Motorcycling

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Motorcyclists

A motorcyclist

Motorcycle social activity

Enduro riders

Cruisers

Circuit racers

Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. Beyond just a mode of motor transportation or sport, numerous subcultures and lifestyles have built up around the use of motorcycles. It is a leisure activity for many individuals from all levels of society. Although mainly a solo activity, motorcycling can be very social and motorcyclists tend to have a strong sense of community with each other ^[1] which is expressed in many idiosyncratic manners. ^[2]

The term "biker" is often used generally for motorcyclists (individuals who ride motorcycles), but tends to have the connotation of a more hard core enthusiast.^[3] Other terms include rider, rich urban bikers^[4], civilian motorcyclist ^[5] each with its own nuance.

Appeal

For most riders, motorcycle is a cheaper and more convenient form of transportation which causes less commuter congestion within cities and has less environmental impacts than automobile ownership.

Others ride as a way to relieve stress and to "clear their minds" as described in Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Pirsig contrasted the sense of connection experienced by motorcyclists with the isolation of drivers who are "always in a compartment", passively observing the passing landscape. Pirsig portrayed motorcycling as being in "completely in contact with it all ... in the scene." ^[6] Similarly, motorcyclists experience pleasure at the feeling of being far more connected to their motor vehicles than in a motorcar, as being part of it rather than in it. ^[7]

Speed draws many people to motorcycling because the power-to-weight ratios of even low-power motorcycles rivals that of an expensive sports car. The power-to-weight ratio of many modestly priced sport bikes is well beyond any mass-production automobile and rivals that of supercars for a fraction of the price.^[8] Hunter S. Thompson's book Hell's Angels includes an ode to the joys of pushing a motorcycle to its limits, "with the throttle screwed on there is only the barest margin, and no room at all for mistakes ... that's when the strange music starts ... fear becomes exhilaration [and the] only sounds are the wind and a dull roar floating back from the mufflers" ^[9] and T. E. Lawrence wrote of the "lustfulness of moving swiftly" and the "pleasure of speeding on the road". A sensation he compared to feeling "the earth moulding herself under me ... coming alive ... and heaving and tossing on each side like a sea." ^[10]

Not only is the sensation of speed greater but motorcycles negotiate turns by leaning, therefore the greater the speed, the greater the lean, sometimes to the point of scraping parts of the motorcycle on the road. Some riders will point proudly to the worn-away parts of their motorcycle, proof that they take turns so fast that they must lean the motorcycle over to the limits of its capabilities.

Dangers

Motorcycling is a more dangerous means of transport than other road alternatives: the relative risk of a motorcycle rider being killed or seriously injured per kilometre travelled was around 54 times higher in Great Britain in 2006 than for car drivers.^[11] However, motorcycling is less dangerous than many other popular outdoor recreational activities, including horseback riding.^[12]

To address motorcycle safety issues, motorcycle-specific training and personal protective equipment is important for motorcyclists' survival on the road, and mandated in many countries and several U.S. states and counties.

Maintenance

Maintenance on a Kawasaki Ninja 250 motorcycle

Motorcyclists will refer to maintenance or repair of a motorcycle as wrenching in the USA and "spannering" in the UK. A do-it-yourself self sufficiency is said to be part of motorcycles allure in an "increasingly monolithic, unfixable world" ^[2] and being able to maintain one's own motorcycle is seen as part of the competency of being a motorcyclist.

Historically, motorcycle maintenance was a necessary skill for riders, since the materials and technology used in motorcycles often meant that repairs had to be done on the road-side miles from home. Modern motorcycles are as reliable as automobiles but many riders feel that their motorcycle is more than just a means of transportation which leads them to want to do maintenance on the motorcycles themselves.

Subcultures

Motorcycling lifestyles span many different groups but transcend national borders and cultures. They include commuters, mainstream motorcycle clubs such as long-distance riding clubs, adventurer touring, trail riding and those involved with motorcycle sports, such as motocross riding, drag racing, circuit racing and trick or stunt enthusiasts; and those involved in customizing their vehicles in various different styles. Organized rides are a key element of many groups.

Around the world, motorcycles have historically been associated with highly visible subcultures.^[13] Some of these subcultures have been loose-knit social groups, such as the scooter riders and cafe racer riders of the 1950s and 60s in Great Britain, and they often seen as inhabiting the fringes of society.^[13] Numerous books about motorcycle subcultures have been written include Hunter S. Thompson's Hells Angels, Lee Gutkind's Bike Fever, and Daniel R. Wolf's The Rebels.

Social motorcyclist organisations are popular and are sometimes organised geographically, focus on individual makes, or even specific models. Example motorcycle clubs include: American Motorcyclist Association, Harley Owners Group and BMW MOA. Some organisations hold large international motorcycle rallies in different parts of the world that are attended by many thousands of riders.

Whereas many social motorcycle organisations raise money for charities through organised events and rides, other motorcycle organisations, e.g. Bikers Against Child Abuse ^[14], exist only for the direct benefit of others.

In recent decades, motorcyclists have formed political lobbying organisations in order to influence legislators to introduce motorcycle-friendly legislation. One of the oldest such organisations, the British Motorcycle Action Group, was founded in 1973 specifically in response to helmet compulsion, introduced without public consultation.^[15] In addition, the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), originally founded in 1960 as a reaction to the public perception of motorcyclists as leather-jacketed hooligans, has itself moved into political lobbying. Likewise, the U.S. has ABATE, which, like most such organisations, also works to improve motorcycle safety, as well as running the usual charity fund-raising events and rallies, often for motorcycle-related political interests.^[16]

At the other end of the spectrum from the charitable organisations and the motorcycle rights activists are the "outlaw motorcycle gangs". These are defined by the Provincial Court of Manitoba as: "Any group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have voluntarily made a commitment to band together and abide by their organisations' rigorous rules enforced by violence, who engage in activities that bring them and their club into serious conflict with society and the law".^[17] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Intelligence Service Canada have designated four MCs as Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs), which are the Pagans, Hells Angels, Outlaws MC, and Bandidos,^[18][19] known as the "Big Four".^[20]

The motorcycle manufacturing industry and many government internationally have, for many decades, pressed to clean up the reputation and activities of motorcyclists.^[21][22]

Motorcycling and sexuality

This section requires expansion.

Motorcycles and motorcycle leathers have long been a sexual symbol ^[23][24] amongst heterosexual, both male and female, and appropriated ^[25] by homosexual males ^[26] and lesbians.^[27] For their admirers, they project an image of sexual power ^[28] hint at deviant sexuality and have been accused of being a penis substitute, ^[29] often described as a "crotch rocket". In the cinema, the motorcycle has functioned as a mechanical aphrodisiac, an instrument which encourages transgressive ^[30] or unbridled ^[31] sexual liberation or promiscuity in films such as Brando's The Wild One or Marianne Faithful's 'Girl on a Motorcycle'. Motorycling has been connected to fetishistic sex, Lesbianism, sadomasochism ^[32] and, together with the use of leather, aided in the eroticization of women.

This connection is an image often exploited by motorcycle manufacturers, advertisers, and the general media for financial gain^[33] and the establishment to attack the sport and lifestyle. Motorcycle magazines and imagery often figure nude or scantily dress "biker chicks" ^[27] in erotic poses which are made real at some biker rallies and meetings by the involvement of strippers, bikini models and submissive female partners in states of semi-undress. ^[34]

Part of this allure is a complex relationship between risk and rebellion ^[35] with a class element^[36] but even the mechanical vibrations many motorcycles make have been portrayed as sexually exciting.^[23] Motorcycles themselves are often described in sexual terms ^[37][38] and "sex appeal" is part of the attraction of buying a large one. ^[39][40][41] Although generally portrayed in a sexist and submissive manner, women within the scene have often been seen as sexual outlaws. ^[42] For ageing males, buying a large motorcycle is seen as a attempt at boosting their sex appeal during their mid-life crisis^{[43][44][45][34]}

See also

• Motorcycles
• Motorcycle touring

Motorcycle racing portal

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Motorcycles

• Season of the Bike "The difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life."
• IHIE Guidelines for Motorcycling - these authoritative Guidelines are the first in the UK, setting out comprehensive, practical guidance for highway engineers, traffic engineers, road safety officers and transport planners on providing a safer transport environment for motorcycles, mopeds and scooters.
• Motorcycling at the Open Directory Project