There's the bad boys that take pride in being called 1% er's, that leaves 99%, then there's the general riders,,,say 96% and the 3 wheel trikes which is probably in the 2-1/2 % range soooo What Are We,,, Harley riders will wave, sport bikes will wave, other sidecar owners will jump up and down, honk their horn and wave like Hell because they actually saw someone else riding one,,,I think were 1/2% er's,,,what say you.
A bunch of wonks that are too lazy to put our feet down at a stop light?? 🙂 🙂
Unable to balance also known as Unbalanced.
Ahhhhhhh,,,,negative Vibes Not Allowed 🙂
we are the " distinct society" within the relm of motorcyling,..LOL!!!...we have ridden, raced, crashed, motocrossed, cruized, cussed, styled, customized chopped and broken every scooter know to man, vintage or otherwise,...and have finally climbed to the top of the peek on the mountain and returned to the roots of actual motorcycling where it all began,... a bike with a sidecar, alas like those of yester-year,..(sigh)......or,....we just need a crap- load of cargo space ,..hehe...I'll go back to the garage now,..hehe crawf.
All we need is to be fast enough when the guys in the white smock-frock try to put us into the strait jacket, when we made the mistake to tell somebody about our hobby who doesn't know anything about rigs....
"Otto Normalverbraucher" doesn't have a clue that wind faces think in complete other wave length.
"Remember you live now!"
=> Jump on Pat's Time machine! and take the Puppies with you."
Sven
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PS: Sorry Pat, I mixed you up with Uncle Ernie... By the way, it is very long ago we haven't heard from him. Somebody knows about Uncle Ernie?
Sidecar rig drivers are distinctive, adventerous people who have tried everything else and are still looking for that different something while riding. They want to be rather conspicuous and really enjoy trying to keep their three wheels going down the road and while riding always wonder will this thing stay attached or will I lose the wife around the next bend!. Yes we only might be in the 1/2% tile but we rock. 🙂
Would I get beat down by a 1%er if i sported a 1/2% on my vest LOL.... I'm sure I would get questioned
Shouldn't be a problem unless you are sporting a three piece rocker to go with it.
I think we're probably 1% of 1% these days, at least around here in Idaho.
FYI: My 1% tat hasn't caused any Hu-malimali.
Lonnie
then we MX sidecar guys qualify as 1% of the 1% of the 1%? hehehe
Wrote this a long time ago for Hanck'd magazine...soem of you have already read it but here ya go anyhow:
Sterotypes, cashews and mixed nuts
Did anyone ever notice how ones who ride different machines seem to
fit into a sterotype? Years ago someone wrote an article on this and
I felt it was quite amusing but it did hold a lot of truth. Think of
it…Harley riders with many dollars worth of leather on and a thirty
dollar helmet. They seem to wear the leather on and off the bike too.
Then there are the sport bike (crotchrocket) types who ride with
shorts, tank tops , sneakers and a four hundred dollar helmet. At a
rally you may see the BMW types who come in an Aerostitich suit or
the Ducati riders who will show up in full leathers dyed red. The
Goldwingers are known for wearing matching jackets and helmets with
the ever present headset mic projecting in front of their mouth…they
talk softly when on the bike if you speak to them so as not to blat
the ears off their color coordinated passenger. There are others for
sure if we dwell on this but that is not my point to make.
Sidecarists are, for sure , a mixed breed. Years back at the Cook
Forest USCA National ('93 I think) I was really taken off guard by
the comment of my solo bike friend who came along. He was totally
amazed that so many variations of rider `types' would be at this
rally. He was more amazed that sidecarist tend to talk more about
their sidecars than the power unit that they are pulling them with.
Kind of neat situation isn't it?
At one time I had a great love for mixed nuts. In the containers
that the mixed nuts came in it was always a real treat to pick out
the cashews. These were the creams of the crop in my book. The other
nuts were okay but for me the goal; was to pick out as many cashews
as possible....yumm. A cashew man I was....if it wasn't a cashew it
was second rate.
One day while in a store I was walking toward 'nut section' when
in the distance I noticed something that was unfamilar to me. As I
drew closer this site began to come into focus clearer and
clearer...... could it be.....is this for real? This site could not
be taken lightly. I stood in awe as my mind raced with wild
anticipation. The beating of my heart threatened to explode though my
chest as I ever so slowly reached forth a shaking hand toward the
object. I knew it was neither a mirage nor a dream as my hand touched
the cool glass container that was plainly labeled CASHEWS ! Yes...oh
YES!! Cashews and only cashews....No more mixed nuts....No more
picking though the walnuts and peanuts and brazil nuts and all of the
other stuff . This was it...an honest to goodness jar of just
cashews.....Life was indeed good....the days of mixed nuts were over.
Today was the beginning of a new life for me. Me and my
cashews...alone at last. No more mixed nuts !!
Upon returning home with my newly found treasure I flopped on the
couch. I felt as though nothing in this world could ever take the
present satisfaction from me.
Pure ambrosia..pure delight...it was only my cashews and me..alone at
last.
After a couple of hours of sleep that night I awoke with a bad case
of heartburn. The symptoms could not be ignored as the discomfort
deep in my chest worse and worse. Minutes became hours. The battle
within me raged on and on with no relief in sight as I drifted in and
out of consciousness. My body cried for sleep but it was not being
realized due to the discomfort within. Finally in my state of
delirium sleep mercifully overpowered me.
The light of the sun was breaking through the eastern sky as I
slowly awoke.
It was a new day half opened eyes slowly adjusted to the light within
my darken room. The worst was over although as I saw the three empty
cans of cashews flashbacks of the night before attempted to take
control of my senses. I looked away from them quickly and these
feeling seemed to subside. Yes..It was a new day. Thoughts of the
night before were not clear but in a strange way were also so very
real. The experience was a only a haze but still was attempting to
control me.
Days passed and the memory of that fateful night ever so slowly
faded into a surreal memory.
It was a long time before I journeyed back to the store where the
cashews and mixed nuts were waiting to be purchased. Bit I did return
and, again, in the same isle I noticed them. There they were the
familiar 'mixed nuts' and right beside them the notorious cashews.
This time I reached up onto the shelf and confidently grabbed three
jars of 'mixed nuts'.
Later that evening as I opened one of the jars and began to eat I
found that the nuts that I had typically rejects in days gone by were
much more appealing to me. Yes..I did still eat the cashews but no
longer ignored the other nuts in the jar. Everything, cashews and
mixed nuts seemed to taste better than ever....wow...life was now
better than ever even with all of the nuts.
In my world, and in yours, we may tend to look at the cashews as
something special. Some of us are cashews and some of us are various
other mixed nuts but we need to learn that if we were all cashews
life would probably give us a lot of heartburn. It is people, the
mixed nuts that they are that we can learn so much from. It is
people, the mixed nuts that they are, in which we can learn to
enjoy life to it's fullest. Sidecar people indeed cover the spectrum
of what may be described as 'mixed nuts'. The old saying that
says 'it takes all kinds' is many times thought of in a negative way
but it does 'take all kinds ' to make life what it is. If we want to
rise to the potential that we have it is a good policy to make it a
goal to enjoy the mixed nuts...after all folks ...we is one.
God Bless you all,
Claude
Amen!... for it is the variety that makes the flavour all the more rich,....well said claude,..cheers crawf.
the best part of our little world is the fact that the bike is not the focal point. the overall time and effort to make a unique combination is it's own reward and to associate with a like minded group of folks ices the cake. i spend a lot of time in my biking world with people that think one bike or the other is the only one to have,so being a sidecarist makes me different as well as providing a way to fit in with almost anybody. this is probably the most enjoyable hobby(and in my case job) that i have been involved in.
Long story short at the end we all are nuts.
If a cashew or wallnut or what ever I stay a small hazelnut...
Never took drugs or drunk much, but since getting the licence I was always on "riding" drug.
Forget the percentages andclasifications.
All that matters is that you enjoy every single moment the upper beeing (for me God for others Manitou or whatever) gives us to live.
I am gratefull for being alife and being able to travel and help others.
A nuts idealist.
God bless you.
Sven
I always go for the Brazil nuts and pecans first....LOL.
