Bike Nights!!

[CheeserBeezer]

Can you remember the days when we were really unpopular? Everybody was scowling and looking down their noses at 'bikers'. We were portrayed as unlawful, disreputable, antisocial yobs.... and maybe some of us were, but so were a lot of non-bikers. Marlon Brando had a lot to answer for! Suddenly we're incredibly popular, every landlord wants to welcome us with open arms. They even have signs up saying 'Bikers Welcome' - well, why wouldn't we be? Maybe there are still those who think the default position is 'Bikers not Welcome'! I've heard of racism, sexism and various other forms of 'isms' but 'form of transportism', really?! The landlords are even putting on 'Bike Nights'! One local pub started doing this a few years ago and they gave free, top quality hot dogs (yes, bratwurst in a brioche bun) to anybody who turned up on a bike - good effort I say. At least we were getting rewarded for massaging their overpriced Europop sales and, to be fair, there was a good atmosphere in the car park. It now seems that every pub we visit is having a Bike Night. Our bi-monthly meeting place has just announced they're having a 'Bike Night' every Wednesday. "Great" I said, "What happens on a Bike Night?", "You turn up on your bikes", he said. "Yeh, well, we do that anyway, don't we? Why don't you have a Bike Night every night?". I could tell I was starting to pi55 him off. "Are you giving free hot dogs, like they do at other places?". "We don't have a food licence", he said. "What about trophies for shiny bikes?", I asked. "That could be quite expensive", he said. "So is spending money on petrol and drinking your beer", I said. The landlord was starting to get my point. Should we be so grateful that we are now being made welcome in pubs that we dutifully turn up on a Wednesday and display our bikes as a sign of gratitude? Call me cynical?! I know some people enjoy my rants.....

[Rex]

I suppose so many pubs have to really try now, unlike years ago. Open mike nights, curry nights, quiz nights, etc. Rather different to half of sh*tty warm bitter served with a scowl, and a packet of plain crisps as pub-grub.
He's lucky anyone goes on a Wednesday as many ordinary (ie non-gastro etc) pubs don't seem to even bother opening Mon-Weds nights.

[groily]

Well, I enjoyed it CB. I remember once being turned out of a pub car park as undesirable before I could even darken the door when I was riding an LE Velocette for chrissake. On my own! And there were always dirty looks in some places, where people obviously expected 'trouble' according to some peculiar definition of their own.

From what I've heard from French friends, we never had pariah status here - so there's no need for this 'Bikers welcome after all' stuff a generation later. We always have been.

As Rex says, too  . . . any paying customer is 'welcome', of necessity even if not patrons' first choice of punter and highly unlikely to be a serious consumer for the obvious reasons.

[Black Sheep]

I remember riding though Wimborne in Dorset and every pub and cafe had NO BIKERS signs up. I presume there had been some trouble at some point but it did seem a bit extreme. I was going to visit their model village but rode on instead...

Conversely my wife and I, soaking wet in heavy rain trudged up the imposing steps of a hotel in Newtonmore to see the manager standing in the doorway looking down at us. His first words were "I've booked you the room with the biggest bath". That's more like it.

[KiwiGF]

In the seventies my local pub could not get away with putting a “no bikers” sign up so had a “no helmets” rule instead, because they cluttered the place up and people tripped over them etc. 

So I took my 2 pints worth of business elsewhere.

[RichardL]

Andrew,
Consider rant enjoyed. It seems to me that the best places where bikers/motorcycle enthusiasts congregate are those that evolve on their own and are not forced. Skipping over the >100,000 attendance events, one of the best in the states is the Rock Store on Mulholland Hwy. in Agoura Hills, CA.  http://rock-store.com/contact/ Maybe it's our Ace Cafe.

BS,

There are "baths"?  By my recollection, when my wife and I did a B&B tour of the UK in '88, you had to squeeze your shoulders together to turn around in the shower you were sharing with the wall-mounted water heater providing enough to soap up warm and rinse off cold.

Richard L.

[muskrat]

G'day Fellas.
Down here a lot of pubs are "biker friendly" and a lot of them offer secure lock up parking for bikes overnight. The only stipulation is no "patches".
Back in the late 70's my club the Sydney Tourers had it's weekly social sip on a Wed night. Pay days are usually Thurs/Fri but mine was Wed. I would be the only one there with money so was very popular!
Cheers

[Black Sheep]

"There are "baths"?  By my recollection, when my wife and I did a B&B tour of the UK in '88, you had to squeeze your shoulders together to turn around in the shower you were sharing with the wall-mounted water heater providing enough to soap up warm and rinse off cold."

But this was a seriously imposing hotel. Long drive, big flight of stone steps to the entrance. Not our usual price range.
The next words the manager said were "I heard the Norton". As indeed he had. The next morning he and all the staff lined up to see us off. The Norton started first kick. 2 miles down the road the back tyre punctured just as the next rain storm approached...
P.S. We weren't charged much for our stay either. 

[CheeserBeezer]

I suppose so many pubs have to really try now, unlike years ago. Open mike nights, curry nights, quiz nights, etc. Rather different to half of sh*tty warm bitter served with a scowl, and a packet of plain crisps as pub-grub.
He's lucky anyone goes on a Wednesday as many ordinary (ie non-gastro etc) pubs don't seem to even bother opening Mon-Weds nights.

Yes they do have to 'really try' so I'm not sure how declaring Wednesday as a 'Bike Night' represents a lot of effort!

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
Blacksheep, we had a similar warm welcome at the Savoy hotel in Ayr back in 2003 when we arrived in off the street without a booking. We had spent some time touring in Scotland, (a long way from Cork)
The porter carried in our panniers and instructed us the bring the Guzzi right up to the front door so it could be kept watch on. A fantastic room a hot bath and great food got us recovered so we could continue our journey South next day.

John

[WozzA]

A club I once was in had a every Thursday night get together at one of the members Shed / BAR / BBQ area.
& a week end run every year to the EDENHOPE pub ( which was owned by a club member )..
The Edenhope pub is 1/2 way between Melbourne & Adelaide for the South Aussie & Victorian boys to catch up..  Beds supplied for FREE by the publican...  Many a hangover was had.