You're not a biker if..

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Six30 said:

means your not a mechanic but you are a biker .... who ever said your not a biker cause you dont fix your own bike is a twat.

My experience is it's often said by people who can't ride for shit......but feel the need to validate themselves as somehow being relevant in their peer group.

[WD-40]

The great thing about bikes is there's something in it for every personality type. Do the bit you enjoy and f what anyone else thinks.

[skyrider]

13 minutes ago, WD-40 said:

The great thing about bikes is there's something in it for every personality type. Do the bit you enjoy and f what anyone else thinks.

and try and ride on your own it's safer 

[WD-40]

One thing I would say about doing DIY mechanics is there's some people that would like to give it a go but they don't because they're worried they will damage their bike which is a shame. If you really want to give it a go buy the cheapest pile of scrap you can find and a workshop manual and take it to bits. Even if it never runs you'll learn a lot from doing it and get a bit of confidence that you can do it.

[Gerontious]

8 hours ago, Liveware Problem said:

..you don't fix your own bike.

That seems to be a fairly widely-held belief, I've even heard it from people who don't own motorbikes.

 

 

 

 

 

As a definition that’s a new one on me and complete nonsense (obviously) in this modern age.

sounds to me like the kind of thing bikers with an US v THEM attitude in the 60s and 70s might of come up with... while admiring each other’s denim cut-offs and discussing various sources and brands of patchouli oil over a snakebite at the local.

[Guest Swagman]

To put it simply it is a load of bollokcs, just like the twats that say you aren’t a proper biker if you don’t ride all year, I’ve ridden bikes since 72 sometimes through the winter most times not, I have repaired my own and sometimes not if I want to take it to the garage for repairs that’s my fecking choice and no one else’s so stuff anyone who tells you that you’re not a biker, for certain if you ride a two wheel motorcycle you’re a biker. Rant over.

[raesewell]

You're a proper biker when you pull out to filter and realise you're in the car 

[TimR]

If you want to go down the fix it yourself...

I find it amazing that so many people will happily watch a random video on YouTube to maintain critical components ...

 Yes there is  some knowledgeable content but there is lots that is dangerously infactual but if you don't know the difference as you just base your research solely on that then your life and others are at risk.

Get a haynes manual and back it up by external reference material ..

 

Myself generally i do all my own work and equipped to deal with basic servicing to full engine rebuild  , welding . change tyres on cars or bikes , electrical work 

however i also for the past 3 years send my GTR to Kawasaki for servicing to maintain the 4 year Warranty ( 2 years standard and extended by 2 more)... Yes i could get it cheaper at an Independent but  My Dealer has brilliant customer service , the workshop team know these bikes inside out and know what they are doing so that reduces time and any complications as the Gtr is a labour intensive bike if you are not familiar with it.

 In those years i have spent potentially £2000 on servicing and still have a year left and they are the big ones and will add another £1500 however this has been offset by the ability to not spend rest days not being able to ride , over £1900 worth of warrantied parts and labour covered by the extended warranty ..

Does this mean I'm not a Biker ...

I personally could not give a f**k ...

[Guest]

The reality is that you might like riding fannies......but that doesn't mean you need to be a Gynecologist.

[Fozzie]

Seen a lot of this in the FB groups, and agree it falls under "toxic" behaviour. 

Some guy was giving a girl grief for paying a garage to fit her new exhaust. And then put up pictures of his new exhaust, and I ignored it until he used the phrase "proper biker". So I posted a pic where I cut/welded different manufacturers exhaust parts to make a system for my last project, and another where someone literally made the downpipes. And pointed out I could tell him I was proper, and he wasn't, as could the guy who made his own pipes say that to me. 

If you ride a bike you're a biker, if you don't want to learn or do it yourself that's fine. It keeps someone in gainful employment and the bike shops open doesn't it? Not a bad thing in these current times.

[Leanbiker]

I dont have a garage or a suitable space so off to the mechanic it is 

[Bender]

On 04/12/2020 at 18:31, Leanbiker said:

I dont have a garage or a suitable space so off to the mechanic it is 

I have garage space for lots of bikes, luckily one of them is straight opposite my mates garage so i just drop it off there,  having or not having space is an irrelevance  

[Mawsley]

No time for gatekeepers and self-appointed experts in any sphere of life.

As they say in Phone Shop: “If man say him a ting, then him a ting”

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

The only way this kind of thing gets any traction is if our perception of our worth is determined by what others think of us. 

Unfortunately this way of thinking is endemic in a materialistic society.

I decline to participate in that particular road to misery.

[Throttled]

On 28/11/2020 at 13:58, Liveware Problem said:

..you don't fix your own bike.

I don't think you need to be able to service your bike. I do think a biker should be able to clean and adjust the chain and check the oil level. It is a good idea to be able to change bulbs, adjust the idle and brake/clutch lever if they are adjustable.

[James in Brum]

I’ve only had a licence 16 months and bikes for 3 years. I think you are a biker if you ride or have risen a motorbike. Tribalism is fine when you feel in the tribe and bullshit when you use it to exclude others. 
As for the mechaniccing bits, what a brilliant thing to be able to do, I try when I have time and opportunity with help from here but i also pay experts where I don’t have time or confidence.