Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge "Biker" or Biker

In the 70’s as bikers we had a bad name. Our hair was long we would drink, race up and down on loud bikes. For the most of us we were not earning a vast amount of money so bikes were the only transport some of us could afford, they were cheap. We however had this comradely second to none. You would never pass another biker on the road if he had stopped you would pull up to see if all was ok or just to shoot the wind. Rallies were places were it all hung out and fun, fun, fun was had by all. The funny thing is I can never remember seeing any fights bad vibes but boy could we drink and party.

Over the years bike prices started increasing we saw better and more technological sound bikes coming out. The time where a biker was expected to work on his own bike started fading away. Bikes started become a status symbol as the younger crowed could not really afford them any longer. The older bike could now afford that highly tuned machine so it was off to the dealer every time work needed to be done because you could no longer do it your self for the most.

You now find when you go to rallies they have become a commercial enterprise loosing a lot of the old feel. People selling all sorts of stuff with fancy equipment around the place. Sort of miss the old days when it was about bikers and bikes and fun. Now days its not uncommon to hear the following at one of these functions.
“I hate people with load bikes”
“Oh no look they don’t have any cloths on, they should be locked up”
“Look how drunk that person is, how disgusting”
And the list goes on and on, so people ask yourself are you a “Biker” or a Biker?

Just a though, use it, lose it, or whatever

Post deleted by Grump

rubs, jap bikes, "bikers", bikers etc. etc. give me a break. I get tired of reading bikers put down others because they don't meet some perception of what they should be. what ever happened to the 60's mantra of do your own thing.

I think there's a little truth in all of the above thoughts here.

And ya know, I guess sometimes I should have a little more tolerance for certain "types" than I do.

But....I'm still having a little problem with those...ahem...gentlemen, who ride with OPEN FREAKIN' STRAIGHT PIPES!!! You see, I've owned many a motorcycle the last 38 years, but I've never owned a bike where Alexander Graham Bell's sound rating system(yep...did you know the term decibels are name after him?) would be off the freakin' charts, because I view that as somewhat of a infringement of other people's right to a REASONABLE amount of peace and quiet. And even though I've always sorta had this BIG ego problem, I've never really felt the need to be THAT noticed(at least not THAT way). Ya know, it's kind'a like even though I still smoke(I know...DUMB), I have this peculiar notion that I shouldn't bother others with my second-hand smoke in a closed environment, such as a restaurant or bar.

Yeah! I guess I SHOULD learn to..."do my own thing" more. And then I'd be MORE like a REAL American "Biker", huh?(Lord, I felt like adding the word "ugly" before that word "american" in that last sentence)

Dwight
(Geez...I TOLD myself I wasn't going to lecture....but....)

The Bristol Branch of the TOMCC organise the "Concorde Rally". So called cos when it first happened a lot of the members were working on the Concorde project. I went to my first one this year. I turned up not knowing anyone, with a tent for one, and was later than everyone else - they'd all gone down there on the Friday night while I was at work till midnight.
I was made to feel really welcome. OK so my tent was still for me only (**** everyone being there as couples) but the atmosphere was so warm. Everyone got blind drunk, boogied the night away to a fantastic band and there was no fighting. I have to say there are not many other places 150 people can get drunk and there is no fighting...

Those days are still about - you just have to look for them.

Or organise your own.

And I love to ride, I ride every day. I don't drive and walking home from work at 2am is not an option. But I also ride for the fun of it. I can get up on my day off and hit the A38 and see where I end up. I have been known to ride to somewhere, turn around and ride back.

Does that make me a "biker" or a biker??? I'm not sure either.

You Might Be A Biker If:

If your wife has ever asked you to move the bike so she could see the TV better.
If you have ever had to borrow a helmet for your date.
If you have ever left your wife at home so you would have room on the scoot for beer.
If you have ever bought saddlebags so you could carry more beer.
If you ever had the wife follow you in the car so she could bring even more beer!
If your best friends are named after reptiles.
If you own 26 black T-shirts.
If you consider Iron Horse deep reading.
If taking your wife on a cruise means a putt down the interstate.
If your best shoes have steel toes.
If you ever quit a job to go to Sturgis.
If you took a job to pay for the rest of your tattoo.
If you have ever had motorcycle parts in the dish washer.
If you have more than one peanut tank lying around the house.
If you use your bandana as a skull cap and a gas cap!
You wear everything leather (even your underwear!)
Your idea of jewelry is chains and barbwire.
You can ride a motorcycle and eat a weiner suspended above you on a hook at the same time.
You buy your 3-year old niece a Harley Davidson t-shirt.
You enjoy drinking out of human skulls.(private joke)
You have your bike tore apart in your living room.
Tattoos, tattoos, tattoos.
Sturgis is your dream vacation.
You have a friend named FROG.
You named your bike "Shania."
You write articles for IRON HORSE.
You can tell what kind of bugs are out by their taste.
You carry around a crushed can in case of soft asphalt
You know from painful experience why your wallet does not belong in your back pocket
You know you are a biker when it becomes apparent that your hair doesn't have a part.
If, after you've pulled your bike into the motel room, you use a guest towel to wipe it off...
If you think fine art is a David Mann centerfold stapled to the wall...
If you think anybody who hasn't been riding at least ten years is still a prospect..
If your scoot has a kick starter...
If you call an electric starter a "whimp button".
If you call anybody who doesn't ride a "citizen".
If you think a motorhome is a tent and sleeping bag on a Harley... (We call ours "Winebego-Davidson"!)
If you don't need a Harley t-shirt to look like a biker.
You just return home from a long trip and keep scootin right past your house.
You don't care if the weather is gonna clear.
You think a HARDTAIL is really just another piece of *** you can't get.
You think BLACK & ORANGE would make nice house colors.
You won't even own a cage or truck.
You think GOD invented winter for you to wrench.
Your idea of a poodle is a small Pitbull.
You cancelled your subscription to Playboy because the pix are too boring without scoots.
Your friends have to call before coming over so you can lock up the guard dogs.
You wake up in the middle of the night & worry about your scoot.
People know you're a biker even when you don't want them to.
You know how many teeth on your rear sprocket & how much torque for your head bolts.
You had reservations at the Gray Bar Hotel!
You are thinking up biker **** for this freakin page.
You have a name like Billy 5Speed!
Your children have an uncle named Animal, and a Godfather named Doc.
You puke off to the side of your bike, while ridin' 80 mph, just to keep up with the rest of the crew. (Kinda gross, but it can be done... just trust me on this, and get to the back of the pack first.)
If your p.j.'s have chains and spikes.
If your old lady wears a leather nightgown to bed.
You know in your heart that anyone in a cage is "out to get me."
If the only musclecar you'll own is an El Camino (funny how well a softail custom fits if you drop the tailgate.......)
If your buddy at the muffler shop's last words were "Sure I can weld up that hole in yer tank, wait here"
That oil spot on the garage is just the bikes way of "marking it's territory"
All of your children have either "Harley" or "Davidson" in their name
You own more Harley-Davidson t-shirts than underwear
Any day you can ride is a good day
You come home and curse the "god damned cagers"
You have to chant "Harley-Davidson, Vroom, Vroom" to go to sleep
You stare longer at the pictures of the bikes in Easyriders than the naked women
Your other vehicle is a truck
You don't go a day without wearing something that says "Harley Davidson"
If the weather is too bad for riding you start your bike and sit on it in the garage
Then first thing you said after you got hit by that car was "Where is my beer?"
You get hit by a car, break your leg in three places, then tell the nice police officer, "I'm fine I can ride home"
You think other motorcycle manufacturers should stick to making cars or whatever it is they do
It's not a really good party unless someone rides their bike into the bar and does donuts
You dream of owning a Harley dealership
Your 3-piece suit is Chaps, leather vest, leather jacket
Your garage has more square footage than Yer house
Your bird can repeat "This is the Police!" with uncanny accuracy
You have every episode of "Renegade" on tape
Every time you hear a vehicle with headers you look for a Harley
When you plan a vacation you set up time to visit the bike shops first
The Bike ramp is a permanent part of your truck
You have all the tools to work on every Harley ever made, but not any to work on your Sol' lady's car
It's impossible to see out of your trucks rear view mirror because of all the Harley stickers
You shot someone because he "dissed" your bike
Your house has a kickstand
You refer to your bike as if it had a legal first name
You have a heater in your garage so you can work on your bike when it's cold
You have a little piece of your bike that you take with you wherever you go
You have more pictures of your bike than your children
When people ask what you want for Christmas you take them to the Harley Store and point to the new Harley you have been drooling on And you say, "VRrrrr, Vrrrrr, VrooOOOOOooM!!"
Your Dad surprisingly shows up where you and your boyfriend are, on his Harley, he's packing heat, he growls at your boyfriend
If all the links on your web page are bike oriented
You live in the garage with the bike(s)
You think everyone elses' bike is ****!
If your coffee table collapes under the weight of all the motorcycle magazines on it
If you ever woke up with a new tattoo and you have no idea how it got there
IF you have ever thrown a party and more bikes than cars show up
If any piece of your furniture is a bike part
They celebrate your birthday at the Harley store
You have "Ammo" on your christmas list
Your ol' Lady has ever said "Come move this engine so I can take a bath!"
You think 'Helmet Hair' is a fashion statement
Your mother has been involved in a fist fight at a high school sports event
Your dad encourages you to go to the Motorcycle Mechanics' Institute instead of college
You clean your nails with a pocket knife
Your dog and your wallet are both on chains
You fainted when you met Willy G.
You have lost at least one tooth opening a beer bottle
Jack Daniels makes your list of "most admired people"
You need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoo
You've spent more on your motorcycle than your education
You've ever been arrested because of where you got your girlfriend roses
You think that the Harley-Davidson plant should be one of the 7-wonders of the world
If you try to declare your bike a dependent on your income taxes
Anyone who doesn't ride is just "ok"
After laying it down and looking at it wrecked you can't bring yourself to hit the kill switch
Try to convince your ol lady to change your anniversary date to the date you brought home the new bike !!

i prefer "motorcyclist".

Whoa, this could be dangerous, but here I go again -
What I seem to read into the question is; Are you truly a motorcyclist or are you what has come to be referred as a 'poser'
As most replies seem to indicate, my opinion is; what's it matter?. And frankly, each time the question is posed, I find it a little less palatable. But as I think about it yet again, here's why it doesn't matter to me. Frist let me say that I find the term 'Biker' to be confusing, misleading, and often discriminating and derogatory. I prefer the terms motorcyclist or cyclist

If you need to ask - either of yourself or another- you probably aren't a biker in the truest sense

If the answer matters more than taking a ride or even changing your oil - you probably aren't a biker in the truest sense.

If you need to dress in a particular way just to take a ride merely to portray an image – you probably aren't a biker in the truest sense.

If you ride a motorcycle because you want to, regardless of what you can afford, what it looks like, or what your neighbor rides - You probably are.

If you look forward to riding as frequently as you possibly can – You probably are.

If, when riding, you feel a sense of freedom or release from other worldly business, and find a sense of intensity and increased awareness of yourself and surroundings - You probably are.

If, when doing something totally unrelated to cycling, and you hear the sound of a cycle approaching and you raise your head to see it with the enthusiasm of a 12 year old, regardless of the sound it makes - You probably are.

If you enjoy chatting with another 'biker', regardless of what they ride, or how old or shiny they or their bikes are - You probably are.

If you would willingly stop to help a stranded cyclist at any time or day or night - You probably are.

And these things are why I believe I am.

So do you ride so you can be called a biker? Observations I have made over the years is that those who do the most to advertise that they are Bikers, usually aren't. I got behind a Mini-van on the way home from work with a giant rear Harley windshield sticker. The License plate read "OTLW BKR". So it seems to me that Outlaw bikers now drive Dodge Minivans...

Fryguy

Quote:

---

bikers we had a bad name. Our hair was long we would drink, race up and down on loud bikes. For the most of us we were not earning a vast amount of money

---

Nothing much changed here then

Only now hangovers last 2 days and clothes dont come of the peg anymore On the plus side eyesite failing means more beautifull women

Quote:

---

So it seems to me that Outlaw bikers now drive Dodge Minivans...

---

A oposed to reliant robins ???

One day last month, I’m riding south on the Garden State Parkway. I’m on my way to a charity ride, a toy run. I spot a motorcycle on the shoulder ahead and so I pull over next to him, in case he needs help. It’s a Harley rider a guy near my age (60’s). He says he just stopped for a smoke. We shoot the shat for a bit and then he says he lost his cell phone somewhere. I lend him mine so he can call his daughter. I’m just about to leave and he says “Hey, thanks for stopping.” I shoot him a thumbs up and say “not a problem” and I’m gone. My point is this. I don’t give a hoot in hell what kind of bike you ride or don’t ride. I do not hate Harley riders, or Power Rangers, or guys on scooters. If you ride, you are all right with me. So I am not a “biker or a Biker. I am a guy who loves to ride. And at this point in my life I happen to be back on a Triumph.

As my hero the "original" Popeye used to say, "I am what I am!" No hidden message to our Mate here! Just wanted to qualify the quote!

kennymc's anecdote is a scenario I can entirely relate to (the way I think it should be)...so I can't add more to his post which put it very succinctly for me - so I won't try.

Hope to see you again next year btw - here or there.

I don't know about any of that. I ride a motorcycle, I've always done. When I was maybe 3 years old, I saw 2 Harleys and an Indian stop for gas across the road from my grandmother's house. One HD was black, the other blue. The Indian was red and black. All 3 had buddy seats. After watching them startup and leave, my tricycle wouldn't go unless I first bounced on the seat and twisted the handgrip. I remember that day like it was yesterday.
Since then, I have had cages, trucks, boats, even a couple of airplanes. I even drove a log truck one summer. BUT, I've always ridden motorcycles and always will.

does it really matter??? i believe the more bikes there are on the road the better it is for the rest of us. keeps them old people aware of the fact that bikes are out there. i used to run with some pretty hard core bikers some wore colors(and so did i) and some did not. the ones that didnt were truley more biker then those that did. guy,s with names like trucker, and bun, and crabs(he always had em), and preacher ect. ect. we could get falling down drunk, beat the crap outa each other git up and drink some more. rideing rat bikes and shooting guns(when drunk) and citizens knew to git outa the way. I AM GLAD TO SAY I LIVED THROUGH IT AND I DONT LIVE THAT WAY NO MO!!!!!!!!!! it was really a good expirence and i learned alot about brotherhood. but today i am just a guy who likes rideing by himself and will never again belong to anything more than this web page when it comes to bikeing. my best friend was stabbed in the lung at a gang fight and he died. he was at his girlfriends relaxing when it started and (it started with 2 guy's) we made arrangements to meet the other club at a location and i was told to "go find chunky" i knew where his girlfriend lived so i went and got him. we all met at the location and the fight was on. after it was all over their warlord hollered "HEY FATMAN" and when chunky turned around the guy stabbed him. when we put him in the ground i (and some others) buried our colors with him and i swore i would never belong to anything ever again. sooooooo am i a biker??? NO!!! i am just a guy who likes to ride my bike!!! some if not most of us started out as teens with a 50,90 or 125cc bike some of us kept with it and have never been without a bike, some sold theirs when they got married and had their families, and then there are those that have always wanted a bike but for whatever reason they never have(parents, money or wife) and now they have one. are they bikers??? or bike riders?? i dont think it matters. what matters is that more bikes are on the road makeing bikeing better and better for the rest of us. i dont need a group telling me what to do, i dont need a group to make me feel secure, i dont need a group to make me feel like a biker. i know my heart and dont care what others think. am i a biker or a bike rider????

I brought my 50cc moped when i was 16 because the law wouldnt allow me to have a car, and a 50cc moped was faster the my bicycle, and a whole lot more fun than the bus.

Then at 17 i was legally allowed to by a car buy i couldn't afford one so i got a 250cc bike. About three years later i could afford a car and brought one. Ive had a car and a bike in the garage ever since. Cant imagine life with out a bike in the garage, but if one had to go then im afraid the truth is the bike would go.

Am i a biker, i have no idea and quite frankly dont care. Others can call me what ever they like. Im just a guy who enjoys riding, reading about, the history off, and looking at Motorcycles.

or motorcycler (pronounced 'motor-sick-ler).

Wow, you guys are diggin up the old threads now....

Yeah, no kidding. What's the occasion?

I'm just sombody that likes to ride and talk about motorcycles with other people who share the same interest.

Fryguy:

Are you located West of Philly. I'm from the Coatesville area and I've seen the same mini-van. Kinda funny...


Steve B.

"Biker" or Biker? Need labels to make yourself feel better?

I seem to think that its best to let each person be themself. Go your own way, and dont concern yourself with others who may be, or are different.

don't know, don't care. I ride, almost always alone, just because I want to and like to. Once in a while I'll ride with a crowd, about once a year, but rather be alone, or maybe 1 other bike max. Don't necessarily like standing around talking bikes, and don't like one kind of bike more than the other. Just like riding my bike and being alone with thoughts and the world around me. So I don't know what I am other than a guy, his bike, and his thoughts...

This could have been newt, many moons ago...

Looks like he's ready to burst into tears.
Must have seen a Triumph pass him while he was on the side of the road putting parts back on his hog.

i thought my dad destroyed that pic a long time ago. have you been talkin to my mommy

Newt. I love ya brother but if thats you. you were one ugly baby.

I thought it was Fill.

Naw. they dont let fill put his baby pics on the net.

I know of only a very few that I would actually call a true "biker". They generally always wear black jeans with black or dark shirt (to help hide the oil and grease). Riding boots are worn 95% of the time, it doesn't matter if they are riding or not. They ride the bike whenever they have to go somewhere, and only use their car or truck as a last resort.

Me, I am a biker only when I am riding. Just like I am only a golfer when on the course playing. Or a scuba diver when I am diving. I own several pairs of running shoes, but would only consider myself a jogger when actually jogging. I have a lot of hobbies, and I like to wear all the different hats. I am good at a lot of things, but not very great at any one thing.

Tom