Triumphrat

milwaukeethrux · 11-03-2005

Okay, I can't resist. For the record, I am one of those over-caffienated marketing/adveritisng types.

I'm also a guy that gives people a little more credit than most. Does the success of Desperate Housewives mean that married women everywhere will start engaging in adultery and murder? Do the attractive female contestants on The Apprentice tell us that all of corporate America is filled with good looking blonde chicks?

I don't contend that OCC will make more people ride. Nor do I contend that it'll make non-rides hate us.

Like I said before, it's just TV.

kwajazz · 11-03-2005

Hey, it's only a Triumphrat rider's forum....

You should really cut back on the caffeine.

Surferjo · 11-03-2005

I dont care what anybody says farting is funny.

kwajazz · 11-03-2005

I know!!! Have you ever been in a serious meeting when someone cheesed one and then about blew a gasket trying not to let on that you heard it or smelled it.

Ridge · 11-03-2005

Now you did it! It's time for the Subaru owner to weigh in.

Say what you like about OCC, but the fact that that show and others like it put motorcycles in on the tube on a regular basis, is one of the reasons I'm buying a Triumph.

As guy that owned nothing but motorcycles in my youth, seeing bikes (of any type) on TV all the time is constant reminder of the fact that I don't have one now. I'm sure it played a part in some small way to motivate me to revisit my "first love".

To say OCC does anything but promote cycling is crazy. Of course these shows have helped sell bikes. And if more people are into bikes, thats fine by me. I kind of link seeing motorcycles on TV all the time..sure beats the days of only seeing them on a motocross race at 3:00a.m. on ESPN 6.

Like almost all of us, I never really cared what anybody thought about me riding a motorcycle. The argument that people will think I'm dumb because of something Pauly, Mikey or Senior says doesn't make much sense to me, nor would I give a rip if they did.

And , Kwajazz, I wouldn't be worried about being lumped into the mainstream. You ride a Thruxton, baby! :wink:

~Ridge

kwajazz · 11-03-2005

Ya, you're right Ridge. From that standpoint, I haven't seen another Thruxton on the road in Dallas, TX. That's actually cool.

Hey, I wonder if I glued some of those OCC bullets to my Thruxton.....

After a nice long ride last night to clear my head of trivial stuff, I realized I've been wrong-headed about OCC in prior posts, they don't affect our world. They are there because of our world. They were created to mimic (mirror) what's already out there in our society. Now I'm really depressed. I'm seriously thinking about buying a japanese chopper.

[ This message was edited by: kwajazz on 2005-11-04 06:52 ]

DrEnglish · 11-04-2005

I'm gonna build me a moped chopper that runs on hydrogen, then stick a picher o' W on it an git a bunch o' dang ol' American flags.
Then I'll be a chopper customizer too.

[ This message was edited by: DrEnglish on 2005-11-04 15:15 ]

cafetbird · 11-05-2005

I would have to say that there certainly are negative side effects to OCC, Jesse James, and the like.

For example, my dealer is trying to move his business to a better location, larger building, etc. He is having a lot of trouble doing this! Many people flat out tell him that they don't want to lease a building to this "kind" of clientele. He is a BMW/ Ducati/Triumph dealer, for crissake - certainly a seedy bunch of characters hang out there! Others sellers simply over price the real estate. This has been going on with him for over 6 months now.

When you look at the media image protrayed of motorcyclists, you can certainly understand why some uninformed people would get the wrong impression of motorcyclists from their behavior, dress, and attitiude....

[ This message was edited by: cafetbird on 2005-11-05 10:36 ]

Tarmac · 11-05-2005

Time for the Tarmac to add his $0.02 to the OCC debate

I think the Dad is actually a good guy, he really seems to take care of his family and his employees. He's also a loud mouthed jerk.

The Fat kid will be in re-hab, jail, or dead within 5 years. But between now and then he's going to be boppin' boots with super models... go figure..

The other son actually has some talent. Too bad he's wasting it on Choppers.

Ridge · 11-06-2005

I'm not sure those are the side effects of OCC-like shows, CafeT.

Motorcyclists have always had a bad image in the eyes of the uninformed. And for the most part, that was OK with with a lot of us. I never minded anyone thinking I was a "badass".

From the sounds of things, the people opposing his dealership are the type who have always thought bikers were dirt bags. At this point however, anyone that wouldn't want the average motorcyclist hanging around their business is a fool. Middle aged, middle to upper-middleclass, with a disposable income. What's not to like about that demographic? They obviously live in a bubble and I would hazard to guess that their opinions about motorcyclists where firmly in place long before OCC made it to primetime.

You could say a lot of things about OCC type shows but being bad for cycling isn't one of them. In fact, if anything shows like OCC have helped make motorcycling more "friendly" and more accessible to mainstream audiences. Whether you like OCC or not, those shows are connecting with largest segment of our country's population who happen to be in full mid-life crises mode. (I'm on my way there now!)

These programs are a basically a one hour commercials for motorcycling and a lifestyle built around them. Without a doubt they are having a positive effect on the industry. Motorcycle sales last year are at their highest since the 1973 gas shortage and these shows have helped feed those sales.

So like em or not, they do help the industry.

(BTW, I'm also one of those marketing/advertising types ...but only mildly caffeinated most of the time :wink: )

~Ridge

[ This message was edited by: Ridge on 2005-11-06 20:57 ]