i think it's funny that people w/ motorcycles (like harleys and other street bikes) have no problem w/ people on mopeds. sometimes they ride w/ us. they give us thumbs up. we just hung out w/ one last night. he was really cool.
it's only the guys w/ those plastic crotch rockets that seem to go out of their way to piss people off. the guy on the hog said the same thing. they're always trying to impress him or something like that.
i think crotch rocket is very appropriate as a term. it seems to suggest some sort of male overcompensation thing. real men ride for pleasure. i don't think my moped is "better" than a harley. it's not about being "better." of course a hog is faster. it has more than 50 times the engine displacement!
that's what i love about the semi-competitive nature of mopeds. racing a 1250cc motorcylce against a moped is stupid. the moped has 50cc. there's no question who will win. that doesn't make the crotch rocket "better" in any sense at all.
those of us who ride mopeds are trying to tune up our bikes. keeping them at 50cc ... and just making slight mods to get more and more hp and speed. how many guys in crotch rockets can do that? i know harley and other motorcycle riders (the real ones, not the yuppies that bought their bikes to match their porshe) can do the same. it's about seeing what you can get out of your bike. customizing it. making it yours.
my moped is mine, not because i bought it. it's mine because i lovingly take care of her. i fix her when she's down. i tune her up for the race. and i belong to my moped. she performs for me when i treat her well. it's a very symbionic relationship.
i remember a line from c.s. lewis talking about technology and how it doesn't necessarily make us better (as individuals). if you pay a man to carry you on his shoulders across a river, that doesn't make you stronger. that makes you weaker. same w/ motorcycles and mopeds and whatever else. if you have a crotch rocket that cost you thousands of dollars, that doesn't make you "better." can you take it apart and fix it? i could pay tons of money to have a professional fix my moped. and quickly. that doesn't make me a better mechanic than moped bill, who can do it all himself.
so finally, you wanna ride crotch rockets. be my guest. if it makes you feel better about your manhood. great. some of us need external validation. you wanna talk shit about mopeds. fine. do whatever you want. but in the end ... you know ... and i know that you know ... and you know that i know ... that you feel like a total shit for acting like you do.
i don't need to buy a $5000 phalic symbol to feel like a man.