Where is biking going, is the direction what we are prepared to live with?

[Conquiztador]

Things are changing. Bikes are changing. Rules are changing. The ones who ride are changing.

If we are looking to become mainstream, more accepted by society, then all is fine. Bikes are less noisy. They use less fuel. They pollute less. Noisy 500cc+ 2 stroke bikes are out. And 1500cc+ bikes sound like a Ford Fiesta (I remember first time I did IRL see the new Triump Rocket. There was 3 of them. I waited for ages for the owners to come out and start them so I could hear the mighty roar! When they started the beasts and took off in a "pffffttttt" I could not believe it!)

I am old skool. Black leathers and sunnies. Ride rain or shine when I want to. Can't be bothered with a bunch of high tech gear. Have a long oil skin as rain gear.

But I digress. Stray even...

Now electric bikes are coming out. 150km's radius. Who would ride only 150k's? And on something that has no sound?

I sit here with my gray hair, my JD and my Biggles goggles and recon that todays riders are missing the point. Group rides in dayglow below speed limit is not what it was about.

I remember reading a Sci Fi story some years ago about a group of bikers that had removed them self from society and the rules. They rode noisy smoking bikes. No dayglow. They rode because they wanted to, because that was their life. They were not dangerous to them selves or anyone else. But society and the rules deemed their look at things unacceptable. And so they were hunted.

At times I feel that this is what is happening. The ones of us who do not accept the rules that are bestowed up on us are getting labelled. We need to be erased. Taken out of the equation. Not because we are dangerous on the road. But because we do not fit in anymore.

At times I hate it all. The riding around making sure I follow all rules: lights on, speed limits, distance, helmets, max dB, numberplate in a specific way...

But I have no say. Being an individual is so old fashion. Like me I suppose.

[SMOKEU]

We are living in an ever increasing nanny state; the government is forcing the police to reach certain "performance targets", and things will be getting worse for us on a yearly basis. Higher ACC levies, and a more aggressive (traffic) police presence combined with cagers who are becoming even stupider by the day will make riding more expensive and dangerous.

[CookMySock]

Go do as you choose. No one is forcing you to do anything - and that will never change.


Steve

[mattian]

The times are a changing all the time. You can either adapt, and go with the flow or, you can reminesce, about days gone by and "how it used to be"
This is why the kiwibiker website is such a great tool for bikers of every experience level and generation. Because we can all come togehter and share our wisdom and expertise.
For newbies this is invaluable. For alot of you old timers, I expect you get quite bored and a little cynical sometimes.

[Motu]

I don't know where it's going,and don't really care,just so long as I can ride sometimes.

It's a bit like music (going into a metaphor here,bail out when you can) in that it has progressed over the decades.You can come into it anytime and enjoy what's happening for that time period,and then progress along with it from there.Or you might enjoy that particular genre so much that you just stay there....or maybe you move around experimenting and dabbling in different genre as the mood takes you.

There's still a lot more I want to do with bikes,so I'll just plod along as time and money permits.

[Headbanger]

I don't know where it's going,and don't really care,just so long as I can ride sometimes.

It's a bit like music (going into a metaphor here,bail out when you can) in that it has progressed over the decades.You can come into it anytime and enjoy what's happening for that time period,and then progress along with it from there.Or you might enjoy that particular genre so much that you just stay there....or maybe you move around experimenting and dabbling in different genre as the mood takes you.

There's still a lot more I want to do with bikes,so I'll just plod along as time and money permits.

Man........that is deep.

[Hitcher]

[Ixion]

Wherever its going I'm going the other way. I've always travelled a different road.

[rainman]

Although sometimes "fuck the rules" doesn't work out too well: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/storie...6/1248097def65

[Motu]

Man........that is deep.

You were told to bail out - sucker.

[Headbanger]

You were told to bail out - sucker.

But....I liked it.

[Virago]

We must all conform to the Biker Code, which is to be non-conformist.

Oh, wait...

[dogsnbikes]

Things are changing. Bikes are changing. Rules are changing. The ones who ride are changing.

But Freedom never will thats what I get from my bikes,the sound they produce informs me of there statis and is my music on a ride its like a 2wheeled IPOD in stereo

still you get some who are as individual as thier bikes,other's are as individual as the group they ride with or who ever thier chossen GP/superbike superstar Racer is .....
where-ever they fine thier own idividuality it still defines them as biker's through the eye's of the people wished for that same identity and same freedrom


regardlees wether I'm a loner (most of the time) out on the road or an occassion group (aka ashhusrts ride) I'm still free and that is something I will never loose regardless of what changes are happening around me

[Urano]

Bikes are less noisy. They use less fuel. They pollute less.

well... are harleys forbidden in nz?
no seriously... about the less pollution, it's still debated. a french study seems to demonstrate that on the average a bike pollute MORE than a car, considering the exhaust emissions. but on a city trip, because of various reasons (time of trip, less time to search for a park, less time at lights...) they finally pollute less than a car. on country trips the emissions are similar.
as for the fuel, evenly, it's not so clear: my ninja 650r which was a very frugal bike, permitted me to travel at 20-24 km per liter, but it was a 650. consider that my wife's 1400 diesel goes from 18 to 20 km per liter. gettin even the displacement it's not so on the bike side...


now, the point of your thought...
rules.
rules are almost never for "us", are quite always for "the others", i mean, for bad things we can do to others.
light, speed limits, distance...
the main problem is that when driving (or riding) was a very complicated and expensive thing, the ones capable to do that were enough skilled to understand where slow down and where to speed.
now we have too many people on the road, too many people on the world, and the average of men is just like that: "average", middle.
so maybe you can understand that speeding before a hill or a turn is not a good idea, but the one behind you thinks "WTF, i've got a bmw X5, it's big, it's fast, fuck the world!" and kills a mother with the baby just turned the corner...
rules are necessary because people are stupid. because if you permit 10 there is always someone that goes 12. and if you say "well, let's permit 12, is not a big difference" there will be people that will go 15.
and the helmet or the seat belts? well, if you're in the us, and you'll pay for your hospital... it's your business. but in italy (donno in nz) if someone is stupid and don't lock the helmet and remains on a wheelchair, i'll have to pay for his invalidity retirement for the rest of his life, and the medicals, and the hospital...

so, it's sad, but is always been this way: if one make a stupid thing all the team will be punished.
rules are made beacuse there are stupid persons, and we all have to pay for them.

you in nz have a big advantage on this: you are few.

[Conquiztador]

But....I liked it.

Me too! Not enough of deep shit anymore! I remember when... Hmmm, maybe another time.