ENTERING THE 21ST CENTURY
As the 1970s became the 80s, new thinking emerged. Political correctness slapped the wrists of dinosaur-minded offenders, then went over the top and joined with the inanities of people suing each other over petty and unnecessary issues. Across the societal spectrum, there was also a cooling off. The backdrop of 60’s and 70’s ideologies became regarded as an embarrassment. People were less demonstrative, even if their feelings hadn’t changed. By the 90s, it had become overtly pretentious to put words like Biker and Culture together; contrary to the desire for its expression. Just as a warm recognition should have been blossoming, the psued hip idioms were heralding an Ice Age, saying: Chill Out.
During the 80’s and 90’s, there were both imaginary and real constraints to people’s behaviour. Besides (ridiculous and misguided) ideas concerning safety belts, air-bags and leg-shields as compulsory fittings on bikes, Type Approval was another safety-lead anomaly. Type Approval means that the owner of a vehicle would not be able to change so much as a tyre without seeking authoritative consent. Bikes have been altered down the years without any serious problem, and the argument concerning civil liberty (as per helmet law) again arises. Through such impingements, Euro legislators have tried to castrate motorcycling, instead of making other road users more aware and concentrating on those who are irresponsible about their bike’s functionality. Such moves are defended by notions which infer that the law has to account for the worst factor; and that the innocent are casualties of the criminals, not of the irrational law-makers.
The British Motorcycling Federation and MAG have fought European and other incentives aimed at making motorcycling harder if not impossible to get into. The bike media often publish pleas for riders to write to MPs, MEPs and other persons, and point out the faults of government incentives. MAG were represented at a meeting of the International Confederation of Motorcyclists in the USA in 1996. Their convergent aim was to show how European legislation like Type Approval would impinge on the USA’s Bill of Rights. Laws made in Europe that become enforced in the UK, gain credibility through this and are therefore implemented with greater ease in the US. It is hoped that the UK Bikers will gain support from the US in opposing irresponsible legislation - an international unity that would include European and other countries.
Gordon York of the White Rose Motorcycle Training School in Sheffield noted some faults with the basic Highway Code. He stated that the lengthy braking distances shown in the Highway Code were outside the superior braking ability of most vehicles. Both past and present traffic conditions indicate that some revisions to the document are long overdue. The revisions that have been made include advice for motorcyclists to wear white crash helmets. Though it is not strictly a legal requirement, the wording infers that blame could be wrongfully apportioned if a rider not wearing a white helmet was the victim in an accident.
The UK Centre for Independent Transport Research (ITR) issued a report. There were positive findings about biking saving on fuel consumption and travelling time. However it suggested that Bikers were the major offenders who broke speed limits. A higher fine for speeding motorcyclists was recommended. In 1999, the Department of Environment and Transport tried to revoke the entitlement of car licence holders to ride mopeds. This was directly in conflict with their alleged wish to get more people onto two wheels, for reasons concerning congestion and environment.
Dutch research into contemporary traffic conditions found that the majority of vehicles are occupied by one driver. They also found that people were reluctant to give up their private transport, and that this constituted an inefficient use of energy. In an effort to meet this, various ideas have been put forwards. One such idea emerged over a period of intensive research and development, by the Eco-car BV engineering company in Holland. They contrived ‘an elegant vehicle balancing system’. Using complex hydraulics to create car-type steering that behaved like motorcycle steering, they came up with the man-wide-vehicle (MWV), that emulated bike behaviour. With an option for passenger carrying, this vehicle is said to have less wind-drag, use less fuel and occupy a smaller road-space. It had taken them five years to create a motorcycle with a steering wheel.
In the late 1990’s, the Traffic Accident Commission in Australia made a TV commercial, the mood of which made biking seem like an insane notion. The add shows a bike getting cut up whilst lane splitting, and the rider falls under the wheels of a van. It is inferred that the accident is the rider’s fault for not getting out of the way, not that the driver who knocked him off should have looked where they were going. The ad closes as the rider loses control of his bowels: He is attempting to get out of a wheel chair and on to the toilet. Besides the furore from the Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia, there was an irate response from disabled people.
There exists a new sensibility of specialised rider training. In the 90s, Honda had given free lessons to the buyers of bigger bikes. Since the 80s, biking periodicals have carried advertisements for a plethora of advanced training courses, and some insurance companies offer reductions to better qualified riders. So much incentive is coming from the biking sector, yet as ever, the authoritative view is compromised, repressive and unsatisfactory.
*
During the 70s, it was believed that bike culture had suffered a historical loss as the British manufacturers dwindled in the face of opposition. A strong sentimentality grew shortly after, and following on from the veteran and vintage ideals, the era of the Classic Bike was born. The Classic bike models were originally from around the post Vintage years up to the 60s, which until the Japanese invasion, had simply been considered as old bikes. Up to the mid 1970s, such as a second-hand Triumph Bonneville could be picked up for around £150 - £300. The classic ideal caused prices to soar, and by the 1990s, the same bike was valued at around £2000 to £3000.
Since the 80s, classic had also begun to involve 1970s bikes, including Japanese models. The first superbikes like the Kawasaki Z1 and Honda 750 were suddenly fetching £1,500 to £2000, sometimes more. In the UK their new prices had been in the £700 to £800 range. This powerful past is invigourating the cultural present. A present that is also acquainted with the contemporary and future classic; new models that strike a note of design beauty or technical awe in the biking heart.
The new 80s bikes, like Kawasaki’s GPZ models and Suzuki’s Katana, were shaping the future designs. More enclosure, matte black engines and fatter sports tyres were major factors in another wave of race-replica types. Tuning kit was available to up the performance, however most of the bikes were plenty rapid and well-handling enough without it. The latest speed freaks, known to some as Trons, to themselves as Scratchers or sports riders, follow in the racing replica idiom to some degree. One piece racing leathers are preferred, often including knee-sliders. There aren’t that many places on public roads where the knee can be used as an antenna-cum-brace to get the bike round bends, and some regard it as pretentious. There are some posers, but safety is something that only those who think they’re invincible would over-look. Sliding along the tarmac at the same (high) speed as the bike you just accidentally dismounted isn’t something anyone would want to do in an ordinary bike jacket and hide jeans.
Some of the negative attitudes towards these riders are brought about by attitudes among themselves. The bikes they own, which from the 80’s on include such as Suzuki’s GSXR 750, the Ducati 916 and Yamaha’s YZFR1, aren’t cheap. Some yuppie types with money to burn acquire them for sunny Sundays - period. There is something in the way these latter act and talk that shrivels the hearts of biking enthusiasts. It’s not against the law to collect or own things; but it’s a crime against nature to buy a statement of biking perfection when you aren’t able - or worse, have no intention to give it a life. Compare it to buying a race horse and keeping it in the living room. Then try to justify it. Sadly, this is a stereotyping slur, which reflects badly on the scratchers who will greet other riders with a flash of their tinted headlamps or a nod behind iridium visors.
There is an anomaly among some of these UK techno-age riders that doesn’t help with the reputation of others. It is a behaviour normally associated with those who’re breaking in a new bike (which they might be unused to or simply over-protective towards) and those who’ve only very recently passed their test. They sit in traffic queues rather than filtering through. The low riding position makes it hard to see over or round other vehicles, but it isn’t impossible. On an open road they burn past, but then you catch them up as traffic intensifies. They don’t use any of the bike’s advantages. People can ride how they like, but this dallying brings the same thought to mind as when you’re following a potentially quick car, that is driven at a constant 30 mph: What a waste. Sadly, it is even enforced in some countries, where lane-splitting and filtering are illegal.
Since the end of the 80s, there have been worries about latter-day café racing. Roads like the circular route round Paris and London’s M25 have been host to speed freaks trying to get round these cities in the shortest time. Some even mount video cameras on their bikes to record the events. They seem obsessed with dicing in the traffic. Is this fun with a bike or just one-upmanship over easy targets? It may seem brave and hard, but it is the dumbest use of riding skill and speed where Biker-public relations are concerned.
*
In the 80’s, the penchant for special building culminated in the street fighter; a bobbed and often tuned machine that had the artistic appearance of a chop, with the rideability of a sports bike. Suzuki’s GSXR 750 is a big favourite for this treatment - it is regarded as the bench-mark in race-replica building that Yamaha’s R7 among others aspire to. But there are no rules. The street-fighter is rather like a dirt bicycle; it’s what gets taken off that counts, like the acres of GRP plastic or fibre-glass that had earned the Tupperware torpedo nickname for sports bikes.
Crashed Plastic Bullets - another name for the torpedoes, are often donor-bikes for the streetfighter. Some who have a preference for the naked bike simply altered existing ones, but it all shows the basic desires and enthusiasms traceable even to pre-bobber days. The svelte, slick and sometimes bulbous faired bikes for touring and sports have their adherents. They run with the latest technology. But some can’t help feeling that the appearance of such bikes, like Suzuki’s Hayabusa, are a tad too scooterzoid.
To get round this, some street-fighters have re-worked frames so that a saddle type petrol tank can be fitted, replacing the under-seat or between-the-frame versions. (Many new bikes have a twin beam type frame that encloses the tank; a saddle tank sits over a single spar running from the seat to the steering head). Something of the retro taste that Kawasaki, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki had recognised in their Zephyr, Monster, XJ1300 and Bandit models (respectively) of the 90s is thus evident in street-fighters, and of course vice-versa. Ducati’s Monster is particularly desirable, and by the end of the 20th century, other firms like Cagiva, with their V-Raptor (short for velociraptor) had conjoined in a phase called ‘Monsterising’ - basically a factory-built streetfighter.
One advantage of buying an older classic is that the insurance is much cheaper. As classics now include anything over 15 years old, some rapid bikes can be insured at a seemingly insanely low cost. Customising older bikes is no longer associated with sloth. The superbikes of the 70s and 80s make excellent street-fighters or whatever, for those who couldn’t run to the cost of a new bike with all the custom goodies and labour charges on top. The classic market also suits many riders who are returning to biking. Those whose families have now grown up, or who have reached a stage in their lives or careers that allow them to spend more on leisure, are being born again. Some seek out the dream bikes from their preferred era. They can afford the inflated cost of older classics because their average age cuts a decent deal with the insurance.
*
By the 1990s, new bikes had become so expensive that it was only the higher paid - or those who could get finance, that could afford them. As ever, the bike remained compared with toys (this time for the executives), along with accusations about not growing up. But these concepts were being eroded, because people were recognising that humans need leisure as much as work. Many speak enviously of those who find employment that suits their leisure activity. And although not every Biker wishes to work within the biking field, they can at least enjoy getting to work. Among the more obvious Biker professions like despatch rider, paramedic and police rider, it is notable how many Bikers are involved in animal and human care. From doctors and dentists to veterinary nurses, conservationists to youth workers, the whole gamut of caring rather than just money-grabbing employment is strongly represented. In the UK, one organisation delivers blood where-ever it is needed - without any pay or help towards running costs. And biking vicars, priests, whatever seems to be a growing occupation.
Greg Dawe (who we met earlier), orchestrated the Clock Tower Events in mid-Wales. As there was a big drink problem with local youth, these were dry events: no alcohol was allowed on site. The idea was to enable young people to participate in constructive social initiatives. They were static motorcycle shows, advertised as family entertainment; however the gate consisted largely of Bikers. The first show won a National Youth Work award. This helped Biker public relations greatly in an area that had hang-overs from the rebellious years, as Wales had enjoyed some notoriety during that period. It also raised funds for the youth club.
For the third show, Project 21 was the name Greg gave to a huge time-capsule, that was to be buried containing: personal artefacts, photos, a lock of hair for DNA evidence, newspaper articles and other items, that would present a readable history when it would be opened again in the year 2100. It earned another award, got national media coverage, and Greg says: “The promotional T-shirts are now much sought-after items and recognised as a part of Biker culture at its best.”
*
Throughout most of biking’s history, some have found associations with other mechanistic interests easy. Mostly, Bikers in possession of weapons are just preoccupied with their fine engineering or gadgetry. There have however been incidences of Bikers using weapons, often on other Bikers. There is a sickly macho status, a hierarchy of one-up-man-ship that is obsessed with a power trip. Similarities with the bike as an extension of the ego arise, and items owned in this way reflect more a short-coming than any prowess. Throughout the heavy years, it was the abuse of such possessions that underlined the bad image. By the 90s, it had softened, yet it still remains alien to many Bikers. Using militaria or weapon-like accessories on bikes have an innocent if not off-hand attraction. But holidays abroad that include bike hire and the use of firearms are perplexing. There is a whole faction within 20th and 21st century biking that uses profane statements (like number plates with messages like: ‘Fast As Fuck’). This ties in with a careless if not antisocial mentality that embodies the disenchantment with society that is burgeoning. It is a negative rejection, rather than a philosophical attitude to all that life (and the law-makers) can throw at you.
*
The scooter boom at the turn of the 21st century further softened public attitudes towards two-wheelers. People working in cities, pizza deliveries and other uses have given rise to a boom in sales. From the 90s and onwards, little flotillas of modern scooters were emerging on the weekend ride. They appear within an admix of various light bikes, both with and without the distinctive ‘L’ plates shown by learners. Leathers have given way to weather-proof jackets in bright colours with brand-names among these new riders. There are no collectives assuming names - they just seem to be youths having fun. It’s another hark back to the early days.
Other influences in the biking world were ever more varied: From the cultural nuances of New-Age Travellers, to the purer biking clubs, like the Ducatisti, Vintage Japanese Owner’s Clubs and followers of newly-created sports like Super Motard and the Dakar rally, who enjoyed a more bike-oriented togetherness. Women and Gay Bikers joined the MC Patches and others in the sometimes anarchic battle of being free. The gamut of biking society as a whole had become so diverse that any trace of unity had become obscured even within itself.
At the dawn of the 21st century, the biking resolve felt a need to draw in tightly, not only because of the legislative threats, but because the social identity of the genuine Biker was becoming submerged beneath consumerism and the nouveaux motorcycling enthusiasts - a kind of new motorcyclist, who, for example, enjoyed the buzz of a Harley not just in the bike, but from the genre of which they are not a genuine part. Some Bikers were saying that it was better when there were fewer of them around. The plethora of new bikes on the road merely signals a growing popularity in motorcycling - seemingly leaving the genuine Bikers as the minority. The improved reliability of bikes and the useful (nuisance) mobile phone ensure completed journeys; they have also created the illusion that anyone you pass is not stranded. Many have sat for hours with a broken-down machine, while streams of those who might call themselves Bikers pass by.
Incidentally, cover is available for road-side repairs, but despite hiked prices it often falls below expectable standards. Telling the person who answers your SOS that you need a clutch cable, or that the bike is utterly unusable doesn’t guarantee that the required part or transport will arrive. Some services are attempting to rectify this, but there’s nothing to beat a few tools and some mechanical know-how when that dreadful (usually wet and windy) day arrives.
Safety research and pro-bike publicity has helped ease the stereotype in some public minds. Public reaction to bikes is no longer triggered by fear - in the UK, car drivers are learning to let bikes through rather than impede their progress (that said, some have witnessed deliberate attempts by motorists to cause riders to crash). Membership of pro-bike organisations is steady if not growing, but the increased numbers of motorcyclists seems to exist in a more loose-knit fraternity. It has spent much of its time identifying Bikers by describing people who aren’t considered to be genuine. Academics describe some of the extreme shifts as a postmodern re-creation of identity. The subtlety they’ve missed is that Bikers are Bikers - it is the image-copiers who are creating an inverse Bikerdom. Underlying all this, there remains a neo-tribalism, that strives to be recognised, while at the same time wishes to be left alone.