Behind The Black Leather

Cloak Of Motorcycle Riders

By Kendra Bobowick

“Nobody likes motorcycles,” said Rich Goessinger.

Is he right?

As weather warms, chrome machines begin rumbling through town. Astride the V-twin air-cooled engines and wrapped in black leather chaps are the motorcycle riders. Cocking their front tires to the right, bikers drop kickstands and leave their Harleys along the curb outside diners and bars, coffee shops, and restaurants.

Who is the motorcycle rider? Part history, part silver screen, and part misperception; the biker is someone different to everyone. “People see motorcycle clubs and stereotype all riders,” Mr Goessinger said. “Some people stereotype bikers as what they see in the movies.”

Historically, riding motorized bikes, like horses, began as a gentlemen’s sport, said Al Ballwig, an avid fan of motorcycles who has followed the history of the machines. Circumstances in the earlier part of the 20th Century altered the image of a horseback rider straddling an iron horse.

The American motorcycle’s evolution carves a distinct line through history, and Mr Ballwig traced its trip from the 1900s to the present.

Following Harley-Davidson through the century’s early years reveals what are primarily motors fitted to bicycles, which soon became plant-manufactured motorcycles. Hill climbs and racing were frequent activities. Motorcycling was a sport.

Tainted images took root following World War I and II as pilots — original Hells Angels — returned. “There were pilots and they came home. They missed the camaraderie and the rush,” Mr Ballwig said. “They turned to motorcycles and rode rambunctiously. They weren’t criminals.” Hells Angels was a name first attributed to daring flyers from the wars. But the name soon changed meaning for the public. The Hells Angels label transferred to a motorcycle club, founded in 1948.

Mr Ballwig, a resident familiar with the scent of oil dripping on hot metal and rich carburetor fumes, continued with his history lesson. He mentioned a photograph that further contributed to the image of motorcycle riders. A black and white shot on the cover of Life magazine from 1947 shows Boozefighter motorcycle riders at a Hollister, Calif., rally.

Mr Ballwig described the picture of beer bottles strewn across pavement where a biker reclined in his seat. “That photo forever changed perceptions,” he said. Miming the drunken biker’s posture and lifting an imaginary beer to his lips, Mr Ballwig delivered the punch line: “That photograph was staged.” An opportunistic newsman took the infamous shot.

Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Peter Fonda also promoted a mysterious biker image of riders who were cool, detached from the rest of society. Their played roles of men filled with lawlessness.

Another unanswered question for many is the “1%” motorcycle patch. Mr Ballwig explained: In the early 1900s as motorcycling became popular, the American Motorcyclist Association promoted races and other events. “If you weren’t in their function, you were considered rebellious, an outlaw. They said that not all bikers are bad news, it’s only one percent of them.”

Modern motorcycle riding can mean all, or none, of the history Mr Ballwig described. His stepdaughter Ally Fearn knew nothing of pilots or one percenters, for example, when she first hopped on his bike.

“She has been riding with me since she was 6,” he said. Her fiancé also recently purchased a motorcycle for enjoyment.

Mr Ballwig grew up with motorcycles, and now has three of his own. His father owned Len’s Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Parts and Accessories shop in Sandy Hook during the 1990s. And when his mother was pregnant with him, he said, “My first ride was in the womb.”

History and film aside, bikers also have “the look.”

Fear Factor

Long hair and leather. “They seem hardcore,” Ms Fearn said, especially compared to a clean-cut rider who may be a lawyer, a professional, or even a state senator, Mr Ballwig said.

Wearing his leather jacket and long hair, Mr Ballwig said, “There is no question. People look at me and they see a motorcycle rider.” He takes pride in his bikes. “If I am out, I wear my leathers, I ride when I can, and partake in the freedom.”

He notes the uncertain glances from others.

“There is definitely a fear-factor,” Mr Ballwig noted. A bystander may think, “These people are crazy, open to the elements.” Riders need to bring a level of responsibility to what they do, as resident John Chapdelaine mentions. He admits that as a rider he must forever be alert to what traffic is doing and where automobiles are around him. While many look at a biker as a risk-taker, he said the opposite: “Safety is a big part. You can’t ride of you’re dead. You have got to be aware of your surroundings, have fun, and stay alive.”

He also notes the images that movies have cast upon motorcycle riders. Peter Fonda rode a “chopper” or a modified motorcycle in the film Easy Rider, but Peter Fonda was “a Teddy bear,” Mr Chapdelaine said.

He rides several motorcycles, including a Harley. Admitting that he had finally cut his long hair, he said, “People look at you differently when you ride a motorcycle and have long hair; you adjust.”

He rides for peace of mind, he said. “It’s relief of stress. You don’t think about problems. You have to pay attention to what you’re doing.” He also mentioned the modern rider as a lawyer or accountant who arrives home from work, changes into chaps or a leather jacket, and suddenly, “They’re Peter Fonda.” Catering to image is the Harley-Davidson company. “They sell image,” he said. “Suit and tie people come home and change [clothes] and become a different person, even if it is temporary.”

Mr Chapdelaine, however, does not worry about image. “I am not trying to impress anybody,” he said. He simply likes the ride, and has one memory of a rainy afternoon “in horrible weather,” that has stayed with him. He had pulled over and found shelter under a truck and passed time talking, waiting. “I still remember it to this day.”

A Brotherhood

Mr Goessinger described riding as a “brotherhood.” He said, “If someone is broken down on the side of the road, they pull over and help you out. It’s the respectful thing to do.” Other riders are just out to be noticed. “They are fast and loud,” he said.

Unlike riders out for attention, he said, “Some people wear their leather to show support, or wear Harley because it’s their image. Everybody has their image.”

Curiosity also adds to the mystery surrounding a motorcycle rider. “A lot of times you pull into a deli or a gas station and people are curious. They might wonder, ‘Why do you ride a motorcycle? Why do you have long hair?’” He also suspects a hint of envy in some people’s stares. “People glamorize it and think, ‘I wish I could do that. I wish my wife would let me buy one.’” Following that thought, he said, “You’re never too old …”

Like Mr Ballwig and Mr Chapdelaine, Mr Goessinger likes the freedom. “There is the vibration of the bike, you, fresh air in your face, the rumble of your bike,” he said.

Some riders decide one day to go out and buy a bike, maybe they ride it to work or take it out on a weekend, he said. Other people are “hard-core.” He said, “Their heart is in it. It’s about what you desire.”

When spring comes, many “get the fever,” and a rider may think, “I’ll get the bike out and have a good day and forget about issues for a little while.” This rider may go to work on Monday and say, “I can’t wait until Saturday to meet friends and go out and have breakfast, meet new people.”

Historically, women rode on the back seat if they rode at all, but have lately moved up to the front. “Women have as much pride in motorcycle riding as a man does. They wash it and wax the bike and ‘get out on the road.’” Whether waitresses, doctors, nurses, or senators, “when they get out on the road they are all equal,” said Mr Goessinger.

Putting a charitable twist on the biker’s image, he points out the growing number of benefit rides. Thousands of riders participate in “runs” for Toys For Tots, for example, or ride to support cancer research, or raise money for children’s hospitals.

Taking aim at the bad image many may attribute to a person riding a motorcycle, Mr Goessinger pointed out: “Motorcycles are so popular, even the Newtown police have their own Harley.” Officer Stephen Ketchum rides the police patrol bike.

Newtown’s Bad News

In 1975, café owner, 49-year-old Donald Krosky’s luck ran out. He shot and killed two men — assumed to be Hells Angels — who broke into the café where Mr Krosky was hiding one summer morning at his 109 Church Hill Road tavern. The men had come to evict him after the landlord refused to renew the lease. Although acquitted of their deaths, he was later shot and killed by motorcycle riders who pulled alongside his car while he was stopped at a red light.

The White Birch Inn, known for its appeal to bikers, succumbed to fire in 1987. It stood on the corner of Queen Street and Church Hill Road.