Warning :
Unlike the vast majority of articles on our site, this new section does not only report information, it leaves a certain freedom, even a certain freedom, to the thoughts of its author accustomed to the literary world who will publish under the pseudonym of Vernon Stoner.
Here, we relate, of course, but we also extrapolate, we speculate, we construct, in short, we discuss and exchange!
You have the right to respond in comments, to correct, to proclaim your indignation, or, at worst, if it really gives you heartburn, to change the section...
Are you still there? Little curious people, go… Come on, gaaazzzz!
The motorcycle has its reasons that reason does not know!
Such a devouring passion cannot be quantified any more than it can be rationalized. This is perhaps one of the things that annoys the angry cashier, seeing us back up the lines in traffic jams. However, instead of dreaming of sending us into the scene via the ugly plastic bumper of his Golf on credit, it would be enough for this cantankerous person to move a few centimeters for the average biker to reward him with a sometimes delicate thank you to execute (abandoning a toe clip in the middle of a slalom, it can be complex...). Because the biker is friendly, altruistic, generous, and demonstrative! What do you say dear motorist, you don't like it when people greet you with a wave of their boots Alpinestars ? What would you like, if we let go of the handlebars and lift the visor to wink at you? But tell me, for your part, do you even give a vague nod to the guy who has the same car as you? Perhaps between two owners of luxury cars, and even then... There are truck drivers, bus drivers, tram drivers, etc., who are cordial with each other, but it's more because they are in the same hassle only to signal their belonging to a group of marginalized people. Yeah, maybe not. In fact, I don't know... Still, we, the tarmac acrobats on two wheels, don't care about the make and model of the mount, the age, the gender, the color of our skin, and so on. very fashionable criteria in this era as consensual as it is demagogic, we display with pleasure and pride the V for victory at the slightest opportunity. I digress, it's just the V which means that we meet a friend with the same mental deficiency as us.
Credit: Béatrice Queiros
But why this sign? To tell the truth, I had never asked myself the question until today. Maybe because putting both hands together is not very practical on a motorcycle? I doubt. So a banal wave? Too common. It needed something that no other road user uses. Because our bike is not a simple vehicle used to go from point Y to point Z. It is a jewel that we cherish, that we admire, that we photograph more often than the new one. -born, and too bad if Madame is jealous. He's a full-fledged member of the family, so much so that, sometimes, he's even our favorite...
It is also an outfit, helmet, leather, boots, gloves, which is almost like a disguise for the neophyte. Some people see us as Power Rangers, and there's nothing wrong with that. But for the biker, it is just as much a protection as a bubble outside of time, of the world, a bubble in which we feel unique, invincible (yes, it's false, we know it! No need to worry excite in the comments…), untouchable, both spared from human stupidity, and on a journey far from the worries of everyday life even if you are only a few kilometers from home. That's the motorcycle, an oasis of oxygen and happiness in an absurd world that would like us to stop this heresy under the pretext of safety and standards, when it is a question of freedom and high adrenaline. dose. To live, in short. Too bad if we have to defy the laws of physics as well as those, let's admit it without bad faith, of the highway code... And the fact that the friend is waiting for us at the corner only reinforces this alchemy, No offense to the neurotic who throws away his one-day expired yogurt for fear of catching the skimmed version of Covid-19. It’s well worth a little hello to every enthusiast you come across while passing a virolo, right? And so, this V, who is it, where does it come from? Goldoraaaak! Arrgh, I'm getting distracted again.
Credit: Valentin Dupuis
I could give you the whole history of this sign through the ages like the YouTuber did Valootre on his channel (which I recommend), but already it's borderline boring in video, in writing it's a foregone conclusion that I'm going to get you drunk straight away and that you're going to drop out. So let's come now to the legendary pilot who introduced the V; I named the immense Barry Sheene (you know, the weirdo who made a hole in his helmet so he could smoke his cigarette on the starting grid). Double world champion 500 (1976 and 77) brandished his index and middle fingers in a V shape after each victory (to show that I wasn't getting lost just now). Bikers have gradually appropriated this gesture which, from a symbol of success, has become a symbol of respectful and cordial greetings throughout the planet (well, perhaps not in the depths of the Amazon).
But what about today? Is this still in force, or is this trademark inherent to the motorcycle falling into disuse? Unfortunately, as with many convivial practices, modern society has not spared our community. I remember a time when the only ones not to answer the V were the bikers in Harley and old people, sorry, seniors, fuck, guys in BMW, which were rightly decried for their condescending bigotry. The wheel has turned since the latter tend to extend their two fingers more and more with fervor. Would they have noticed that everything, including the biker spirit, is going down the drain? It seems so and, personally, I admit that, riding my sports bike, I enjoy greeting a group of bikers frankly. What a beautiful emblem representative of our big family! But then, who are these contemporary motorcyclists who believe themselves above the centuries-old rules of decorum?
I'm not going to make friends on this one (that's good, I'm not looking for any) but we have to admit that the vast majority are A2s. From the top of their little motorcycles castrated with 47 ponies, the beginners have no use for the sacrosanct V, sharing, heritage, respect for the clan, and so on. Their hobby is Instagram (pronounced Innsstagwâaam). Their band of fear is wider than my grandmother's compression stockings, they believe that Barry Sheene is an American actor who stars in My uncle Charlie, but that, guys, in 2021, we're struggling! All that matters is the beautiful photos, the followers, and the likes galore! And don’t go and point it out to them, otherwise lynching is guaranteed: “ Yeah, I have a BOP of five centimeters because I, sir, value my life! No, I don't do track, it's useless and it costs too much! And what's the point? I respect the highway code. » Except in a straight line, but that shouldn’t be said either! In short, there would be enough to make a book with the acne-related nonsense peddled on the Web by certain novices more concerned with their image as a rebel than with the attitude that characterizes it. I can already hear you ranting that coming home alive and whole is the only thing that matters, and you're right. I will answer, however, that it is possible to drive safely without having to come to a complete stop and that taking a corner, putting on a bit of gas when possible, having a bit of a laugh with friends, are a just a little bit more about the fundamental precepts of biking than taking beautiful shots to show off on Facebook and co... Well, if you ride a Fatboy, it's true that the spirit is cruising and the point is different. Although, I have seen big custom bikers sending severe wood! Not all young licenses are like that, of course, and I salute those who are part of the family, but I note with annoyance at the random terminals covered each week that they are almost always the MT07, Z650 and other XJ6, who cordially send me to fuck off with the greatest disdain in response to my V. Well, they are not the only ones. The big gray, orange, and… In short… trails
In this age of omnipresent social networks, of exacerbated selfishness, of the excessive Me, I am afraid that biker solidarity is on the verge of becoming obsolete, and that's a shame... It seems that we have to live with the times, I know, but I really have a hard time getting used to it (#ItWasBetterBefore).
On this, dear brothers and sisters, the old react that I am greets you with an august old-fashioned V!
Ride safe (but without stopping either, eh!).
I lean, therefore I am.
Vernon
Credit: Mai Ris
