ENTER THE DRAGON Hi Shadow Riders, brothers and sisters, Like the man said: "You say you want a Revolution, well, you know, We all want to change the world." (John Lennon... and then they shot him.) "I have a dream..." (Martin Luther King... and then they shot him.) "One day all bikers will be brothers!" (Thats my statement... so shoot me!) Thats one small shot for man, one giant loss for mankind. I've just seen a program on bikers on the TV show SKY NEWS WORLD REPORT. It was about the "Sinn Fein" a biker club. I'm sure they are not the only Club with a bar against "Jap" bikes... only "Brit" and "Harley" allowed... (excuse me? "Brit" bikes ARE allowed? In "Sinn Fein"... Ahem!), in fact they were fanatical about that. Which really got me, until I started thinking... (Nb. Sinn Fein is a biker Club in New Zealand. No connection with IRA) WHAT ABOUT US? One of the points they raised was the Heritage aspect of their bikes. Their bikes have a history, and when they ride it they are not just riding a bike, they are riding a lifestyle, and all that... BIKERS WANT "HERITAGE" Suddenly it struck me... what we need is some "heritage"... what these bikers have is some "history" and thats what they are sold when they buy a/the bike... I felt a bit sorry to have sold my Harley at first, when they talked about the "brotherhood" and entry to it restricted to Brit and Harleys. I want to belong to a brotherhood... I want that feeling of being a "bro", and if that is the only way to be accepted, I'm in trouble... or what? LOOK TO THYSELF BEFORE LOOKING ELSEWHERE Then I remembered all my hassles with the Harley... and felt sort of glad again, that I had my "Jap" bike, with its precision motoring and dependable everything... and then I realised something about my own bike... What we "Jap bike riders" have lacked until now, is some of that "heritage", (and hadn't I had the background I had, I wouldn't have realised it, BUT:... (hehe, what a buildup!)) We HAVE plenty of heritage! In a word: SAMURAI Yes!... a tradition of warriors, noble, humble, overseeing security, live by our tool (it was the "sword", now its the "bike"). We bikers ARE like Samurais... sometimes we live by the bike, sometimes the bike lives by us. Bikers often have a lifestyle of their own, especially when on the road. Sometimes you live by the bike, riding where the wind takes you. Sometimes the bike lives by you, you maintain it, to keep it in its best form. You know it functions best when you have new oil, spark plugs, a full tank of gas, and the road ahead of you. You look after it, and it looks after you. WE HAVE OUR OWN HERITAGE - ONLY MOST OF US DON'T REALISE IT Why don't we capitalise on the Japanese heritage behind our bikes, and construct our own reputation on that ground. I don't like to take a backseat when I see others enjoying something... and if I can't have it because of "their" narrow minds, prejudice and the restrictions they put on me... the logical solution is to look at my own side... and if THEY have something I don't have, it surely means that I have something THEY don't have! ... and I do! TRADITIONALLY STRONG Sure enough Japan has a very strong traditional background, that I haven't really seen anyone use as an argument FOR Japanese machine riding bikers. I see now that THAT is what we could/should focus on. We should promote ourselves as what we ARE and what we HAVE... JAPANESE SYMBOLS All good ideas need symbolic representation (ie. Chritians and the Cross). A symbol to unite us. Japan has a rich supply of emblems. However care must be taken not to come across as a martial arts outfit. Are there any Martial Arts / Biker Club combinations out there? (Tell me I want to know!) For myself, I prefer something mildly grotesque, yet saturated with tradition, as in the Japanese "Noh-Mask". I could wear a patch with a Noh-Mask with the pride it deserves. Could you? Another Japanese symbol that could be marketed or established as a trade mark is the head cloth with the red sun... as some of us are going bald anyway (by the way, this is a sign of wisdom and "civilization". Eventually the most intelligent of us will permanently lose their "ape" hair), this will help with our self esteem if nothing else... (I speak from the heart here! Hehe...). Some have already adopted this as a sign of brotherhood... "Bandana" I think some call it. A trademark of union. THIS IS A WAR FOR EQUALITY This is a war... not physical, AND IT SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO ESCALATE INTO THAT, but it is a war for equality, and its good to know we have some points on OUR side for a change... I, for one, am fed up with prejudice against Jap bike riders! Its time to fight back, armed with the same argument: Heritage! KEEPING GHANDI ALIVE Let us, like a hero of mine, Ghandi, fight back subtly. Using mind over matter, to achieve our goal. I want a brotherhood for all bikers, and we will have it, but I guess we have to start by uniting ourselves before we are all united. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL I think many of the "other side" are there because of the look as well as the history of the bike. Now that, at last, heavy cruisers are starting to appear from Japanese companies, we will see more of "them" cross over, and we should be able to find it in ourselves to embrace them, even if they have shunned us before. We must prove to be better by example, and they will see it and join us as one. PRIDE IN WHAT YOU HAVE Only when we are seen as proud owners, will the "other side" acknowledge us. Understanding that we ride machines from traditionally noble people is a first step for us. NOW, BEFORE YOU ALL GO AND COMMIT SUICIDE: Although we may embrace their tradition, we don't have go as far as committing "harakiri", but its nice to think we could be THAT devoted. Without going into the MISTAKES of modern Japan (like Pearl Harbour, especially since they paid for that (and are STILL PAYING (Hiroshima)), traditional Japan, of old, has so many noble and noteworthy aspects to it, that we should be proud to ride that heritage. Thank you for caring enough to read this. TheStone Shadow Warrior - HARLEYISM There is nothing like "prejudice" to get a person motivated! WELL, WELL, SINN FEIN ON "BRIT" BIKES What struck me as strange, was that the "Sinn Fein" bike club placed emphasis on Harleys (American Culture, OK I see the Irish coming in there...) and "Brit Bikes" (the "master" they've been trying to get independence from!). There were quite a few shameless White Supremacy persons about in the club, and I can see where the Harley ideal fits in there... but "Sinn Fein" riding Brit bikes? I was very pro Sinn Fein until I saw the program. Now I'm not so sure... and what has White Supremacy to do with Biking? What place has isolationism anywhere? We have to stand together to make the world work. - SAMURAI FOOTNOTE THE SAMURAI Sometimes a Samurai, when doing his job, dictated what the sword would do. Sometimes the presence of the sword dictated what the Samurai had to do, in the sense that, he was often challenged by those who saw he had a sword. It was a lifestyle, one depended on the other. BIKERS We depend on our machines to get us where we are going. When we ride, our lifestyle changes accordingly, we are free from everything. We live a special moment. To maintain that moment, we go to great lengths... are we not then, like the Samurai, struggling to live with the freedom the bike provides. © TheStone 1996