EDITOR:

I saw on the television news a story about the annual motorcycle rally and gathering in Sturgis, South Dakota. It was reported that the attendees were pretty much ignoring the advice of the medical community as far as the COVID-19 thing goes.

Now, as this is a virus, it does not realize nor care about your interests, your perceived freedoms or your political leanings. It is a virus and it loves lots of people close together and unprotected. And, bonus, these people come from all over and have gathered in one place. The law of averages says that some of them are carrying the virus. And this same law of averages says those carriers will infect others. After all, there are a quarter million bodies in this one place at the same time.

Now, I am surely not being morbid but rather sticking strictly to arithmetic and statistics. And that tells us that many of these people will contract this virus and many will become ill. Remember, I said there are a quarter million people in this one spot, exchanging germs. Some of the more unfortunate are going to pass away. Again, that is just arithmetic for the purposes of this letter. I do extend condolences to the victims’ families and friends and the motorcycle community in general, in advance.

But stay with the arithmetic. Many of those who die will of course no longer be needing their motorcycle. Many of these very nice “bikes” will be put up for sale and as this virus works within a timespan, these deaths and the associated excess motorcycles will occur pretty much at the same time and in the very near future. As you probably know, when a lot of anything comes on the market at the same time and that amount is more than the market can absorb, the prices fall accordingly.

What does all this mean? A lot of nice bikes at very attractive prices are about to come on the market. It is just science, coupled with arithmetic, causing this. And a lot of careless bikers, of course. But in any case, watch the classified ads. If I have figured this correctly, YOU are going to be able to score the bike of your dreams at a price you never imagined possible a short time ago.

By the way, when you are riding your “new” bike, practice the advice of the doctors and you will ride long and far. Watch those ads and have a great autumn. There will still be a lot of nice riding weather this year.

Donald Lison

Florence, Wis.