Riding one big bottle-rocket into 2008
From the small office in the back corner,
near the water cooler

January 2nd, 2008

Like trying on a new pair of jeans in one of those trendy boutique clothing stores with too many younger shoppers looking on, we find ourselves awkwardly in a brand new year wishing it would fit better and the whole episode just didn’t feel so weird.

As this editorial is being typed up the first few days of 2008 are fresh memories and those of last year are quickly turning into tall tales for the next bike night.

Everywhere you look, someone is doing something clever in a literal sense, weaving humor, resolutions, what happened last year and possibilities for this one in various publications, magazines, newspapers, blogs and websites. Yep, if there were ever a topic to turn that blank page into a witty banter of three hundred words or more, this subject matter is golden for columnists.

Some will write about how to make a resolution that can be kept or more easily fulfilled, while others will dismiss the very idea of making any kind of promise to begin with. The more narcissistic writers may even fill the page with what they’ve resolved to complete in 2008.

And then there are the more pseudo-benevolent wordsmiths who will tell us what they wish for us, maybe even for that passion we call riding, or if feeling a tad bit ambitious their hopes for the world.

With all that said, where does this humble pen-pusher fit into the grand circle of literal life?

Bearing in mind the word narcissism (or any form of it) always has to be spell-checked when I use it so it’s obvious to say there’ll be no resolutions publicly made, and since we’ve already looked back on the year that was in Clutch and Chrome’s Best and Worst of 2007, only gazing forward to 2008 is left

Rather than going down the well traveled road of what we’d like to see happen in the upcoming year, let’s review what we all should realistically expect from 2008. No crystal balls were used for this editorial and we certainly didn’t perform any sacrificial ceremonies, although if the neighborhood cat walks on my motorcycle one more time it could quickly be arranged.

This look forward comes from following emerging trends for both riding as well as the state of the country’s economy, expert’s opinions and items reviewed in the various articles on Clutch and Chrome. Consider this editorial the literal version of using a finely-honed skill of reading the road far enough ahead to spot hazards in time to anticipate them.

No records will be set in 2008 for motorcycle sales, with the verdict still out at the time of writing over motorcycle manufacturers overall performance last year. The latter part of the third quarter and most of the fourth had disappointing sales for all but the newest of manufacturers. The companies that led the pack for popularity and sales are taking the brunt of the ‘motorcycle boom’ slowdown.

The ‘credit crunch’ endlessly mentioned by the national news media will impact sales further and if riders default on their current motorcycle loans, dealers will see even more inventory in the marketplace.

While all this may seem dire with yours truly bringing down the general mood of a year that’s just started, it’s not really. The rise in popularity of the motorcycle brought not only more choice and creativity over the last few years it also created a rise in prices. There didn’t seem to be an upper limit to what was being spent on a new ride, with an atmosphere of owning the latest, greatest, shiniest motorcycle with all the latest technology taking over from something that’s far more important about our two-wheeled wonders.

Getting and out riding them. Enjoying the open road and riding to ride, not to show off your motorcycle at the next bike night.

Although there may be fewer people out on motorcycles, we should still see about the same number of riders laying down the real miles. Expect to meet the same hardcore biker buddies at that gas station located in the middle of nowhere that makes its living from truckers, bikers and lost tourists. You know the place you fill up the tank from the pump and your stomach with micro waved burritos, which oddly enough brings their own particular brand of gas not much later.

Just as the next twelve months will calm down the upper-end of the motorcycle market, deals and incentives will be found for the bikes the everyday rider usually buys. Dealers will need to shift bloated inventories and buyers will be able to find bargains in the form of either inexpensive financing, extended warranties or the old-fashioned method of price-cuts.

Some are saying that one of the saving graces for dealerships is the ever-increasing cost of gas and the public moving from four wheels to two, but even those potential new buyers won’t be able to make up for the high expectations and annual growth the industry came to expect. Unfortunately, increasing gas prices will have a more apparent impact on riders when rallies and motorcycle events across the country face smaller numbers of bikers attending. For the larger events that draw bikers who trailer their rides from great distances this downward trend began last year with Sturgis and will continue while gas prices are so high.

Once again, where some see this as a negative, we at Clutch and Chrome can appreciate the positive effects of smaller crowds at rallies. Sometimes the sheer number of motorcycles at the larger rallies creates a challenge getting around and enjoying the sights of the hosting city or town. The ongoing success of the various rallies will rely on organizers (who apparently viewed the events as a way to print money) to budget and plan accordingly and still profit from the smaller numbers. Hopefully, this in itself may result in lowering the overall cost of attending the larger rallies, which like motorcycle prices seemed to increase in leaps and bounds over the past few years.

Finally, two ongoing concerns will bring the average biker into the public forum and while it may initially appear that neither are the easiest roads to ride, if we pull together like the brotherhood we should be, the destination should be well worth the trip.

The Department of Transportation will roll out their multi-pronged campaign to reduce motorcycle highway fatalities over the course of 2008. There are a few ambiguous points in the public proposal, but overall it bodes well to help riders with licensing standardization and safety training but also targets road-builders as well as the other roads users, letting them know motorcycles use the highways as well.

A more inflammatory discussion will come in the form of noise and anti-motorcycle ordnances being rolled out by State and local governments all over the country. Usually initiated to combat loud pipes, over-zealous council members and local politicians quickly draft laws to take away a biker’s basic road-using rights.

As mentioned before, if we come together as a group to discuss the proposed laws it can only show the power riders should rightly have in this country. When the general public realizes not just how many people ride motorcycles, but also our diverse backgrounds and the wide range of society we represent, bikers will finally get a face behind the visor and a voice in politics.

Anytime you can sit in a saddle is a good time to be a biker, and 2008 has the possibility of taking it to a whole new level. We may be given the opportunity to remember the joy of riding, make more biker buddies and find our rightful place on not only the nations highway’s but also in the minds of the general public. Everyone around the offices at Clutch and Chrome is certainly excited about being part of the road trip through this year of 2008, and we would be honored to ride by your side.

And as promised, we made no mention of resolutions, what to make, or how to keep them. I guess it can be done!

However, we would like to recommend not losing too much weight off that tush of yours, save some padding for that really great ride you’re going to take later on this year.


The Editor 

Past Editorials

June 23rd
Fixing political mistakes with good old fashion biker sense
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Charles Dickens opened his novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ with that seemingly contrary sentence. Even though the famous British author wrote his contemporary stories during England’s Victorian Era, the sentiments could be about bikers in Anytown USA, here and now.

April 25th
Stereotype or Savior. What will motorcycles be the struggling drivers?
The recent news story about the general attitude of road-users in Connecticut surprised many around the Clutch and Chrome offices. Not because the general feeling was drivers didn’t like bikers. No, we’re used to that.

April 10th
Welcome to our new home
Sure it may look like we've knocked out a few walls or something as extreme as adding a whole new wing, but its amazing what a little bit of paint, some well-placed plants and a new set of curtains can do.

March 20th
American Idol, frontier of biker's rights?
So American Idol’s Queen of rock is gone. Long live the queen. This editorial is being written the day after Amanda Overmyer was asked by the viewing voters to hop on her Sportster and ride off into the graphically-enhanced, blue back-lit Fox sunset.

March 5th, 2008
Thankfully, life isn't a bumper sticker
The bumper sticker, whose quick phrase put a smile on drivers faces or could solve any of life’s problems, seemed to infect every car on the road with its humor, wit and thought provoking slogans has become a rare sight in recent years.

January 11th, 2008
Throwing names into the Dunce Cap
With Clutch and Chrome’s Best and Worst of 2007 just recently published, the morning meetings which ran into afternoons and occasionally finished over drinks are still fresh in everyone’s minds around the office. It’s not surprising then to read every news story that finds it’s way onto the pages of Clutch and Chrome with an eye to what will be nominated, and possibly win next years awards. But who would’ve thought that just ten days into the new year we’d not only be reading, but for some possibly living, a shoo in for Dumbest motorcycle moment of 2008?

January 2nd, 2008
Riding one big bottle-rocket into 2008
Like trying on a new pair of jeans in one of those trendy boutique clothing stores with too many younger shoppers looking on, we find ourselves awkwardly in a brand new year wishing it would fit better and the whole episode just didn’t feel so weird.

December 20th, 2007
Like looking in a mirror
One of the biggest ironies must be that of the holiday season and the biker.
In many ways, your average rider has so many similarities to the big man and his magical visit that children the world over look forward too.

November 29th, 2007
Santa Claus and Cynics
Who needs any reindeer or the silly red suit? Okay, maybe the suit isn’t so silly and surely enough bikers will tell you that well insulated Santa attire is just what the bike-doctor ordered for your upcoming local and possibly cold Toy Run. It even looks good when you make the local paper and for some, it’s the rare occasion a color other than black can be worn while riding.

November 2nd, 2007
Facing down destiny with a Podcast
The road ahead is lit by sunlight streaming through dark, looming storm clouds. It’s not just the turning of the season bringing a chill to the heavy lying air. Bikers are riding across the Great Plains of life straight towards a menacing storm front, stretching for as far as the eye can see.

September 25th, 2007
Trying to ignore the sound of crashing celebrities
So it had been weeks in the making, between the first few thoughts, organizing them into some kind of order and then typing it all out. Everything was looking great. It was a deep introspective into our riding world, what bikers are facing, possible consequences and most importantly how we as a group will face them.

July 24th, 2007
What every biker has in common with Brad Pitt
It’s not often that Clutch and Chrome has the opportunity to share common interests with world of gossip, stars and glamorous Hollywood.

July 1st, 2007
The new darling of advertisers everywhere
There is no doubt the humble motorcycle is experiencing a wave of popularity and acceptance across all sections of society. Our riding brothers of yesteryear who were at best judged and at worst actively discriminated against could only watch in amazement at how beloved bikers and their machines have become.

June 11th, 2007
Riding gear, new look and life lessons
I know, I know, certainly a lot of road to cover in one trip, but it has been two months since the last editorial so it’s understandable having a lot to write about.

April 3rd, 2007
Our big screen biker brothers.....
After nearly a year of the first inklings the demonic motorcycle daredevil would burst onto the big screen, and a shorter six months of build-up for the all-star comedic biker-buddy movie, both Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs are quickly fading into movie history.

March12th, 2007
Perfection over passion
Although this editorial may at first feel the furthest from motorcycles and the people who love to ride them, I’d ask for indulgence and patience while we go around the houses eventually getting to the point.

February 2nd, 2007
The fresh smell of fines in the air
The first month of the New Year is still fresh in our minds and already the world of riding is greeted with gainsaying.

December 26th, 2006
Why Bikers are dogs
Admittedly it’s a loaded and possibly inflammatory headline, open to a range of interpretations. But before all the female readers have their heads fall off from nodding in agreement with much enthusiasm, don’t jump ahead of me.

November 12th, 2006
Politics on Two Wheels
Just when you thought there would be a sanctuary from the endless stream of political reporting, electoral Monday morning quarterbacks and analysis of the analysis which picked apart the original analysis, here’s an editorial which should be about motorcycles but instead references the mid-term elections.

October 23rd, 2006
Riding with a bullseye on the back
There are always signs. This editorial isn't about the ones that stand on the side of the road which help various vehicles navigate the endless roads of this great country.

September 20th, 2006
Changes and perspectives
It's always a hard making a decision for change, with the degree's of difficulty usually corresponding with how much it impacts your life.

August 19th, 2006
Two sides Of the Worlds Coin
A quick informal survey around the cyber-office has all the staff of Clutch and Chrome admitting the same thing. Everyone is crazy about motorcycles. Sure some may lean, if you'll excuse the pun to one kind or even one brand of bike, but all in all if it's moves, is motorized and has two wheels, we're interested.

July 26th, 2006
Life is like A sharp blind curve
I always find the best friendships are those built on complete understanding and upfront honesty. Certain buddies are quite happy with riding once a month while others look forward to weekly mini-excursions. Being the easy-going biker types and not pushing anyone for more than they're willing to give has our circle of friends happily wearing smiles and enjoying life.

June 16th, 2006
Limited run only!!! Tragic news and moral outrage
The last week just goes to show that any type of momentum, regardless of how strong it may appear is stoppable and maybe even reversible. But before we get to the conclusion, lets baby-step our way through the connecting dots.

May 1st 2006
Looking back, glancing forward
It’s been just over three weeks since Clutch and Chrome has been ‘live’ on the internet. That is, according to the official launch date and schedule the Clutch and Chrome staff was working with.......

April 1st 2006
A note from the Editor
I’m honored to be the first to welcome you to Clutch and Chrome, a website devoted to news, information, facts and figures about motorcycles for those who love to ride them.......