Poems for a Biker’s Funeral Program: Words to Honor a Rider

For a rider, the road was never just a way to get somewhere. It was freedom, peace, friendship, and the place they felt most like themselves. The people who loved them remember the thunder of the engine — but also the wave to every passing rider, the patches on the vest, and the worry every time they rolled out of the driveway.

These original poems were written for bikers’ funeral programs, memorial rides, and celebrations of life. Each one remembers something different. Change “he” to “she,” “brother” to “sister,” or add a name, and make them your own.

© Noted & Charmed — Free for personal memorial use with credit. Commercial use, resale, or republication prohibited. Contact for licensing.

Kickstands Up

We’ll line the bikes along the curb
and wait till everyone’s here,
then fire them up and ride him out,
the loudest send-off of the year.

He always said, “Don’t show up late,
and don’t you ride too slow” —
so kickstands up, and point it west,
and let the thunder go.

A short rhymed poem to read aloud just before a memorial ride sets out.

The Wave

He waved at every rider he passed —
two fingers down, low off the grip —
to strangers on the other side of the highway
he’d never see again.

I asked him once why he bothered.
He shrugged and said,
“Because they’re out here too.”

That was him.
Everybody on the road was family,
even the ones he’d never met.

So if you pass a rider this week,
give them the wave.
Do it for him.

Free verse about the small gesture every rider knows, and the big heart behind it.

I Never Liked That Bike

I never liked that bike.
I said so every spring when he rolled it out of the garage,
and every time the phone rang while he was gone.

But I’d watch him from the kitchen window,
wiping down the chrome on a Saturday morning,
whistling,
years younger than he was,
and I’d let him go.

Today I’ll ride on the back one last time,
right behind him, the whole way.
You were right, honey.
It is beautiful out here.

From a wife or partner who worried every time he rode — and loved him for it anyway.

Patches

Every patch on his vest had a story,
and he’d tell you every one if you let him:
the rally where it rained for three days straight,
the toy run every December,
the long weekend he rode until his hands went numb,
the memorial runs for brothers who went before him.

Tonight his vest hangs on the clubhouse wall,
and there’s one more story to tell.

We’ll tell it right.

From his riding club or brothers. Lovely printed in the program for a memorial ride.

She Rode Her Own

She didn’t ride on the back of anyone’s bike;
she rode her own, and she rode how she liked —
chrome catching sunlight, her hair in a braid,
out on the highway and never afraid.

She taught us that freedom is something you choose,
that life is for living, with little to lose;
she rode through the storms and she laughed at the rain,
and she’d want us to ride through our sorrow the same.

For a woman rider — rhymed and full of spirit.

The Overlook

He’d always stop at overlooks
and shut the engine down,
and sit a while in the quiet there,
high above the town.

“I will lift up mine eyes,” he’d say,
“unto the hills,” and then
he’d smile, and pull his gloves back on,
and start the bike again.

Now he has crossed the last high ridge
where every road begins;
the Lord who kept his going out
now keeps his coming in.

Written in the rhythm of a traditional hymn, drawing on Psalm 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills… The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in.”

For the Prayer Card

Keep the shiny side up, brother,
and the rubber on the ground;
we’ll ride with you in every mile
until we’re heaven-bound.

Four lines built on an old riders’ saying, sized for a prayer card, bookmark, or memorial ride patch.

You May Also Find Helpful

• Poems for a Father’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Husband’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Firefighter’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Cowboy or Rancher’s Funeral Program
• Poems for Army, Navy, Marine Corps & Air Force Veterans
• Biker & Motorcycle Funeral Program Templates

Want to Use One of These Poems?

These poems are free for personal memorial use with credit to Noted & Charmed. Simply include the line: © Noted & Charmed — notedandcharmed.com. Not for commercial use, republication, or resale. For commercial licensing inquiries, please contact us.

Sending comfort to you and everyone who rode alongside them. Ride on. — Noted & Charmed