Chance of a lifetime: YOU can decide on the message that will unite all bikers

[carver]

U guys are not helping...

most bins wins

[Trade_nancy]

I actually quite like the way things are gong.

Hear me out. My bike has no rego. When I ride now I get a little buzz. The same kind of buzz I used to get when I was a youngin on my L plates, taking the misses for a blat on the GB400. I was illegal.
While the cars I own are all Rego'd. The bike will stay unrego'd (unless the ACC thing changes). I have southern cross healthcare. So they can patch me up for being a rebel.
I actually think this might bring more of the "biker spirit" out in the long run. The softcocks either won't be able to afford the ACC levies, or will be scared off by B.S. marketing. Leave only us normal folk 'scum' left for the cops the chase.
Only thing I will have to watch will be those damn demerit points again. Will be a case of getting to 95. Then locking the bike up for a year and doing it all again.
So if your serious about going head to head with ACC/govt. Stop filling their coffers with biker money. Live a little and stop being soft cocks.
Exciting times ahead.

Tend to agree with you AVGAS. Although i do pay rego on my main ride, I own a second bike and ride that sans rego as it is an old CB750 - which still falls inside the 40 year cutoff for classic - so would cost me another $500+ smackers. So I ride the Honda maybe 5-10 times in a year vs evey day for my "legal" bike. It just makes no sense to pay all over for such a case and I agree - i do get a certain sense of satisfaction and schoolboy woody for riding "out of school rules".

It is my thought that ACC will not be much if indeed any further ahead financially for having hiked up the bike levies...given that a significant percentage of owners have opted to take the suspended option..it may be they are collecting LESS! I have been told by someone who works there that the figure was as high as 60-70% of bikes were under some form of suspended rego!

As to new measures to force us into hi-viz, white helmets etc....it would piss me off for sure...but I suspect I would comply with the hi-viz aspect as I do own and wear a yellow jacket sometimes anyway and see that has potential for accident prevention...I would also vote that bike manufacturers cease painting bikes black, grey and silver - as apart from being less visible I find them totally boring. My black helmet and strips of hi-viz relective red tape stuck on the back,..but if they want to make a white helmet available at a heavily discounted price to afford better safety - hey I'd go for that too.

[skippa1]

Take the GST off fruit and veges we will be healthier and have better ideas

[HappyGOriding]

I think its a bit of wishful thinking on uniting bikers when those groups/persons who think themselves motorcycle advocates cant even agree amongst themselves.
As for hi viz made compulsory what a joke!! Focus on rider inexperience and wearing protective clothing would be a wiser investment. Making hi viz compulsory would just prove (to me)that the government dont want to know about it if it cant be fixed with a band aid.

[Paul in NZ]

One way to broaden the appeal might be a 'Less Government' approach....

Less Nanny more Manny......

[Flip]

To all those people who voted National, thanks a heap!

You deserve what you get.

[avgas]

The trouble with that approach is that while it may be fun for the moment but it's certainly not going to do the future of Motorcycling any favours.
There's a disturbing number of motorcyclists who can't see past their own little world.

Think long and hard about this. The future of motorcycling?
The future was always fucked for motorcycles - whether you were a youngin on an RD350 in the 70's, GPZ rider in the 80's, GSXR rider in the 90's or now. Motorcyclists will never be considered the saviors of mankind, or be put in the same prestige as truck drivers or ambulance drivers.
Have always been "temporary citizens", "rebels"........in general road scum.

Unless we start saving kittens from trees and pull people from burning buildings that is not likely to change.

While I agree with all your past statement about rider control of his own circumstance.......we will have to agree to disagree on your thoughts that we can change a worldwide perception that motorbikes are dangerous.
Motorbikes are like hot air balloons. Not required for transport (anymore), and you can prove all your life they are safe only to have one accident destroy that reputation over night.

[avgas]

To all those people who voted National, thanks a heap!
You deserve what you get.

Now now, under MMP all those who voted can take a slice of that blame.

[Katman]

Think long and hard about this. The future of motorcycling?
The future was always fucked for motorcycles - whether you were a youngin on an RD350 in the 70's, GPZ rider in the 80's, GSXR rider in the 90's or now. Motorcyclists will never be considered the saviors of mankind, or be put in the same prestige as truck drivers or ambulance drivers.
Have always been "temporary citizens", "rebels"........in general road scum.

Unless we start saving kittens from trees and pull people from burning buildings that is not likely to change.

Good for you. One day you'll be able to pat yourself on the back and sit back and tell your kids (or grandkids) "Motorcycles? Yeah, I remember them. I was part of the process that fucked that up for you."

[willytheekid]

I think its a bit of wishful thinking on uniting bikers when those groups/persons who think themselves motorcycle advocates cant even agree amongst themselves.

Totally agree!, I find these "advocates" are usually just rich "suit's" that ride on sundays and feel they know whats best for all of us...got sick of there self promotion, lack of direction & in-fighting years ago.
If you want to unit bikers...lose these rich fat cats who think they are gods gift to NZ biking and have "self appointed" themselves as our so called "advocates".

(I do however note the great work of some of these groups...sometimes! --bronze toy run etc etc)

Our first move should be ensuring fair media coverage...as they have repeatedly screwed us and twisted any attempt at delivering a clear message....with out fair media coverage we are just pissing into the wind.

[Conquiztador]

OK, so we have some dialogue going. If you look around KB you will find a bunch of threads discussing very similar issues with very much the same outcomes. I realise that as an public forum I have very little power to direct where this (or any) thread will go. But my hope was to see if there was one issue, one message, one cause that many of us who ride bikes, no matter what walks of life we are from, could agree on and push for.

Here, I give you an example: When many of us (approx 9,000) rode to the beehive on the Bikeoi to protest against the increase in the ACC levies we all agreed that the increase was unfair and too much. But after that when we wanted to keep it all going it fell flat for many reasons, but one main part was that we could not agree if we liked ACC as it was, if it should be changed, taken back to how it was in the past, if it should be privatised etc. This was expected, as even if we all like to ride bikes we often have nothing else in common; our political views cover the whole spectrum, our ages cover all from 15 - 95 (?), bikers are company directors, dole bludgers, druggies, patched up members, average mums and dads, career politicians, and list goes on. Would be impossible to get all to agree on everything.

So, even if I realise that it can be seen as naive, am here trying to find out if there is ONE ting we can all agree on. One thing that would be the base for a "movement" where anyone on a bike could agree on the message and support it.

[James Deuce]

Not required for transport (anymore), and you can prove all your life they are safe only to have one accident destroy that reputation over night.

That is going to change very rapidly. The rest of the world, the really big "emerging" markets will ensure that motorcyling continues and its global perception changes. The big bikes, currently mostly toys in Western economies are undergoing a rapid change. KTM and BMW introduced low friction singles (and twins in BMW's case) that are incredibly frugal. Honda have just gone a step further with their 670cc parallel twin destined for a few different platforms from scooters to tourers. Car production is going to head to different countries and the destination markets for the bulk of car production are going to shift from their current western hemisphere-centric focus. The price of fuel in Western economies is going to start making these new and frugal bikes look very attractive as disposable income diminishes and quality of life follows. People will convert their motorcycle hobby to transport, IF they can get decent mileage, something almost impossible on a modern sportsbike (and bikes using the same power plant or its derivatives) with its stratospheric rpm power delivery.

More people will end up on bikes for urban transport around the world.

[avgas]

Good for you. One day you'll be able to pat yourself on the back and sit back and tell your kids (or grandkids) "Motorcycles? Yeah, I remember them. I was part of the process that fucked that up for you."

Said before my bikes aren't going anywhere. I don't recall marijuana disappearing recently.

[avgas]

That is going to change very rapidly. The rest of the world, the really big "emerging" markets will ensure that motorcyling continues and its global perception changes. The big bikes, currently mostly toys in Western economies are undergoing a rapid change. KTM and BMW introduced low friction singles (and twins in BMW's case) that are incredibly frugal. Honda have just gone a step further with their 670cc parallel twin destined for a few different platforms from scooters to tourers. Car production is going to head to different countries and the destination markets for the bulk of car production are going to shift from their current western hemisphere-centric focus. The price of fuel in Western economies is going to start making these new and frugal bikes look very attractive as disposable income diminishes and quality of life follows. People will convert their motorcycle hobby to transport, IF they can get decent mileage, something almost impossible on a modern sportsbike (and bikes using the same power plant or its derivatives) with its stratospheric rpm power delivery.

More people will end up on bikes for urban transport around the world.

I got told this about airships also
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07...ip_king_thing/

While I hope you are right, and I am wrong........pipe dreams are everywhere.

[MSTRS:Me]

Our first move should be ensuring fair media coverage...as they have repeatedly screwed us and twisted any attempt at delivering a clear message....with out fair media coverage we are just pissing into the wind.

There is no such thing as a fair media. That was brought home to me in 2009.
The media are only interested in a story to generate sales, which equals more advertising $ through their doors. There is no story in reason why a bunch of bikers being upset about something. Did you not notice how the column of bikes in Welly got a shitload of coverage? Yet all that was mentioned was that 'they are unhappy about their rego increase'. There was NOTHING about the reasons for that unhappiness. Even bike-riding motoring journalists are not interested in airing the full story.
I'd like it to be different, but it's not.