Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge You Ride? Lemme tell you every crash story I know.

You've got your 3 choices for a haircut as I see it. Your first option is some salon type of place, be it for men only or not it'll be filled with reasonably attractive women, you getcha a wash first to degrease and de-gel ya if necessary, someone coos all over you for half an hour, then you walk out feeling refreshed, good looking, and happy even though $40 lighter. Second option is to hit the mall/cheap haircut place. I learned long ago that unless you've got a short, clippers only hairstyle, these are not the place to go. I've come home looking like a circus freak too many times. Your last option, ol reliable, the barbershop. You've been in one you've been in most all of em. Mostly white haired guys working tired chairs in front of cracked mirrors, news or sports - never NPR - crackling out of some banged up set of speakers. That's my usual haunt now, and my guy Jose knows how to take care of me, scissors - no clippers - straight razor the neck and weed out the ears and eyebrows. $12 this year...first price increase in years.

Yesterday, no Jose.

I don't usually like to make a lot of chat, I'd rather close my eyes and tune into the rest of the place, but the old guy I had yesterday was chatttttttyyyy. He'd made a comment about his son, a mechanic, who'd just turned 30 and has 3 kids and ... I tuned out until he mentioned his son wanted to go get himself a motorcycle last year and the father, my barber, stopped cutting long enough to begin ranting "I told him he'd best not get one of those because it would be too selfish, what with his young wife and children and all". I should have just kept quiet, but opened my eyes, caught those of the old man in the mirror and piped up. "hmmm. You know I got a motorcycle the first time ever last year, first time in my life I figured I was old enough and responsible enough to have one WITHOUT killing myself by going out and being stupid on it."

Well, I then listened to every story the old man could think of. His first ride on his brand new scooter type of mini cycle when he was an early teen. Got out into a gravel road, wound it up, went @ss over teakettle into a ditch and walked a bloody mile home, never to climb on it again. His second ride at 16, on the back of some friend's ride. The buddy went up a similar gravel road, and slid the back end side to side to scare him. It worked. He never got on another motorcycle again. His friend who hit a telephone pole and nearly lost his job as a VP at some company because they weren't comfy with him working from home during the year recovery. Someone who got hit by a car. Friend of a friend who rode even with a broken leg. Another who hit a deer one year and his wife hit a deer the next. It was evident there was no use arguing.. no trying to change his mind.

I explained I try to ride safe and pay attention and we've all got a time comin at some point so may as well LIVE now... he replied that he convinced his son to get a boat, which was much better as they could go out as a family (and drown together I guiltily thought) and wasn't as selfish as a motorcycle (again with the selfish?).

So for 30 minutes I got a passable haircut, a lecture, and the unsettling desire to hop on the Trumpet, motor over to the auto dealership where he works, walk in, ask for the 30ish year-old auto mechanic with a wife, 3 kids and a boat... and tell the guy that no matter what he does, if he wants to learn to ride, if he feels it down there in his gut, that he should go take a freakin class and learn to ride for HIS enjoyment and damnit live for himself for a bit, then walk out.

He'd have no freakin idea where it came from, or why.

Man that old barber got under my skin...

And you know if you get a BB gun you will put your eye out. Yea-yea-yea--- "Tell the son to learn how, don't be stupid and maybe split a lane every once in a while."

And here you could'a had some snotty-nosed kid at Supercuts give ya one o' those circus freaks haircuts INSTEAD!

I'm wonderin' now if you felt having Ol' Mort(or whatever his name name was) "give ya the business" was worth it?

Actually, Mort's(or whatever his name was) little story about his initial encounters with motorized two-wheeling pretty much sums up my theory regarding those who have motocycling in their blood and those who will never "get it".

If your first ride ever in your youth creates a sort of epiphany and a feeling that, "WOW! This is GREAT!", you will have at least one motorcycle the rest of your life.

But, if your first ride, well...sucks, like evidently Mort's(or whatever his name was) did, you'll pretty much hate and fear 'em forever.

Cheers,
Dwight
(luckily, I was in the former group)

I know the feeling kinda.... I made the mistake of riding to get a haircut once without a helmet, parked by the front door, and got lectured the whole time.....

Wife cutting hair = $0. Sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't. It's the thrill of the unknown, but at least she concentrates. Besides, I'll know if she's still angry with me when she's done.

I cut my own hair, tell myself stories.

The old barber I used to go to was great. He could cut hair 12 dollars and I felt like new man. Great waiting room filled old guys reading car and hunting magazines. Unfortunately he had to give up do to his health. A younger woman took it over and told us it wouldn't change. A month later it smells like perms and full of women. I miss the barber. They just don't exist anymore around here.

Other than that the guys should buy the bike.

I go into the regular Joe barber shop myself. Even has the antique red/white barber pole on when he's open. The old guy retired a few years back and sold it to this kid TJ, anyway, I grew up with his dad, an avid Triumph rider too. So, a few weeks ago I was in there listening to ESPN getting the ears lowered a bit (straight razor on the neck too) and TJ tells me he just bought a nice new Daytona from my dealer. Cool. He said he had been waiting several weeks for me to come in so he could brag as he knew I would be proud of him.
Smart kid that TJ.

I'd rather get my haircut by a good looking women than an old barber with shaky hands. There was this old barber in Manchester I went to a couple of times until he sliced my ear wide open with a straight razor. He was too old and shaky. I don't think he could see that well anymore either.

I'm not even going to go there. Last time this topic (well, a similar topic) came up I got spanked by just about everyone in the community because y'all can't seem to "read for comprehension."

I go to an old school barbershop, a family outfit with mom, dad and their adult son all cutting hair. The son keeps bending my ear with tales of his crappy old '70-something land barges.

Only once did my old barber ever give me grief about my bike. When I told him "I like to live dangerously, that's why I get my hair cut here," we moved on to another subject. Since he retired I've been looking for another good one.

As far as haircuts go I just have one word "FlowBee"

im hair foliclly challenged...I dream about earning hair now to visit a barber!

Went to get a cut at a new barber shop. The owner went out to check out the bike. Then he asked me to park in front of the window next time I come and he will not charge me. I mentioned that it was not a parking spot, he said it is for you. I asked why and he replied he wanted to attract other riders to his shop. Great for me!

Hey, I cut my husband, Habuba's, hair. Use a flowbee as well as electric shears & scizzors. Do a pretty nice job if I say so myself. He doesn't complain. Of course if he did, it's too late, I already cut it. It will always grow back though.

AmyLee

I go to get my hair done by my attractive stylist, Judy, who is the only woman allowed to run her hands through my hair in public other than my wife. She first lathered my locks almost 12 years ago and has since gone on to have her own salon close to my home. On each visit, I get coffee, music, bottles of Paul Mitchell products to take home with me, and chat about nothing of any great importance. I leave relaxed, happy, and a little less wealthy. But the only thing she's ever said about my Triumph is how awesome it is.

You get, as they say, what you pay for.

Siggy

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I miss the barber. They just don't exist anymore around here.

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Yep, barbershops seem to be going the way of the passenger pigeon.
Too bad. I'd patronize it if there was one reasonably close where I could have the same person cut my hair every time.
As is, I just take my chances at Great Clips. Get some riders sometimes cutting my hair sometimes though, so they seem to take a little more time just to talk bikes.
Dwight's probably right about early experiences affecting how one feels about bikes. Though I did kill a tree with a 350 Honda when I was 17. Bruised me up pretty well too, but once I got some new forks and a front wheel, I was right back on it.

I went to barber school very young and cut hair ten year until I was sure I would go insane talking about the same stuff day after day and making just enough money to keep the doors open. So I sold my shops and went back to school for a education so I could have security of working for a big company. I did work for A Big Corporation for 25 years and retired from it and each year I watch them take away a little more of the money they promised me I would have when I retired.

Now I see what hair cutters earn these days and I realize I made another one of those decisions I seem to keep making. Like that movie 'Ground Hog Day'.

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You've got your 3 choices for a haircut as I see it.

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You forgot my FlowBee - perfect haircut. But I miss fellowship with the guys at Harold's shop. I do go there a couple times a year and he always asks me: "Who cut your hair last? The length is perfect all over, I wish I had their hand."

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much better as they could go out as a family (and drown together I guiltily thought)

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This reminds me of a ride after church a couple years ago with 30 bikes (we got a pretty cool church).
At one of our stops, our senior pastor told me and my bride, "You know what I enjoy most about riding? It's the smells that you pass through like oleander and pine and honeysuckle and roses." All the time, I was thinking, 'pole cats and dead animals'. (pole cats are the same thing as skunks, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term). Shows how negative I am.

Lucky me....my hairstylist rides her own MC, we talk rides!

Does sound like a cool church Skillet, I recall getting several dirty looks from parisheners on a few Sundays that i showed for services on 2 wheels.Bunch a tighta$$es.

Anyway this threads about hairrcuts, there is still a real just plain old barbershop near me. Got the old striped pole
and all no appointments needed just walk in and wait.Decent haircut cost ya 15 bucks. Stuffed fish on the walls, old baseball posters, and barbershop signs. I visit twice a year weather I need it or not.

Haven't had a haircut since 'Mullets' went out of style (or were they ever in??) Figure as long as I've still got a full head of hair, let it grow. All it costs me is some new black hair bands from Walgreens every 5 or 6 months.
This way, I have that extra money to spend on the bikes!!

later, Tom.

I'd rather go out on a Triumph than in a wheel chair or nursing home bed

Amen to that, brother, I'll be riding right along with you.....

Then there's me, I took the fourth choice.