I agree totally that all who ride bikes are not bikers. It goes beyond the physical act of riding a motorcycle to be a considered a biker but does it mean you have to belong to a club/gang or ride in all weather or ride a certain type of motorcycle. In my considered opinion it absolutely does not. So what is it that makes a biker. One of the things that makes motorcycling so appealing is the community. It is true that no matter where you go in the world, if you ride a bike then you have friends and there will be someone you can rely on to offer help should you need it. This is special and an almost unique feature of bikers. You never pass a fellow biker who has broken down even if you just check they're OK. We look out for each other, it's a brotherhood, it doesn't matter if you know the other personally, the fact that they ride a bike is enough. The bike they ride is irrelevant, scooter, small bike, big bike, cruiser, sports bike, tourer, they all have two wheels and that's all that matters. It's the very diversity that makes riding bikes so compelling. It doesn't matter if you're a weekend warrior or if you ride every day in every weather. It's your way of thinking and the way you act that makes you a biker, nothing else.
In my experience there are many people riding bikes who wouldn't stop to help a fellow rider, who don't partake in the community. These people may well ride a lot and may ride in all conditions but they are riders, not bikers. It may be a sweeping generalisation but my observation is that they are largely, but not exclusively, from the younger generations. I don't want to tar all with the same brush, there are many older bikers who look down on those riding 125s or scooters forgetting that we all started there, they're not bikers either, but as a rule it does hold true and is a reflection of a wider social trend. I'm happy to say though that I have come across a number of noticeable exceptions to that rule which is encouraging.
I guess the most important thing is to realise that we all have different motivations and reasons for doing what we do. It doesn't make us right or wrong, just different. Can't we just accept that and get on with it. Why do we all have to comply with a single set of rules, why can't we just live and let live. I know what I think is important and what I hold dear about riding bikes. I also accept that others may have different ideas that don't fit my ideal and that I may not actually like or approve of. That doesn't make me either right or wrong, just different. So long as they also accept the same of me then it's all good. So come on guys, let's just ride our bikes and get on with enjoying our bikes no matter what form that might take.
