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A response I printed elsewhere, but how I feel.

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Hey, don't get me wrong. If you're an honest suburban biker, more power to you. I'm a suburban biker. In fact, the handle 'tourist' is an old biker epithet for a guy who doesn't live the lifestyle.

But I'd like to return to something Kevin stated, about getting to be someone else. If that meant only dressing up for a Halloween party, heck, I'd loan him some old clothes--if a washing machine could ever get the crud out of them.

The problem is that there is a faction out there who are dentists or car salesmen during the week and Harley bad-boys on Saturday. Ask them if they have a hobby and they proudly acclaim they are bikers.

I think it's just the romance of the idea. Watch the opening minutes of the old 'Bronson' TV show. The guy in the station wagon proclaiming, "I wish I was you" probably was referring to the exchange about a vacation. Some folks interpretted it pertaining to the bike.

I thought of these car salesmen a few weeks ago watching "Blade Runner." Deckard tells the female replicant that what she assumes are real memories actually are those of the inventor's niece, simply implanted into her circuitry. At some level I think these guys actually believe they are riding in the 1960s, next to Peter Fonda, fresh from a barroom brawl.

I like my elelctric starter. My home has central A/C. I don't get laid-off anymore, or arrested. Funny thing that. As you know, computers remember every keystroke. Last year two Dane Country Sheriff Detectives came to my home about a murder. You see, my name is still in the gang task force records.

Ah, the romance...
 
The Tourist said:
The problem is that there is a faction out there who are dentists or car salesmen during the week and Harley bad-boys on Saturday. Ask them if they have a hobby and they proudly acclaim they are bikers.
Click to expand...

If you boil everything down, I think we've found the crux of the matter - does the preceding statement bother you or not? Too many people go through the day worrying about what other people are doing or saying. Who cares - if it doesn't directly affect you then what's the big deal? I guess the only people it should bother are the actual bikers, whoever they are! Even then, the saying about imitation and flattery comes to mind.
 
Here's my 2c or tuppence worth:

Ride your own bike. Ride it safe and enjoy it. Dress how you want - that's your business. Don't offend other people and give them the respect you'd like from them.

Other than that - don't waste your time fretting about who's a real biker - whatever that is - or a real car salesman or whatever.

I don't care if you're a hard tail biker from the 60s or a dentist from the 90s. I'll have a drink with you and listen to your tale - although if you're a dentist, your advice about a sore tooth would be welcome. :)
 
I would ask you guys to consider this, as I have made my point and I want to move on to something more positive. The rest of this debate is yours.

I live in Madison, Wisconsin. One of the guys I ride with occasionally is a moderator my the name of "MadCity." I will not publically name his forum. I might not have to.

Without question, he pegs the frauds, fakers and liars at 30%. That is, by getting to know the guys and listening to their prose it is clear that this faction probably doesn't even own bikes of any make, they're just there to mingle and spin a few stories.

When I first heard about statistics like that, I bristled. I was told not to worry about it, because "it's just the internet." In time, I realized that this was good advice. I did start taking a few more pictures to make sure my own advice and credentials passed the test--an unknown concept "back in the day."

Just be clear that this does offends some folks. In a parallel example, my old high school had an Indian mascot. While it never bothered anyone (as far as I knew) while I was there, I learned that there is a lot of stuff people do "innocently" that they probably shouldn't.

People change, people evolve, I did and I'm glad. But that past is mine, not some fabric for a poser to co-opt into his own resume' of motorcycling. I wasn't always a respectable boy and man, but it is mine.
 
I have been following this and I will admit that it is a bit confusing to me. Did the thread start out as a diatribe on who is and who isn't a biker? Or is it to verify that if you have the creds you alone are a biker? It has always been my guess that if your standing on a corner beating your chest proclaming to be something, your probably not. There are a lot of posers on the internet, there are a lot of posers in life. My dad always told me nobody knows who or what you are, or how smart or dumb you are until you open your mouth.
 
Personally, I don't give a rip what anyone wears or rides, or what they do to their clothes or rides. I like to ride, keep my ride clean and road worthy, and enjoy good people and good roads, scenery,and rest stops with laughs and tall tales. Call me what you will, I make no claims to any labels, in fact, I am uncomfortable with them. I have ink, wear leather or web'd jackets, and always wear my cut (which identifies my club, and my ride) whenever I'm on 2 wheels...that is just me. I get off on bug coated teeth, but don't ride recreationally if the conditions aren't fun. If it ain't wet, I ride for main transportation. I've been riding HD since the early 70s, and what I am is made up of what has accumulated from then til now. Mutual respect is a good thing.

I do not pretend to be what I am not. Basically, what you see is what you get. That is all...

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
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