Where do you want to see motorcycling heading?

[Grahameeboy]

How are you going to become rational KT??

[Katman]

How are you going to become rational KT??

Sedatives.

[Hitcher]

We need to become rational.

I disagree. I love us just the way we are.

[Katman]

I disagree. I love us just the way we are.

Yes, but shits and giggles are one thing - having grievances listened to sympathetically is a whole different kettle of fish.

[Hitcher]

Yes, but shits and giggles are one thing - having grievances listened to sympathetically is a whole different kettle of fish.

"We" had our chance to get "our" shit together with the ACC saga. "We" blew that big time. The ACC played "us" like a Stradivarius.

If bikers wanted to get "political" they'd join Bronz, Wima or Ulysses. Some do. Most don't. Why? What's the value proposition, other than having an organised ride every week/month and getting to wear a fluoro vest?

Has the paid up membership of biker groups increased since the ACC rallies? If yes, will that endure beyond the first year?

"Bikers" are a pretty disparate bunch who ride different things in different ways for different reasons. There will be few issues (such as ACC levy increases) that come along that have the potential to galvanise this community.

Meanwhile, most of us just want to go and ride our bikes like we did today. It was great too!

[Katman]

So you're happy to see motorcycling continue it's downward slide?

[Paul in NZ]

So you're happy to see motorcycling continue it's downward slide?

I think what Mr Hitcher (how are you old chap btw) means is that some people would consider membership of some kind of progressive motorcycle organisation to be the end of motorcycling anyway.

A great many 'personal' freedoms are being eroded in this day an age - some because we as a species cannot contain (or restrain) ourselves.

[Katman]

Probably one of the biggest problems within motorcycling is that not enough of the motorcyclists who ride with a brain inside their helmets are standing up and telling the fuckwits on bikes to pull their heads in and stop fucking things up for the rest of us.

[Woodman]

katman, Without trying to wind you up, I think a lot of us just wanna go for a ride on our bikes occaisonally.
We have enough issues to deal with in the course of our normal lives and going for a ride is a bloody good way of forgetting them for a few hours or so.
I personally do not want to overthink motorcycling and conjure up issues, that would take the pleasure I get from it away.

[oldrider]

So you're happy to see motorcycling continue it's downward slide?

Probably one of the biggest problems within motorcycling is that not enough of the motorcyclists who ride with a brain inside their helmets are standing up and telling the fuckwits on bikes to pull their heads in and stop fucking things up for the rest of us.

I think most of us get your point but I am not so sure that many of us believe it to be as big a contributor as you do!

I do believe however, that if you got your wish and everybody complied as you recommend, then it would definitely help to improve our image!

By how much is a mute point, personally I don't think very many of your target audience would even notice the difference!

Sad but true IMHO.

[Smifffy]

Probably one of the biggest problems within motorcycling is that not enough of the motorcyclists who ride with a brain inside their helmets are standing up and telling the fuckwits on bikes to pull their heads in and stop fucking things up for the rest of us.

Do you have a recent example of a fuckwit on a bike fucking things up for you?

[Katman]

The fact is that motorcyclists (and therefore motorcycling) are becoming seen, in the eyes of the general public, to be no better than a two wheeled version of boy racers.

We will continue to see public support decline and government intervention increase if we sit back and do nothing.

[Hitcher]

The fact is that motorcyclists (and therefore motorcycling) are becoming seen, in the eyes of the general public, to be no better than a two wheeled version of boy racers.

We will continue to see public support decline and government intervention increase if we sit back and do nothing.

"They" will judge "us" by our deeds rather than by our words. And life is too short to run after the Purveyors of Evil(TM) making outraged tut tuttings. Kharma is a bitch that way at times.

People who live in glass houses should know better than to throw stones.

[Berries]

The fact is that motorcyclists (and therefore motorcycling) are becoming seen, in the eyes of the general public, to be no better than a two wheeled version of boy racers.

I still don't understand where you get that view from. There is, always has been, and always will be, an element who treat the road like a racetrack (TM). Nothing you say or do on here or in real life will change that. From where I sit I see more people getting in to bikes for reasons such as easier parking, better fuel economy, congestion issues and other stuff that means they are unlikely to be the type of people who are going to have a ZZGSXR1 and contribute to the boy racer image that you believe in.

I also don't understand your comment about motorcycling continuing "it's downward slide". Maybe I have blinkers on, but I don't see it.

[Herman Jelmet]

I'd like to see more foul language and debauchery