{"id":63025,"date":"2026-10-08T04:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"urn:motra-oct3:MOTRA:25"},"modified":"2026-10-09T21:27:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T21:27:38","slug":"motra-motra-april-2006-traits-of-bikers-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/?p=63025","title":{"rendered":"around the bend… \u2014 What Is a Biker?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published in Motorcycles On the Road Again, April 2006.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Carmen Juch<\/p>\n

WARNING<\/p>\n

This article is based on opinion. It can contain sarcasm, derision or incongruities. Protective clothing may be necessary when reading.<\/p>\n

Normally this magazine has an article entitled “What is a Biker?” And truth be told, we all have our own idea of how that question should be answered. I have listened to bikers discussing politics who are die-hard Republicans. I have also sat with bikers who are so far on the liberal side of the fence you can no longer see the fence. We are all races and all ethnic groups. We cross over every line, white-collar, blue-collar, doctors, lawyers and the occasional Indian Chief.<\/p>\n

So, how does one answer the age-old question? What is the “Truth” about what makes a biker a “biker”? Try as you might; it isn’t possible to define what a “biker” is, any easier than you can explain an emotion without using a synonym. The problem is we are really no different than any other group of people with a common denominator, that unique link being the motorcycle. And that connection is getting a touch more murky every day.<\/p>\n

Harley is not the only acceptable 2-wheel vehicle any longer. Crotch rockets, BMW, Iron Horse, Indian, Honda, Ural, Triumph, Big Dog and the list goes on and on, are parked, side by side, in front of once thought to be “Harley hangouts” There are even Harley riders *gasp* changing over to other types of motorcycles after years of faithful membership to the Harley “ONLY” group.<\/p>\n

Riding a bike is conspicuous and you do it because you love to ride, but covertly (or not) most of us also like to stand out in the masses. And there will always be riders for whom it isn’t so much the love of riding as it is a love of being “seen”. They want to take advantage of the image that goes along with having a motorcycle so once in awhile, when it suits them, out comes the bike, along with the appropriate leathers, dusted off for a quick jaunt (because basically their bike is made only for short quick trips). The rest of the non-riding public doesn’t know this, and so they see all the riders as one and the same. To them, a biker is a biker is a biker … is a biker.<\/p>\n

But not necessarily is a biker a “rider”.<\/p>\n

So really, are we standing out? Or are we just blending in? Where does the world get their idea of who we are, what we are? I think it started way before most of our time, with the movies. The Wild One, and Easy Rider being the two biggies that spring to mind, of course.<\/p>\n

The Wild One was initially released in 1953. Can you imagine? It was the first time motorcycle riders were defined as a “gang” (definition: criminal element). It couldn’t have been a great year to be a biker with that kind of discrimination hanging over you (it wasn’t cool to be a criminal in the 50’s like it is now).<\/p>\n

Needless to say, the legend began. As most everyone who has a bike knows by now, the story was inaccurately based on a real-life incident. The bikers did not plunder and pillage the town nor harass the locals. Except for some arrests for public drunkenness (and the always charming urinating in public), it was a nonviolent get together of mostly NON-Harley riders. Today, motorcyclists have not yet overcome the stereotype encouraged by that film based on inaccurate information. Ah, the power of the media.<\/p>\n

Still, after this movie, the sale of motorcycles and black leather jackets soared. The symbol of rebellion was birthed. What a biker was supposed to “look” like was defined.<\/p>\n

Over time it really hasn’t changed a whole lot from what I can see around me. The tattoos were added later on and are no longer even unique, just much more acceptable on women and many more of them on everyone. Matter of fact, a tattoo in no way is “biker exclusive” any longer, if ever. If anything, they’ve gone mainstream including Hollywood types trying to look “edgy”. Now, everywhere, in all walks of life are “bikers” because they purchased a motorcycle and with the addition of the appropriate attire and perhaps sporting a “tat” “Voil\u00e0!” They are just that, a biker.<\/p>\n

Easy Rider was released 13 years later in 1969. The bikers lose in the end of this one. This film identifies bikers directly to dealing and taking drugs. And from what I can grasp, also added to the biker attire with animal bone necklaces and bracelet for men, unheard of in the 50’s \u2014 it would have been seen as “sissy” on any self respecting motorcycle rider.<\/p>\n

And what did we learn about bikers from these movies? We are drugged out, psychologically immature, scarred individuals seeking happiness in all the wrong places and alas unable to accept it when we do stumble across it. From this movie the biker image was further developed but not to the positive. It’s funny that as a group we want to be unique and distinct, yet take our image (and for some even lifestyle) from a couple of B movies.<\/p>\n

Johnny attempts to explain what a biker is in The Wild One as this, “Now, listen, A bunch gets together after all week it builds up, you just…the idea is to have a ball. Now if you gonna’ stay cool, you got to wail. You got to put somethin’ down. You got to make some jive. Don’t you know what I’m talking’ about?”<\/p>\n

Frankly, Johnny, I don’t. I have the idea that riding is supposed to be fun \u2014 but where is the riding part? That seems to be just the party part. I thought it was very telling to read Sonny Barger and read him admit that had he to do it over again he would have chosen another brand of bike, for one reason maintenance but also comfort of the ride. Well, that has to make you sit back and take a deep breath! If the original biker said he would rather ride a BMW, I sure am not going to be the girl to argue with him (see his first book if you don’t believe me).<\/p>\n

I guess it comes down to the one thing…personal opinion.<\/p>\n

You probably totally disagree. And I reserve the right to think you’re full of rotten tacos too. But I will say there are some things we probably all do agree on.<\/p>\n

A biker is someone who supports their fellow human being when they are down. This might mean just being there or it might be more. So a biker supports community.<\/p>\n

A biker is caring and offers themselves at fundraisers in any number of ways, from making a donation of money or a donation of their time. So a biker is concerned for his fellow human being’s welfare.<\/p>\n

A biker hates more than anything being taken advantage of or mistreated and we also don’t forget quickly. So I guess a biker holds a grudge.<\/p>\n

A biker embraces life with every fiber of their being. So a biker celebrates life.<\/p>\n

A biker loves a good joke. So a biker has a sense of humor.<\/p>\n

A biker loves good food, good people and a good time. So a biker is a joyous person.<\/p>\n

And a biker loves nothing more than riding, riding, riding.<\/p>\n

So, except for that last sentence, I guess a biker is the same as any other person on any street, in any town,<\/p>\n

So, the answer to “What is a Biker?” Easy.<\/p>\n

A biker is someone who loves to ride a motorcycle. Nothing else really matters to a biker, not really, not the brand, not the clothing, nothing. So, what are you? A biker or a rider?<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Originally published in Motorcycles On the Road Again, April 2006. By Carmen Juch WARNING This article is based on opinion. It can contain sarcasm, derision or incongruities. Protective clothing may be necessary when reading. Normally this magazine has an article entitled “What is a Biker?” And truth be told, we all have our own idea … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":900710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[151],"tags":[134,189],"class_list":["post-63025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-motra-april-2006","tag-s073"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63025"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":900336,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63025\/revisions\/900336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/900710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motorcyclesontheroadagain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}