Bobber? Bagger? Booger? What the....?

[ArizonaKev]

Ok, ok - I know I am probably going to take a rash of $h!t for asking this, but mama always said the only dumb question is the one that you ask - wait, is that what she said?! Why that.... never mind!

Anyway, I think I have a general idea of just what a "bobber" is, but I am not exactly certain. So would anyone out there be so kind to enlighten me about the different "classifications" of modded bikes, like bobbers, baggers, and whatever else there may be? I would sure appreciate it, as I guess I am too redneck to know, and the only classifications we ever made was running or not running! :lol:

Thanks all, and ride safe...

AZ Kev

[blaine]

A bobber is usually any bike that has all unnecessary parts removed such as fenders,extra lights,and seats,anything to make the bike lighter.A bagger is a fully loaded bike with all the bells & whistles.
:2tup: :cool:

[Viirin]

Glad someone asked...and someone else answered - thought i was all alone in that boat

[emory70]

but of course there all sorts of other categories and sub categories. i'm starting to dig on the brat style, taken from the japanese builders whose website is, well, bratstyle. like bobbers but somewhat different.

[dannylightning]

http://www.aoneascootzandrodz.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/bobber-mini-2.216112624_large.jpg

http://silverbackbikes.net/images/pas-bobber-triumph.jpg

http://www.malibumotorcycleworks.com/01%20Bobber%20008.jpg

[ArizonaKev]

Right on blaine - thanks for the nice, clear answer. Makes sense. And thanks to everyone else for the examples. And thankjs to you too viirin - glad to know I'm not the only one who was not "in the know"!

AZ Kev

[dhgeyer]

http://s3.postimage.org/jJPWi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqjJPWi)

This is a booger. No, really, it's a Rat Bike. That's another whole motorcycle subculture. Some people have a negative reaction to the "I need all the chrome I can get and spend all my time polishing it" crowd. So they "Rat out" their bikes - make them as ugly as possible. They also do some innovative and creative stuff in the process - handlebars made from plumbing supplies, non-motorcycle electrical equipment, anything to be different. I saw one rat bike where the guy had gloves and the sleeves of a coat sewn together and lined with flexible tubing, which he connected to the bikes cooling system. He stayed warm all Winter without paying Gerbing's prices!

[Sarris]

Bagger (mine) :)

http://s4.postimage.org/fWO0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVfWO0)

[dannylightning]

Bagger (mine) :)

http://s4.postimage.org/fWO0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVfWO0)

i would be glad to :neener:

[Water Warrior 2]

Nice bike Sarris. There is something about a H-D that can not be duplicated by other manufacturers.

[music man]

Nice bike Sarris. There is something about a H-D that can not be duplicated by other manufacturers.


Yea the price and the big ass oil spot it leaves on the ground. :lol:


Just yankin' yer chain there Sarris, don't kill me. :poke2:

[emory70]

i'm curious as to why people on this site bust on harley people for being jerks, when simultaneously, harleys are the favorite target of ridicule. the 70's were a long time ago.

[dannylightning]

i'm curious as to why people on this site bust on harley people for being jerks, when simultaneously, harleys are the favorite target of ridicule. the 70's were a long time ago.

most people that ride harleys seem to buy a harley for the social status, and think they are better than you cus they own a harley and you own a suzuki...

not saying every one is like that but a good amount of them are.. there are a select few harleys that i would love to have but i dont care what kind of bike you ride lol..

[burkbuilds]

I see most Harley's ridden by two extremes around my neck of the woods. One is the Outlaw biker gang type of rider. I don't think they ride anything but Harley's. The

other is mostly, but not exclusively, the weekend rider that has a lot of income and feels the need to express their wealth with a status symbol like the Harley. I know a

few guys that fall between those two extremes that ride Harley's, but not the majority of Harley riders. Sarris, you are a great example of someone who found a great

Harley motorcycle and rides it regularly, not just on pretty weekends, and as far as I know you are not a gang member, and you don't strike me as extremely wealthy, but

I could be way off there. But most of the Harley riders I know are either gang members or upper income folks that just ride on pretty weekends once in a while. I'm not

trying to bash anybody here, this is just what I've seen most of the time. I went to school with a young man that rode a Harley, he didn't fit either of these categories

and he rode daily, but that is not what I see most of the time. Sarris sings the praises of his Harley for long rides, and I accept that as fact. Most of the Harley's I see on

the road vibrate so visibly, I don't see how the riders can stand it. So apparently Harley makes some great bikes, but some models vibrate a tremendous amount. Again,

not bashing, just my observations. To some people the cost of the bike is not an important issue. I mean, lets say you make a half million a year or more, what difference

could it possibly make to you whether you spent $10 grand or $30 grand on a motorcycle you only plan to ride on pretty weekends a few times each year? I'd guess that

the price would not be relevant to your decision, but the looks, sound and acceptance by your peers probably would be important to you, so you buy a Harley, because,

hey, who else does chrome as good as Harley? Who else sets up groups of people to just listen to their bikes and tell them if they like the way it sounds when it goes by?

Nobody. Who else has every conceivable option available in top quality materials, remember, price probably doesn't matter to you, well again, nobody but Harley

Davidson. Finally, who else has the reputation of "Made in America" for their bikes? There may be some others, but Harley is what comes to mind to most people and that

is an important factor in some people's decision, and I am personally glad that it makes a difference to them.

So, why do Harley riders have a reputation for not being friendly? Well, maybe it is simply because the two demographic groups that dominate the Harley market are not

groups generally known to be very friendly to others, gang members and the extremely wealthy. It is not that riding a Harley makes you unfriendly, it's just that the

biggest part of Harley purchasers are unfriendly types of people to start with, people who feel that either they have been rejected by others, the gang members, or people

that feel superior to others, the extremely wealthy. That certainly doesn't mean that riding a Harley MAKES you unfriendly. By the way, the 70's weren't that long ago

emory70, I still remember them. :biggrin: Edit: Okay Patrick, I fixed it. :)

[patrick_777]

Every heard of the enter key? I got about three words into that post and gave up.

[Water Warrior 2]

Hope we aren't starting a H-D bashing party. There are the Good, the Bad and the Ugly on every brand of bike. But I have to admit from personal observation that some folks are just plain nuts when they buy into the H-D thing. The Poser thing to be precise. A coffee bud of mine bought a new Harley and totally lost all sense and sanity. All of his clothing is now H-D. He is now looking for a bike for his wife who doesn't even want one.
He is a Poser to be sure. Last weekend he put in 2 eight hour shifts at Starbucks just so people could see his bike. DUH ! Maybe go ride the bloody thing.
Then there is another guy from a different group. He is a real rider and presently has a H-D. Travels all sorts of places and doesn't strut around like a peacock because H-D is his choice. He treats all riders the same b/c they are on 2 wheels and not in a car. He respects the other person's choice and actually knows what the bike is and what it can do. He is a Motorcycle Man and I enjoy his company with my coffee.
Then there are us adventure bike riders who fit a different group. We are mostly crazy and cheap.

[music man]

i'm curious as to why people on this site bust on harley people for being jerks, when simultaneously, harleys are the favorite target of ridicule. the 70's were a long time ago.


I was joking dude, I give Sarris a hard time all the time about his Harley, Mainly because I couldn't afford one even if I wanted to, I honestly don't personally know anyone besides Sarris that owns a Harley (and I have never met him), so I really couldn't say whether they are nice people, assholes, or whether their bikes leave an oil spot or not.

It is just a long standing joke about Harley's being expensive and leaky climate controlled garage eye candy. Just like your average Harley rider thinks any japanese made bike is a hunk of cheap foriegn made garbage, even though Honda's/Yamaha's etc... stay on the rode just as long as any Harley (or longer) on the planet. Or the long running joke that all sport bike riders are thrill seeking neanderthals, is it true? no of course not, thats why they call it a JOKE!!

Just chill dude :bong:

[patrick_777]

Or the long running joke that all sport bike riders are thrill seeking neanderthals,

Okay, that hit a little too close to home. :skeptical:

[Sarris]

Or the long running joke that all sport bike riders are thrill seeking neanderthals.....
You mean they're not????

JK Patrick.....

:whistle: :neener:

[ArizonaKev]

I like WW had to say up there, and I agree completely. There are the good, the bad and the ugly in all circles of riders, and life in general. It does crack me up however when someone buys a Harley, and then COMPLETELY changes their attitude to try to be some "hard biker," when all they really did was buy a motorcycle.

I had a friend like that. He was about 50 yrs old, nice guy, mellow, laughed a lot. Pretty cool guy. Then, he bought a Harley - and all of a sudden he was WAY too cool to laugh, or be mellow, or goof around. He somehow "magically" transformed into a total badass, and it got so bad I couldn't even stand to be around him. I was left wondering, "who are you, and what the hell did you do with my friend?"

Now that's not to say that everyone who gets a Harley does that - thank God! But there are people who do, and I think it's pretty hilarious - unless they're your friend, and then it's tragic.

I have basically learned in the short time that I have been riding that, although I initially thought it was primarily just Harley riders who were stuck up and buttholes, in reality, it cuts across all lines. Just like how, out here in AZ, and I am assuming everywhere else, it is pretty much customary to give a fellow rider a low hand wave as an acknowledgment that you see him or her as you pass by in an opposing lane. Well, there are some people who are either ignorant of that custom, or just dillholes who think they are too cool to do it. And I used to think that most of those were Harley riders. After dropping my judgmentalness a bit, I started to realize that there is an equal ratio of that type of dillhole among all riders - d'oh!!!

So, I guess this is my post in support of Harley riders everywhere - one to make Sarris happy (at least as his grumpy old butt can be anyway! Ha ha :lol: ), and one to admit that I was being a judgemental dillhole myself, and now see everyone the same.

...except those guys who ride sportbikes - now they are some REAL assholes! Ha ha ha! JUST KIDDING everyone - you gott'a have a little fun, right? I know I do anyway :neener:

Ride safe all ....

AZ Kev

[emory70]

i got my desire of having a harley from my dad. he has ridden everything but sport bikes since 1962. he is now on his third heritage softail, and will only own harleys now. he is the one person that not only encouraged, but insisted that i get a 250 to start. he loves the rebel, but i had a fondness for the geezer.

yeah, i've seen the rubs and the outlaw bikers (or guys that think they are), but i've seen as many snobs on goldwings and sportbikes. i just don't understand the us vs. them thing with harleys and everything else.

i try to be an "as long as you ride" biker, but i refuse to give the wave to anyone on a scooter.

[Water Warrior 2]

There is also one more group but thankfully a smallish group. A fellow rider asks how far you normally ride in a week, month or year. He rides further every year and is suddenly superior to you. I talked to him twice. The first time and the last time.

[alantf]

i refuse to give the wave to anyone on a scooter.

Hey, they've got Suzuki Bergman 650cc scooters over here. They leave my geezer in their dust! I can't wave, cos I can't catch 'em. O_o

[blaine]

i refuse to give the wave to anyone on a scooter.

Hey, they've got Suzuki Bergman 650cc scooters over here. They leave my geezer in their dust! I can't wave, cos I can't catch 'em. O_o
I wave to people on scooters all the time.Their still on two wheels,and sometimes some real pretty ladies.

:) ;)

[JohnJoshua]

I AM SPAM. I AM BANNED. I SUCK

-Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

[alantf]

Produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and the plentiful coconut trees

and, also, the Spam factory that occupies over 90% of the island.

[Fawlty]

Spam and coconut salad, with a sprinkling of sea salt. What more can one ask for?

[Goose51683]

Just my opinion but I can cut up, rewire, screw around with and generally experiment with my bike in any way I want for less than a couple hundred dollars (usually for just the cost of sweat) with my little GZ. If I had a barely I would be afraid to touch a bolt cause I don't have the bank roll to pay 500+ for a set of HD grips.

I'm sure they are good bikes but in quality I think most bikes have caught up to them at this point. I wouldn't mind having one but only if it was of a comparable cost to everything else.

[raul10141964]

If I have the money, I'll never bay a HD wen y can bay a gold wing

[5th_bike]

If I have the money, I'll never bay a HD

I'd buy a Moto Guzzi :drool:

[Goose51683]

If I ha the money I'd buy a frame as then an engine, a gearbox and a few necessary parts like wheels.

Actually I think that may be my winter project.

[Shammua]

It's funny reading this because around here the nicest people seem to be the Harley guys, the worst seem to be the BMW folks, the rest just don't give a damn except to ride, wave, and find a cold one somewhere. Lol I've had 3 neighbors now get BMW bikes and all of a sudden they won't ride with anyone unless they are on a BMW also. Best part is I don't ever see them out riding.
I use my GZ as a daily driver and laugh when I see across the street cleaning his Harley but I don't ever see it on the road. Not even on weekends.

I could care less what your on, let's ride.
I have a list of bikes I want. Harley Fat Bob, BMW 700GS, Kawasaki KLR 650, and of course my GZ250 that isn't ever leaving the family.

[studysession]

I could care less what your on, let's ride.




fully agree

[mainlinecoffee]

Why won't I buy another Harley? The cost too much and they piss oil and I was on the verge of a mental breakdown when I almost have away my ironhead sporty. I don't own a Harley because I prefer built not bought and have a personal problem with selling a culture. Above all,it's not a race and I firmly believe I will outlast any clown on a revtec 118ci running around with something to prove. The biggest dickhead I know rides a Ducati and I'd kick it over with a quickness just to get his attention...idiots and prudes are everywhere.