A Rally Experience From a Writer and Riders' Viewpoint
A couple of days ago, I ran into Brian, an old time riding buddy of mine. We do a little catching up, then he invites me to this "Freedom Rally" set for Saturday. I know from how he talks that it is affiliated with a church, but I figured (correctly) that there probably would be a few bikes there worthy of mention on our pages. I also figure that if a church is participating, there is a better than average chance that the proceeds would be used for something good for the community.
Again, I found myself correct (that happens a lot). Part of the proceeds will be used to benefit families of those who have been incarcerated, and the sons of a fallen brother Dusty Ellis. They had vendors selling food, and locked down brothers leather goods, as well as some other goodies. I bought a really nice ring, a raffle ticket for a motorcycle, and some baklava.
Live Blues permeated the atmosphere, door prizes were given away between band sets, and the people were friendly enough. I visited with several of the people, caught up with estranged friends, and generally had a good time. The only disappointment I had was the almost total lack of dedication these people had with their "life-style" There were more cookie cutter HDs there than I had seen in one parking lot in a long time. Of course, there was the inevitable "Ultra" a couple of jap clones, and a cute sportster trike, but there was no HEART in most of the rides there. I found a pretty neat Sportster chopper on a jammer frame, a righteous white Triumph chop, and a way cool Amen frame equipped Kawasaki 900 with a monster big bore kit on it. All three of them deserve space in this zine. They are built with heart and soul, not platinum cards and a factory trained mechanic.
Now, you would figure that with about 50 or so bikes present, there would be some semblance of originality. You would be mostly wrong in this case. There was an extremely pretty lady there that I saw get on a completely stock "night train" HD and I think she honestly thinks she looked cool. Then as I walked around the lot, I saw a buttload of bikes that were just like the one next to them with different paint. I am sure if I had looked hard enough, I would have found a "his and hers" paint scheme on a couple of them. I didn't bother. Like a magnet, the old style hand built choppers drew the people in. Moths to the flame....be careful, you might get burned. I don't know if it is a false sense of nostalgia or genuine curiosity that attracts these people, but they gawked and stared, pointed fingers and looked genuinely confused when they were confronted by a chopper of days gone by.
Paul is an old timer like me. We remember when these bikes were in their heyday, and everywhere you looked you would see one in someone's driveway, garage, on the street, or at the bar. Hondas, Triumphs, Kawasaki 4s, Yamaha 650 twins. We made choppers outta whatever we had. Some were ugly things, some were genuine pieces of art, but what they had in common is HEART. We reminisced about the old days a bit, talked about the man hassling us, and talked about the days when it didn't matter what you rode, only THAT you rode. Can those days truly be gone? The HD boys there seem to think so. I was seen taking pictures of these choppers of my youth, and they never even talked to me...and I personally know some of them.
Sometimes I think it is a pity that a lot of the "bikers" of today weren't living the lifestyle back in the 70's. I truly believe that they might even begin to understand what it is that they are trying to emulate if they had. They choose not to listen when the old timers try to tell them how it used to be, and if that trend continues, where will the history of the true bikers be? A lost history is my bet. As we die off due to old age or accidents or what ever, another piece of biker history is lost. Can they carry the flame of the brothers gone? I certainly hope so, but I am afraid that what is real and good about the biker lifestyle will die forever once us old timers are gone. I beg you old timers out there to find a worthy apprentice to raise in the image of the brotherhood long past. Teach them the lessons of our kin and show them through your actions what being a true biker is all about. Don't strereotype or judge a person by what they ride. That is a sure sign that you have begun to believe the hype that the factories are spewing. Be your own person and allow your apprentice to be his or her own person. It is only through this course of action that our true nature can survive the coming millenium.
Remember the heart of the brotherhood beats wherever two or more of us are gathered in the spirit of giving, caring and the love for our chosen lifestyle. Don't let that die with you.
Till next time, Keep The Rubber Side Down
Butch