After watching a comedian recently I was reminded once again of the average non-riding person's ignorance about motorcycling. This is a lost cause. It would take one of those huge, "coffee table" type books to adequately explore the many misconceptions the non-riding public holds regarding motorcycles. But why should I be surprised. Internet "experts" and even the federal motor vehicle authorities are confused. But I am compelled to write this little bit about it anyway.

Bikers
To begin with, and what irked me about the comedian, was his indiscriminate and uninformed use of the term "biker". Virtually the entire riding community cringes at it. Though the unitiated blithely labels all of us with the word, it is taken as perjorative among the vast majority of us and I as much as anyone can't help but frown when I hear or read it. Properly used, it identifies only a tiny subset of riders. It is most correctly parsed as equal to motorcycle "outlaws", though it can of course (and seems forced to) also include outlaw wannabes, posers, "weekend baddies". The biker subset is so small in fact that it even refers to itself as "one-percenters". All my adult life I have been not only a motorcyclist but have also made a living as one, for more than fifty years now, and neither I nor any of my contemporaries and colleagues would be pleased to have someone call us "bikers". Ugh.

Harley-Davidson
Which leads to another misconception. Although some motorcycle manufacturers' histories go much farther back than others--and good on them for it--that does not mean they represent the industry. Such is the fallacy regarding Harley-Davidson. Motorcycles are a phenom that is immeasurably bigger than that. In the industry's earlier days there were more than 150 motorcycle brands just in the U.S., plus scores overseas. So even at a time when Harley could be considered very popular, they have been the most visible only in movies. Italians, Germans, French--many others also have rich histories. And shortly after their history-making emergence in the late 1950s, the Japanese definitely have dominated, with Honda continuously the undisputed leader in number of units sold. I have nothing against Harley-Davidson, they're some of the most beautiful machines made, and in the last few years have become shockingly relevant. But they are not the epitome of motorcycling. Motorcycling is much more cosmopolitan than people realize, and its heartbeat is not in Milwaukee.

Diversity
While considering diversity, realize that most motorcycle manufacturers started in industries not very connected with motorbikes, and many have retained these other pursuits--and expanded into new ones--in addition to their current fame in motorized two wheel manufacturing. Honda is of course known for its cars--though they started in bikes--but they also make executive jets and have a history in amusement park ride manufacturing. Yamaha is a leader in musical instruments but also has a background in Formula One racing car engines. Suzuki started in the textile business and Kawasaki in shipping--both a very long time ago, in fact in the 1800s. Kawasaki may be the most diverse of all. They build industrial robots, bridges, they made the cars for New York's subways and the equipment that bored the Chunnel, are famous in the railway world, and are even active in making Japanese helicopters and airplanes. MV Agusta, a very famous sportbike manufacturer, once made all of Italy's farm tractors. In fact, in the motorcycle field, manufacturers are so diverse they refer to themselves as "powersports" companies. They don't just make motorcycles, and they want you to know that. Motorcycle manufacturers also produce jet-powered boats, personal watercraft, snow machines, ATVs, scooters, RUVs, non-street-legal racing motorcycles, and more. And of course, just as with cars, this includes many electric versions of these products. The motorcycle manufacturering community is diverse in another way as well. There have been and still are outliers yet significant historically: Munch, Harrop, Bridgestone, Mustang, Laverda, Scott, Bimota, Ural, Confederate--just a load of marques few people outside the industry know about. Even to this day there remain scores of very small-volume choices. And just as there are exotic (and exotically-priced) cars, so there are similarly very unusual, expensive, limited-production motorcycles. Egli Vincent, anyone? How about a Boss Hoss? Or an Arch?

The Big Four
The Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki) segment is the "800 pound gorilla" of the motorcycle industry. But while it drives the industry, it defines it only in terms of mass. It isn't necessarily the best part or the most worthy part or even the most enjoyable part. But due to its overwhelming presence, all the others are considered "niche" brands, perhaps even Harley-Davidson. That is, brands that one consciously selects as an alternative to one of the Big Four. Harley-Davidson, BMW, Triumph, KTM, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Ducati, BSA, Royal Enfield, and many more--these are excellent, worthy, quality, exciting bikes. But they are not mainstream if one measures that by sales. As wonderful as the Harley-Davidson mystique is, as exciting as the Italian bikes are, as historic and refined the BMWs, as refreshingly innovative the KTMs, and even as prominant the Big Four, no single brand has ever defined motorcycling, and certainly not Harley-Davidson, despite the romanticism that compels some to assume so. In point of fact, European and Japanese manufacturing and history vastly overshadow the American segment, resulting in an overall powersports flavor that is very global and owes nothing to the Harley-Davidson culture and ethos. Or any other, for that matter. Honda comes close, but even it falls short. One might safely say the soul of motorcycling is European, its lifeblood Japanese, and its inspiration American. Understanding that is to understand motorcycling's culture.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6