Biker jacket

[repo]

I have several Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as several BMWs...and have never spent a dime in a Starbucks.....I'd rather spend the money on gasoline.
I have seen a few "Harley RUBs," though. A few weeks back, I was at one of the iconic Route 66 stops; the kind that always has about thirty or fifty bikes parked, all in a row. This couple, who appeared to be in their 60's, rolled up on a newish Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic, parking right next to me. This particular day I was riding our Piaggio BV250 scooter (a darned fast scooter!) and as this guy sizes-up me and my ride as he dismounts, he gives a little sneer...as he walks past in his official H-D brand EVERYTHING. This guy had the bandana, the official wallet (which he was pulling out of his pocket), pants, shirt, jacket, boots, sunglasses, a branded ring: he probably had branded socks and undies as well.
He looked like a member of Hell's Accountants as he wobbled his bike into position. I was tempted to say something in reply to him but his wife, who was following him and looked like everyone's favorite aunt, smiled at me and said "Oh, don't pay him any mind." as they passed, so out of respect for her I just let it go. I'll bet they next went straight to the dealership......
He WAS NOT wearing the classic biker style of jacket (see, there is a tie-in here) but was wearing more of a cafe racer style, with "Harley-Davidson" plastered all over it in about a hundred places. I sure wish I'd been wearing my Harley-Davidson branded jacket that day...on my scooter.........

Very funny!

 

[Monitor]

IXL, lol lol lol Seen my share of the type.

 

[gtdean48]

I have 1 classic biker styled jacket but never wear it on the bike, that dang belt will scratch my tank's paint.
I have & wear cafe racer styled jackets, vintage & modern. Newest is Vanson Enfield in comp cowhide.
I get a kick out of the riders with the HD logo'ed everything. Sure, I have t-shirts, shirts & a jacket or 2. But the helmet, bandana, pants, chaps, gloves, boots etc.?
HD gets enough of my money with what I'm riding, not so much with what I'm wearing....

 

[HoosierDaddy]

..Then there are some of us who get a real kick out of those who constantly enjoy insisting that they are real bikers/motorcycle enthusiasts..where other riders surely are not. [huh]
HD

 

[pak]

A friend of mine(60s) recently got into riding and finally got a HD. He, of course, got leathers, boots and a helmet. He is out riding one day and is at a stoplight. Up along side him rolls a Hells Angel dressed in bluejeans, cut off denim jacket and colors. He looks over to my friend and says 'you look like you're getting ready to fall off that thing'

 

[ProteinNerd]

We have more of the wannabe racer types here in Australia, the guys on the japanese bike that has the full racing decals plus they are wearing full leathers with all the sponsorship logos.

I remember one day I was was wearing a new pair of leather protective pants that I only use on long rides these days. I was stopped at a popular biker spot and a guy came up to me and started chuckling. Apparently I looked silly in new pants with no wear on the knee pads and he said I should take the pads off and rub them on the road like he did so they looked like I could drop my knee while cornering.....

 

[IXL]

HoosierDaddy, ride around on a scooter a bit; many of the people encountered should keep you well-kicked for quite some time, if my neck of the woods is any indication.
I guess a lot of folks don't realize all it takes to ride just about any bike is opening one's wallet far enough....

And, don't tell anyone, but we even own a four-bike.....trailer!

 

[Monitor]

In all honesty, I never quite understood what a rider, or a biker is, other than a person who owns a motorcycle. Which can be bought. By anyone. So where the hell are those tossers that are sneering at other people and their gear coming from? I mean, you can just buy the exact same crap the guy that was laughing at you a minute ago has. My father was a professional motorcycle racer. What was he, then?

I also have a friend who quite recently got into riding and bought a Honda Rebel 250 for his first bike - a very smart choice, I believed naively. The guy really enjoyed his bike until he decided to hit some... bikers spot, where he was told by these hard core bikers - you could tell they were very hard core and probably a little outlaw too by many leathers they wore and even more HD logos they were covered with - that his motorcycle is a baby bike, after which he never sat on it again, from fear that someone might see him riding an [/I]entry level motorcycle[/I] and laugh. Did all I could to convince him those guys are basically idiots, but to no effect. The super cool guys on their shiny, brand new Harleys said so and they are in the know. They're serious riders. Harley Davidson logo says so.

 

[Benproof]

I suppose about 30 years ago, 250cc was pretty nifty....nowadays it's still practical, and it's a favourite step-up bike from passing a basic CBT test at the age of 17 or 18

Thing is, a 250cc two stroke race bike is really fun to ride! It's a lot of hard work trying to keep up with a 1000cc four in line modern bike; they're expensive for their size, yet in a race track, they really fly around bends like crazy and can keep up here.

I bring my 1000cc sportsbike to a Harley dealer for its MOT service, and he's a great guy - sells all the HD regalia and parts, which I don't understand, although his shop always looks really incredible like a kind of retro motorcycle shop!

Can't say I've seen any condescending attitudes towards smaller motorcycles or riders in the UK. Excessive decoration with racing insignias and adverts tend to be associated with the younger guys who like emulating the GPs or WSB races. My riding instructor rode a Harley Davidson and taught me advanced riding skills on my Suzuki GSXR600 so I guess we aren't polarised by brands or specific biking culture.

The only riders we tease, are the ones who get on their high powered motorcycles with jeans and flip flops

 

[Doctor Damage]

In all honesty, I never quite understood what a rider, or a biker is, other than a person who owns a motorcycle. Which can be bought. By anyone. So where the hell are those tossers that are sneering at other people and their gear coming from? I mean, you can just buy the exact same crap the guy that was laughing at you a minute ago has. My father was a professional motorcycle racer. What was he, then?

Here "bikers" are a very specific group of people and most of them rarely ride motorcycles these days. I remember seeing one driving a bright red Lincoln Town Car as his daily driver, even in summer when he could have been on his motorcycle every day. I guess he could fit more guns and drugs in the back of the Lincoln.

But you're right about "riders". It just means someone who is riding a motorcycle or bicycle, while they're doing it. Once they get off and switch to public transit they become a "customer", and when they get into a car they become a "driver" or "passenger". If they walk, they become a "pedestrian". Someone flying an aircraft is a "pilot" but when they're not flying an aircraft what are they? Something else. Even USAF fighter jocks and NASA astronauts are regular folk when they're not flying or doing astronauty stuff - you don't need 20/15 vision and the ability to pull 2 Gs without passing out when you're standing at the counter in Lee Ho Fook's ordering some beef chow mein. They certainly aren't pilots or astronauts at that point. Possibly werewolves, though.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

IXL I have been riding around quite a bit since 1964 putting a fair amount of miles per year on many MCs over the years..and I must say there has always been those who proclaim that "If your not doing it the way we or I am doing it..then you're not a real biker". If ya don't have a scraggly beard..dirty denim and scuffed boots..why you just ain't no real biker. On the flip side is..if you don't armor up your too risky and dumb to be a true motorcyclist. Then you get down to..: if you retire from the daily grind and find a new freedom on a motorcycle for the first time in your life..then you are just an old poseur trying to act like something you are not in a silly costume. Well..you fellers keep on debating about this. I'll just enjoy the ride and suppose I'll continue to be amused by the rat bikers...antique riders...crotch rocketeers...and retired newbies...but especially by those who claim that one way or the other is just so contemptible. The shame to me is not allowing yourself to find the joy and freedom of riding two wheels no matter how you would do it. Many probably wouldn't favor my riding style or what I choose to wear...but after all the years..well frankly I just don't care.. If I wobble a little when I put my foot down..just chock it up to the fact that I probably mistakenly put all my HD patches on the left side of my Harley leather(throwing everything out of balance)..or just maybe I am one of those seasoned bikers who usually do ride enough miles at a stretch to look like I'm gonna fall off the damn thing when I put my foot down. Think what you want..Bro...
HD

 

[Benproof]

Being a biker in the UK is a bit more than just being a consumer. We have a whole culture around motorcycling (and even then, being a 'biker' vs being a 'motorcyclist' splits hairs..).

Bikers here tend to be quite close in terms of road etiquette and discipline; frequent similar gastropubs and cafes, usually biker friendly ones, as opposed to biker unfriendly ones which ask us to leave! In the worse of traffic, it's usually a biker who stops for another biker in an accident or on the hard shoulder.

You don't get this kind of universal behaviour with car drivers. Audi drivers don't tend to stop for other Audi drivers in trouble in the roads, much less, nod or wave acknowledgement to one another when they pass one another. Bikers on the whole are far cleaner than car drivers: they don't smoke and flick cigarette ash at the person behind them, and they certainly don't litter and throw rubbish out of their car window whilst driving.

The majority of bikers range from all weather bikers - commuting every day to work - as opposed to being weekend biker queens who dress up, or indeed, being a weekend biker queen! It really doesn't matter, but anytime you stopped, it was an opportunity to stop and meet others who connected with motorcycling, in a way that car drivers just don't, other than to argue about who got to a parking space first lol.

I quite like the example in the Lewis Leathers' blog - being a biker was a part of a culture in the 60's - part of being around a social culture with motorcycles, which was welcoming to those who didn't ride motorcycles i.e. pillions and friends of bikers were welcome and came on the rear seat hump to cafes like the Ace Cafe etc. It wasn't a snobby elitist thing, although it was rebellious, in being more independent minded, more free-spirited and less likely to be bottled up on a cattle truck commuting on a viral underground incubator to work.

Motorcycling is a lifestyle. Not a consumer choice

 

[IXL]

In all honesty, I never quite understood what a rider, or a biker is, other than a person who owns a motorcycle. Which can be bought. By anyone. So where the hell are those tossers that are sneering at other people and their gear coming from? I mean, you can just buy the exact same crap the guy that was laughing at you a minute ago has. My father was a professional motorcycle racer. What was he, then?

I also have a friend who quite recently got into riding and bought a Honda Rebel 250 for his first bike - a very smart choice, I believed naively. The guy really enjoyed his bike until he decided to hit some... bikers spot, where he was told by these hard core bikers - you could tell they were very hard core and probably a little outlaw too by many leathers they wore and even more HD logos they were covered with - that his motorcycle is a baby bike, after which he never sat on it again, from fear that someone might see him riding an [/I]entry level motorcycle[/I] and laugh. Did all I could to convince him those guys are basically idiots, but to no effect. The super cool guys on their shiny, brand new Harleys said so and they are in the know. They're serious riders. Harley Davidson logo says so.

I also have a Harley Sportster, to me a seriously fun motorcycle. I sometimes catch negative comments from total strangers when riding it. All the standards about it being a "girl's bike," and why don't I ride a "real bike," etc.
I do have big Harleys as well, but if I respond to these imbeciles at all, I usually say something along the lines of "Gee, fellas, I'm on this Harley so I won't have to be seen on my.... SCOOTER!!!"
And I really wanted those guys for friends too, sigh.........

 

[IXL]

HoosierDaddy, you got me beat, old man. I've only been riding since 1973. And boy, do I ever wish I had that Yamaha 125cc again!
You perhaps took my comments concerning the wobbly biker in a way I never intended. I was mentioning a fellow who had obviously just used his buying power to very recently purchase an entire life-style and culture; and a bad-boy culture at that. And yes, his overall actions and demeanor were quite comical. No one would have begrudged a new rider being a new rider, but this guy was acting a part, and he was a poor actor.

 

[AdeeC]

When Harley Dacidson started selling branded pet accessories became an enlightening revelation for me.

 

[nick123]

When Harley Dacidson started selling branded pet accessories became an enlightening revelation for me.

But they're riders no less.

 

[AdeeC]

But they're riders no less.
View attachment 20616

+1

 

[repo]

But they're riders no less.

Now that's one cool looking biker!

 

[pipvh]

Many years ago I lived in the building next door to the Hells Angels clubhouse in Manhattan. I can't honestly remember what style of leathers they wore - you didn't want to be caught staring.

 

[Monitor]

I also have a Harley Sportster, to me a seriously fun motorcycle. I sometimes catch negative comments from total strangers when riding it. All the standards about it being a "girl's bike," and why don't I ride a "real bike," etc.
I do have big Harleys as well, but if I respond to these imbeciles at all, I usually say something along the lines of "Gee, fellas, I'm on this Harley so I won't have to be seen on my.... SCOOTER!!!"
And I really wanted those guys for friends too, sigh.........

Yeah, exactly that! Been borrowing that Rebel from my friend so often I've done more miles on it in the last few months, than he ever did in the year and the half he's owned it, just because it is such a fun motorcycle. Am seriously considering buying it from the guy. Yeah, occasionally I get smirks from other riders too but hey, my own bike gets plenty of wows so it all evens out.

HD, amen to that! And +1

Many years ago I lived in the building next door to the Hells Angels clubhouse in Manhattan. I can't honestly remember what style of leathers they wore - you didn't want to be caught staring.

Cheapos mostly. At least the European business subsidiary. Few weeks ago, bunch of the HA employees beat up a guy I know, also a rider, who was talking trash about them on some internet forum. It's good to see these people have finally caught up with the technology so they can be even more useless and moronic in every aspect of modern, civilized living.