Biker Snobs

I found the following quote from a local motorcycle rider, posted on a motorcycle forum...

"I love the fact that you said in this group you don't have to prove anything to anyone, just relax, enjoy yourself and have a good time. Too many groups i have tried to ride with are so INTO THE HARLEY THING and the riding FAST THING, that is you arn't IN THE SWING thier rythm, then they kind of look down thier nose to you. And i have always driven something other than a Harley, all my life and ridden all kinds of motorcyles, dirt, race, and cruisers since i was 10 years old, love them all!"

The underline is mine.

I certainly have met folks that seem to look down their nose at you, but not many. It's mostly a case of something getting lost in the translation.

I tell people that we all have an internal speed, and that the speed at which we like to ride matches that internal speed. I've tried to ride slower, but it actually feels uncomfortable. And I've tried to ride faster, and that too feels uncomfortable.

I've never looked down on anyone for whatever speed they like to ride, but yet I find it frustrating to hear that someone thinks I'm a snob, just because I refuse to slow down for them.

And then to suggest that people who ride fast, or ride a Harley, are trying to prove something.

There's no reason why I should ride faster for someone, or slower for someone. And I don't expect anyone to do so for me.

And isn't it ironic that bikers always use words like "freedom" and "independence" when describing their love for riding, but yet seemingly get angry when other riders won't slow down to their speed?

Who is exactly the snob here? The rider who does whatever he feels like doing, or the rider who wants other riders to slow down for them?

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Just Itching to Ride Away

Reading my buddy's updates on his coast-to-coast motorcycle ride has made me wish I doing the same.

A couple nights ago I laid in bed looking up at the ceiling feeling as if I needed to jump on my Electra Glide and ride away.

I had conceived this plan to ride north up to Seattle, taking about two weeks round trip. I had wanted to take the coast up, all the way to the Olympic National Forest in Washington's peninsula, and then take the ferry across Puget Sound, and spend a few days at my Dad's house, for a BBQ and some beers.

I had done that route before, though not all the way into Olympic National Forest, instead stopping at Aberdeen, WA, and headed inland to Seattle. Along the way I spotted cool looking diners and bars that I would have loved to stop at, but already had a full belly. But this time around I'd hit those up.

I wasn't sure what route I'd take back home, but I'd definitely look for some roads I hadn't ridden before.

In fact, I even decided that I would set up a new blog just to document all the eateries I'd stop at. I call it something like "Ride to Eat", or some other related title.

But alas, I'd realized I just can't spend the money travelling like that.

And then just yesterday I realized I had a voice mail from another friend of mine who took off last week for a few days ride up the California Coast and back. He had invited me along, but I failed to respond. In back of my mind, I kept telling myself that my wife and I still had some debts we just have to get under control.

Just jumping on the bike and riding for several days, eating at whatever diner or dive looks cool, and sleeping in whatever town I end up at, always has this romanticism to it. It's why I have a touring bike.

But then the money keeps me tethered to my home.

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Coast to Coast Motorcycle Trip

At some point in every biker's life he or she has to do a coast-to-coast motorcycle trip. Unfortunately, my moment has not yet come.

But my friend Brian is currently underway.

He's on Day 4 of a ride that takes him from Southern California to Bangor, Maine, and back again.

Before he left, he wanted some way to document his travel online. He has an iPhone, so I showed him how he could maintain a blog with just his iPhone.

I set up a blog for him at: http://ridingtales.blogspot.com/

I configured the blog so that he could compose his blog entries as an e-mail and then send the e-mail directly to his blog, where it's automatically posted. He can also take photos on his iPhone, and e-mail them to this blog.

You'll notice a lot of misspellings because after all, he poking out letters on a little iPhone.

So as I write this article, he's somewhere between New Mexico and Kansas, probably slurping down a beer and a can of soup, and reading a book most likely.

He's not staying in a room, he doesn't believe in rooms. He's sleeping in his sleeping bag under the stars, either at a campground, or by the side of the road. I'm sure he brought a tent, but Brian just doesn't use tents unless it's raining, or if there's a bear pissing on him.

Brian likes to write about his motorcycle adventures, so even when he comes back from his trip, he'll more than likely keep writing.

Makes me wonder, if Evel Knieval had an iPhone, what would he have tweeted while rocketing over the Snake River Canyon?

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