Having spent time covering two recent biker rallies for All About Bikes, I feel compelled to lay down a few rules for biker attire at future gatherings. Some of these rules will apply only to people of a certain age or sex. Others are universal, and must be observed by bikers of any vintage. Here are the new rules in no particular order.

Motorcycle designers from across the big pond have sculpted some of the most beautiful motorcycles in the world – with one glaring exception. European manufacturers consistently miss the boat when delving into the cruiser niche. Most Euro-cruisers are just plain…well, ugly!

Business people pride themselves on being the best at what they do, often to the detriment of the shareholders, employees and the company which they run. See, many people seem to think that a recession is the time for ultimate austerity, so they make drastic cuts to expenditures everywhere they can, including research and development.

This last year at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round of the FIM MotoGP Championship came and went – 2010’s event is now done and recorded in the history books; the season is done and the new one begun. If you watched, attended, or at least read about the California race, you will know that Dani Pedrosa led much of the race after gaining a slight lead on Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo. It did seem that there may be a repeat of the 2009 finish, but it was not to be.

We all know the arguments and the people behind the push both in favor and against mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists. The interesting play in the political world can be entertaining if it were not for the fact that the consequences are so dire for riders. Democrat or Republican does not make much of a difference – motorcyclists are of every political stripe, the riding binds us, not our voting record.