Read this on another website and had to share it........


Can American biker fantasy retain its purity?
By Nate House

Three bikers were killed when two outlaw motorcycle gangs clashed in a Lauglin, Nev., casino last week, and I can't say I'm all that surprised.

My lack of surprise has nothing to do with the Hell's Angels reputation or The Wild One. No, it's that the reputation of bikers has become all too respectable lately, and it was only a matter of time before some of them took a stand and did something about it. As a motorcyclist, I knew we were losing it when my American Motorcycle Association Christmas catalog included golf *****. At the Sturgis rally in Sturgis, S.D., one of the largest motorcycle rallies in North America, the welcome sign included AOL logos. Recently I've been cut off on the road by soccer moms, skateboarders and pedestrians. I'm beginning to fear that we no longer cause any fear.

Three people died in the shootout in Nevada last week, and that's a tragedy nobody needs. An even bigger tragedy, however, may be how biking is exploding all over the place, sucking in folks from all economic strata in what is quickly becoming one of the fakest things people with money can fake. According to the HOG (Harley Owners Group) Web site (www.hog.com), the organization had 60,000 members in 1985. Today there are more than 650,000. Harleys are the bike of choice for many in the outlaw motorcycle world. They also seem to be the bike of choice for those who seek to imitate the outlaw motorcycle world. This sets a dangerous precedent.

Last summer my partner and I rode our old Japanese motorcycles (combined value $1,650) from Philadelphia to San Francisco. We stopped at a beautiful mountain pass in Yosemite National Park to eat granola and stare at the peaks. It was a peaceful moment, the kind of moment we rode across the country for - when the rumbling sound from

the cut-off pipes of seven Harley Davidsons ruined the silence. The riders had on jeans, leather jackets and big leather boots; they looked the part as they pulled their bikes near ours. But as they dismounted from their $20,000 machines, flaunted their $500 outfits, began to act incredibly obnoxious, asked us to take their pictures with digital cameras, we realized that these were not bikers. These were rich men who had spent their money on the right to look like a biker, and they were acting the way they thought bikers should act.

Outside Needles, Calif., we stopped at a store near a reservoir to escape the 110-degree heat. A man with a beard to his chest and weighing three times our combined weight pulled up on a big blue Harley and sat down next to us. He looked much more threatening than the men in Yosemite. He introduced himself as Big John, offered us a beer, and began to talk about how much he loves his motorcycle. He was nice as pie.

Big John got it right; the men in Yosemite didn't. Being a biker isn't defined by how much chrome you have on your bike, or how many accessories you own. That's the definition of a good consumer. It isn't defined by the Hell's Angels, Mongols, or Pagans. It isn't defined by how your motorcycle sounds or looks. It's defined by the way you take your bike on the backroads even though it takes two hours longer to reach your destination, the way you know where the dirt on your exhaust pipes came from, and the way you begin to enjoy wiping bug carcasses off your face. It's the way it makes you feel when you take a corner just right. It's about the feeling you get when you look out the window in the morning to see that your bike is still there, 21 years old with a little rust on the headers, still in the morning light, waiting to take you to a place you've never been.

 

Awesome article. Where did you find that one? Thanks for the post.

PHAT-BOY

 

Found it on a site about Honda Valkyrie's. I think it was the Valkyrie owner association or something like that.

 

Mongo , thanks for that article , I hope every member of "BikerForums" reads it. When I'm out riding my Harley I make it a point to wave at every Biker I pass , not just Harley riders but anyone riding any brand , type or style of motorcycle. And what is both funny ,but sad is that some of the bikes I wave at , for example the guy's on the Sport Bikes...wave back, but look at me like I'm crazy....I guess their not expecting , or used to a guy wearing leather, a doo-rag ,and riding a big hog to wave at them.
But the way I figure it , if they are getting as much enjoyment from riding whatever it is they are on as I am....then God bless em.....and I'm glad I can let em know that not all Harley riders have the "I'm better than you" mentality. And I honestly wish most Harley riders didn't have that attitude...cause it sucks , and I sure wouldn't want anyone to judge me by what I ride , instead of the person I am.
So next time your out riding...share a wave , and a smile !!!


Ride it, no matter what it is ,be proud of it , and ride it !!!!

 

Check it out, FatBoyRider is back! You make a good point. I rode sportbikes for the last 10 years. There are some riders with your positive outlook, but for the most part, people on Twins wouldn't wave. I don't understand the mentality. They will wave at a guy on a trike which has a volkswagon motor, but not a sportbike?

I aspired to get a Harley for years, but financially could not make it happen. Sportbikes are cheaper, and fit that need for speed that most young riders have. I have been drag racing for the past 5 years. Now that I have outgrown that (for the most part ), and the means for the new HOG were available, I was all over it. Some guys on sportbikes aspire to ride the Harley just like we all did, and still do. It is almost amazing when a guy on a twin waves, thus the crazy looks you get.

I recall years back a man on a Harley wanted to fight me because I parked my sportbike next to his HOG at a resturaunt. I just don't get it.

Ride it, no matter what it is ,be proud of it , and ride it !!!! is exactly right brother!


PHAT-BOY

 

Yhanks for that article...it is exactly how I feel and why I have so much trouble in a lot of the places I go...I refuse to trat anyone riding like ****. I feel if they are riding...they are riding for the love of motorcycling. Some choose to ride sport bikes...wouldn't own a H-D and then some just can'r afford the H-D. I can understand the latter, I was one of those for quite a few years.

The article was right on and thanks again for posting it.