Sometimes It Doesn’t Feel Like a Brotherhood
Motorcyclist are all bound together by a brotherhood tie through their love of the sport, and what difference does it make what make of machine he rides as long as he belongs to the clan. – Walter Davidson, 1920
Is it just me? And if there are others of you like me, is it just us, doing this to ourselves?
What I’m talking about is the feeling I got when I went over to Mile High Harley-Davidson last weekend for their Charity Bug Run & Summer Kick-Off Party. Of course I wasn’t on a Harley. I don’t own a Harley. But that wasn’t a big deal. Once I got off the bike no one knew what bike I rode in on. Plus, I had camouflage–I wore a Harley-Davidson cap I’ve had for years.
No, what I’m talking about is how I just felt out of place among all the heavily leathered, heavily tattooed, pony-tailed guys who fit the old Harley rider stereotype. I mean, we all know that many Harley riders these days are doctors, lawyers, and other well-to-do professionals. But I didn’t see many of them there. Maybe those people have little interest in coming to the dealership for events like this.
Again, it may very well just be me doing this to myself. No one looked askance at me. No one treated me rudely or as if I had no business being there. Heck, nobody really paid any attention to me at all. But I felt very stongly like I did not belong there. And consequently, I didn’t stay around very long.
It was totally different a week earlier when I went up to the Concours Owners Group rally in Frisco. Of course, I do own a Connie and I rode it up there so that had to make a difference. But once again, off the bike, it still didn’t matter. These were a bunch of guys who I could identify with, who I felt at home with. I stuck around a long time.
I don’t have any negative feelings about the Harley guys. I don’t have any tattoos but I have had a pony-tail and I do have leathers. Heck, I know most of these guys are just regular joes with families and mortgages like the rest of us. And I’ve never had any kind of confrontation whatsoever with any of them. So why did I feel so out of place? I don’t know. It disturbs me.
Biker Quote for Today
Sooner or later opinions fade, and the name on the tank matters not. I think that happens somewhere between 4th and 5th gear.
