Attention Custom Bike Builders and/or Riders

I follow several bike blogs, and see a lot of custom stuff. Most good, some not so good. Some just not my taste, but probably good anyway.

Then, there are some real head-scratchers. Things that make ya go "Huh?"

Can someone please tell me what the current fascination is with the narrow-ass handlebars? Some of them aren't as wide as an old school peanut gas tank. It doesn't look like you'd have much leverage, and if you have any shoulders at all, it just seems like you're gonna look like you're grabbing hold of a pogo stick when you ride.


Seriously. Someone please explain it to me.

RUB Rallly

Well, it's 9:30 Friday evening, which means the party is in full swing in downtown Austin. They have 6th Street blocked off to any traffic other than foot or motorcycle. Yup, R.U.B. Rally R.O.T. Rally has begun.

Now, don't get me wrong - I have nothing against the R.O.T. A lot of my brothers and sisters do, because the smaller rallies/runs we go to tend to support a charity, where the R.O.T. is purely for profit. I don't mind that - hell, bike shops, bars and liquor stores are all operated for profit, too, and we spend enough money there.

No, my problem with what many Austinites have come to refer to simply as "The Rally" is something different. It's the element it attracts. You know; the wrong crowd. Yes - R.U.B.s - Rich Urban Bikers.

They're not the only ones who show up, of course. There are a few who actually ride motorcycles more than to go to Bike Night or to official dealership sanctioned events. It's just that so many RUBs are here.

My problem isn't with their money and success. It's not with the "urban" part, either. My problem is the fact that so many people think they can spend $30,000 on a bike, add a bunch of chrome, buy some Harley Davidson "apparel", and suddenly, they're "bikers". As if you can buy a lifestyle. They typically spend more time polishing their bike than riding it.

And what's with calling everybody "Bro"? Because they heard  bikers say it in some movie? We do that for a reason. Bro is short for brother, and if I call a man Brother or a woman Sister, that's my way of saying "Whatever you need, if it's in my power, I'll provide it, and I know I can count on you the same". In other words, I'm calling him family. Real bikers don't take the word so lightly.

I know not everybody can be "hard core", and believe me - I know many would say I'm not. But I don't pretend to be anything more than what I am, and that's all I ask of others. If you own a bike, and you just like to ride it when the weather's nice on a weekend afternoon, there's not a damn thing wrong with that. But it doesn't make you a biker. Just be yourself. You'll be accepted and respected a whole lot more for it.

So, two lessons:
1) Don't bro me if you don't know me.
2) 20,000 dollars and 20 miles don't make you a biker.

Kawasaki 1600

Kawasaki 1600, a set on Flickr.

Two Wheeled Obsession's photostream

Two Wheeled Obsession's photostream on Flickr.

Cops With A Sense Of Humor

Cops With a Sense of Humor

Travis County, TX Sheriff's Deputies

Anticipation

I just finished packing my clothes and camping gear. Tomorrow, I'll work half a day, come home and have lunch with my Other Half and Baby Girl and load up my bike. Then some brothers and a sister will show up at my place, and we'll hit the road - off to our club's annual members-only, mandatory attendance, club birthday run, fondly referred to as "Mandatory".


I'm pretty excited: This is our annual Gypsy MC Family Reunion. We're spread out pretty far and wide, so this is the only chance some of us get to see each other all year. Plus, I'm trying to get all my debt paid off, so this is the only out of town event I'm going to this year, so you could say I'm pretty fucking excited.

I'll come back with some pictures, and hopefully inspiration to write more, and maybe even stories to share.

Protection or Fashion?

Full face helmet: check

Full finger gloves: check

Textile, armored mesh jacket: check

Good for you, Ricky Rocketrider. You've prudently chosen to make sure your vital organs and skin are protected in case some jackass, blind, cell phone talking, text messaging soccer mom in an SUV knocks you off your bike.

Wait. What the fuck? Shorts? On a motorcycle? You're kidding, right? Okay, guys who wear no protective clothing, and just hop on in shorts and a tank top to ride to the gym or whatever I can sort of understand. I don't agree with it, but at least they're consistent. But you....I don't get it. You're all encased in safety, but only above the waist. You make it look like you're concerned about road rash, because you wear the jacket even when it's blazing hot.

Dude, if you're worried about the skin on your arms, you definitely need to worry about your leg skin. If you go down sliding and stay on the bike, your arms may get lucky and avoid the asphalt altogether. Even if you come off the bike, you may only get minor scrapes on your arms. You can argue about whether or not to wear a helmet – your head may or may not even touch the ground. I've only gone down twice in 22 years of riding – once with, once without a helmet. I was lucky - neither my head nor my helmet hit the pavement. But the one guarantee about dropping a bike is that. Your. Leg. Will. Scrape. Along. The. Asphalt. Possibly with the weight of the bike on it. Wanna get an idea of what that would feel like? Have the biggest guy you know put all his weight on a cheese grater and rub it on your bare thigh. Then do the same thing over a pair of Levi's.

If you're smart enough to pilot a motorcycle in Austin traffic without dying, you have to be smart enough to realize all this. Which brings me to the conclusion that your flashy jacket and helmet aren't really for protection.

They're a god damned fashion statement.

Put some pants on, you fucking poser.

(reblogged from http://handgrenadesandhorseshoes.blogspot.com/)