Can the hipster moto scene help grow MOTO?

JDUB35
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2/24/2016 8:10am
I am from Portland Oregon. Epicenter of all that is hipster...... Trust me, hipsters will be the last people to help the sport gain popularity. They are more focused on their kale, rare coffee beans and man buns.
mumbles
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Fantasy
2/24/2016 8:16am
I don't know if the "Hipster" scene will help motocross but I can tell you it got me more interested in the street bike scene. I'm 59, balding and overweight so I wouldn't call myself a hipster. I love all the old vintage bikes being customized and the little shops popping up all over the world catering to that. I have an old BSA twin from the 60s and made it into a bobber and I also have a mid 80s BMW that I made into a street fighter/brat bike. I love them both and customizing them and modifying them has been a lot of fun. Without this younger 20 or 30 something movement getting into bikes I might not have done it myself. Anything to bring the old bikes back and get them on the street is a good thing for the motorcycle industry.

The Shop

FWYT
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2/24/2016 8:22am Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 8:27am
FWYT wrote:
Yeah, but those parks came about by going through the bureaucratic channels. You can thank Tony Hawk, Larry Balma and the other industry titans for helping...
Yeah, but those parks came about by going through the bureaucratic channels. You can thank Tony Hawk, Larry Balma and the other industry titans for helping with that and it took 20 years. Only a few notable ones like Burnside and Washington street were skater-built. And those "no skateboarding" signs are still up in the malls.
cslacker wrote:
Those bureaucratic channels were only opened up because they had the leverage to say "look, they are going to do it anyways, lets give them a...
Those bureaucratic channels were only opened up because they had the leverage to say "look, they are going to do it anyways, lets give them a controlled environment for them to do it in."


And while those "no skateboarding" signs are still up at the malls, there are places for kids to go nowadays, which is all anyone really wanted in the first place.

According to news articles, there have already been talks on the east coast about opening something similar to skate parks for these wheelie guys. Will it happen? Maybe in 20 years... But the conversation wouldn't be happening if feathers weren't being ruffled.

Nooooooooo . . . . it took a ton of time and meetings with city fathers and industry people sitting down talking insurance, numbers, cost, design etc. to get things going. Merely saying "they are going to do it anyway" and just still skating (or riding) where one is not supposed to doesn't work. It wasn't like the city officials said "Hey! Let's take this upon ourselves and build a park!" Not by a long shot. The Tony Hawk Foundation still works on this daily, helping get stuff built. (I shot for TWS back in that era and watched Balma get soooooooo frustrated coming out of those meetings.)
Boarddesign
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2/24/2016 8:28am
Short answer is no, they it (the scene) won't help Moto. They might help your garage loose weight, they are looking for the crusty shit no one wants… so I guess that's a plus..

I'm not sure if any of you have been to the Hell on Wheels races or things like them. It makes me want to vomit. There are the sick older dudes who just love the purity of it all and that I really dig. Burnworth and others have prime vintage bikes and ride the piss out of them, that gets me pumped. BUT… Then there is all the kooks, hipsters, what have you, the scene is just bad.. Here is my thinking as to why they won't help, they get some old enduro, have never ridden, they go to these races (just to show how hip they are) crash / scare themselves.. talk about how rad they are at their coffee shop next week, done. They have no intentions on getting a 450.

I saw a Fasthouse video last week that left me thinking there was no hope for humanity… It was a hipster infestation at their new corporate headquarters. I really like Kenny and think the world of him but for me, the trill of FH is gone. It looks like it's been taken by Pirates and they made Kenny walk the plank. There only saving grace is the fact that I got an email this morning with a pic of T.B. & D.D., who they are supporting through the eastern swing of the SX season. The look that those to have with the gear is a perfect fit IMHO, not that other crap.
Camp332
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2/24/2016 8:52am
Johnny Stilts says: "don't wear skinny jeans if you skip leg day bro."
burnside
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2/24/2016 8:55am Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 8:56am
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/02/24/125233/s1200_beard_lumbersexual_someday_soon_will_be_remembered_like_this.jpg[/img]


Yeah, but mullets are fucking awesome! hahaha

steed 2.0
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steed 2.0 wrote:
[url=https://shop.yellowclaw.com/collections/blood-for-mercy/products/bfm-racer-shirt-4 ]Yellow Claw - Blood for Mercy[/url] [img]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1062/4244/products/bfm-black-racershirt-front_grande.jpg[/img] :) ;)
GuyB
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2/24/2016 9:11am
I'm all for anything that brings more participation to motocross (or motorcycling in general).

Things like the Hell on Wheels races out here, are about having fun on bikes, with a low barrior for participation. It doesn't matter how ratty the bikes are (in some cases the rattier the better), it matters how much fun you have.

There's definitely a different vibe to the events like this, and while some might decry a hipster fashion sense, they're out there on two wheels, and not pissing and moaning from behind a keyboard.
cslacker
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2/24/2016 9:15am Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 9:37am
FWYT wrote:
Nooooooooo . . . . it took a ton of time and meetings with city fathers and industry people sitting down talking insurance, numbers, cost, design...
Nooooooooo . . . . it took a ton of time and meetings with city fathers and industry people sitting down talking insurance, numbers, cost, design etc. to get things going. Merely saying "they are going to do it anyway" and just still skating (or riding) where one is not supposed to doesn't work. It wasn't like the city officials said "Hey! Let's take this upon ourselves and build a park!" Not by a long shot. The Tony Hawk Foundation still works on this daily, helping get stuff built. (I shot for TWS back in that era and watched Balma get soooooooo frustrated coming out of those meetings.)
I never said city officials took it upon themselves to build the skate parks. And I am not trying to take anything away from the Tony Hawk Foundation and all of the hard work and frustration they and others have had to deal with to make this all happen. I feel like you think you are disagreeing with me but I'm not seeing anything you are saying that I disagree with. I'm oversimplifying the past but without the pressure to create a safer environment for the skaters the conversations never would have happened.

I am simply talking about the environment, not those that influenced and pushed the changes to happen. Without all of the complaints to the police and city councils about all of those "punk kids" nobody would have recognized there was even a problem is all I'm saying.

*edit- I see where you might have thought by my earlier post; "Those bureaucratic channels were only opened up because they had the leverage to say "look, they are going to do it anyways, lets give them a controlled environment for them to do it in." " that I was saying that the bureaucrats involved were making that statement. That was not the intention. I was referring to those who were petitioning the cities for the change using the argument that by creating skate parks they were establishing a safer place for those who were going to do it anyways. By creating a controlled environment the police and city councils would get less complaints and it would be better for everyone.

early
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2/24/2016 9:16am
Those judgemental hipsters will never be cool enough for my sport.
ob
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2/24/2016 9:48am
FWYT wrote:
Dues? You mean Deus Ex Machina? Could branding/clothing/etc grow moto . . . . Sure it could. For example in surfing, there is NO money (relatively)...
Dues? You mean Deus Ex Machina?

Could branding/clothing/etc grow moto . . . .
Sure it could. For example in surfing, there is NO money (relatively) in making boards. It's all in the soft goods side.
Same with skateboarding. Then that money gets plowed back into the sport and helps pay for things. How exactly the moto aesthetic gets defined is the scary part. hahaha The "hipster" look is sooooooooo played out, though.

I have a friend that saw a pair of motocross pants and she flipped. Now she scours C/L looking for used pair to
wear around as part of an outfit for a night out. When I finally got her to go into a shop, Del Amo, she freaked. She thought she had gone to heaven. hahahah


All the moto brands have a soft goods program which tends to just be basics with logos. The actual
styling leaves a lot to be desired. The thing is, and where the disconnect is for us purists, is that we
are gearheads first and that crap matters very little to us. We are jeans and t-shirt guys wrenching in the
garage. I mean, you see lifestyle shots of the other hip sports with the participants hanging out between sessions
and there is a visual aesthetic there. Shots of moto guys between sessions and it's sitting
on the back of the truck in gear getting a drink of water, or at the gym or wrenching on bikes in jeans and t-shirts.
It *could maybe* be romanticized but it would take some effort and time to build.
burnside wrote:
Yeah I did mean Dues Ex Machina.. They maybe not be "hardcore" by a racer or key board warrior standard, but I find it interesting the...
Yeah I did mean Dues Ex Machina.. They maybe not be "hardcore" by a racer or key board warrior standard, but I find it interesting the gap between this sort of fun stuff, and moto, moto. I wouldn't be surprised if a few moto brands are taking notes from Dues.

I don't understand what going on here. Old bikes mixed with newer bikes that are made to look old? Straight up beginners mixed with guys with some skill, are they racing or just pretending to be racing? Looks fun it just doesnt make sense in my racers brain. But looks like KTM is taking over that scene as well lol
hvaughn88
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2/24/2016 9:49am
early wrote:
Those judgemental hipsters will never be cool enough for my sport.
Wink
51xc
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2/24/2016 9:59am
did someone say skinny jeans?



Rexblaster
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2/24/2016 10:05am
Im at pretty much the epicenter of "Hipster-ness" in Austin, Texas, and nah. 99% of them dont know what i mean when i say "250cc".
mx836
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2/24/2016 10:07am
Mainstream sports that your average joe can duplicate at home don't have a $10,000 price tag like moto. Moto will never be mainstream. It's dangerous and expensive. People are too big of pussies these days.
Xeno
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2/24/2016 10:24am
cslacker wrote:
Look, I'm sure this is going to be an extremely unpopular opinion here but I'm going to try anyways... Does anyone remember the skateboard culture of...
Look, I'm sure this is going to be an extremely unpopular opinion here but I'm going to try anyways...

Does anyone remember the skateboard culture of the 80's? There were signs everywhere forbidding skateboarding in parking lots, parks, schools etc... The skateboarding counterculture did it anyways. And look what it got them... Skateboarding's Not A Crime!!! Now we have skateparks everywhere and the "sport" of skateboarding grew rapidly. We are not going to combat the environazis by playing by their rules.

I am not advocating for theft or anything of that nature so don't try to turn this into something it's not... But with tracks and trails being shut down in record numbers at a certain point we will be left with no option but to just do it anyways if we want to ride. I just don't see how playing by the rules of those that would prefer if we just went away all together is going to get us anywhere.

Again, since I'm sure it will come up, I am not advocating for theft or blocking off freeways with a group of wheelieboyz... but doing a little dirty riding occasionally is as part of the "core" of this sport as gaudy neon gear...
Chip Morton and I remember 80's skate culture very, very well. (ahem- '87 CASL champion...)

Anyway, changes in municipal liability/insurance have allowed skateparks to flourish. And Tony Hawk's foundation.
Benihana225
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2/24/2016 11:10am


This is my cafe. No hipster here. Btw its a 2 stroke Wink
cslacker
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2/24/2016 11:19am
Xeno wrote:
Chip Morton and I remember 80's skate culture very, very well. (ahem- '87 CASL champion...) Anyway, changes in municipal liability/insurance have allowed skateparks to flourish. And...
Chip Morton and I remember 80's skate culture very, very well. (ahem- '87 CASL champion...)

Anyway, changes in municipal liability/insurance have allowed skateparks to flourish. And Tony Hawk's foundation.
Nice! I was just one of the punk kids...
Underdog999
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2/24/2016 11:22am Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 11:25am
Short answer is no, they it (the scene) won't help Moto. They might help your garage loose weight, they are looking for the crusty shit no...
Short answer is no, they it (the scene) won't help Moto. They might help your garage loose weight, they are looking for the crusty shit no one wants… so I guess that's a plus..

I'm not sure if any of you have been to the Hell on Wheels races or things like them. It makes me want to vomit. There are the sick older dudes who just love the purity of it all and that I really dig. Burnworth and others have prime vintage bikes and ride the piss out of them, that gets me pumped. BUT… Then there is all the kooks, hipsters, what have you, the scene is just bad.. Here is my thinking as to why they won't help, they get some old enduro, have never ridden, they go to these races (just to show how hip they are) crash / scare themselves.. talk about how rad they are at their coffee shop next week, done. They have no intentions on getting a 450.

I saw a Fasthouse video last week that left me thinking there was no hope for humanity… It was a hipster infestation at their new corporate headquarters. I really like Kenny and think the world of him but for me, the trill of FH is gone. It looks like it's been taken by Pirates and they made Kenny walk the plank. There only saving grace is the fact that I got an email this morning with a pic of T.B. & D.D., who they are supporting through the eastern swing of the SX season. The look that those to have with the gear is a perfect fit IMHO, not that other crap.
I agree with almost everything you said until you got down to Bereman and Durham. Bereman is also a hipster. He has turned into one inside and out.
FWYT
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2/24/2016 12:10pm
cslacker wrote:
Nice! I was just one of the punk kids...
All good, brother. I see what you meant now. Right on.
JW381
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2/24/2016 12:11pm
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/02/24/125233/s1200_beard_lumbersexual_someday_soon_will_be_remembered_like_this.jpg[/img]


burnside wrote:
Yeah, but mullets are fucking awesome! hahaha [img]http://www.motoxschool.com/images/damonbradshaw.GIF[/img]
Yeah, but mullets are fucking awesome! hahaha

I have a mullet and the only reason I have to cup my dick and balls to put on my jeans is because my unit is huge. The hipsters can die an obscure death that no one else has ever died before, for all I care. The ONLY thing they have going for them is cafe racers and cats. Neither of which they have any kind of monopoly over.
JW381
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2/24/2016 12:12pm
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/02/24/125251/s1200_IMG_20150111_021703.jpg[/img] This is my cafe. No hipster here. Btw its a 2 stroke ;)


This is my cafe. No hipster here. Btw its a 2 stroke Wink
Some days I'm ready to sell my CR for a cafe racer/tracker. I want one so bad. Bigger fish to fry first, but it's on the agenda. This is sick man, props.
2/24/2016 12:29pm
Have any of you ever seen the hipster motorcycle seen? A bunch of groomed bearded skinny jean dudes on mid 70's to mid 80's street bikes with stupid looking enduro tires. None of those gags are going to racing dirt bikes anytiime soon.
CarlinoJoeVideo
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2/24/2016 12:59pm Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 1:00pm
JDUB35 wrote:
I am from Portland Oregon. Epicenter of all that is hipster...... Trust me, hipsters will be the last people to help the sport gain popularity. They...
I am from Portland Oregon. Epicenter of all that is hipster...... Trust me, hipsters will be the last people to help the sport gain popularity. They are more focused on their kale, rare coffee beans and man buns.
I was living in Portland the last 4 years and seen a BIG change in the moto scene. My friends and I used to buy $1,500 bikes or whatever we could afford.
Now we are spending $2,000 suspension and everyone has a brand new bike. It's definitely helped the scene in the NW imho.




The Rock
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2/24/2016 1:07pm Edited Date/Time 2/24/2016 1:08pm
cslacker wrote:
Look, I'm sure this is going to be an extremely unpopular opinion here but I'm going to try anyways... Does anyone remember the skateboard culture of...
Look, I'm sure this is going to be an extremely unpopular opinion here but I'm going to try anyways...

Does anyone remember the skateboard culture of the 80's? There were signs everywhere forbidding skateboarding in parking lots, parks, schools etc... The skateboarding counterculture did it anyways. And look what it got them... Skateboarding's Not A Crime!!! Now we have skateparks everywhere and the "sport" of skateboarding grew rapidly. We are not going to combat the environazis by playing by their rules.

I am not advocating for theft or anything of that nature so don't try to turn this into something it's not... But with tracks and trails being shut down in record numbers at a certain point we will be left with no option but to just do it anyways if we want to ride. I just don't see how playing by the rules of those that would prefer if we just went away all together is going to get us anywhere.

Again, since I'm sure it will come up, I am not advocating for theft or blocking off freeways with a group of wheelieboyz... but doing a little dirty riding occasionally is as part of the "core" of this sport as gaudy neon gear...
FWYT wrote:
Yeah, but those parks came about by going through the bureaucratic channels. You can thank Tony Hawk, Larry Balma and the other industry titans for helping...
Yeah, but those parks came about by going through the bureaucratic channels. You can thank Tony Hawk, Larry Balma and the other industry titans for helping with that and it took 20 years. Only a few notable ones like Burnside and Washington street were skater-built. And those "no skateboarding" signs are still up in the malls.
Zackly. Hermosa Beach has had a skate park for ten years or so after a kid's mom told him to go to the city to see if he could get support for the park. And he did !
The Rock
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2/24/2016 1:11pm
GuyB wrote:
I'm all for anything that brings more participation to motocross (or motorcycling in general). Things like the Hell on Wheels races out here, are about having...
I'm all for anything that brings more participation to motocross (or motorcycling in general).

Things like the Hell on Wheels races out here, are about having fun on bikes, with a low barrior for participation. It doesn't matter how ratty the bikes are (in some cases the rattier the better), it matters how much fun you have.

There's definitely a different vibe to the events like this, and while some might decry a hipster fashion sense, they're out there on two wheels, and not pissing and moaning from behind a keyboard.
Well said.

I'm all for anything that gets more people involved and don't care what label is associated with them.
Mini Elsinore
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2/24/2016 1:28pm
GuyB wrote:
I'm all for anything that brings more participation to motocross (or motorcycling in general). Things like the Hell on Wheels races out here, are about having...
I'm all for anything that brings more participation to motocross (or motorcycling in general).

Things like the Hell on Wheels races out here, are about having fun on bikes, with a low barrior for participation. It doesn't matter how ratty the bikes are (in some cases the rattier the better), it matters how much fun you have.

There's definitely a different vibe to the events like this, and while some might decry a hipster fashion sense, they're out there on two wheels, and not pissing and moaning from behind a keyboard.
The Rock wrote:
Well said.

I'm all for anything that gets more people involved and don't care what label is associated with them.
....the end of the world is nigh. Rock and Gibby agree on a topic---and it's about how skinny jeans are growing the sport!

RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Evil
HenryA
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2/24/2016 1:47pm
Damn so much hate in here...









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