Riders like 1968 British Roadracing Champion Alan Barnett probably didn't realize it at the time but he and the rest of his racing colleagues influenced the biker image that is still prevalent in our modern era.
I have to admit that aside from the obvious physical and mental satisfaction of taking a motorcycle out onto the open road, there is a level of romance that exists if even only on the most subconscious levels in being a motorcyclist.
Perhaps it is the notion of being an unofficial member of a club, a club with a deep tradition and a winding history. For many years I've attempted to put a finger on exactly what stirring property it was that has settled into the mystique of riding and has served as inspiration to so many before giving up and accepting the truth that it is, of course, relative to each individual. However, what could be traced or concluded of my relentless pondering of the subject was that love them or hate them, motorcycles are part of our history.
I suppose the mental images conjured up in requesting specifics would vary individually, but this isn't to insinuate that any are more accurate than others. I, for one, find myself lost in a daydream of the lifestyle portrayed in the movie Easy Rider, an era before my time that I am only aware of through text books, faded pictures and choppy 8mm video footage. And although so much of the style has since changed, the laws, the ambitions, the causes; I have no trouble relating to the desire to travel with the wind beating on my black leather jacket and my luggage strapped down to the passenger seat. Apparently some sensations are beyond the reach of time, immune to shifts in culture, and unaware of social upheaval.
A buddy of mine claims his own historical take on the evolution of motorcycles relies heavily upon the greaser-era image; black leather loaded with zippers, slicked back D.A.'s, sideburns, and cigarettes rolled up in the tight sleeve of a white T-shirt. I suppose this era probably blends the rebellious status of motorcycling and rock and roll into a pretty romantic sauce flavored with an almost overly-muscled cartoon-like image of our own history.
With the recent chopper craze led in part by the documentary efforts of The Discovery Channel and such, it isn't hard to recall the vivid images of a post World War II generation, returning home after being exposed to the lighter/faster European bikes, literally chopping the excess weight and baggage of their domestic Harley's and Indians. Slowly, as front end rake was increased, the typical image of a stretched chopper begins to come into focus. Again, a case of the motorcycle and our images of an era adapting with the changing times.
Not much of a historian, even I find myself caught up in the majesty and lore of the elusive Vincent Black Shadow and its alleged 125 mph top speed back in 1948. Or the Triumph Bonneville that, as my neighbor proudly boasts, was picked up for a meager $300 and has done nothing but appreciate under his stewardship like a fine aged wine.
The custom bike builder scene has brought motorcycling to the mainstream limelight and given craftsmen like Roland Sands an opportunity to show the world what can be done with a little elbow grease and a wild imagination.
Others have more direct racing associations in mind, ranging from the early 1900s Isle of Man TT to the late-1970s' Harley XLCR Cafe Racers. Official sanctioned events often blur with illegal back-roads drag racing, and surely there are those who prefer to recall the countless newspaper headlines of our fellow riders fallen.
One factor that all such scenarios share in common is that as our country evolved throughout the years, the motorcycle has stood in the background, offering its traits of freedom, rebellion, and adventure every step of the way. We are often misled toward buying into the concept that we riders are separated by bike sub-class, age, and location. But if there is a lesson to be learned in all of this, it is that such factors bind us as a unique segment of society far more efficiently than they separate us.
Our club is one founded on principles that run deeper than the physical, the top speed, or the country of origin. Ask anyone to offer their opinion of motorcycles and the individuals who ride them and prepare for an earful. Somehow, motorcycles have a habit of becoming icons of society, markers of an era. There are sensations and desires that simply extend beyond the reach of time, and as long as there is a society to host us, so too will there be the motorcyclist.
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