Whats up with the rat bike look? - Harley Davidson Forums: Harley Davidson Motorcycle Forum

GAZOO! · 10-07-2007, 08:54 PM

OK, maybe I am officially old, but I hate this rat bike trend. I just don't get what it is about. How can you be proud of a piece of shit that shows no craftsmanship, no pride, nothing but greasy parts picked for their trendiness.

I hate em.

lakedrunk · 10-08-2007, 09:41 AM

I bet the people that have them hate you

seriously though, some of them I like but most you are right they look like crap!!!

DiamondLil · 10-08-2007, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakedrunk

...they look like crap!!!

By design, right?

GAZOO! · 10-08-2007, 04:42 PM

Yeah, by design. I just don't get it. Is it supposed to show you are so hard core that you don't have time to stop being your bad-assed biker self and clean the oil off your rear wheel? What? I don't understand.

Seems to me to be a great way to pass on the silly waste of time that involves craftsmanship.

Pete Logan · 10-09-2007, 02:21 AM

Well - there's today's $30,000 'rat' bikes which I can't understand at all, but then there's old school rats which I do get. These were not 'built up', but stripped down. Basically taking everything off the bike that isn't actually required for it to run at all.

Neither of my bikes is a rat by either definition, just working bikes that get all the maintenance, but not much cleaning

GAZOO! · 10-09-2007, 12:13 PM

Let me jump on my soap box.

I understand the guy who doesn't have a ton of $$$ or is doing a lot of riding. Usually these bikes are well maintained, but maybe lacking in as many detail jobs as they could use.

What I am talking about is exactly what you pointed out....the $30k rat bike look.

You know what? I'm not broke anymore. I worked hard to get to the point where I am not broke. I see no reason of riding a dirty, or dirty -looking-for-fashion bike just to I can make you think I am some hard-core biker dude. My old 76 FLH was worn, but it was clean. I don't understand those who try to affect the hard-core biker dude look by emulating this type of thing. I have some friends who really are 1%ers and they can sniff these guys out in a second and will eat their lunch. Just be who you are, you know?

OK, I'm done.

Pete Logan · 10-09-2007, 04:08 PM

On the assumption that was aimed at me, I couldn't agree more.

The first bike I rode (after the seriously embarassing scooter) was a TriBSA - a Triumph 650 shoveled into a DBD frame. That thing didn't have a single component on it that didn't make it go.

At the time - '60s' - that might have been called a rat bike if the term had existed.

I rode it for transport.

Now I ride for fun. I have two bikes, a shovelhead and a Suzuki GS.

The shovelhead was heavily modified before I got it, and I have done a little more - mostly aimed at reliability and comfort. It's currently in the dealer cos it blew the crank bearings. That's an ongoing story, but I am not going to be doing the work on that.

The Zuki is bone stock and that's the way it's going to stay.

Personally, I couldn't care less what bike anybody rides, nor could I care less whether they clean the damn thing or not. It's a machine. I don't clean my cars either.

I don't look like a biker, I am not a biker, and I don't give a flat flying fukc what anyone thinks I look like.

Nor do I give a flat flying fukc what any 1%er thinks, beyond the fact that I have usually found them to be decent, honest and sensible people.

I would like to offer my sincere apologies to anyone I have failed to offend

Oh Man, you are a scream

GAZOO! · 10-09-2007, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Logan

On the assumption that was aimed at me, I couldn't agree more.:

Aimed at you? Absolutely not. Just discussing it with you. I think we probably are saying the same thing basically.

DiamondLil · 10-09-2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazoo

...Just be who you are, you know?...

Some people have a hard enough time being themselves when they are alone in a room looking in the mirror, never mind out there in the so called cold harsh world. For some reason motorcycling historically allows people to costume up.

That being said, I love to keep my ride as clean as I can and any motorcycle gear on me tends to look a bit like a costume...no-one would really wear such a get-up

**Kainam** · 10-10-2007, 02:06 AM

I dunno, whats worse?... buying doo-dads out of the Harley catalog and having the dealership put them on for you, or fixing, making, adapting parts on hand to work on your bike?

Personally, I would rather look at a real rat bike (not the "engineered" $30k kind) than a bike that someone opened a catalog and ordered a bunch of doo-dads and had someone bolt them on for them. A welded up inner primary doesnt bother me in the slightest.