We all do it

[mv.senna]

....additional "single girl's" assessment performed on meeting new riders:
a) is he ugly/riding a stink bike,
b) is he wearing a wedding band
c) does he have a girlfriend with him (or at home)

if the answer to all of the above is no, then continue with ongoing assessments.

[Aitch]

What's a chicken strip?

[Uncle B]

I don't belive either VTWIN or myself are indulging in any sort of "pissing contest" but rather are exercising our natural tendency to be curious about other riders and their bikes, nothing wrong with that, we are passionate about motorcycles. When you examine a bike and its rider like we are discussing, there is a whole wealth of knowledge to be gained that people like you miss out on!

Yeah...wot he said
Thanks Zed.
I didn't mean to upset anybody or start a riot, just tossed up a theory for discussion.
I'm not into any sort of macho bollocks so Merry Christmas to all.

[Yokai]

Chicken strips are the massive strips of unused tyre on the outside of my tyres - you get rid of them by going lower through corners... although in my case, you get rid of them with sandpaper and elbow grease!



I don't have chicken strips - I'm a vegetarian - I have Not Fucking Leaning My Bike That Far with these Tyres Have you Seen The Profile on 'Em strips...

[ManDownUnder]

I have to admit I look at the bike, and I go talk to the person.

Where have they been, been riding long, where are they going etc.

Get to know them. Scratched sliders tell me a bit about them, but I'd rather listen to what they have to say...

[Wolf]

The observations don't necessarily come from those desires, that psychological babble IMO.

What an interesting judgment...

And quite a bite.

I don't belive either VTWIN or myself are indulging in any sort of "pissing contest"

Really?

You watch them dismount and you check out the gear the're wearing.....is it textile or leather? (leather scores more points), do they have knee sliders? if so what sort of condition are they (scuffed ones score major points).
The most important of all that will determine what sort of rider they are over anything else is.........what state is the chicken strip on there front tyre like? The smaller the chicken, the better the rider.

Sounds like judgments to me. And you have admitted you scope out the rear chicken strips and base your assessment (judgment) on that.

Basing an assessment of a rider in a casual situation based on the observation of one bike and the gear they're currently wearing is overly simplistic.

Had they fitted, I would have had second hand leathers with extremely scuffed knee sliders - but not due to any actions of my own. Any assessment based on those leathers would have been erroneous.

Making an assumption based on visible "evidence" can be entirely misleading. The bike you are assessing may have huge chicken strips because the rider prefers to ride like a nana on public roads but his/her other bike, the one that's only used on the track might be a totally different matter.

Likewise looking at heavily scraped pegs and well-scrubbed tyres and judging that the person is a careless idiot on the roads could also be erroneous - for all we know he/she did all of that at an approved track.

When you examine a bike and its rider like we are discussing, there is a whole wealth of knowledge to be gained that people like you miss out on!

A wealth of knowing how wide people's chicken strips are and how "good" a rider you judge them to be thereby.

Personally I would rather talk with the people, chat about their bike and riding in general and get to know them for who they are, not make snap judgments based on physical evidence that may be misleading. A wealth of info that may or may not be accurate is pointless. Info that is relevant to me I gain by conversation.

What possible use is it to me that X's chicken strips are wider than Y's? Does that in some way improve my riding? Do I gain anything from that information aside from a comparison with my own bike? Are leathers truly "better" than textile? I'm sure there are a number of threads here arguing that backwards and forwards with no clear winner. Are scuffed knee sliders truly a sign of a "better" rider or a hoon or just a different style of riding? Did the wearer scuff them himself or is he an L-Plate rider on a budget?

I don't feel I am "missing out" on anything useful by not judging books by their covers - I'm too busy gaining useful information "reading the book" - conversing with the rider.

That is the difference between "people like me", Zed, and you.

[ghost]

If there's a bike parked at my favorite stopping place,I'll carry on and find somewhere else to have a rest.If there is a gathering of bikes no way will I join them.If I have to I'll stand at the edge of the crowd and watch.I ride a bike to get away from people,not find more!

Motu for prez

[James Deuce]

Uncle BRUUUUUUUCE.

Look what you did!!

[vifferman]

I must admit that on the first KB ride I went on, my bike, chicken strips and zorst were duly inspected, and I felt 'judged'. I would've been more comfortable with a cheery welcome, hearty handshake, and only a cursory glance at my bike accompanied by a "Nice machine!" or similar.

BTW - examining the chicken strips on my current mount would be a pointless exercise. I honestly doubt anyone would be able to completely scrub the tyre from edge to edge, given that it is a sports tyre on a bike which is not particularly sporty. And the rear still has small (8mm or thereabouts) 'chicken' strips after several weeks of riding. I've no doubt (from past experience) that if I'd gone on the Coro loop or did a track day there would be zero chickenness, but I'm too chicken to push them to the edges on the street (VFR parts are not cheap), and I've virtually no highway miles on them yet.

Yes, I check out people's bikes, but not too critically, and not to assess them as a person. I love bikes, and I like to look at them.

[Wolf]

When we had our barbecue we had a GN250, a couple of Honda CBRs (one with a munted fairing and the other nearly pristine), a Virago 1100 and a Virago 250 (with Kiwi Ingenuity(TM) Air Horn) and later a Bandit and an FXR.

I admired the bikes, tried most of them out for size and learned that Waylander is more comfortable if he sits at the rear of the seat when trying to ride a GN250, determined that strayjuliet can fit comfortably on the Virago 250, had a great chat with some great people, swapped notes about armour and other riding stuff.

Wouldn't have a clue how wide people's chicken strips are - couldn't give a shit - had a great day meeting great people and feel enriched.

[oldrider]

I just like to say G'day and look at the bikes!

I admire racers on the race track, road riders on the road, offroaders off the road, etc, etc. Horses for courses the rest is bullshit IMHO.

Jeez Motu does that mean I will have to run down every loner in the North Island just in case it's you, just to say G'day?

I would hate to miss the chance, you sound like an interesting guy!

I found this thread a bit disappointing , too many pretenders out there it seems. :slap: John.

[Eurodave]

I have to admit I look at the bike, and I go talk to the person.

Where have they been, been riding long, where are they going etc.

Get to know them. Scratched sliders tell me a bit about them, but I'd rather listen to what they have to say...

Damn right, view the bike ,meet the rider, have a chat .......none of this 'my chicken strips are smaller than yours', or 'scratched elbow sliders,therefore my gonads are bigger than yours' bullshit

[sels1]

If there's a bike parked at my favorite stopping place,I'll carry on and find somewhere else to have a rest.If there is a gathering of bikes no way will I join them.If I have to I'll stand at the edge of the crowd and watch.I ride a bike to get away from people,not find more!

But interestingly you spend a bit of time on here mixing with people you dont know....????

Like SD and others, I like to check out the type of bike for interests sake (the more unusual the bike, the more interesting obviously) and its nice to meet other riders and swap notes. Not interested or impressed by chicken strips and knee sliders etc.

[Zed]

That is the difference between "people like me", Zed, and you.

Yeah mate, me and you are definately worlds apart in our thinking...on many issues!

[Wolf]

Like SD and others, I like to check out the type of bike for interests sake (the more unusual the bike, the more interesting obviously) and its nice to meet other riders and swap notes.

I'd never have a Harley or a race-style sprot bike or a custom chopper or some of the concept bikes out there but I can certainly admire their form and have a damn good ogle. As Oldrider said, "horses for courses" and I can appreciate the form and function of bikes even if they're designed for riding that I do not do (I'd rather blat around off-road and go on adventure rides than blat around the Pukekohe track at high speed.)

I like scoping out whatever mods people might have on their bikes and hearing the reasons behind them.

Many bikes out there I would never own - too dear, too uncomfortable, not suited to my riding style (probably wouldn't have a Cruiser again unless it was the only thing in my price range) - but I still like them and check them out at every opportunity. If I can chat with the rider as well and swap notes, all the better.

I'm extremely passionate about motorbikes and I seldom pass up the opportunity to check out what's around - which is why events like the toy run or battle of the streets are such great fun.

And most bikers love talking about their bikes and gear.

Likewise armour - I'm more interested in "Is it comfortable? Is it waterproof?" than if it has knee sliders and what state they're in. Textile and leather both have their strong and weak points. I cannot tell by looking at a person's armour if their smart new outfit is because they're a total newbie or because their old gear finally gave up the ghost after being abused for twenty years or some bugger nicked it; nor can I tell by looking if the old worn leathers were owned from new or bought from Cash Converters or from a mate. I chat, get to know the person and find out what they feel about their gear and how it serves them (I want to get new gloves since the barbecue because our comparisons revealed to me exactly how fucking uncomfortable my gloves are compared with what else is available out there. Also gained an insight into why it pays to shell out a few extra dollars on certain helmets.)