A little divine help for motorcycle riders

About 60 bikes were blessed at Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale Saturday morning in a communion of chrome and spirituality.

Chaplain Jim Garcia and his wife, Shelly Garcia, laid their hands on the bodies of motorcycle riders and bits of their bikes while also laying a prayer for protection.

Riders lined up in an alley off San Fernando Road and waited their turn to receive some divine protection granted by Garcia.

It was the first time for some motorcyclists to have their bikes blessed and for others the day was about adding on protection from a sometimes rough road.

“You’re never driving alone when your bike is blessed,” Garcia said. “It’s so you know God is watching over you because nobody else is.”

After the procession of blessings, bikers came back around to the shop area to listen to live rock music by “The Hard Miles Band” and eat homemade barbecue in the shade and sunshine of the summer afternoon.

Diane Martinez, 23, and her boyfriend James Mezquita, 26, both of Pasadena, went through the processional of bike blessings. Mezquita just got his bike two months ago and Saturday was the first time Martinez had ever been on it.

“It’s really beautiful, the things they tell you when you’re there,” Martinez said of the blessing. “They asked God to keep us safe.”

Asking for protection when riding a motorcycle is not a new concept.

Many bikers have superstitions and good-luck charms they keep with them on their bikes that they believe blocks bad mojo and helps to keep them from taking a spill on the road.

“I’ve been out there and I’ve seen it all happen,” said Garcia, a biker for more than 25 years.

Jeff Looper, of Simi Valley, had his bike blessed on Saturday for the second time in two years. He said he has taken some falls on his bike and feels that the blessings can only help in keeping him safe from the dangers of the road.

“I feel a little bit more protected,” Looper said.

First-time bike blessing recipient Duan Harrion, of Oxnard, said he has also fallen from his bike before and that the dangers of riding a motorcycle are not all about other drivers. Going over a large rock or really bumpy terrain can throw off a rider’s balance and some potholes could spell head-on disaster if the biker isn’t careful, he said.

“I’ve gone down pretty bad,” he said.

But having his bike blessed made Harrion a little more at ease, he said. He compared the experience to having a charm on his bike, like the Gremlin Bell, a keepsake kept on the bottom of some motorcycles to keep away meddling gremlins from causing mechanical problems.

The Gremlin, just like the blessing, can only be given by someone else or it won’t really work, Harrion said. It becomes exponentially more potent when someone the biker cares about gives it to them with the sentiment of love.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Whether it’s a blessing from Chaplain Jim [Garcia] or a little Gremlin Bell under the bike, every little bit helps.”