[GAZOO!]

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]

I bet the people that have them hate you :stickpoke



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

 

[DiamondLil]

...they look like crap!!!

By design, right?

 

[GAZOO!]

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]

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!]

Let me jump on my soap box.

:soapbox

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?

:soapbox

OK, I'm done.

 

[Pete Logan]

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 :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Oh Man, you are a scream :rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[GAZOO!]

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]

...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:rofl:

 

[Kainam]

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.

 

[Pete Logan]

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

Sorry, I mis-spoke myself. I meant 'aimed at' only in the sense of 'in response to' and that would have been a better way to phrase it.

I believe we agree.

 

[Dinero No Mas]

Sorry, I mis-spoke myself. I meant 'aimed at' only in the sense of 'in response to' and that would have been a better way to phrase it.

I believe we agree.

Pete, You have a medication change? I have never seen you this nice for so long.:rofl::rofl:

 

[Pete Logan]

Pete, You have a medication change? I have never seen you this nice for so long.:rofl::rofl:

Excess of blood in the alcohol stream

 

[Nathang]

My son was a C-130 maintainer, seems like he said that over whole the lifetime of the plane, including major overhauls, the ratio of flight hours to maintenance hours was something like 14 hours maintenance for every flight hour.

If my bikes were to even approach a 1 to 1 maintenance to flight hours ratio,
then I am afraid they will just have to go to hell cosmetically.

heck, I got friends and family I don't have time to maintain properly,
damned if I'll feel much guilt about water-spots or bug-splatter on my bikes.

 

[GAZOO!]

damned if I'll feel much guilt about water-spots or bug-splatter on my bikes.

That's not a rat bike.

 

[sfarson]

I think rat bikes are just another form of "look at me". We're all guilty of this to an extent.

 

[MilesToGo]

I do appreciate the ture old rat bikes. You know, the ones that got way from years of use and abuse. You can usually tell the old bikes from the new ones that were just built to look like an old bike. Whenever i see a "new" rat bike only one work comes to mind...POSER.

 

[GAZOO!]

Exactly. It is like the Harley shirts the are 'distressed' so you look like you have owned a Harley shirt for years, thus an old time biker dude even if you just bought your bike yesterday.

 

[sparks'n'dust]

Real vs Fake

Fakers, pretenders, cheaters and posers - there are many of them, and they present themselves in very many different formats for sure.

The hard looking heavy dude with the (just been bought) groun-up plenty-bucks custom thinking he is the biker, as well as the "just making my bike cool so people think I am cool" rat-type.

There are hardcore bikers that have awesome customs, and some that have rats.
Just like there are wannabees with the same choice of toys...

The real - they know they are and dont have to or feel the need to make a noise about it to attract attention, and dont want it anyway.

The fakers - well, we all know...just lots of noise and hot air, no substance!

 

[sparks'n'dust]

Some More!!

This bike was actually once stock and pretty - long before I owned it though.
Then when I got it, I made it black and beautiful.
Designed and built my own turbo system for it (which I never did get working right - stock motor, blow through system, only 6 psi boost, but what a thrill)

Now its just Fugly!!! Been in storage for over seven years, deteriorated but reliable, rusty and full of rattles.

Ange says its very comfortable for her - despite neither of has have any foam to sit on - its a fun ride and I love it - but to restore it and nurse it back to beauty is just not what I envision for it in the near future.
Its street attitude and its parked presence is still something I have to force myself to look away from every time I stand and admire it.

Its not the black and ugly, but the shapes and lines that draw my eyes.:ride