No one I have ever met bought a motorcycle because it was cute.
Sportsters, cute? Bonnevilles cute? Ever seen a cute bobber? Chopper? How
about acute flat tracker? Can you see any racer worth his leathers racing a
cute bike? How cute is flat black? Yet an ad campaign caught my attention this
morning, which ads are supposed to do, from Ducati and their Scrambler. They
are introducing “Bart and Betty,” cartoon figures to sell motorcycles. Yes it
got my attention, but how many real riders will go in to a Ducati salesroom to
ride one based on Bart? Do we need more Betty’s out there riding in shorts and
tank tops? Which cute bike will she want to ride, and while the salesman is
trying to sell a Panigale, will he be distracted or amused by Betty when she
gets her flip flop caught on the shifter. Which she thought was a foot
rest...And Bart, the skater, will he be upset because he has to wear a helmet
and pads to ride? How will you be able to see his missing teeth from inside his
Bell? Where will he put all the stickers? And I can see the service problems,
“dude I don’t check the oil, I just add gas and ride....” while upset the
flashing low oil light is on. At least he carries his board as a spare. Will
all the scuffs and scars on his bike, the broken mirrors be a badge of honor
like his broken board, will Betty try to cover up scratches with nail polish?
How will she ever explain grease and oil to her girl friends? Tune in to find
out, coming to a Ducati showroom near you.....would you buy a cute
motorcycle?
Truth is the woman’s market is growing. And I welcome woman riders, as
long as they know how to ride. I have ridden with some over the years, and many
are better riders than their men counterparts. They read the manual, will check
the chain via a courteous male, keep it clean, and want to ride. And not
necessarily at the back of the pack...They ride because it is fun, and they like
the wind in their face like we do, but when it becomes trendy, we all suffer. I
abandoned group rides long ago based on woman who cannot ride, and the excuses
men made for them. You only ride as fast as the slowest rider, and when they
cannot ride, they should stay home, not cause trouble within the ranks. The
women I have ridden with would not have put up with it either, it messes up
their ride too. So I find I ride most with my wife on her Bonneville. A group
of two.
Who rode to Hollister after being invited to trailer her bike with others
from a bike club. She rides. She lane splits, despite being taught by Dick,
and is good at it. We have very few rules when we ride, when the curves come we
meet at the end, and my waiting times are decreasing. She has a thin chicken
strip on her tires, her lean exceeds her side stand. And she has ridden in
below 50 degree weather, how many of you have never seen the Arctic cold of 45
degrees? She wears leathers, chaps, and also has fabric jackets. Her main
complaint, not enough women’s styles, not all wear black or pink. Or black and
blue. And I find it amusing when another biker comes up to pass her, and finds
out her pony tail is attached to a woman. We even downplayed the time she led a
group of 45 bikes to a Billy Graham Crusade, riding at 80 mph for 30 miles, no
one got lost or wrecked. And we all rode the whole way....
And so I honor my wife for being a rider, and she too would find humor in
“Betty and Bart.” But the real humor would be when we find out that Betty is a
better rider than Bart. Now he’s not so cute, and men are afraid of her. We
call it respect, posers call it fear. Yet today many are taken in by appearance
rather than performance. How we look is often not related to how we perform,
just because your bike is dirty doesn’t mean a lot of miles. Or that it is
clean like mine they haven’t? We have enough time sorting out the posers, now
we have cute Ducatis? Pink Harleys? Don’t go there, I know a girl, and yes she
can ride. Girls on café racers...yup. Girls who tour, ever seen Edel on her
Gold Wing? Riding comes from the heart, not from the color of the bike. Or
brand. Or leathers. We love to ride, we welcome new riders, but posers can
stay home doing their wife’s honey do list, let her ride. And a note to Ducati,
how many potential men riders will you lose to being cute? “Nice bike Bart...”
followed by friends laughing. Muffled only by their Shoei’s....
And so the ads go on, and it is not just for attracting new riders. The
church is always on a new member campaign. Some try to rob from other churches,
never a good thing. Some go out with buses, passing out free food once a month,
and wonder why they don’t grow. Some members invite their friends...now there’s
a brave soul. But few neglect to know that it is God who builds the church,
Jesus is the solid rock it is based on, and God will provide the growth. They
may add numbers and fill pews, but do we see souls saved? Free meals will get a
turnout, but where is Jesus? Maybe a look into scripture will guide us....Jesus
fed the 5000 twice, probably more because the count didn’t include women and
children. Per the customs of the day. No books were sold, no membership
offered, no fancy handouts. People were hungry, and he had the disciples feed
them. But his being there made it different. He ate with the masses, something
the Pharisees and other religious would not do, while under the law. I can see
Jesus walking the crowd, making sure everyone got enough, seconds if need be.
Maybe a doggie bag or two, you see he fed the hungry with food, while showing
love. And upset a few while doing it. No limits on portions, eat until you are
full. Where can I find a church like that?
When doing it in love, there are no boundaries. Love demands a choice, and
how many have been turned away from churches because we might have ridden to a
service? We had long hair? We brought our Bibles with us? We wore jeans...and
the list goes on. Jesus welcomes us as we are, and he would welcome Bart and
Betty, and be gracious to them. A lesson maybe I need to remember. How many of
us when we were kids hung out or were thrown out of bike shops? Ever send your
mother for parts? She didn’t know the model, just it was blue and said Honda.
But she got the right part through persistence. And may have seen a side of
motorcycling she didn’t know existed beyond our scrapes and bruises, and torn
clothes. Maybe we need to extend a hand to others when they ask about our
bikes, and answer questions. Not necessarily a recruiting drive, but your next
riding buddy may be just waiting for a chance to ride, but doesn’t know anything
about it. Or may be your spouse. Strange as it may seem, some women ride and
their husbands don’t. Works with Jesus too, which is why I don’t preach. But
mingle, and get to know people. Preach at me and I’m outta here. But I will
share Jesus by his love and interest in you, and tell the truth. And I don’t
invite many to church, we are the church, so why not get out like Jesus tells us
to and be light and salt? A friend wonders why no one he invites ever takes him
up on his offer, after he has preached at them. Think about your witness, would
you want to be like you or among of church folk like you?
So remember that when riding too. Especially if you have your Christian
colors on. Is you riding a testimony of who you believe? Or of your church, or
club? Nothing impresses more than a group of bikes taking up the fast lane at
50 mph, causing traffic to back up. Freedom in riding, why would I want to hear
about your freedom in the spirit, when you show no evidence? I have rules at
work and church, not with my rides. And not with my God. He shows love so I
can respond in love. Riding more and enjoying it less? Going to church more
and enjoying it less? Try freedom in the spirit, ride your own ride, and be who
you can be in Christ. Not some religion. Not all who ride are riders, not all
who attend church are saved. Be different, be yourself. Now about that cute
motorcycle, how pretty is it chasing it through the curves? Bikes aren’t cute,
but some who ride are. Maybe your wife is just waiting for an invitation....let
her choose the color.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com