Vagabondetravel

Hooligan or Biker: An Evolution of the Genre

The term ‘Biker’ is slowly changing/ evolving. And I fail to understand which term to use!

Author: Sheetal Bidaye

The Good Old Days:

It was our ‘Good Old Biker’ travelling distances on his trusted old machine, be it a Triumph, a Harley Davidson or a Royal Enfield, which he used to wash and polish himself each weekend. Oil stained jeans and a thick textile jacket, if not leather, to beat the cold. Big leather boots and a scratched open-face helmet with a scarf hiding his, otherwise would have been visible face! Each time bikers passed on their vrooming machines, heads turned – Mostly in delight but a few in displeasure as their dressing & attitude was not ‘acceptable’. Sadly the bikers were being branded as “hooligans”.

Good Old Biker

Legends:

We all knew of at least one such biker. He wasn’t just a biker. He was a traveler, a story teller, a wise soul full of experience and knowledge. A down-to-earth person we could all relate to. He was a kind-hearted individual who would not miss an opportunity to help. ‘He’ was the ‘biker’, the human we all looked up to. An idol, a Guru for many of us.

This idolizing brought forth many younger enthusiasts and their gurus carefully guided them on their individual machines. Some became exceptional race-riders, some went touring the farthest of destinations and some became Gurus themselves, handing down their knowledge to the deserving ones.

Marc Marquez #93 leading Valentino Rossi #46 MotoGP

The Inspiration:

As these youngsters ventured out, nationally as well as on foreign grounds, learning and sharpening their skills, the importance of safety and responsibility started sinking in. They acquired and modified their riding styles. Good quality helmets, riding jackets with armour and boots formed the biker’s safety gear. This not only brought about a change in their style of dressing but changed their entire persona itself!

Their behavior improved along with their riding as they mellowed down from being ‘rash’ to ‘skilled’ riders. Society not only accepted them but was proud to acknowledge them and their achievements. Commoners started taking notice of this, especially the ones that had shown their displeasure before, and bikers started gaining the respect which they had never known earlier.

action-bike-racing-bike-rider-biker gear

The Swag:

With success comes glamour. Fashion and trends came in. The age-old legacy of motorcycling got a face-lift. Each boy dreamt of riding a bike and every girl dreamt of a rider! Learners chucked aside their insecurities and aimed to be professionals one day! Motorcycling groups started taking shape and tyres and pistons were hot topics for discussions across coffee tables.

In the process of being accepted and liked by fellow riders, youngsters went on to the extent of imitating their favourite sports-rider. They sported similar clothing and fashion accessories. Painted their bikes to match their hero’s machines. Tried too hard to ape their rider icons yet, couldn’t.

Valentino Rossi Fan Club

The Big Mistake:

The reason behind this was the inspiration but sadly they were only imitating fashion but not their riding techniques. Their icons had undergone professional guidance and after tough training and hard trials had they reached where they stood tall. Without acquiring any riding skill set, these bunch of youngsters started calling themselves as ‘Bikers’ and also came up with colourful names for their ‘Biker’ groups.

These groups not only exhibited rash riding but were termed as ‘anti-social’ owing to their unruly behavior and senseless acts of hooliganism.  Without much experience, big bikes were being purchased at an early age. Result? Increase in road accidents. Fatal crashes. And a lot of tears.

Dangerous Stunts

Do it Right!:

With many international motorcycle brands flocking in, customers have a large variety of bikes to choose from – Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, Suzuki and many more! Most of these are high-powered machines and require specific skill sets and experience apart from spending big-money! Yet, we see many youngsters riding these super-bikes. It is nothing less than criminal of parents to let their young ones buy these high-powered bikes at such an early age.  Ideally, the youngster should get a learner’s license and practice on a smaller two-wheeler before upgrading to a higher model. Once a permanent licence is acquired, the rider must practice very well on a 100cc bike and upgrade to higher ones as and when he can comfortably handle the smaller bike on all terrains, at all times.

Upgrade your ride thoughtfully

The motorcycling community as of today is very large and comprises of many types of riders, like Track-racers, Tourers, Endurance-riders, Off-roaders, Commuters and ‘Posers’, to name a few. While the rest are busy doing what they are best at, it is the posers who are hard to deal with! Rallies and Auto expos are filled with these wanna-be’s or as I would call them, ‘Mock-stars’!

Ride Hard. Ride Safe!:

Yet again, it is time to realise and stop what is wrong. We, as riders are responsible not only for ourselves and the society but for the entire biking community! Being responsible is quite simple, for those who want to be! Just a few reminders to keep in mind such as, NO OVER-SPEEDING, NO RASH-RIDING and FOLLOWING TRAFFIC RULES.

We, the bikers of today don’t wish to be labelled as ‘Hooligans’ just like our predecessors.

Rides & Riders Live On