Fair Weather Riders

[totalmotorcycle]

Mike says I have an unusual talent of never getting caught in the rain....That being said, I will ride up to about -5° as long as it's not icy.

Yah ya bum, I can't believe you are so lucky when you are out there on your bike! Amazingly enough as soon as you arrive home on your bike it starts raining. Lucky gal.

Mike

[Grey Thumper]

Granted, the original post is ancient, the thread starter might be long gone, and the question itself is actually reasonable, but attitudes like this annoy the heck out of me.

I, on the other hand, ride my bike all year round regardless if it is cold or pouring with rain and just shake my head at these limp-wristed part-time riders and constantly question their commitment to motorcycling in general.

Point 1: Dude, have some perspective. Motorcycling is not a religion, a cause, a principle, a philosophy, an ideal, or a lifestyle choice that you should "commit yourself to". In spite of what we'd like to imagine motorcycling to be, for most of us on this board, it's a recreational activity that involves a road legal vehicle (and being road legal, a motorcycle also happens to be a practical form of transportation). You might think you're exceptional in your commitment, but the vast majority of motorcyclists around the world are using dinky little 150cc Honda Cubs every day to transport their families, their goods, chickens, and Godknowswhatelse over vast distances in all sorts of horrific traffic and climatic conditions. Even the most hardcore and holier-than-thou among us look like a bunch of spoiled wimps compared to these people. And they're not doing it because they're "committed to a lifestyle", and frankly, would think of that notion as a laughable load of poncy, bourgeois, caribou cr@p.

Point 2: Sorry for the rant, but motorcycling partisanship in general, uh, gets my goat (to use an unlikely-to-be-censored turn of phrase). Weekend riders vs. the hardcore, metric vs. American, cruisers vs. sportbikes, motorcycles vs. scooters, and whatever random silly issue of the day you can think of. Anything that divides us weakens us.



Pompous pontificating over. Moving right along to lighter things . . .


Edit: uh, climatic, not climactic. Although that still kinda works

[sv-wolf]

Granted, the original post is ancient, the thread starter might be long gone, and the question itself is actually reasonable, but attitudes like this annoy the heck out of me.

I, on the other hand, ride my bike all year round regardless if it is cold or pouring with rain and just shake my head at these limp-wristed part-time riders and constantly question their commitment to motorcycling in general.

Point 1: Dude, have some perspective. Motorcycling is not a religion, a cause, a principle, a philosophy, an ideal, or a lifestyle choice that you should "commit yourself to". In spite of what we'd like to imagine motorcycling to be, for most of us on this board, it's a recreational activity that involves a road legal vehicle (and being road legal, a motorcycle also happens to be a practical form of transportation). You might think you're exceptional in your commitment, but the vast majority of motorcyclists around the world are using dinky little 150cc Honda Cubs every day to transport their families, their goods, chickens, and Godknowswhatelse over vast distances in all sorts of horrific traffic and climactic conditions. Even the most hardcore and holier-than-thou among us look like a bunch of spoiled wimps compared to these people. And they're not doing it because they're "committed to a lifestyle", and frankly, would think of that notion as a laughable load of poncy, bourgeois, caribou cr@p.

Point 2: Sorry for the rant, but motorcycling partisanship in general, uh, gets my goat (to use an unlikely-to-be-censored turn of phrase). Weekend riders vs. the hardcore, metric vs. American, cruisers vs. sportbikes, motorcycles vs. scooters, and whatever random silly issue of the day you can think of. Anything that divides us weakens us.



Pompous pontificating over. Moving right along to lighter things . . .

Hi Thumper

For some Westerners too, biking is rather more than recreational . I and several other riders I know depend wholly on motorcycles for all our long/mid-distance mobility. When I want to sound biker-macho I tell people I ride all year round, which is usually true (though I wimped out over Christmas this year). What I don't tell them is that this is not the result of some balls-out, red-eye, thrill-seeking machismo; it's usually a near necessity. Any small genuine desire to ride in icy/snowy conditions for the hell of it wears thinner every year - and I can't afford the insurance premiums after the bike goes down.

Don't be decieved though: people in India and other parts of Asia who ride because it is the only transport they can afford for themselves and their families are often super-macho about their riding and take far crazier risks than anyone I know here. Talk to these guys and they will all boast about how fearless they are, what risks they take and how they are better riders than anyone else. It is not so easy to spot when someone is being macho on a Boxer 50 or a Hero Honda - until you see someone try to overtake them. There is also a strong pecking order among marques.

[sunshine229]

I enjoyed reading Grey Thumper's rant. It's a great point that if a person wants to ride in all seasons they can do but they shouldn't expect every other rider to do the same.

[Grey Thumper]

I enjoyed reading Grey Thumper's rant. It's a great point that if a person wants to ride in all seasons they can do but they shouldn't expect every other rider to do the same.

Yep, I was really long winded about it, but thanks for the concise summary, Sunshine



And point no 3: Another reason why we shouldn't diss riders who only ride in fair weather; it means the rest of us eventually get to snap up low mileage used bikes for cheap

[havegunjoe]

I ride in the cold but I don’t like to ride in the rain. It’s a safety issue not a limp-wrist issue. I’m committed to riding, not dying.

[Gunslinger]

Holy revived dead thread Batman!! I didn't read all the posts but Thumper et al have it right. I'm a fair weather rider and I'm ok with that. I "could" ride in sub-zero temps, but why put myself through that if I don't have to? I "could" walk the 7 mile trip to work in the morning, but why when I have a car? My limit is about 0 degrees C. I don't mind the rain, but if it's pouring or there's lots of lightning I take the car. I don't usually ride at night but I will if I have to.

Riding in conditions that you're not comfortable with just to prove a point could get really expensive. Why someone does or doesn't ride is really none of my concern, and the fact that it bothers some people, well, they are certainly allowed to feel that way. But trust me, when most non-biker types see you riding into the eye of the hurricane they don't think you're "hard" or a BA, they think you're freakin' nuts.