What has made motorcycling respectable

[pritch]

(if your toiletries won't fit in your saddle bags you know who you are)

funny I was discussing this the other night over cocktails..

I laughed at the first part, but then the cocktails bit is a tad umm different?
Out here in the rural rump we don't do cocktails and I don't think we don't call them metro sexuals yet either. :-)

[Ixion]

/me is not respectable. I don't want motorcycling to become "respectable", I'd like it to be "respected". And Mr Motu has a point , too many riders with lots of money, it's in danger of becoming a wankfest. There's guys out there who spend more on a helmet than I do on a bike. Which is OK I guess, so long as it doesn't become a "nigel" sort of thing, like it is with cars. Bikers used to be very genuine people, no swank or posing about them , not so sure that's true any more. The whole notion of a "metrocyclist" seems absurd to me.

[far queue]

I dare say that there are a great number of people who have either realised that life is too short, have recovered from illness or injury, or any other myriad of reasons at an age where the bike press, and the young uns disparagingly label us BABs: Born Again Bikers.

I wasn't so much a BAB as a given another oppurtunity biker. Rode bikes since I was 16 (mainly trail bikes) - wife, mortgage, kids came along - couldn't afford (or justify) the cost of a new bike to go touring so just stuck with what I had and used it for commuting everyday and that was about it. Then one day the missus has a mid life crisis and ups and leaves with the kids, a bit tough for a while till I got over it and saw the positives - LOTS more free time, and no one to justify anything too. Finally got the bike I had always wanted, started going to rallies, made lots of new friends and generally had (and still having) a ball. So she had the mid life crises, not me, but I got to have all the fun and independance - yeeha. A number of my mates have also got into bikes again after wives left them - don't know of anyone who's had a mid life crisis though.

As they say - If it's got tits or tyres it's gonna give you trouble

[sunhuntin]

ixion...you hit the nail on the head. reason i got into bikes to start with [after a real nice vulcan showed me how pretty they are!] was for the respect bikers seemed to have for each other. plus, having spent everyday on a pushbike, it seemed natural to throw in an engine, lol. that and the family which seems to be there....was what i was looking for at the time, and i found it.

so respect is why i came, love of the life and those that share it is why i stay.

i hate seeing the idiot mini chopper riders that are local here....they are the ones that will bring down any respect we have had returned to us [and not the scared shitless type either] simply for their foolhardy moves and dangerous style....pulling wheelies coming up to a red light and nearly rear-ending a stopped car while almost dropping it at the same time? well, duh!

as far as women helping with the respect thing...i think that is true. im not sure, but theres maybe 2 or 3 women here that ride their own bikes. im just tryin to grow my hair so its obvious! LOL.

[Pixie]

I try and put out a friendly image by waving to kids who stare at me and by being very courteous on the roads.

Not like Armin Tamzarian (Seymour Skinner ): "UP YOURS,CHILDREN"

[Pwalo]

Actually thinking about the respectability thing it's absolutely nothing to do with anyone outside the US. It's only because HD have been a bit of a darling on the stock market, and a lot of 'celebs' enjoy being a bad ass in the weekend.

I think in the real world most folks see as all being a wee bit strange, but not as scary as we once were portrayed in the media. I guess it's hard to look menacing in one piece leathers, or cordura, and the biker image has become a bit of a caricature after programmes like 'American Chopper', 'Biker Build Off"?, etc.

I'm not sure if it makes a great difference having more women riding. I have a sneaky feeling that they always have (my late great aunt used to ride a delivery m/cycle back in the 1930's). But it's good to have any one riding. Young, old, female, whatever.

[Oakie]

Yes you are right. Riders, as opposed to Bikers seem to be quite respectable lately. I guess it's because a large proportion of us are in the middle age demographic.

Yep. Me and Mrs Oakie went to Ruapuna weekend before last for the bike racing and wondered where all the young bikers were. (they were probably all going fast out in the middle I think). There just hardly seemed to be any spectators under 30. Mind you ... it was kind of nice that way.

[cousa1]

I think in the real world most folks see as all being a wee bit strange, but not as scary as we once were portrayed in the media. I guess it's hard to look menacing in one piece leathers, or cordura, and the biker image has become a bit of a caricature after programmes like 'American Chopper', 'Biker Build Off"?, etc.

Discovery channel has certainly raised the profile of motorcycles in the USA and made millions for people like Jesse James.

[Motu]

/ Bikers used to be very genuine people, no swank or posing about them , not so sure that's true any more. The whole notion of a "metrocyclist" seems absurd to me.

Yep,didn't matter what you rode or what you wore,no body seemed to care.People used to even make their own leathers in those days - some looked like it,some looked off the rack,but no one cared...labels didn't exist,although Skellerup wasn't considered too hot.A helmet was a helmet,full stop.Same with the bikes - before I left Auckland in the mid 80s my place saw more motorcycle traffic than a bike shop,day and night.Beat up RD350s,Triumph chops,Ducatis,4 cyl mutis,dirt bikes or a Guzzi pulling a chair,it didn't matter in the slightest,you rode a bike and that was alright.All the labels read ''Made in New Zealand'',who cared how you looked.

You sure didn't have people making decisions about your sanity just because of the clothes you wore.

[Swoop]

I laughed at the first part, but then the cocktails bit is a tad umm different?
Out here in the rural rump we don't do cocktails and I don't think we don't call them metro sexuals yet either. :-)

Isn't a cocktail, rum mixed with coke and some of those "fancy" things added on top - I believe they're called "ice cubes"???

[thehollowmen]

Pritch008 : Please don't say I'm the only metrosexual rider from the naki then?

Jim2 : no offence intended there. There are a lot of people who follow the old ways and I respect them. You've got knowledge and trade that this society is loosing now because of the 'disposable' mindset. I see 'totalled' bike posted on here that my uncle would be fixing up, and I have no idea how he does that.


I've also noticed that people look at me funny when I say I'm going to a rally too.. clubs = gangs = rallies. You're right, we're not totally respectable yet but we're getting more respectable slowly.

There have been times where pubs have not welcomed bikers, I'm almost always free to come and go now, and bring friends.. they don't care now.

[thehollowmen]

Isn't a cocktail...

Yes, in the most basic sense.

but we were drinking flaming lamborghinis (six differnt liqours, lit and poured from glass to glass as you drop a straw in and suck)

[dawnrazor]

Thats both a statement and a question.

"what has made motorcycling respectable?"

No I think its only a question, followed by a statement of why you feel this is the case.

Sorry to be pedantic.

WRT the thread, like everything these days bikes have been marketed heavily, to men with disposable income (shock), why sell 50 scooters to teenagers when you can sell one harley to some bloke have a midlife crisis and make the same money.

I'm not convinced that respectable is the right word in this context though.

Truth is biking is no longer a fringe activity, its common place, probably more so then it ever has been, touching on all demographics and sexes and ethnic backgrounds, bikers are no longer hairy assed tatooed white men, thats all thats changed.

[HenryDorsetCase]

bikers are no longer hairy assed tatooed white men, thats all thats changed.

thats kind of my point though: thats ALL that's changed? thats everything.

I suck at the inglish too, you noticed. my bad.

[dawnrazor]

Personally I blame the after market industry of "bits" and "gear" you can get, once catalogues of snap on shiny bits for your brand new baby where thought of, that was the end. Now where did I put my die-cast rearsets.