Think! Biker

[Wideboy]

tar, done it that looks lame, i was hoping to write my own words

Originally Posted by leedsmatt7

I love that ad! I think its brilliant, hopefully stops people from thinking that all bikers are fat hairy testosterone nut cases shows that some of us are people just going about our business. I think people are taking note as well, there seems to be more people moving over in traffic but that ould just be me wanting to think its working if ya know what I mean.

If a lot of cagers saw us as that much it would be an improvement. Because they never see skin, flesh, blood and bone, they only see leathers and a helmet, some don't even register the fact there is a human being there at all, they see us as robots, or the stig. The stig mystical character works because we never see his face, and we as bikers are dressed almost the same to the unaccustomed eye.

Take your average cager and put him behind a bike and ask him to comment on what he see's, and you'll actually get, "that bike is turning left", "it's going too fast, it's going to cause an accident"

Put him behind another car you'll get, "that guy is turning left", "she's driving too fast, she's going to cause an accident".

You see the difference, when they are talking about the car they don't talk about what the car is doing, thay talk about the driver, because they can see him or her through the glass. They think of a person being in control.

When they talk about the biker, they talk about the bike, or "it" as an object, they forget there's actually a person underneath that leather until it's too late and they are watching the ambulance crew cut the leather off.

I've sat in the car with friends and relatives and listened to them do it. Stick them behind a van or truck with no rear glass and they revert back to describing the vehicle again. Put the same van or truck face on or sideways on, where there is glass, and they'll talk about the driver.

This is what I think that advert is trying to change. We need people to say, "that guy on the bike is turning left", not "that bike is turning left"

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

If a lot of cagers saw us as that much it would be an improvement. Because they never see skin, flesh, blood and bone, they only see leathers and a helmet, some don't even register the fact there is a human being there at all, they see us as robots, or the stig.

Take you average cager and put him behind a bike and ask him to comment on what he see's, and you'll actually get, "that bike is turning left", "it's going too fast, it's going to cause an accident"

Put him behind another car you'll get, "that guy is turning left", "she's driving too fast, she's going to cause an accident".

You see the difference, when they are talking about the car they don't talk about what the car is doing, thay talk about the driver, because they can see him or her through the glass. They think of a person being in control.

When they talk about the biker, they talk about the bike, or "it" as an object, they forget there's actually a person underneath that leather until it's too late and they are watching the ambulance crew cut the leather off.

I've sat in the car with friends and relatives and listened to them do it. Stick them behind a van or truck with no rear glass and they revert back to describing the vehicle again. Put the same van or truck face on or sideways on, where there is glass, and they'll talk about the driver.

This is what I think that advert is trying to change.

Great post.

I too realy like the the point thier making that it's not just a "bike" but a "biker"

[dizzyblonde]

Never thought of us being called 'ITS' before, but yes you have a point. Its odd as over the years I seem to have given my parents much improvement when considering bikers on the road. I give them lessons whilst sat in the passenger seat!!

Usually things like,
see the bike in your mirror yet?
or
pull over a bit and let him pass.

etc.
I constantly go into bike mode when I'm with them, and talk to them about other drivers actions from my own perspective.
My mum even had a personal account a couple of years ago, when I was following her through a village. She nearly saw her daughter crushed by a pillock who didn't look before pulling out of a parking spot. She realised how vunerable we all are from then on.

It's why when we hear about bikers getting pushed out of a lane by a car, or somebody purposely blocking your path when your filtering at 30mph (13 metres per second!), we are all appalled that somebody would want to put our lives in danger, just because they are jealous of our progress in traffic. But we understand the human element of it.

The majority of people are not pre-meditated murderers, and if you stopped the offending car, hauled the driver out, took the bikers helmet off, and said, "Here, meet Dave?, WTF are you doing, do you really want him dead?", most would be horrified when the penny dropped over what they had actually just done, because in their mind at the time, they weren't trying to stop the progress of a rider, they were trying to stop the progress of a bike. No more emotion in there than Will Smith shooting i-Robot.

Next time your in the toy section of the supermarket, look at the toy motorbikes, and see how many have a rider on them.

Do the children (who are completely innocent with no motives) see the difference, or do they push them along, lean them over, and make bike noises quite happily?

Now try to give them a toy car that has something so fundamentally different from what they actually see in reality on the road (because they don't see motorbikes that ride themselves), say four wheels at the front a rear that drags along the ground, and they won't accept it as a "real car". OK, it could be a space car, or a magic flying car, but they won't accept that it's the same as those they see on the road.

We are invisible folks, just a part of the machine. The safest pair of leathers would be ones that had a naked body, or a skeleton depicted on them.

People always look terrified if you actually stop to talk to them on a bike. When I pull over to ask directions (yes, I am male and I ask directions from people ) people always look frightened until I speak and they can tell I am just a normal guy. If I pulled over in a car, they wouldn't react in the same way. I do agree that there is a strong dehumanising effect from wearing a helmet, but also that most members of the public who do not ride have so little experience of bikes that it is an alien concept to them, and thus something a bit frightening and strange.

If these Ads can change that perception then it can't be a bad thing!

i am soo getting fairy lights for my bike now.....

Did everyone see me????


Dave

Originally Posted by DaveP

Did everyone see me????


Dave

Where and when?????