I'm a 65 year old Victor Meldrew sort of miserable old git. I have a newish Bonneville T120. My riding kit consists of brown boots, gloves, gloves, blue jeans an Oxford "Hardy" jacket. All of this is armoured. I have two helmets. One is a Shark Evo One 2 and the other an AGV KS-5. I normally wear the Shark and have the chin stowed to the rear. I enjoy the sensation except for rain, stones and insects (I've not done hail yet). The AGV is more comfortable, quieter, more aerodynamic, half the weight and will probably provide better crash protection. But I've got a motorbike and knowingly accept the risks associated. I was really worried about my longevity I would buy a Volvo estate and never do anything more risky other than play bingo online. Is this a 'lifestyle'? Possibly. But I really don't care. ps. I wouldn't look right dressed as a Power Ranger. Besides, it would scare the animals and small children.
Being a race replica weekend warrior is also a lifestyle choice, unless you are actually a track fanboy, just like the adventure dudes who don’t “adventure”
Hi, full face helmet is needed for Sprint GT riders...brand of my helmet is ???, don't remember...it is a bit old, but it has integrated sun screen & my lucky charm stuck on the side....will soon replace my old helmet by a new one , I really wonder if I'm going to buy this "Predator" helmet replica with alien dreadlocks & laser viewfinder.......it gives you a head the size of a watermelon Anyway, as long as I stick on my new helmet my Scottish flag lucky charm , it will be fine Don't know if it is a possible Triumph Lifestyle, but it's mine...
We are the people they based the Victor Meldrew on, based upon us being predisposed be a) grumpy and b) short tempered and unforgiving. You are not unique.
In reply to SmilinJack - yes agree completely but historically have never felt the compulsion to buy into the manufacturer specific items of PPE - my last was a Yamaha paddock jacket (not technically PPE but a big investment to an 18 year old ) in 1988 which I wore on my RD350 (over a leather) when commuting - then bought a Honda (d'oh) - i think the jacket is still in a box in the loft somewhere ..... I was probably thinking more of the image of a rider of a modern classic rather than equipping myself with a Triumph Leather jacket - the Richa Daytona 2 is looking mighty fine just now & is armoured rather than my current Schott fatigued leather bomber that i thrown on to head out to work . I mean instead of dressing like a power ranger the image that seems to be required of the Bonneville & other modern classics is more laid back & casual, i suspect there are T120's that have done track days but it (like a scrambler ) doesn't exactly lend itself to that environment - i have no compulsion to go get a Moto 2 Triumph polo shirt because it isn't really relevant to what I pull on to go out on the Bonnie or how I want to look wandering about with a happy but dazed look on my face & a cuppa tea in hand In reply to Markus - lol i think the only reason i should retain the full face & dark visor is to keep my lumpen misshapen fizzer away from general public display ! In reply to Wire Wheels - I couldn’t agree more but it’s the world we live in these days - I guess in part it’s why I posed the question, I seem to have arrived at the conclusion that despite assuring myself at every opportunity that I’m proud to be an individual I do have conformist tendencies Thanks for all the input though guys - i'm glad its not just me wondering blimey my simple musings have attracted the attention of some of the forums big guns - good evening Miss Sandi T thanks for stopping by keep two on the ground all TS
My motorcycles are just a side note in my life. I toy with them and throw a cover over them for months at a time. I have a lot of interests, hobbies, and indulgences not discussed here. At almost 76 years old, I have had quite a varied existence. ..J.D.
Good evening to you, too, Tim. What a thought-provoking thread! I've thoroughly enjoyed both your original post along with each of the responses. And I think I find what you titled this thread the most thought-provoking comment of all. Hmmm, "lifestyle brand". Of course I've heard this phrase many times being both a Triumph and a Harley rider. But I've only sort of vaguely understood what than meant or thought I knew what it meant. So I popped on Wikipedia just for fun to see what that had to say. I won't quote that here but there was one sentence with a term that caught my eye and piqued my curiosity.... "Lifestyle brand marketing uses market research to segment target markets based on psychographics rather than demographics." Hmmm, again. Psychographics? Being a psychologist, that most definitely caught my attention. "Psychographics is a qualitative methodology used to describe traits of humans on psychological attributes.[1] Psychographics have been applied to the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles.[2] Because this area of research focuses on activities, interests, and opinions, psychographic factors are sometimes abbreviated to 'AIO variables'. Psychographics are applied to the study of cognitive attributes such as attitudes, interests, opinions, and belief, as well as the study of overt behavior (e.g., activities).[3] Psychographic studies of individuals or communities can be valuable in the fields of marketing, demographics, opinion research, prediction, and social research in general. Psychographic attributes can be contrasted with demographic variables (such as age and gender), behavioral variables (such as purchase data or usage rate), and organizational descriptors (sometimes called firmographicvariables), such as industry, number of employees, and functional area. Psychographic methods gained prominence in the 2016 US presidential election and the opposing campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with the latter using them extensively in microtargeting advertisements to narrow constituencies.[4]" I think the use of "lifestyle branding" (facilitated by psychographics and demographics) by organizations is primarily about marketing and the almighty dollar. No surprise there. On the level of the individual, when people choose to affiliate with a social group they usually want to fit in--or they probably wouldn't have joined the group. An accompanying choice related to the group (say, riding gear style) can be an observable way to indicate group belongingness. Put another way, most people opt to "fit in" and not look like a doofus by being too different. Although sometimes the choices mean one will look like a doofus to people who don't belong to that particular group! And then there are people who don't give a shite as well as those that purposely want to be unique. We all know folks like that--or whether we're one of them. Back to your primary point about lifestyle branding related to gear, Tim. I've found that over the years I've been riding (only about 10 or 11 so not many compared to lots of forum members), I've shifted to wearing more protective gear including wearing a full face helmet nearly exclusively. I used to primarily wear open face 3/4 helmets. And while I've always worn motorcycle-specific jackets, I often wore them sans armor. Not anymore. Early on I rode some with regular jeans. Again, no more--now I only wear reinforced motorcycle jeans. And always gloves and boots. In fact, I just can't bring myself to go leave the garage in anything less. A lot of that is age and also not wanting to be out of commission from injury. But...I'm a sucker for gear that looks the part and matches or compliments the bike I'm riding. No, I don't have any pirate gear for riding my Harleys. What I've seen transpire over the last decade, especially for women, is a lot more riding gear offerings representing a lot more styles available now. So I'm able to "match" the style of my gear to the style of my bike--whatever brand of the gear might be. By way of example, I have an oxblood red Roland Sands leather jacket that I wear on my Triumph but I wouldn't choose to wear an Aerostitch Roadcrafter on any of my bikes.Of course Triumph would love to sell me a women's riding jacket but their women's offerings are sorely limited. Aack, way past my bedtime. More than I intended. Thanks again for starting a great conversation.
I run a Daytona 955i and it always full leathers gloves boots etc if I had a Bonneville it would be armoured jeans and leather jacket open face and goggles . sometimes I dont go out on the daytona coz its a pain putting all the gear on for a short bimble out . A Bonny just chuck the gear on ride slow and cool and while away the years Not a bad Lifestyle really mind.
And not just Triumph, I'm afraid, Wessa. It boggles the mind to think of all the organizations/companies that can lay claim to "brain washing"--Triumph, Harley, Nike, Apple, Starbuck's, Porsche, Budweiser. The list goes on and on. It seems the underlying goal of much marketing, particularly "lifestyle branding", may come down creating this in customers and potential customers.
Tim Scott Yes what a great thought provoking topic. I loved it all the way through. I myself have both helmets. And yes like one of the peeps said the half face is not for rain a the fly's can be severe on the old face but it's classical and enjoyable to look around and grin at people waving at you. I also on a nice day wear heavy jeans and boots all bike proof to bumble around. And Triumph is indeed a lifestyle. I just love it when older gents come up to me and say wow you kept that Bonneville in good shape what year is it thinking it is a classic. And Triumph has all that history following it like the owners you mentioned and the rockers the marque is stained in historic events and every young man dreamt about a Triumph and it hasn't changed. And again clothing as long as you ride for the clothing it is good for me. I will not go out without gloves and like to cover the arms. That's my two pence worth. The final every helmet in this country is tested and conforms to a good standard and used as it is designed for is quite acceptable. Joe.
I don't understand how someone can be brainwashed by a brand, including Triumph...everyone has a free will & can clearly see what is just marketing or not... As a free man or woman, your job is to put in doubt everything and especially what is coming from politicians & sellers, otherwise you're just a credulous customer...
[But...I'm a sucker for gear that looks the part and matches or compliments the bike I'm riding. Exactly! Even though it might not be 'brand' centric, it'll certainly match the style of the bike
Hey @tim scott thank you for your thread. It has clearly sparked lots of opinions. Just as a tip on how to use the forum technology, I noticed in a reply you referenced previous authors of comments. Unfortunately they won’t know that unless they happen to re-look at this thread. If you type an @ before typing that persons name then the site will offer their forum name. This helps… The benefit is that they will see that they have been referenced and respond back. Welcome to the forum.
Google and Amazon are on my top ten offenders of brainwashing. They also share positions 3 thru 10. Google’s business model is so disturbing it genuinely gives me nightmares. You are the product and they will do anything to harvest that data. There are laws in our country to protect against the intrusive nature of their operations but Government are too scared to shut them down for non-compliance.
If you type an @ before typing that persons name then the site will offer their forum name. This helps… The benefit is that they will see that they have been referenced and respond back. @Cyborgbot Great tip
Amazon at least charge you for their ability to intrude on your privacy before using that insight against you. That boldness sets them in second place vs Google in terms corporate evil. arrgghhhh… Another bad night worrying that Google know I bought a Snickers Bar today (but the wife doesn’t). Will they use it against me, or will one of the many marketing firms that they sell my data to do so instead? If my data has value then why do I not get paid?????????????
Thank you @Cyborgbot that’s a great tip - every day is a school day wow @Sandi T - just wow. I know a little about analytics and how you can attempt to avoid them - what they know about you is frightening. The film The Social Dilemma is very much worth a watch for those with Netflix, but sometimes ignorance is bliss … BTW Doofus is such a brilliant word, I love Watterson & miss Calvin & Hobbes, my first exposure to a wonderful word I think conformity has a lot to do with the foundations of my original post or wanting to fit in. I’m not swayed by Triumph specific gear (though I do have two bargain t shirts from the end of season sale ) but feel comfortable dressing more casually on the Bonnie. It’s been remarked on that casual suits the classic look & I think it’s completely true & conformity, fitting in whatever you want to call it is part of why you buy a bike in the first place I guess. I’ve been attracted to Triumphs for 7 or 8 years now and hankered after a Street Triple for most of those years. Came close to buying one but Mrs S put paid to that quite firmly. But then I got side tracked by the Speed Triple 1050 and I took an R out for a play. What an animal to ride but so razor sharp and what a noise, but it unfocused me from what I thought I wanted - I genuinely could not decide - my heart said Speed (those exhausts…!! ) my wallet said Street (actually my wallet at the time said Honda Cub hence the wife’s reticence ) but at £10k plus for the R it wasn’t going to happen. Then at Excel in 2016 I actually stopped and looked at the Bonnie & thought hmmmm I could see myself riding one of those one day you know, I mounted her ( Suits you Sir) and she was charming & something new - comfy ! I’d never been comfy on a bike before & thought suffering and riding were two sides of the same coin. I went back to my deliberations between street and speed for another 4 years, nothing happens quickly in my world people…. Then during lockdown whilst watching Henry do a lap of the IOM on his beloved Mavis I realised that day from long ago had dawned. I no longer wanted to go fast, or get cramp after 5 miles - I found the bike in January then started to save a few quid and planted the seed with the Home Secretary. By Good Friday I’d done a test ride (to confirm my hopes) & my chosen Bonnie was miraculously still available. I spoke to the dealer- lockdown was still on and the rest is history. However shortly after taking possession I felt the need to refine my look - hence the thread which seems to have taken on a life of its own ! As a kid I rode a 50cc Yamaha - my dad wouldn’t let me tinker with it to make it go faster but ironically he let me ride it for almost 6 months back and forth to college with an old peanut helmet he used to use for rallying with in the early 70’s - the bike maxed out at 32 mph & I looked ridiculous - but I was riding ! My next steed, an 80cc Yamaha (couldn’t afford the 125) i sported a full face ( to look cool ) plus trainers and a college jacket but 45 mph was an unfulfilled dream. Riding is inherently dangerous but we mitigate the risks in ways that are acceptable to us - and our loved ones - someone mentioned Volvos earlier I believe heaven forbid By the RD I had leather uppers and lowers rukkas (the original rubberised ones) boots and a proper full face but I was commuting 50+ miles a day then through all weathers and all year round - my bike was my only form of transport but I was rabid about PPE - for my CBR 600 I had a racing Shoei (Rainey’s) and sneered at open face helmets (the callousness of youth ) at 23 I would never have considered one and wouldn’t have believed I ever would - but then again I wouldn’t have considered a Bonnie then either. It was pointed out that as adults we have more disposable income - this is true, we also have a need for a bit more comfort, break more easily and are closer to the grave than we are to the cradle - which may be why I bought my T120 in my early 50’s to give me something to grow into. I hope like @Wire-Wheels i’m still riding in my 70’s - good on you fella ! And like @BZFMIII` I'm also a sucker for gear that looks the part (whilst not trying too hard or not being a Doofus) - there’s a lot there to digest - good job we’ve got years to think about it & winter is coming But given the change of season, nights drawing in and the regular Wednesday night ride out unlikely to happen again this season I may just put off getting my HJCi30 until the bike show in February - there might be a bargain to be had after all Or there might be a limited edition “Maverick” style open face helmet, & that, my friends I’ll just have to buy even though I no longer feel the need for speed
@tim scott, Calvin & Hobbes - two of the greatest philosophers ever. Especially in cartoon form… @Sandi T ffs Psycographics? Really?!? Something else I need to read up on. I secretly think you are making some of this up… CB
