The lifestyle marketeers are a few drops short. I won’t be buying another motorcycle as I already have one. I might do in the future, but I’ll decide what and when. I also have all the gear I need to ride one. You could try and sell me something but you’d be waisting your time. I have virtually everything I need and nearly everything I want. Also, old farts like me require evidence and facts before parting with cash. Tossers with pony tails and pointy brown shoes forget that people like me decide what we buy, when we buy and who we buy it from. You could try and influence me but that will put you in the “avoid” category very quickly. Now provide me with images of girls with ahem, big eyes then you’ll get my interest but I’ll turn you off if you even hint at diversity bollocks. I also take a dim view of clothing with car and motorcycle manufacturers’ names on it. If you pay me, then I’ll wear it but I’ll be stuffed if I have to to pay to wear this clobber. I really enjoy being an arsehole.
Some people do Trevor - I prefer the term cantankerous though - I’ll reserve asshole for people that start fights at petrol stations or cut up ambulances
I had to google "Lifestyle brand" to actually get an idea on what it is. And it kinda what was I thought. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_brand I wonder tho, aren't all bikes these days a bit of a lifestyle brand? And looking at cars, even if you get a Dacia, its a bit of a statement getting one saying "Hey, I am a tightfisted arse that knows nothing about cars and I am not afraid to show it off"
I don't really wear safety gear but do at least wear jeans and a jacket with a half helmet. In winter I wear a leather jacket for warmth. I have been considering getting a full face helmet but didn't like the idea of completely covering my face. Haven't pulled the trigger yet but I have been considering the Biltwell Gringo since it has the chin bar but no shield. There is a snap on shield that I could keep in bag just in case of bad weather but it is not really designed for everyday use. From what I have seen the Gringo still gives the open face feel but adds some protection. I guess I am getting old and starting to feel like I don't heal as quickly as I used to. https://www.biltwellinc.com/collections/helmets/products/gringo-ece-helmet-flat-titanium
As for lifestyle things I like to take the piss and mix n match deliberate. I’m currently running no triumphs at all now but two MZs and two BMWs and like to wear Triumph gear whilst riding BMWs which is a two finger salute to other BMW riders. As for Honda, Yamaha and the other two big jap makes they don’t seem to promote any lifestyle that’s in my memory.
I have been known to wear BMW Motorrad Sommerhosen whilst riding a Triumph and a Yamaha. Is my lifestyle confused? I care not.
Come to think of it, I do remember when I went from a Street Triple to a Thunderbird 1600 and the guy told me I needed the clothes to go with it as the ones I had was a bit to "sporty". Its funny how a brand or even a specific range within a brand equals wearing a certain type of clothes. I as mentioned above, I do love to wear a Triumph jacket and being on another brand bikes, it seriously triggers people.
One of the funniest "brand" displays i've ever seen is young people walking around in jogging bottoms with the word "SUPERDRY" plastered across their backside. FFS are they advertising a launderette or something ??
So it's not just me then. I've only had my 120 Black for a week,I also have a Tiger 1050 but the Bonny just makes me want to hop on it with a bandana and a pair of sunglasses and putt down the street something I would never consider on the Tiger. With this in mind I have been looking at an open face helmet for shorter rides in town, funnily enough I am also looking at some brown boots from Indie ridge Andy riding jeans from Dyns. I'm not down for a leather jacket though I like my textile jackets too much to go back to leather.. I am 60 years old and have ridden bikes sines 1975 including half a dozen Triumphs but this 120 just brings out the nostalgia in me
That's me sorted then. I'm sure they will look good when out on my old Speedie.....oops it is a bit cold so maybe underneath the jacket and jeans.
Brown boots? Have a look at RST Roadster II WP and also Falco “Aviator” boots. I have both. They are both very comfortable and have internal armour although the RST boots has the edge on ruggedness.
I've got one of the first Hinckley Bonnevilles and it would feel weird to ride with my old FF lid and leathers that I had back when I rode a Fireblade. But, you do get more concerned with safety as you get older, and I've changed from a Belstaff wax jacket with zero protection to a Triumph Beck leather jacket, Kevlar jeans and Stylemartin Boots.
i confess i never heard of the term "lifestyle brand" until this thread, and i really don't know what to think of it. ive been riding british motorcycles for fifty years, and still ride the old T120 bonneville i bought when i was 21. i also ride BSAs, a norton commando, a 25 year old buell, a fifty year old honda, and my newest machine, a 2007 ninja. none of these machines are retro, i think, theyre just what i have available because i like them. i ride them pretty fast on the public roads, and i ride them as fast as they can go on the track. i've worn a full face helmet since i was 16. my current helmet is a snell 2010 approved piece that i will replace next year as my race association will veto its use based on age. i wear the same stuff on every bike i ride-- full face helmet, boots, armored gloves, and a jacket if its cool. nothing in that is modified based on which machine i'm riding. if i'm intending to go fast, i wear full race leathers, no matter what i'm on. i'm not looking for a particular image to conform to. i just ride the machine, and what i look like conforms to what i put on in the morning and to the safety gear i always wear. is this a lifestyle thing? i don't know.
...... however, i really should mention that i got hospitalised after a bird smacked me right in the visor....... soooooo hard that half the visor was red, the other half white ! YUK. i ran off the goodwood tarmac in to the infield. ouch. if i'd been wearing open-face.................... i just dread to think what may have happened..................
