head trauma reduce to 1/3. Image that! However here in Houston at least, it is not hard to see a wheelie or a stoppie in the middle of the street. I am not against performing a wheelie in a well-enclosed and safe area. However, most people do wheelie/stoppie to show off and there is no better place to do that than a busy street. As a result, and as a result of other aggressive behaviors of the motorcyclist and their loud pipes, the public has reason to hate us. May be because of this level of disgust, some times they want to teach us a lesson while driving. Furthermore any reduction in accident can help lower our rate of motorcycle as well as health insurance.
I am from Taiwan. Like in many Asian countries, the motorcycle is a way of life. It is what you ride to work and to school. It is not a "toy," like it is here. I have never heard of or seen a wheelie in Taiwan. People there do not hate motorcyclists because most of them at one point of their life have ridden either a motorcycle or a scooter so they understand that motorcycle is there to stay for good reasons. They do perceive riding is dangerous though. In fact mandatory helm law just went into place a few years ago, and some of my physician friends there told me that within a week head trauma reduce to 1/3. Image that! However here in Houston at least, it is not hard to see a wheelie or a stoppie in the middle of the street. I am not against performing a wheelie in a well-enclosed and safe area. However, most people do wheelie/stoppie to show off and there is no better place to do that than a busy street. As a result, and as a result of other aggressive behaviors of the motorcyclist and their loud pipes, the public has reason to hate us. May be because of this level of disgust, some times they want to teach us a lesson while driving. Furthermore any reduction in accident can help lower our rate of motorcycle as well as health insurance.
