Few designs in the motorcycle world enjoy a 10 year history without change, but our website did just that. The original layout conceived by Alice Sexton has served us well, but with the ever changing online landscape and the recent shift in leadership the editorial staff at IJMS felt it was time for an update … Continue reading
On the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 motorcyclists assembled in the small town of Hollister, California, for an American Motorcycle Association (AMA) sponsored “Gypsy Tour” or rally. Like other AMA rallies, the one at Hollister included races, a hill climbing competition, and various social events. But before it had ended, and during its immediate aftermath, the press used words like “terror” to describe the weekend’s events … Continue reading
A car driver once complained to me about how bikers are a nuisance on the road, casually saying that “all you bikers are the same anyway.” I think he meant to sting me, a supposed obnoxious comment designed to irritate. On the contrary, as a Japanese female biker, I found it liberating simply because I felt it to be true. When I am riding—particularly at certain speeds—my body loses feminine shape … Continue reading
It is no longer necessary, I think, to make the argument that meaning is conventional or that objects in the world—guns, human bodies, or, of course, motorcycles—can be made to mean almost anything. It is also generally accepted that meaning is tied to symbolic communities so that there can be multiple meanings for any given thing and those meanings will be braided into networks of meaning within particular ways of life … Continue reading
The community of classic motorcycle enthusiasts comprises many parts: longtime fans of a particular make or model, older riders returning to the sport with a revived interest in the bikes of their youth, younger riders tired of expensive look-alike machines that defy all attempts at DIY mechanics, organizers and participants in vintage racing, collectors’ shows, and swap meets, restoration specialists … Continue reading
Since 1988, Clement Salvadori has written “Road Tales”, a monthly column for Rider magazine. Salvadori’s credits as a motojournalist since his first sale in 1975 include more than a thousand articles covering everything from travel to test rides. As a motorcycle adventure traveler, he has crossed six continents and more than 70 countries, passing the one million mile mark a long time ago … Continue reading
Violating the outlaw code is seen as the biggest faux pas a biker can make in the “life.” Pat Matter, a former President of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Minneapolis, Minn., did just this when he cooperated with law enforcement following the in-depth investigation by the Hennepin County Sherriff’s office and co-writer Chris Omodt. What comes from the experience and the story is Breaking the Code … Continue reading
