LEATHER BOY

Gay culture, camp concerns and motorcycling have been long term bed fellows, and Planet Bike is all the richer for  it. We still need each other…

Biking has always had a special affinity with the gay world. Consider: the outsider image, with its stylised accoutrements and defined look; the thrill of the machines, and the implicit rejection of the straight, risk averse majority;  the male camaraderie – all these things resonated in the bars of California’s naval ports and dockyards (already familiar landmarks on the queer map), when and where it all began: as the great disembarkation following WW2 got underway.

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2011 SPEED TRIPLE

…  belatedly slung a leg over the 11 Speed Triple for the first time. Glorious weather, demanding roads in a variety of guises.

I had the opportunity to ride the new model some time ago, but waited until I could do it justice – in decent conditions, and with sufficient time to get to grips with the bike.  Apart from the redesigned lamps – and quite enough has been said about those already, bearing in mind the fact that you can negotiate a swop for the older variety –  at first glance little seems to have changed. Beware of first glances: this is way more than a makeover.  So let’s get down to business.

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BLACK ISLE

Word has reached bg from our Island correspondent that the natives are getting understandably restless about the needless carnage arising from the annual invasion of bikers during TT week. We’re not talking about race related incidents. Leaving them out of the equation, how many recorded accidents involving motorcycles took place during the festival? The answer: … Read more

MEDIA MYTHOLOGY

You can rest assured that a few oft repeated maxims will keep intruding – as you sit on your throne,  undertaking a leisured trawl through the pages of whatever motorcycle orientated publication you favour during your few stolen minutes of peace and solitude.

Right now, a number of lazy, ill considered judgements just keep on cropping up.  Recognise any of these?

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