071415_YKMV_A10.pdf
July 14, 2015 • Page 10
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The Bookworm
Don’t Miss This ‘Wild’ Ride
“Born to Be Wild: The Rise of the
American Motorcyclist” by Randy D.
McBee; © 2015, The University of North
Carolina Press. 359 pages
———
BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
You’ll never be accused of missing
adventure because you’re too tired.
Two, in fact, is just the right amount
of tires; because the weather is perfect
and it’s summertime, you can’t imagine
riding on more. But how did a simple
modification on a bicycle become
something that’s represented danger
to many people? Read the new book
“Born to Be Wild: The Rise of the American Motorcyclist” by Randy D. McBee,
and you’ll find out.
In the early years of the last century,
when “gypsy tours” were organized for
the benefit of motorcycle enthusiasts
who wanted a scenic ride to a place
where they could compete, riding was
a fun pastime. That changed in 1947 in
Hollister, California, when roughly 4,000
motorcyclists rallied, fought, disobeyed
traffic laws and got drunk and disorderly. Quick-thinking police had the
situation under control in no time, but
the die was cast: motorcycling became
near-synonymous with debauchery.
At that time, there were over 200,000
motorcycles registered for use on
highways in the U.S.; by 1950, the number had more than doubled. In many
American minds then, leather jackets,
rolled-up jeans, white T-shirt and a
slouch (a la Marlin Brando and James
Dean) personified hoodlumism, even
though both the uniform and the bikes
themselves had been part of “workingclass communities for decades.” Still,
anyone sporting that look aboard a motorcycle was considered to be a “bum.”
By the early 1960s, motorcycles
were more diverse, as were their riders.
Japanese bikes were common; women,
African Americans, and Hispanics took
up riding; and it wasn’t uncommon to
see suited businessmen aboard their
bikes. Clubs sprung
up in suburbs and cities, but although
those riders were noted, they were
not feared — not, at least, as much as
the newly-named “bikers” for whom
violence and crime were often attributed. Indeed, says McBee, some clubs
became gangs that reportedly committed “‘unimaginable’” violence and
terroristic crime.
By the ‘80s, being a biker was more
mainstream and, while gangs enjoyed
notoriety, bikers learned to use their
clout to help form laws and offer support. Women took up bikes in higher
numbers, as did Black and Hispanic
riders who, says McBee, now may be
poised to change the future of motorcycling yet again.
Though I liked it, and though I
learned quite a bit, I doubt that anyone
would consider “Born to Be Wild” as
light reading.
No, there’s a lot packed into these
pages: author Randy D. McBee offers
readers a serious, detailed history of
the culture of “biker,” starting almost
in the middle of the history of the
motorcycle. That’s a nice approach:
bookshelves are full of the history of
the machine but not much on bikers,
other than of the outlaw sort. McBee
encompasses many aspects of The Life,
including politically-charged issues that
might have surprised our forebears,
and how riding has become acceptable
once again.
Bikers, obviously, will rumble for
this book, but they’re not its only audience. Historians and pop-culture fans
could also find “Born to Be Wild” is the
best thing off two tires.
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