Public perception.

[Katman]

So how do we as Motorcyclist combat this problem?

Dont be a dick on your bike.

Common sense really. Fuck is that what you are trying to say Katman?

It took a while but we got there in the end.

[Lissa]

It took a while but we got there in the end.

I was being sarcastic!

But you get where I am coming from aye?

There's dicks in cars, bikes, piddle-bikes even some old fogies in their electric wheelchairs... you cant change that, some people are just born dicks.

[Bass]

Oh wait...

The way we discipline our kids can adversely impact parents as a whole... etc etc.

The way we drive our cars.. such as txting etc can adversly impact car drivers as a whole... etc etc

People who smoke in their cars can adversly impact smokers as a whole... etc etc.

This is why this is all rubbish. Sorry you got to think outside your little square box motorcyling world.

Using logic again - that's not gonna work.

The problem is that we are greatly outnumbered by cars out there. We are still a small enough group, that a proportion of other road users are happy to tar us all with the same brush regardless of the diversity in our ranks. (IMHO)

Oh and in response to one of your earlier posts about relative behaviour when on 4 wheels or 2 - I behave pretty well in the car BECAUSE I can let off a bit of steam on the bike. I am actually conscious of trying not to piss off other road users, but I'll wager that I don't always succeed.
The interesting thing is that the anti-bike(r) action that I have most frequently encountered is some cockie in his ute or 4WD out on the gravel in the middle of nowhere, being really obvious about trying to stop me from passing and keep me eating his dust. Yet for every one of those that I have met, there are 2 or 3 that immediately pull over to let me by. Also, like most of us, I've lost count of the "nice bike" comments from passers by.

That's why I used the words "a proportion" earlier in this post. That's the group that has the potential and sometimes the intent, to do us the most harm though.

[slofox]

This morning I was following a truck out of Hamilton, heading north. We hit the 100km zone. There was a steady stream of opposing traffic, so no chance for me to pass the truck. Until the truckie pulled way left to create a channel for me to go through - which I did. AND gave him the thank you wave. Now there's nothing wrong with that truckie's perception of bikers is there....?

[Oscar]

This morning I was following a truck out of Hamilton, heading north. We hit the 100km zone. There was a steady stream of opposing traffic, so no chance for me to pass the truck. Until the truckie pulled way left to create a channel for me to go through - which I did. AND gave him the thank you wave. Now there's nothing wrong with that truckie's perception of bikers is there....?

Until he meets the Moron Few up the road...

[slofox]

Until he meets the Moron Few up the road...

Dammit, Oscar, you are a bloody cynic are you not?????

[Oscar]

Dammit, Oscar, you are a bloody cynic are you not?????

It's just experience.

To give you could expample of what we're up against, I was playing Tennis at the Hamilton Club in Tristram Street last night. A few little bastids were fanging up and down the Hamilton 400 pit area with a very obnoxious little pit bike. After an hour or so, I'd had enough and told them to piss off.

The talk in the bar later was :"...those fucking noisy motorcyclists.."
So essentially you and I get grouped with those spotty teenagers and their $250 Chinese mini bike...

[mstriumph]

I don't give a damn what the public think of me when I'm riding. Why would I care what a pack of morons think?

..... but what if they think you're HOT??

[Finn]

..... but what if they think you're HOT??

Hot headed?

[Ragingrob]

If it's that biker.

What if it just happens to be the next biker who comes along that cops that car drivers pent up aggression?

Which brings me back to the point that our riding, as individuals, can adversely impact upon motorcyclists as a whole - whether it be from car drivers or the government.

We've already covered that in previous posts. That aggressive person is going to act like that way in any situation in life. It's more about getting them off the road than getting bikers to "behave".

If that aggressive fellow doesn't like the way the Indian at the corner-shop handles his money and beats up the next Indian he sees, whatcha gonna do? Tell all Indians to be more polite?

What's the solution here Katman? Design separate roads for cars and motorbikes just like they have separate mountains for skiers and snowboarders?

Life is fulled with a minority giving groups bad images, but as I've said before, I don't think that riding a motorbike is perceived by other road users on the whole as such a naughty bad-ass law-breaking irritating form of transport. The majority don't give a shit.

[Ragingrob]

It's just experience.

To give you could expample of what we're up against, I was playing Tennis at the Hamilton Club in Tristram Street last night. A few little bastids were fanging up and down the Hamilton 400 pit area with a very obnoxious little pit bike. After an hour or so, I'd had enough and told them to piss off.

The talk in the bar later was :"...those fucking noisy motorcyclists.."
So essentially you and I get grouped with those spotty teenagers and their $250 Chinese mini bike...

Gotta be some pretty odd people in that bar to group together a guy riding down the road on a sunny day, with some teens thrashing a pit bike in a car park at night.

those - Indicating a specific few.

[Katman]

We've already covered that in previous posts. That aggressive person is going to act like that way in any situation in life. It's more about getting them off the road than getting bikers to "behave".

Do you agree that the behaviour of individual motorcyclists can impact on other motorcyclists and motorcycling as a whole?

[Ragingrob]

Do you agree that the behaviour of individual motorcyclists can impact on other motorcyclists and motorcycling as a whole?

I agree that it can when it comes to a few crazy egoistic road users. But not to the extent that you believe has an effect. That overall aggression toward motorcyclists resides in a small percentage of road users' mind, not the general public's.

[Katman]

That overall aggression toward motorcyclists resides in a small percentage of road users' mind, not the general public's.

That's small comfort for the innocent motorcyclist who is run off the road by one of those small percenters.

And remember, we're not just talking about what car drivers can do to us - we're also talking about what the people who make legislation can do to us.

[Lissa]

Do you agree that the behaviour of individual motorcyclists can impact on other motorcyclists and motorcycling as a whole?

Thats not what this thread is about. You asked the question, about public perception, this is why we cant have a conversation with you via threads. You change the topic to avoid answering the questions or our posts.

Do you agree that its absurd to think that people who see some dick on a bike then think that all motorcyclists are dicks? Because I do. Do you agree that some car driver who has a bad experience with a motorcyclist isnt going to take it out on the next person they see on a bike, they had a bad experience with a dick not the bike.

...Gonna have to change that to cocks soon just to spice my posts up...

FFS

That's small comfort for the innocent motorcyclist who is run off the road by one of those small percenters.

Fuck what about the people killed by drunk drivers.... I say we ban all CARS, problem solved!!

Or lets ban all people who are dicks from owning a bike!

How about you give me some example of the people being run off the road by cagers who are intent on revenge on all motorcyclist's.