Before launching into this
editorial a clarification needs to be made.
I am admittedly old enough to walk
into any bar without being asked to produce a driver’s
license. However, yours truly is also young enough to
wonder if the sixties and early seventies were really as
wonderful as a certain generation keeps telling the rest
of us.
With that being said whatever happened
to the malleable 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.
It
seems the only stickers making their way onto any part of a
vehicle recently are to support a political view or boast
that the driver’s child is doing so well at school they’ve
made the honor roll. Aside from not particularly caring how
well a child who I've never known is doing academically, a
general suspicion that there are very few honor rolls which
haven’t met a student they didn’t like instinctively makes
my eyes roll when coming across one of these.
Obviously this doesn’t happen in view
of the proud driver come parent, since I do have some
feelings and they're controlling a vehicle easily turned
into a deadly weapon.
Just how few of these enlightening
decals seem to make it onto the modern auto was realized
when a truck drove past with a collection of stickers on its
bumper, one which read ‘Yes this is my truck – No, I won’t
move you’.
The offhand humor made me long for the
days of;
-
Beam me up Scotty, no intelligent
life down here
-
Don't knock on Death's door. Ring
the bell and run... he hates that.
-
Honk If Anything Falls Off
-
I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
-
Be nice to your kids. They'll
choose your nursing home.
-
I still miss my Ex .... but my aim
is getting better.
-
You're just jealous because the
voices only talk to me!
But obviously the hey-day of bumper
stickers faded with mood rings, big-hair, tight
leather-print pants and over stated shoulder pads in apparel
(and my most sincere apologies if any of these are still
being worn by any of the Clutch and Chrome readers).
Apart from a nostalgic longing (nostalgia
is a thing of the past – another great bumper sticker),
the passing of the humble bumper sticker has more relevance
with motorcycles than one might first realize.
As
with bumper stickers, motorcycles also seem to solve many of
life’s problems. Something bothering you? Put down a few
miles along a favorite road and all those pressing problems
are put into perspective. Need a quick smile, simply walk as
far as your ride and just look. Want to know the meaning of
life? Start up your motorcycle.
But just as the bumper sticker has
faded to a shadow of its once entertaining life, the
wonderful world of two-wheels has come across its own
intersection of destiny.
Many have come to admit life can be a
cruel mistress, teasing with promises only to knock you
upside the head when least expected. In the realms of riding
this came in the form of a variety of models in every type
of motorcycle with engineering and design advances most
riders of past could only dream of. Whatever kind of
motorcycle in any way you wanted it to look, there was
someone who shared the vision and would be more than willing
to build it. For a cost of course.
Record breaking sales allowed large
research and development dollars to bring about a diverse
selection of showroom choices from all the motorcycle
manufacturers. On the dealership floors of Suzuki, Triumph
and Kawasaki, a biker could roam from sportbike to cruiser
in a few short steps. Harley-Davidson has taken its keen eye
for quality and design to bring the riding consumer a
selection of retro-motorcycles with a feel not seen in
mass-production, ever. Victory decided for the streamlined
‘strato-liner’ look putting the sleek Vision on showroom
floors.
All this variety would have surely
spilled onto the roads and highways, ridden by proud new
owners. That is if it wasn’t for this little matter of the
American economy.
If motorcycle sales struggle for any
amount of time, companies may cut operating costs by
reducing the range of models and trimming that research and
development budget, leading to fewer innovations and even
less design risks.
But this editorial isn’t to sound the
death-knell of the motorcycle industry. Far from it. As long
as those two wheels with an engine attached continue to stir
the soul as they do, there will always be people who want to
ride them and the companies who will have to build them.
This
written rambling is to wonder which direction motorcycles,
specifically what type and design will come our way over the
next few years. I had the privileged opportunity to spend
some time with contributors from a variety of motorcycle
magazines and websites at a recent Harley-Davidson
press conference. The general motorcycle knowledge and
sincere passion for everything on two-wheels was beyond
doubt among the group, yet we all bounced around ideas (most
met with a few scratches to the head) about these very
questions.
Obviously the Harley folks thought the
raw, retro-look was the way to go, and by looking at their
latest additions to the family, the Rocker and the
Crossbones, who could blame them.
Without a doubt, the country is facing
some tough times ahead and for bikers it could spill over
into our riding world as well. But just as the problem
economy will help teach some fiscal moderation the
challenging motorcycle industry could come with lessons of
its own.
Most of which were already known to our
fathers and grandfathers of riding;
-
Buy what you can afford, or at
least what you can afford to pay back.
-
Make the choice using your gut
rather than the glamour of the motorcycle.
-
Not every inch of your ride needs
to be accessorized. Does it run, is it safe and most of
all is it fun? Those questions are much more important
than the latest neon gadget being added to your ride.
-
Buy the motorcycle to ride it, not
as a decoration for the garage or a status symbol for
your friends.
Everyone from the newest rider to the
most experienced motorcycle company executive should
remember that sometimes the most exciting ride is one on the
road into the unknown.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the ride
we're all on right now.
But I will tell you this; the minute a
Ducati 1098R is converted to a trike, I’m outta here.
Be safe out there.
The Editor
Thankfully,
Life isn't a bumper sticker