Around The Bend: Bikes And Their Owners

Warning: This article is based on opinion and may contain sarcasm, derision and irony. Wear protective clothing when reading.

“Did you see that?” Heads snap and … nope, missed it. Some people are exceedingly observant. There are of course, those who always “”miss it”. But those sharp-eyed folks, they notice even the most trivial things happening around them. Their world is constantly amazed and amazing. They are the ones that know the goings on in everyone’s life … Idiosyncrasies, habits, quirks. (And they are the best for knowing the scoop!) Let’s face facts, we are all human, and we all have something that someone else looks at as peculiar, cool, weird or just flat out stupid.

I imagine a good number of us are people watchers. I know I am. We enjoy scrutinizing people, their clothes, vehicles, and of course, bikers check out what other bikers ride.

Have you noticed that people tend to resemble their bikes? I am not sure if the rider intentionally or subconsciously makes his or her appearance harmonize with their ride but I suspect it evolves. Perhaps you don’t agree with this observation but I beg your indulgence. I will admit it isn’t each and every rider, but it sure seems more frequently than not, bike and rider is a matched pair. “Be one with the bike, one with the bike.” I’ve even observed people change bikes and grow to match the new look.

Case in point, have you ever spotted (or maybe you are one of them) the guy always in pressed shirts and creased jeans. Doesn’t it seem the bike they ride is also sharp, clean and polished to a gleam?

At the same time, a bike that seems to be held together with duck tape and a prayer tends to have a rider who dresses a little less “fashionably” leaning less towards name brand clothing and more towards crumbled and rumpled! When you meet a rider who appears “dangerous”, check out their ride, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out the truth behind the façade. Its usually such a dead give away, especially if you take into consideration that being mean or obtuse doesn’t actually mean “tough”.

So, here are some observations, I’ve made. Maybe you agree, maybe you don’t. Maybe you see your friend or yourself. Maybe you have some observations that you’ve made! I was concerned this might be offensive to some people and then I thought, well, it’s a story and I need one! But the people I have talked to about this idea actually find it quite amusing and then set about seeing how they match their bikes as well as how their friends match theirs!

Just about everyone views his or her bike as a dazzling piece of machinery and is usually pleased to be compared to it. Yes, that’s right, even the ones held together with duck tape that have a Barbie Doll wired to the front fender. We do love our rides.

Chopper riders are frequently tireless. They can out-stay, out-last, and seem to have more vitality than the rest of us. I suppose that if you...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "Bikes And Their Owners". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Mar / Apr 2005 where this article was originally published.

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