I really, really hate bike snobs.
These folks are usually (but not always) from the pre 65 or British bike section of our sport and would rather vote for those damn socialists than admit that there are cheap or left field racing alternatives to their precious Metisse, Cheney or CCM's. They talk of the purity of the class and the maintenance of the traditions of the sport but in the next breath are on the phone to me chasing down pre '78 Marzocci forks and magnesium KTM hubs for their 'pure' Metisse. They sook up when somebody suggests that a Japanese or "lower standard" bike could be constructed to compete competitively in pre 65 and would rather roll in dogshit than even take the time to look at someones Japanese pride and joy.
I witnessed a personal take of this at CD7. I asked one of these snobs what he thought of my newly finished Cheney and he gave me a sarcastic smile that turned to a snicker and walked away still shaking his head without saying a word. (
It might well have been the evil Japanese engine infecting the purity of Eric Cheney's British creation that offended him 
).
It's not just the British bike snobs that get up my nose, it's that annoying "my bike is better than your bike" nonsense that initially starts as as a light hearted piss take but often grows into a full blown slanging match. We've seen it over and over on this forum throughout the years and as we recently saw at CD7 can often escalate to a severe falling out between mates. The old 'Maico Breako', 'Jap Crap' stuff is especially wearisome, as is the continuous bagging of particular brands of bikes by some serial offenders who for some reason find this stuff hilarious. I myself have been accused of being especially tough on Bultacos over the years, leading to a potentially libelous rant against me in an issue of the Bultaco club 'La Magazina' by el Presidente, the self styled facist dictator that runs the club. The truth is, I actually love Bultacos but find
some of their owners a little thin skinned and elitist.
Snobbery also exists between the various eras within our ever growing movement. You hear it all the time, pre '85 or pre 90 bikes being called 'moderns' and the older pre 75 bikes being described as 'old dungers'. I had one snob tell me at CD7 that the event has been "incurably infected by modern bikes" which to the surprise of many, offended me and had me brooding over it for hours, and I don't even have a post '78 bike at present.
The downfall of any society begins with bickering from within. I feel that for our movement to grow in a healthy manner we should all be appreciative of each others passions and to look deeper into areas of the sport we aren't familiar with. While I can't see myself restoring a KX500 at any time in the future, I can really appreciate the beauty of Teds recently completed aircooled KX500 or his shiny white Yamaha restos. On the other side of the coin seeing Mainline and TM Bill enjoy their experiences on Jonesy's BSA Metisse at CD7 showed that the factional gap can be narrowed with some understanding of each others passions.
