I Stand Corrected….Sorta
January 2006
Ah, here we are, a new year, a new column and a new occurrence in the Quick Throttle office. I received an email correcting me on a column I did a couple of months ago called “Fat Bottomed Bikes”. In that column I asserted my opinion that I didn’t like the look of the huge rear tire. I personally feel that it is overdone and that the need to outdo one another by simply increasing the width of the rear tire is passé.
Now, I get email about my column and articles every month. I love getting these letters as, up until now, they all either congratulate me on something that made my reader laugh, or hit a chord with them, or impressed them. By and large, they are all very complimentary and it is those emails that make my day. This however was the first that was not complimentary to me, although it wasn’t scathing at all. It was actually very nice and I am so happy to have received it.
I don’t ever publish those nice emails and letters I get. I figure they are interesting only to me, and they are. So I am happy to bring you the following letter from an anonymous member of Bourget’s Arizona (I love ya’ Roger!) who I am happy to say reads my column and took the time to respond to it.
Here goes:
Dear Colleen I just read your article on fat bottomed bikes. The Bike you featured is one of ours with 330 mm rear tire that is DOT approved. Your info is incorrect our 300 and 330 tires that we use are all dot approved. As for your negative approach to the ride of the big tire you should ride some before passing judgment. There are many small tire bikes that cant hold a candle to our bikes. Your comment on cop out verses engineering is dead wrong It takes a lot of engineering to create a fat tire bike that rides and balances correctly. Maybe you should look closer at the bike in your piece and you will see true innovation and engineering,like a patented jack shaft the only bike in the world with it,Not to mention a 2 inch final drive belt the strongest and biggest in the industry. I could go on and on with all that it takes to engineer one of these monsters but I wont. All I ask is do your home work on dot and the ride before lumping all fat tire bikes into one category. If you have any questions please contact us. Thanks Bourget bike works. info@bourgestbikeworks.com
Bravo Bourget’s!
Now, about fact checking. Working with the DOT is like pulling teeth on a pit bull. The patient gladly shows it’s teeth but won’t let you touch them. The DOT has written me several emails and letters on this subject telling me either who I should contact to get information on DOT approved tire widths or telling me that they are looking into it. Melissa Cook (melissa.cook@nhtsa.dot.gov) I was told was the woman I needed to talk with to get the definitive answer on this question. It has now been 2 months and she hasn’t gotten back to me, so I did assert that 280 was the limit from the DOT which could very well be wrong. I would think that Bourget’s would know more than the Motorcycle blogs and message boards that I was able to glean that information from. My apologies for that misstatement, I will be sure to publish the DOT’s information on tire widths if I ever do get it.
As far as lumping all fat tire bikes into one category, again, my apologies. I meant no disrespect and if I liked the look of an insane rear tire, and I wanted to have such a bike, I would certainly go to Bourget’s to get one. I understand that there is more to it than just slapping a wider tire on. Unfortunately, I don’t think that everyone out there that is building the fat bottomed bikes is engineering them to be well balanced like Bourget’s is. Besides, all of that is completely off of my point….
The point here is that I don’t like the look of them.
I think we should all be clear on the fact that “From Behind The Lens” is a COLUMN that is written by a female motorcycle photographer. I affectionately refer to this column as “Andy Rooney on Hormones”. What I do here is try to assert my OPINION in a sometimes humorous way.
Column: (noun) d : one in a usually regular series of newspaper or magazine articles often expressing an opinion. <gossip column>;
Article: (noun) d : a nonfictional prose composition usually forming an independent part of a publication (as a magazine);
What I write is a Column which is my opinion. I am not asserting it as nonfiction nor am I saying I’m right. What I am extremely excited about is that Bourget’s reads my column!
So, my readers, if you want to have your letters to me published publicly, quit kissing my ass and argue with me! Tell me that you think I am a total wuss for not riding my bike like an old pro (December, 2005) or that fat tired bikes are the best (November, 2005) or that tattoos on women should only be used to identify temple whores and adulteresses (October, 2005) and that getting arrested in Sturgis was the highlight of your trip (September, 2005) and by all means, I have to hear from someone who likes it when their port-a-potty seat is covered in pee (August, 2005).
It is just my opinion, take it or leave it, but if I am flat out wrong, please, pick up your pen and tell me so.
And that is how I see it, from behind the lens.
Colleen Swartz
bigshotphoto@aol.com
