A new kind of rider, part 2.

I really appreciate all the response to the last post. The topic touches something deep inside us, doesn't it? I felt compelled to take it a little further. For one thing, consider it a group reply to the comments. Your expressions are all thought provoking. This is a chance to take your comments and the discussion further down the road.

Secondly, I feel like I want to make it a little more clear where I was coming from. To help with that, I'm going to break it down to three areas. Self perception, gear, and training. Consider this fair warning, though. Use the restroom before we leave as the post might get long. I can't say right now.

Self perception

Several of you mentioned the fact that you knew of scooter riders who were "type specific". These ones are clearly scooter riders and don't want to be motorcycle riders. Even within the scooter genre, they are often brand specific.

That goes on with motorcycle riders as well as scooter riders. I've been dissed by Harley riders, squids, metric cruiser riders, pretty much all of them. Although I have to say the only time I've been on the receiving end of outright hostility has been from Harley riders. I totally recognize that in each case it's not typical of all riders in each group. There just seems to be a lot of division among the two wheeled world.

However, it's not that kind of division that I'm talking about.

In the picture above you see a scooter parked among the motorcycles. I had a chance to visit with the scooter rider. He considers himself a two wheeled enthusiast. Most scooter riders feel the same way. And it's here we find the exact point I was talking about.

Whether on a scooter or a motorcycle, most of us have a passion for riding. That's what a lot of your comments indicated, also. I saw several mentions of how a scooter was a fun way to get around. You appreciate a scooter for what it is. High fuel economy is a bonus, not a critical criteria for riding it in the first place. First and foremost you're a part of the two wheeled world. The people I'm talking about look at things differently.

Dave made an interesting comment on this. He said, "Well there are people who ride scooters and there are scooter riders".

The ones I were referring to are the ones who "ride scooters".

Bear with me, but I think there's actually two reasons these people don't perceive themselves as motorcycle riders.

In the beginning these people start riding purely for economic reasons. Harv commented on how they figure up the costs of the scooter, the cost of filling the SUV, and the savings from the high fuel mileage of the scooter. What it boils down to is putting out less money for fuel. Due to the nature of riding, though, it seldom stays there.

One of two things will happen. Either these people catch the passion, or they give up.

Guess what, folks? Spring and Summer can be nice to ride in. Bad weather eventually comes. Those riding just for fuel economy soon find out that they have no desire at all to ride in inclement weather. Heck, a lot of us don't want to ride in inclement weather, either. The difference is that we plan trips, like Mr. Riepe, blog like most of us here, read bike magazines, and so on. The ones riding solely for cheap transportation put the scooter away and never think of two wheels again until the next season.

I realize that riding in the snow or deep freeze like some of us do is sort of extreme. You think? The people I'm talking about start riding a scooter with an unrealistic picture and don't usually last longer than a few months. Next Spring they'll ride again. A scooter is a way to save money but they don't want to be uncomfortable doing it. Again, these are people without the passion for riding. The scooter is just the same to them as a car but with no roof. There's the danger. Their famous battle cry, which I've heard over and over, is

"It's just a scooter". More on that later.

Sometimes, like the Anonymous commenter from NY, though, the enthusiasm for riding catches on. The scooter was their first bike. It's still up in the air if they'll move on to a standard motorcycle. Reading the comment, though, you can see the enthusiasm for riding come through. This is a motorcyclist that rides a scooter. I sincerely hope that multitudes more find these first steps to be just as compelling.

There can be a hitch in the journey, though.

The following is my own opinion. I also realize it's really easy to over simplify things. I'm not going to write long qualifying statements on each paragraph. So generalizations are going to have to work for us. Feel free to express your own opinions in a comment.

As a very active instructor I've had the chance to talk to thousands of new riders. This includes scooter riders. I believe this explanation helps understand the reaction of the lady I described in the last post. Hear me out and see what you think.

People starting to ride scooters for fuel economy are car drivers looking for a cheaper alternative. They are still thinking like car drivers. These are the people that we've blogged about. We call them bogies, or The Enemy, or brain dead people in boxes, and so on. There's reasons we write and talk about these things. These car drivers, in turn, are a part of John Q. Public. Like ideas riders have about drivers, Mr. and Ms. Public have definite ideas about motorcyclists, or "bikers". You know what these are.

Like in any other aspect of life, the group is judged by the actions of the very visible few who chose to think only of themselves. I don't have to go into the whole list here. You know what's on this list, though, don't you? Loud pipes, stunting, and other irresponsible behaviour top the list. On a more subtle level, I've probably done things myself that didn't exactly put us in the best light. Maybe you have, too. Like riding too close to the back of a car that we feel is holding us up. Once we get the chance we pass quite aggressively. What double yellow lines? While not in the same class as some other things riders do, those who don't understand motorcycles could easily misinterpret these actions in a negative light. Mr. and Ms. Public may or may not have their own personal experiences in the regard. I'll bet they have plenty of family and friends who are more than willing to fill in the blanks with their own biased stories.

Now Mr. or Ms. Public is on a scooter. Once there, they start to realize that they're on two wheels. Dangerously close to being associated with these "undesirables", they hold that image at arm's length. Reason and logic should dictate that there's a whole big group of responsible and courteous riders out there. Whoever said the human race was logical and reasonable? All people can think about are the images burned into their brains. They want cheaper transportation but God forbid anyone would associate them with any sort of two wheeled low lifes.

I can still see this lady visibly retreating from me and what I'm saying. It's horrible to her that anyone would even think this middle class business woman would even remotely be connected to "those people".

Thus the stiff arm routine. "It's only a scooter" becomes the defensive line. Most people can't relax and enjoy being what they are. Don't believe it? Ok, how many people around you can you think of that are clinging to their "status" symbols? Come on, quick, think of exceptions. Ok, admit it. Appearance is everything to most people. This is where it gets dangerous for those riding on two wheels. That's where we'll go in the next post.

Stay tuned. We're just getting started.

Miles and smiles,

Dan