what is the gender of your motorcycle?

Much easier if it were a woman, I'd of dumped her by now!

I've never been able to ascribe a gender or name to any of my bikes or cars. Must be my personality.

Dave
69S

I run away from people that call their vehicles "her". I find it disturbing.

I never understood it either, but for the right amount of money.................

Cars, Boats, Planes, Motorcycles and all types of machines have been given names for a long time. If it's creepy to you no big deal, But some people feel some sort of connection to their machines I guess. I have been lucky I guess as my bikes have yet to give me grief, Outside of the cost of course. So in that regard they are female to me, I don't seem to use the names as often as lets say, Hobot, but I do have names for two of them. The other two have yet to remind me of anyone I have known. To each his own. Ride safe, Chuck.

When ya got more than one of a similar model or year it helps to ID them by name rather than long winded description. Craft and tools all become extensions of our own body part inside of the nervous system. Naming dead objects you inter react with a lot or depend on is ancient tradition. Also helps if they are involved with some life and death your both survived.

hobot
March '72 Combat no longer a Norton at all special project bike #206366
August '72 Combat nothing not a Norton project bike #207322

LOL LOL

Names imply a gender and many languages give gender to objects as basic grammar.
Kind a like pets vs farm animals. I don't name my sedan commuter car, nor my wife's Honda scooter. Sometimes folks just make up a name they like, other times things almost name themselves by their sound or behavior or looks. I basically name my keeper stuff not the come and go utilitarian items.
SV650 took a while to be crushed down and rebuilt enough she's now 'SuVee'.
'78 Chevy wonder van, was collectively named 'Millennium Falcon' by passengers but I know her as 'Ole Blue'. Faster and better cornering than pepped up pre-Peel Combat especially after 90 mph, on or off road! She delivered adventures!

One of my dead motorcycle friends last words after being T-boned on his Kawi 1200 was to ask if the Vincent was ok, he was told it was fine, he died relieved.
Never learned his own pet name for 'it', but WTF does in matter in the end.
Does the name Memphis Belle denote more than just its rank and serial number?

I don't typically name them. I did get a bike and it's name was entrusted to me. Christine, even written on the tank. I honor that.

But bikes usually have names already, Pursang, Sherpa, Commando. But I can see it if you have multiples.

The truck is Ol' Penny, for her copper color. But the wife named her and I'm sticking to that story.

Biologists frown on anthopomorphism. Motorcycles have no gender, they're inorganic.

Biologists frown on anthopomorphism. Motorcycles have no gender, they're inorganic.

Click to expand...

All's I can say to that is maybe this hobby or human's short biological life in general, aint' delivering what it does or can to others : )
State of mind is just chemistry, I'll stick to my crazy juices that make me feel like naming some machines and tools or even certain plants and trees as my special pets.

My lawn mower for instance was named by a handful of friends as 'The Buffalo'
though factory named the breed 'Mary J'. It just looks primitive but bucks like a Bison Bull that chops thick grass. Its definitely a masculine gender any way I sense 'it'.




hobot

"anthopomorphism"

that's the word I was looking for. thanks David.

the old hawaiians believed everything in the natural world had a soul. then most of 'em got converted to christianity. it was all downhill after that. sigh.

another thought:

DonOR wrote:
maybe the thang could be compared to a Venus or Serena Williams, unforgettable feminine beauty, but with incredible power, enough torque to put a tennis ball where the sun doesn't shine.

maybe thats whats up with the green globes on the clocks!

I start it and it's alive, ride it and it has a life of its own. Some are good, and some I don't want to bring to life anymore. (and sell)
Not just the Norton, Ducatis too (old ones) the good ones have character, named or not.
All my bikes have different characters, and they are all good for different reasons. Most don't have names, but I talk to all of them.
The common thing is they all make me smile.

Graeme

Gday All, I thought this thread was going to be BS, but its given me a laugh. Im not really into naming machines but I do believe all machines have feelings, if treated harshly, die! If I did, Id call my Honda VTR 1000 a males name, its big, red and throbs between your legs( :mrgreen: ) with lots of grunt only a male could deliver, Hmmmm "TONTO" would suit I believe, a trusty steed that has never let me down and so far, a redundent tool kit! Yep Tonto it is.
Foxy

My Norton is The Ho' - definitely female.

Incredibly beautiful in a timeless way. People stare and point when we go by.
She loves my money and demands all my attention and time.
When in the mood, she's a whole lot of fun.
When not in the mood, there's no changing her mind.
She breaks my balls just for fun. I'm sure of that.
No man has ever been born who wouldn't want her.

Although they are not, in themselves, male/female or "alive," machines have personality because they are inhabited by spirits, gremlins, whatever you want to call them and you have to either placate them or work around them when you do mechanical work. When they are being difficult I often use the "sneak up on them" method. This is used when you are having great trouble with some specific bit of maintenence/repair. Either you can't quite get to a bolt, something won't loosen, etc, etc.

Anyway, first I try to talk them into conceeding. If this fails I try to intimidate them by cursing a LOT. This works much of the time BUt there are some cases that are just too difficult and this is where the "sneak up on them" method works. After all the cursing and associated drama has failed I then loudly announce, "F%*K IT, I JUST CAN'T DO THIS! THE H#LL WITH IT!" and walk away (not too far - they really can't sense your presence if you are more than a few feet away)

The spirits/gremlins then chuckle to themselves and relax to celebrate their defeat of the pitiful human. About a minute later I then re-attack the recalcitrant part. The gremlins are surprised, disorganized, and not in the proper defense position and have no time to adequately respond and VOILA..success. This method has never failed but it takes time and a lot of energy so it's not something I can perform repeatedly in succession on a single project.

I've had my Combat for 32 years and in that time "she's" lasted through half a dozen girlfriends, a divorce from my first marriage, and 5 years of my present (and happy) marriage. My friends laugh when I tell them it's the best "girl" I've ever had...for the following reasons:
1. She's never been out with another guy
2. I know where she is EVERY night
3. She rarely, if ever, says "No"

I always figured Triumps were female. Nortons gots balls.

DonOR said:

... maybe the thang could be compared to a Venus or Serena Williams, unforgettable feminine beauty, ...

Click to expand...

Huh? Ok...