What do you ride? Can be a double edged sword of a question if you are a motorcyclist. It is mostly asked to see if you have anything in common and a lame conversation starter. if you happen to be at motorcycle auction, it takes on a entirely different tone. What is really being asked is, Who are your people and do you have any creditability?
I like being judged by the clique i’m in, it’s really a compliment. When I get asked, What do I ride? I say my roots are in Old BMW’s, but have a love for Italians. In short, I like classic German “Boxers” and old Italian race bikes. They can also tell by my look (think mad scientist) and dress, nerdy but practical. I good with that.
Harley people are easy to spot; leather vests with their colors, mostly overweight or hairy, looking typically… H-D badass. Not that’s hard to do, every H-D shop sells everything you need to look tough, like a store bought rebel.
It’s is the Vintage Harley guys that brings the real game. Those guys get what the history of the brand means. Good ole’ American grit with the knowledge of matching numbers and the importance of the original rider. Much different than the “live to ride” patch wearing weekend warrior.
Now let’s talk about the Brit fans. You can always tell the Triumph, BSA, all things royal guys by the jeans, fitted jackets and proudly branded, bike specific t-shirts. The Difference between these guys and the HD guys is these guys don’t change their t-shirt. There will always be an oil stains on their pants and one thing for sure, THEY KNOW THEIR BIKES!
I am not an expert on each little nuance of the color difference of each year of the Bonneville, but man do these guys. It is really amazing, What I like about them is it is a complete life-style not just a hobby.
Within this group are the sub groups, The Arial group, the BSA group, the obscure group that loves a certain scooter and the king of kings fans, The Vincent group.
The Vincent guys stay on their own like smart loners, mostly quite and know everything there is to know about this not so well known bike with a pedigree like no other. The facts are clear, the bike are rare, and it take a bit of cash to even be a Vincent guy. What I like about them is that they are not wealthy guys with cash to burn. They love their bikes and usually have REAL collections, not just the living room jewels most amateur collectors have. The guy we love to hate, Jay Leno has a couple, good for him, At least he gets it.
Here is your opportunity, if you want to join an elite club, once again on Ebay, a Vincent is being auctioned. At the time I wrote this blog, it was at 72,000 and the reserve has not been met. So get on the stick, playa’.
What I love about all of this, is that motorcycles and motorcycle collectors is, all are welcome. We all love them all, we like all the differences and the whacky people attached to them. What always keeps me engaged is knowing that there is only one problem to be solved; You have two wheels and a person you need to propel, How are you going to design and build something that will do just that?
Glenn
Be sure to follow me on twitter @justglenn
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