City Cyclin'
Let's be perfectly clear about one thing-riding a motorcycle in Manhattan is never, ever easy. Too many bad elements exist in the equation. The few who dare ride stand a strong chance of being knocked senseless, their bike buckled beyond recognition from a combination of corrugated road surfaces, kamikaze taxi drivers attacking, villainous truckers swooping and swerving from all angles, and nonchalant jaywalkers who genuinely believe it's the rider's responsibility to avoid them.
Let's be clearer still-riding a motorcycle in Manhattan can be hell. Yet, despite the myriad of negatives, there's tons of fun to be had in two wheeling across the island. Those swaggering few who dare swear it is by far the coolest way to get around. During the summer months there are even a few joints that cater to the eccentrics who call themselves Gotham's bikers. Below is a partial list of some must-stop spots:
At Aprilia NYC in Soho, Italian bike fans flock to point, stroke and salivate over the best collection of two wheeled exotica in town. With new and used Ducatis and Moto Guzzis crammed every which way in the showroom, the shop is rarely short on fantasizing droolers wishing they could afford the ticket price on the lowest-slung of machines.
Meanwhile, Cycle Therapy in East Harlem boasts used bikes galore ranging from breathless old scooters to lusty Japanese superbikes, and locals form an orderly queue that make use of the shop's customizing facilities.
Some would argue that feeding a bunch of hairy-fisted bikers could be as simple as tossing a raw carcass into the snarling pack and watching them tear their meal limb from limb. And many a biker would actively encourage this bad-ass image, right up until Monday morning when he (or she) shaves thoroughly, covers up their tattoos, swaps leather for cotton, and returns to work...as a librarian. Fortunately, there are a few haunts in Manhattan that actively encourage the presence of these knights of the road.
Soho's Ear Inn is a motorcyclist's mecca come Tuesday night. Each week up to 100 riders descend on this shabby den to talk two wheels: bragging and blowing hard about their quite outrageous acts of high-speed heroism, and shaking their helmeted heads in wonder and staggerment at how on earth with balls as colossally big as theirs they ever manage to get on the saddle and ride at all.
Here on Manhattan's Westside is where the heavyweights congregate. Harley Davidson aficionados are usually big men, or at the very least little men who feel bigger when riding a motorcycle that shares its dimensions with a combine harvester. But usually they are big men, either muscular, fat and often both. These big men need feed, and at roadhouse-style joints Hogs n' Heifers and Red Rock West, they are completely satiated. Dozens of heavily-chromed and polished Harleys can be seen parked outside these places every weekend, with only the occasional roar of an alighting bike drowning out the excitable curbside discussions of each riders' current outlaw status and their lovely leather waistcoats stitched together, presumably, by their moms.
Across town at the Sidewalk Cafe in the East Village the huge mural on the wall outside of a bike gang is a perfect representation of the clientele inside. Located just a stone's throw away from here, punters can visit vintage Brit bike repair shop, Sixth Street Specials, because riders who favor '60s twin engines face the regular problem of their hideously unreliable rides breaking down, cracking up, or falling sideways on a regular basis. These poor souls spend much of their time pushing instead of cruising on their rusting Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs. Upon arrival at the fix-it shop, having had wheezed and panted and sweated and cursed their way in the scorching sun and with the hellish humidity making them look like super cool biker bad ass Steve McQueen (in Papillion), refreshment invariably becomes nothing short of an absolute necessity. Which, of course, is why the Sidewalk Cafe is the perfect place for this bike lover to rehydrate.
If none of these places tickle your fancy then, hell, the thing to do is get on your bike and get out of town! Bear Mountain is a popular ride for city dwellers and you'd certainly be safer there than here. ¦