tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post4674083307439487050..comments2024-03-22T18:01:20.065-05:00Comments on Geezer with a Grudge: #31 Professional BikersT.W. Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04078254371483458356noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-92004782274144832102013-12-01T08:10:05.030-06:002013-12-01T08:10:05.030-06:00That's sort of my point, actually. Most of th...That's sort of my point, actually. Most of the "lifestyle" people I see don't really qualify as "motorcyclists." To me, a motorcyclist is someone who actually goes out and rides and doesn't really care very much about appearances. A biker is one of those people who care about appearance more than riding. At the extreme, they might not even own a motorcycle, just a lot of branded gear and a big sticker for their car (oddly, almost always a Ford pickup... I still haven't worked that one out).<br /><br />I think it's sad, though, that "biker" now doesn't really have any connection to actually, you know, riding a motorcycle for me. I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one who makes that distinction. But it makes sense to me.Andy Mckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11381746284574559808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-30690943264608106952013-11-30T20:38:14.941-06:002013-11-30T20:38:14.941-06:00I know his version of a biker as a lifestyle makes...I know his version of a biker as a lifestyle makes sense to him. With that blindside, he's incapable of seeing how silly his gangbanger buddies look. A motorcycle is a vehicle first. Owning one does not make you anything but a motorcycle owner. Riding one well makes you a motorcyclist. T.W. Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078254371483458356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-66688745617066024042013-11-26T06:57:59.379-06:002013-11-26T06:57:59.379-06:00I was thinking about this the other day. I realiz...I was thinking about this the other day. I realized that I identify myself to other people as a "motorcyclist" or a "rider", but never a "biker". When I started thinking about it, I realized that it's because the word "biker" to me mostly conjures up images of guys in sleeveless T-shirts, jeans, bandanas tied around their heads, and, in extreme cases, chaps. Motorcycles don't actually appear in the image, except possibly as a background, or a method of getting from one posing opportunity to the next.<br /><br />This may be a generational thing: I'm in my 30s, and that's most of what I've seen through my life. "Biker" indicates a lifestyle of posing, hanging out at bars that have been carefully made or kept seedy, and trying to look threatening. "Motorcyclist" or "rider" indicates a lifestyle of going out and riding. Using the bike to commute, maybe, or travel, or at least going out on weekends and evenings and putting miles on the bike for the sake of riding, rather than being seen.<br /><br />In that light, your friend's view of what a "professional biker" is sort of makes sense. I think it's unfortunate and kind of dumb, but it makes sense, in an odd sort of way.Andy Mckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11381746284574559808noreply@blogger.com