Biker or not?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,041
Likes: 1,529
From: Bunola pa
I guess im not a biker. I only average maybe 5000 miles a year, but hey, thats more than i put on my pickup in a year. I dont ride when theres salt on the roads either. Brine is REALLY hard to clean off.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 233
Likes: 55
From: Sarasota Fl
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,129
Likes: 1,981
From: Ottawa, CANADA
... vs the frozen wastelands of Canada, too. 
I tick all the boxes in the OP, so I guess that makes me a Biker.
I've considered myself a Biker for many many years. Nice to get confirmation.
Cheers!
I tick all the boxes in the OP, so I guess that makes me a Biker.
I've considered myself a Biker for many many years. Nice to get confirmation. Cheers!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,525
Likes: 57,081
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
Yep, Ottawa is bit closer to the North Pole. ;>)
Supporter
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 4,868
From: Colorado
"Biker" is a designation only given by others in reference to others. If a man refers to himself as a "biker", seems to me he has ego problems and needs to find a life. And in referring to others as not really a biker, he needs to think about his ego. If you are fully living your life, you do not have time or the desire to label yourself as a "this" or a "that".
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 5,286
Likes: 3,431
From: Idaho Panhandle
- A Biker knows how to enjoy the trip and chooses to do it with his/her motorcycle.
- A Biker is one who respects his/her machine as a faithful companion of the road.
- A Biker is one who feels a part of motorcycling with a strong attachment to other riders that love the world of two wheels.
- A biker is someone who is always thinking about his next road trip.
- A biker only pays attention to weather for how to gear up for the conditions.
- A biker cant imagine life without a motorcycle
- A biker knows riding can result in a world of hurt.
- A biker would rather spent a day riding any motorcycle than tooling around in any kind of cage
- A biker has patience with non bikers. They dont know what they cant understand
- A biker doesnt care about mods or looks vs just riding the heck out of the bike.
I like to ride motorcycles. Ill ride down to 20F, but roads need to be dry and snow/ice free. Sand, gravel, liquid road salts are slick enough.
Im thinking about my next big ride, but its not until next June when I ride to Alaska. In my mid 70s, I know I wont ride forever, but into my 90s would be nice....even if its on a sporty, or even a Honda trail 125. It has always been the view over the handlebars that matters, not the steed. Though, Harley does offer the visceral extras so rare on other brands.
1. Enjoy the trip you are on. There is not a better one.
2. Take care of your bike, it is the only thing between you and a world of hurt
3. The motorcycle brotherhood is not personal, not a door opener, but its there if you break down on the side of the road.
4. I tour, so I think about the next week, two week, month trip. Everything else is ad hoc.
5. I believe in being comfortable, hunting for weeks in Idahos wilderness or riding.
6. Mid 70s allows one to temper ones thoughts about what is important. Health, health, then mobility and sharpness. My motorcycle is a tool for me, an important one, but it does not define me, I define it.
7. The reason riding is important is it takes not only skill, but awareness of the world around you. I chases all the demons away when riding.
8. Travel in a cage is looking out at the world, riding a motorcycle is being in the world.
9. Im invisible when on the bike, so everyone else is potential danger. It is that relaxed awareness that makes motorcycling so fulfilling.
10. It is the view over the handlebars that matters. The only time that can change is when it is parked and you are no longer sitting on it.
I had to stretch for ten, 2 would work for me, but then Im not a biker.
6.
