What Is Biker-Friendly?
What sort of things make a place biker-friendly these days?
I started building this motorcyclecolorado.com website in 2004 and at the time I figured it would be helpful to include a page on biker-friendly hotels and motels. So I did and I have added to it over the years.
Things change, though, and more recently I have had people ask me what the idea is. Which is to say, what with doctors, lawyers, and people from every walk of life taking up motorcycling, a lot of people have no understanding that there was a time not so long ago when bikers might find themselves turned away from lodging purely because they were on motorcycles.
Now, that’s great. It means we’ve come a long way. The image of the evil, dangerous outlaw biker has largely faded from the public consciousness.
That raises a question then. What today constitutes a biker-friendly hotel or motel? Are there criteria I should use when adding places to the page?
One criterion I’ve always used is that if the establishment contacts me asking to be added, I consider that biker-friendly and I add them. Also, if they buy ads on the website that’s a pretty clear indication they are actively seeking business from bikers, so obviously they are biker-friendly. That’s pretty simple.
Most of the others I have added are places we have stayed where they have been very nice to us. And seeking to be helpful beyond pointing riders to one place or another, I have even listed a place or two that I would not recommend and explained why. The example that comes immediately to my mind is one place where the bed was absolutely horrid. But I’ve grown concerned about that. We stayed in that place a long time ago now. I have to believe they have gotten rid of that terrible bed by now; is it fair that I have not changed that listing in all these years? We haven’t been back so I can’t revise the rating upward; should I just delete it now?
What about the design/layout of the place? Planning this year’s OFMC trip the guys told me they really like the places where you can park your bike right outside the door. That makes it an easy schlep of your gear and the bike is right there in case someone tries to mess with it. Does that make a place biker-friendly? I know I prefer that because I hate carrying all my gear through a hallway, up a stairway, and down another hallway. Still, if they have carts that you can load it all onto, and an elevator, and you can easily roll it all then it’s really not that bad. Do carts and an elevator make a place biker-friendly?
What else? Some places make a point to offer rags for cleaning your bike. Now, certainly many of them do this for their own interests because too many bikers have been jerks and used good towels and washcloths for that purpose, and those towels and washcloths are then ruined. Still, it’s always nice when at check-in the clerk tells you where to find rags to clean your bike. That definitely seems biker-friendly.
But what else? I’d really like to hear your thoughts because if it makes sense I want to revise this page. But in what way? Should I include a checklist: rags–check; actively seeking biker business–check; preferred motorcycle parking–check. You get the picture. Or what? Let me know what you think.
Biker Quote for Today
100 Reasons not to date a motorcyclist: We have grease under our fingernails.
