Really Easy Rider

[staedtler]

I know, i just can't help it...

 

 

""This year, nobody is really going to know, because we're having our bikes delivered to the house we're renting," Mr. Fierst said. Before riding into town, he and his friends will take an extra precaution.

 

"We'll wipe a little bit of dirt on our faces," he said."

 

 

just amazing!

[Admin Jaap]

I have to register...

[staedtler]

well...here's the article from the times

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving

The Really Easy Rider

 

 

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

Published: August 5, 2005

LIKE pilgrims to some holy land, but tattooed and on two wheels, thousands of motorcyclists will converge in Sturgis, S.D., next week to be part of one of the country's largest and longest-running gatherings of bikers. Many will ride for days, enduring miles of blistering sun, bouts of rain and the occasional mouthful of bugs before arriving in a cloud of dust at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

 

Chevalier Kevorkian will be there, too, just as he has been about a dozen times before. But his bike will roll into town another way - in the back of a tractor trailer. For roughly $675, Mr. Kevorkian, a 57-year-old screenwriter from Palm Springs, Calif., is having his Harley shipped from his hometown to Sturgis and back. Instead of taking three long days of riding just to get there, he'll arrive fresh off a flight and pick up his bike at a local hotel.

 

"I just don't have the schedule to do it this year," said Mr. Kevorkian, who has ridden to Sturgis from Los Angeles in the past. "At least I'll be there and be on my own bike."

 

In a major shift from tradition, a small but growing number of enthusiasts, who like to ride but not to rough it, are shipping instead of riding their bikes to motorcycle events. For the months of May through August, the Federal Warehouse Company in East Peoria, Ill., an affiliate of Allied Van Lines, expects to ship 3,000 bikes for individuals and groups to various places this year, up from 2,800 as recently as 2003.

 

Taking notice of the niche, FedEx began marketing a vehicle shipping service in January - a venture the company bought in 2000 and rebranded last year. FedEx is marketing the service for groups. For example, it will ship 12 motorcycles one-way from Los Angeles to Sturgis for $617 each. That's $895 below the charge for shipping an individual bike.

 

Even more motorcycle enthusiasts are driving to events on four wheels, pulling their bikes behind them in trailers. Lisa Weyer, director of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, estimates that the number of people who ride to town has fallen to below half of all attendees. "Most people trailer nowadays," she said.

 

Not surprisingly, some hard-core bikers aren't pleased with the trend. At Sturgis and other big gatherings like Laconia Motorcycle Week in New Hampshire some attendees wear T-shirts with a slogan that reads: "I rode my bike to trailer week."

 

Lee Bruns, 37, a machinist from Watertown, S.D., and his wife, Donna, stopped going to the Sturgis rally several years ago. "The overwhelming number of trailers have so overrun the event that we no longer wish to attend," he said. "The whole idea of motorcycle ownership is not, nor has ever been, about the destination. It is and always will be about the journey."

 

THE popularity of custom motorcycles, sparked by shows like "American Chopper" on the Discovery Channel, is contributing to the trend. Many of these bikes, built for fashion rather than function, are just not comfortable for long rides. And after paying thousands for a custom paint job, most owners aren't willing to risk the kind of damage many miles of kicking up dirt and gravel could cause.

 

As a result, motorcycle trailer makers say their business has taken off in recent years. Haulmark Industries in Bristol, Ind., said sales of its motorcycle trailers are up about 25 percent in the last few years. The company plans to introduce two new models at the Sturgis rally this year that are priced from $25,000 to $35,000. The enclosed trailers come equipped with air-conditioning, two fold-down beds, a bathroom, maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances. There's also room for two motorcycles.

 

Some shippers cater specifically to bikers headed to events. "This year, we're turning lots of people away for Sturgis because we're simply full," said Kristy Garcia, who runs Harley Haul in Pottstown, Pa., with her husband, Rob. The business, which currently uses one tractor-trailer, is doing so well they plan to add another next year.

 

Putting a bike on a truck doesn't mean it's safe from accidents. Last month, Tommy Simmons, a pharmacist from Darlington, S.C., watched as Federal Warehouse loaded his Harley onto a tractor-trailer headed for Sturgis. But just days before his trip, Mr. Simmons got a call telling him his bike had been badly damaged in transit. "It's just a disaster," said Mr. Simmons, who had been planning the trip for a year. "There's nothing to do if you don't have a bike."

 

Such accidents are "very rare" said Jackie Taylor, manager of motorcycle transportation at Federal Warehouse. About 3 percent of the 13,000 bikes it ships each year are damaged, according to Federal's Web site (www.funtransport.com), and the average claim is usually around $500. Though the company won't refund Mr. Simmons his money, it has offered to ship out a spare bike he owns for free.

 

The new approach to getting to Sturgis is a big change from the days when dust-encrusted biker gangs would take over the town and residents would board up their homes and leave.

 

The demographic of motorcycle buyers has shifted in recent years. In 2003, the average motorcycle owner earned $55,850, up about 26 percent from $44,250 in 1998, according to the most recent data from the Motorcycle Industry Council. On average, Harley-Davidson owners earn more than $80,000 a year, according to the company.

 

For many of these riders, motorcycles are more a hobby than a lifestyle. As a result, some motorcycle gatherings are losing their rough edge. "People used to think Bandidos and Hell's Angels," said Tom Griffith, a spokesman for the Sturgis rally. "Now, you're just as likely to see a bunch of lawyers driving, and for the first time in 51 weeks they haven't shaved."

 

Of course, many bikers still ride to events. Last year, Steve Quarles, 48, president of an ad agency in Nashville, Tenn., traveled roughly 1,300 miles on his Harley Road Glide to get to Sturgis. This year he plans to do it again. "It's really a point of pride and distinction for those of us who ride," said Mr. Quarles, who has a sticker on his helmet that says, "I rode mine to Sturgis 2004."

 

For bikers who don't ride, there can be consequences. "Everybody rags on you a bit," said Dan Dunham, owner of Kickstart, a motorcycle shipping company in Lakeland, Fla., "but at least you're there."

 

Some riders simply fake it. Last year, Eric Fierst, who works for a moving company in Landover, Md., that is affiliated with Allied, said that he and his buddies got some flak for trailering their motorcycles.

 

"This year, nobody is really going to know, because we're having our bikes delivered to the house we're renting," Mr. Fierst said. Before riding into town, he and his friends will take an extra precaution.

 

"We'll wipe a little bit of dirt on our faces," he said.

[jrt]

weak.

[Ballacraine]

Tragic!

 

If they are going to do that why not buy some spray on mud too!

 

I know some folks miss the point, but at least most are shooting in the right direction.

 

 

 

 

If they had a sense of humour at least they would wear goggles, flying helmets false moustaches, and silk scarves with wire coat hangers in them.

 

Nige.

[Ralph Werner]

Not only are the custom bikes uncomfortable, how about getting constantly whipped by all of those leather fringes on the jackets and pants!

[Enzo]

Funny article. I like those shirts - "I rode to trailer week."

 

Hey Staed - I see that girl has a 'Von Dutch' shirt. Did you see the article about him in this month's Robb Report Motorcycle mag?

[Guest philbo]

I know, i just can't help it...

""This year, nobody is really going to know, because we're having our bikes delivered to the house we're renting," Mr. Fierst said. Before riding into town, he and his friends will take an extra precaution.

 

"We'll wipe a little bit of dirt on our faces," he said."

just amazing!

57567[/snapback]

 

 

What the hell is wrong with the world? I circumnavigated Australia in the mid 80’s on my 850 LeMans and at the time it was a really miserable experience. I pretty much destroyed the bike (along with a couple of discs in my back) but looking back at it now, it may have been the best six weeks of my life. All these wankers on their $50K custom choppers really just don’t get it – nor do they deserve to.

[staedtler]

Enzo... i missed that article, what were they saying?... let me guess...sucking up?

 

hey, congrats on your RC man... sweet! i've been eyeball'n those and the RSV's for quite a while now.

dude, keep up the reviews at your site, i'm curious to hear 'bout it...