Are You An ATGATT Rat?

What is an ATGATT Rat, anyway?

What does that mean?

What's ATGATT?

I've been asked this question since I assumed the monicker "Atgatt Rat" and began the blog.

ATGATT is a well-established term, a mantra for the safe rider, and an acronym for "All The Gear, All The Time". It's been described as a philosophy, an ideal.

ATGATTers abound. We're the quiet minority in moto-culture. I don't know the percentages; someday when I'm bored I'll take to doing informal surveys of riders I see on a sunny day. How many are wearing helmets? How many are wearing gloves? How many are wearing boots? How many are wearing long pants (for starters). How many are wearing pants with some level of protection above mere denim.

If "moto-gear" is a continuum, on one extreme we have the pure SQUID. This, too, is a well-established term in moto-culture.

Squids wear no protective gear. They don't even wear appropriate attire. Sandals, flip-flops, shorts, tank tops, no shirts. I've seen it all. They hop on a bike dressed like they would walk to the refrigerator, or walk to the beach.

On the other extreme, are the hard-core ATGATTers. There are those among us who would not dream of throwing a leg over a motorcycle without donning every article of protective clothing. Boots offer more protection than sandals or flip-flops. Motorcycle-specific boots have special abrasion resistance and armor in strategic locations.

So it is with pants. Blue jeans offer more protection than shorts or cutoffs. They offer more protection than a pair of Dockers. But motorcycle-specific clothing would take this the extra step, by adding padding in the butt and knees, abrasion-resistant fabric, or armor.

Leather Jackets are iconic motorcycle wear. Even a jacket worn for its good looks, if it's made of leather, offers more protection than a tank top. But for true protection, it has to be motorcycle-grade leather, or another abrasion resistant fabric such as kevlar, nylon, or cordura. There are mesh jackets for summer and quilted padded lined jackets for cold-weather riding.

Helmets, too, have a wide range, from the minimalist beanie, to the full-face helmet.

So, we have the Squids, and we have the ATGATTers, and everyone in between. Most folks who ride fall somewhere in between; we may tend toward true pure ATGATT, or may tend toward Squidishness.

What's A Rat?

Okay, I understand ATGATT? But where does "Rat" come in?

In moto-culture, a Rat Bike is a beat-up old bike. Technically, it takes more than age or signs of wear to make a bike a "Rat". It needs to be modified. And by this, I don't mean "customized" with expensive after-market parts. I mean modified, cheaply, to serve some function. An example of a Rat modification would be patching a hole in the exhaust with an aluminum beer can. Rat bikes might have missing covers, dangling wires. The emphasis is on getting the bike running on the cheap. Function over form. Sort of the antithesis of the chromed and polished "custom bike" which has lots of expensive modifications which enhance the appearance but do nothing to enhance the performance or the function.

When I bought my first motorcycle, at the tender age of 38, it was a 20-year-old Ratty looking bike that I bought for $900. Rusty tank, duct tape wrapped around the broken stubs of the turn signals holding them on -- all it lacked to be a true rat bike would have been a broken mirror or a beer-can exhaust patch.

Immediately after buying it, I geared up. Before I ever rode it, I bought a helmet. I found gloves. I wore boots. I would tell my friends about the jacket, or the pants, or the boots I bought as "motorcycle gear."

One friend made the observation "Holy Crap! You're going to spend more on gear than you did on your bike!"

I thought about it, and thought, "Yeah, I probably will. And what's so bad about that?"

ATGATT RAT is born

So, I made up this term...ATGATT Rat. I combined two already-existing terms in our moto-culture lexicon, and made a new term.

Strictly speaking, an "ATGATT Rat" spends more on gear than he does on his motorcycle.

More broadly interpreted, it means an emphasis on safety over image. It might be cool to evoke Brando in his blue jeans and leather jacket, but it's safer to wear abrasion-resistant pants and jacket, gloves, and a full-face helmet. You can't wink at the girls at the stoplight as readily wearing a full-face helmet, but you'll fare much better in case of an accident.

At its core, the ATGATT Rat philosophy says, "It doesn't matter what you ride! Just put on your gear, and let's ride!"

Bringing him up right

My son has ridden behind me since he could reach the foot pegs.

I've always insisted on full gear -- helmet, gloves, boots, mesh jacket and riding pants. Jacket and pants have been especially hard to find. We've had to borrow from the "Dirt Riding" realm, which has a broad range of gear for kids. Street riding gear for kids is almost non-existent in the U.S.; some we've had to import from Europe.

We talk openly about safety with our kids.

www.ST-Owners.com

I'm not used to such a fancy online forum as the ST-Owners.  Since beginning my search for an ST1300A, culminating finally with my purchase of the bike last week, I've begun to explore the st-owner's site.

Back when I owned an older Goldwing, I found a helpful community at goldwingfacts.com -- which was especially attuned to the needs of owners of older Goldwings.  I also used to frequent "Naked Gold Wings", as I imagined at the time that I would strip my 1982 Interstate "naked".  These plans never materialized, and I sold the bike intact a year after purchasing it.

Then I bought a Magna.  For whatever reason, I never got involved with a "Magna Owners Group", though there were a few out there.  Perhaps it was the fact that it was a dead bike, no longer in production.  Perhaps it was the fact that the folks at SabMag met all my needs.

I've been a member of SabMag for the past 7 years -- as much as anyone can be a member of a loose affiliation of folks who have no formal organizational structure or membership.  Don't get me wrong, they're a great bunch of folks.  They just don't have a fancy organizational structure, or even a fancy website.  They're essentially a listserv -- and beneath that, in the real world, a community of folks who love motorcycles and who now, or at some time in the past, owned a Honda V4 such as a Magna, Sabre, Interceptor, or ST.

No Motorcycle Expo

I drove the family of four to the Indianapolis Motorcycle Expo this afternoon. We arrived shortly before 3 p.m.; 2 hours before it closed.

The clerk at the ticket office said, "40 dollars please".

I had forgotten kids were 8 dollars; I was thinking kids under 12 were free. I had been expecting something on the order of 20 bucks.

I said, "Forget it".

Though I was somewhat interesting in seeing the Xtreme Sports performance, I wasn't up for $40 bucks for two hours entertainment.

I've enjoyed it in times past. I usually buy something there. I bought my leather jacket there for a good price, right after a got into motorcycling.

I think they ought to pro-rate admission for the waning hours of a show like this.

Sure, I should have looked at the show hours (and double-checked the rates) before I hauled everyone down there.

The kids were cool about it; they weren't overly upset.

Drift Battle - RX-7 versus ZX-10

I'm tired of winter! I've seen my share of snow drifts. Here's a different kind of drifting; this kind warms my heart.

Infamous Page 53 -- Hells Angels and Honda ST's

This fascinating quote is part of ST-owner's tribal lore.  We sat up and took notice when a founding member of the Hell's Angels said he'd rather be riding Honda.

Here's the actual quote, from page 53 of Sonny Barger's biography "Hell's Angel".

"It's always been important for Hell's Angels to ride American-made machines. In terms of pure workmanship, personally I don't like Harleys. I ride them because I'm in the club, and that's the image, but if I could I would seriously consider riding a Honda ST1100 or a BMW.

We really missed the boat not switching over to the Japanese models when they began building bigger bikes. I'll usually say, "F*** Harley-Davidson. You can buy an ST1100 and the motherf***** will do 110 miles per hour right from the factory all day long ...

While it's probably too late to switch over now, it would have been a nice move because Japanese bikes today are so much cheaper and better built. However, Japanese motorcycles don't have as much personality."

This quote flies in the face of the Hell's Angels image.  It's hard to imagine Sonny and the rest of the Angels riding into town on BMW GT's or Honda ST1100's.

Harley owners cringed, and BMW and Honda owners grinned, at this unexpected endorsement.

As a Honda owner, I'd like to frame this quote:

"Japanese bikes are so much cheaper and better built (than Harley Davidsons)"

And of course, my Harley-owning friends (not to mention spouse) would likely lift this quote:

"Japanese bikes don't have as much personality (as Harleys)"

Which, I suppose, defines the argument.  Do you prefer personality or quality?

Do you agree with the premise?

There will be those who don't. Some will argue that Harleys are well built.  Or, that Hondas have personality.

And there will be those who agree with the premise, but place a different value on the equation.  Those that buy a Harley because personality matters most.  Those who buy a Honda because quality matters most.


Would Sonny be welcome in the Honda crowd?

Sure, Sonny.  Put on your gear and let's ride.

My Kind Of Naked Crazy

The folks at Autoblog have an article on the beautiful FGR Midalu V6.

26 Motorcycle Side Cars

Maybe if we had a side-car, we could ride our motorcycles in the snow.

Anunciatos.com features 26 different varieties.

Which is your favorite?

Naming A Motorcycle

I mentioned earlier, (see "The Motorcycle Name Game") that I've been thinking about ST names before I actually own a bike.

I've been stuck at work, working lots of overtime, and keeping myself entertained by daydreaming about the bike I would buy.

I mentioned to some riding friends that I was thinking about names for my non-existent bike, and they gave me a hard time.

Some thought I was losing my mind. "Geez, just wait," said Carl. "The bike will tell you its name very soon after you buy it."

Some reject the whole idea of naming a bike. "The closest I come to anthropomorphizing the bike is to call it a "she" occasionally," said Pete. "I confess I just don't get the whole idea of naming one's bike."

Another said, "My policy is, don't name anything that doesn't come when you call it."

I said, "By that line of reasoning, my kids should be nameless."

Tradition among Honda ST owners dictates that the bike names have "ST" in them. I'm not aware of any other makes or models that have such a tradition. They may exist, I'm just don't know of any.

My FJR-riding friend, who has changed engines in his bike more times that I have changed oil in my Honda, quipped that if he were obliged to use the letters F, J and R in the name, it would be something like "F-ing Jury Rigged", or "F-ing Just Replaced". Not a happy bike owner!

I wonder what percentage of the bike riding population have names for their bikes?

What has a name must surely have a soul

I've been doing some more pondering on the subject of Naming A Motorcycle.

Why do we name our bikes?

Surely, beneath it all is a universal truth. Something which rings true within your heart because of your own experiences, not necessarily because some teacher told you so, or some leader, or some dead poet in a book on the shelf.

But am convinced of the fact nonetheless: That which has a soul must also have a name.

This is why we name our bikes.

This is why we name our pets.


Those who identify most strongly with what I'm saying tip their heads in agreement, and think upon their own experiences. "That's right!" they say.

The counter argument, the stoic, logical, scientific view, would say: Soul's don't exist in these things. Certainly not in a dog or a motorcycle. Soul?! Bah!

If you'd like to stir up some conversation, next time you're grabbing lunch with your motorcycle buddies, toss out a casual question.

What is the name of your bike?

Practicality And Style

"And I didn't even have to bungee it down!" said Mrs. Rat.

Mrs. Rat ran a few errands on her Harley Davidson Super Glide today, and was thankful for the deceptively capacious rigid saddlebags I had installed for her earlier this year.

She was able to fit two dozen donuts in one saddlebag, not having to resort to strapping cargo on the pillion seat.

Some folks feel bags detract from cruiser aesthetics. We Rats are passed that . . . we embrace the aesthetic of usability.

RIP Rollin "Molly" Sanders - creater of "Kawasaki Green"

The creator of "Kawasaki Green" passed away.

There's a fascinating story here that I didn't know existed. He helped distinguish the Kawasaki brand with the iconic "Kawasaki Green". He designed the Yamaha track logo. He designed the graphics for the Buick Grand National Turbo. He also designed the Lexus logo.

By all accounts a brilliant yet humble, approachable, likeable man. I would have loved to have met him.

Read the full story at dealernews.com

Another Step Closer

Recently I mused, in "The Next Step", about a certain je ne sais quoi that was somehow missing from my riding lately.

• I considered possible mechanical issues with the bike -- wheel bearings, fork springs, shocks.
• I wondered whether the new massive Tombstone-style windshield was adversely affecting handling. (See "Memphis Fats For The Magna")
• I considered the possibility that my skills themselves needed a tune up.
• Finally, I considered whether I was simply "tired of my current bike" and needed a different one. Different for the sake of different, just to experience something new.

In the past I've owned a 500cc UJM "Standard" motorcycle (actually an original "Baby Magna"), an ancient Gold Wing, and now the current Honda Magna, which is touted as the "original power cruiser" (or "Muscle Cruiser"). The same engine as the Honda VF750R Interceptor, in a cruiser frame, with a fairly neutral or standard seating position. With driver footpegs barely forward of "standard" position, the Magna is hardly what would pass for a true "cruiser" configuration by today's standards.

But I've never had a Sport Tourer. I've never had a Dual Sport. I've never had a Sport Bike. And while I've test driven some of these, I don't feel that you can truly experience and get a feel for a bike in a brief drive. I need to own and ride the bike for a year to truly know it.

So recently I began lusting for "something different for the sake of being different" -- and pined for a Ninja 500R. (See "Trip Report, Lust Confession") Because it was a sportier configuration, because it looked cool, because I've never owned anything like it before. Because it's affordable. Because a friend of mine highly recommends that amazing 500cc Kawi parallel twin engine.

But I took a step back from my bike lust, at the advice of another friend, who said, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."

So, instead of fantasizing about fixing whatever ailed me by switching bikes, I decided to work on fixing whatever was wrong with my current bike.

And the first step in fixing whatever is wrong, is pinning down exactly what it is that doesn't feel quite right.

So I took the first step. I took off that massive Memphis Fats windshield and rode today without it.

Wow, what a difference!

There is some sort of essential visceral exhilaration that I feel when accelerating rapidly with the wind rushing over me. It is an important part of riding a bike, for me. If I don't have that feeling of rushing wind, I feel like the whole experience is muted. Like eating my favorite dish while I have a head cold (which deprives me of enjoying the flavor and aroma of the food); or listening to my favorite CD on tiny little tinny sounding speakers. Some essential robustness of the experience is lacking. I feel robbed.

Without the windshield, the handling is also improved. The bike seems more responsive to the throttle, and less sensitive to the breeze, than it did with that massive "barn door" mounted to the front forks.

Okay, this is good to know. I can keep the "barn door" for long trips. Being a Memphis Shades windshield, it's easy to remove. I'll only put it on for 100+ mile trips on the Interstate, when the prolonged wind blast is so fatiguing. I'll leave it off for my daily commute, and my local jaunts through the twisties.

Already the bike feels better, the experience seems more satisfying.

But there was still something else that didn't seem quite right. Some sort of squirming in the back wheel that I feel from time to time, even in the straightaways, at low speed. I'll have to investigate further. Could the tire be cupped, or in some other way defective?

But I'm no longer daunted by the task of sorting out "whatever doesn't feel right" with the bike. I'm encouraged by the no-windshield experience. Ready to tackle the next aspect that needs tweaking.

Bring it on.

The Next Step

I find myself dissatisfied with my riding experience, lately.

I can't find the cause. It started with the infamous "Slide Into Spring" ride with Dennis and Bob, where I was markedly slower than them and the trip ended up with me being separated from them.

I feel my skills have reached a plateau, although this is very hard to gauge. I ride alone most of the time, commuting back and forth to work, 30 miles round trip. It's really not until I ride with the group that I have any basis of comparison.

And by comparison, I suck!

But I shouldn't base my enjoyment of my ride by comparing myself to others. I ride for me, and I am not the type of person to feel compelled to compete.

But lately I've felt the bike and I have been ... out of tune. It could be that I haven't logged as many miles this year as I did a few years ago. And my annual mileage last year was exceptionally low, owing to health problems.

But there's been a lack of smoothness in my shifting, my speed transitions. There's been some harshness in my ride transmitted to me through the suspension.

Should I be looking for a cause of this feeling within the bike? Or, should I look for it within myself?

Honestly, I lot of this strangeness of handling probably comes from the windshield. I only use the shield on long road trips, or very cold mornings. But I've added a new shield, which is a traditional fork-mounted tombstone-type windshield -- a Memphis Fats. I've heard that large, fork-mounted windshields affect handling. In fact, I think this may have been a big factor for a friend who sold his cruiser in favor of a dual sport.

But I really need the shield on the Magna on highway runs.

I guess before I do something drastic, like selling my bike, I should simply ride for a week without the windshield, and see how it feels. If the awkwardness in handling continues, I should seek professional help -- and by that I mean a professional riding course!

If the handling improves but the general feeling of dissatisfaction remains, what does this mean? Should I be looking for a different bike, or trying to enhance my skills.

What is the next step?

Kickstand Critters

Aerostich has a new twist on an old problem -- kickstands sinking into soft mud or hot asphalt. Instead of a boring disk, or a flattened soda can, why not try a whimsical alternative.

More at motorbiker.org >>

Wherever 2 Wheels Can Take You...

You'll find a dual sport motorcycle wherever two wheels can take you...

Ryde4Ever posted this slideshow at slide.com. Featuring Suzuki DR650's in all sorts of places. Very cool.

New Volkswagen Motorcycle?

It may be just a rumor, but it is a delicious and tantalizing rumor. Volkswagen may enter the realm of motorcycle manufacturer, perhaps with a rebirth of the NSU, a brand which the German automaker bought in the 60's.

Full story >>

A Portion Of "The Dragon" will reopen soon

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will reopen an 11-mile stretch of U.S. 129/SR115 in Blount County known as “The Dragon” on Monday, April 12 at 8:00 a.m. The stretch of U.S. 129 from the Tabcat Bridge to the North Carolina state line will be open to traffic each day between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The section of U.S. 129 from just past the Foothills Parkway to the Tabcat Bridge will remain closed as crews work to remove a rockslide that closed the roadway in March.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will provide traffic enforcement and Graham County, North Carolina will provide emergency response along the open section of U.S. 129 during daylight hours.

Motorists are advised that emergency response will be limited in the area. Law enforcement will have zero tolerance for traffic law violations and will diligently enforce the area.

U.S. 129 will be closed to traffic at the North Carolina state line at 8:00 p.m. each night until 8:00 a.m. the next day. The roadway will remain closed to commercial traffic and large RVs.

And while we're at it, US 64 from Ducktown to Cleveland will be open in a few days also:

Equipment will be removed from the U.S. 64 rockslide site beginning Monday, April 12 so paving operations can begin. To the delight of local residents and Ocoee outfitters, U.S. 64 in Polk County will be back open to traffic on Friday, April 16.

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News Leak: Buell and Bombardier form Bomber Motorcycles Ltd

Bombarider Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) is pleased to announce, in conjunction with Erik Buell Racing, LLC, the formation of Bomber Motorcycles Ltd., a joint-venture between Erik Buell Racing and BRP. Bomber Motorcycles® will produce performance orientated street motorcycles out of Quebec, Canada that will be tailored to meet the needs of North American sport bike enthusiasts. These motorcycles will showcase unparalleled performance characteristics, and benefit from cutting edge technology seen nowhere else in the motorcycle industry. Featuring BRP made Rotax® engines, Bomber Motorcycles will revolutionize motorcycling with its unique chassis designs and styling.

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Buell: Gone but not forgotten

Despite the tragic murder of Buell Motorcycles by Harley Davidson, the faithful will be gathering in East Troy, Wisconsin on June 16-20th.

The festivities include a concert by Erik Buell and The Thunderbolts.

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