I've been commuting on the Bonneville recently. Who can argue with 47 miles per gallon and a whole lot of fun? I rolled into work Wednesday and as I entered the yard there was a truck driver getting out of the way. Imagine "Larry the Cable Guy" getting out of a square-nosed Peterbilt. Stereo-typical (I wonder if there is such a thing as mono-typical? I digress) truck driver.
I park the motorcycle and head into the office, gear is still on, and I see that driver at the front desk. Everyone is busy so I go to the window and ask if I may help with something. Helmet is off, unzipping the jacket and "Larry" says "So you're the guy who whizzed by on that rice bike." I replied with "Excuse me?" (still had ear plugs in). I pulled the ear plugs out and Larry says "The rice bike..."
The look of confusion and mild offense (we'll get to that) on my face made Larry explain that he is "a Harley guy" with a smug smile upon his face. To which I replied "There's a Sportster in my garage and that 'rice bike' you saw is a Triumph Bonneville." He had nothing. He's a "biker", not a motorcyclist.
When I'm out finding those hidden curvy roads and spectacular scenery, I wave at every rider I see. Even the scooter bros. Trikes get no love. 99% of the time the other rider waves in return. Larry is the 1% that doesn't return the wave. Larry is a dick. Larry's "gear" is probably just what he had on driving his truck. Ball cap, good 'ol southern boy "christian" jewelry, sleeveless plaid shirt and plain 'ol jeans. I can throw stereotypes back. With a healthy dose of sarcasm. #superpower.
Though I think it's insane to ride without proper gear (imagine opening the door of your car and jumping out with what you have on. Will your OOTD save you?) I will defend a person's right to ride without gear if they choose to do so. It's the wrong choice, in my opinion, and the beanied, gear-free, motor company faithful/sport bike squids, have never been sliding down a pea-graveled road (local county Rd. in my case) at 50mph. I had to toss out the helmet and gloves, but got away with a scraped knee, scraped leather jacket (from Sears no less), bent handlebar and broken turn signals. Oh, and a major sense of dread when I had to tell Dad that his worst thoughts about motorcycles had come true.
This is a lesson in how to be a decent person. Instead of "You rode in on that rice bike..." how about "What's that motorcycle you rode in on?" Or instead of "ATGATT (all the gear all the time)!" I wait for a question about the gear I have. "...No it's not hot at all. These vents here, here and here do..." Tolerance. Some people like obese land yachts with no ground clearance, some people like motorcycles with good brakes and enough ground clearance to enjoy curvy roads.
My ideal is not your ideal. You can't go through life with the "Hell hath no forgiveness for those who do not think like-wise" attitude.
