France and cruisers
Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:36 am
Just back from a couple or three weeks in the south of France (it was lovely thank you ! 
) and was a bit surprised at the mix of bikes I saw on the roads. Lots of scooters of all sizes, and of course a few sport bikes - but this time around there seemed to be a lot of cruisers, both H-D and Japanese. On previous trips I don't really recall there being many at all and I tended to notice them because they were uncommon and what wasn't a scooter always seemed to be a sports bike (or a Beemer). Given lane splitting is common there (although actually illegal in France) and the roads are often quite narrow - watching baggers ride the dashed line between lines of other cars without removing every side mirror as they went along did provide some entertainment. 
So is this a sign of the times ? I always had the impression that Europeans (including the UK) generally sneered at cruisers - not so any more ? Perhaps indicative of the increasing average age of the riders ?
) and was a bit surprised at the mix of bikes I saw on the roads. Lots of scooters of all sizes, and of course a few sport bikes - but this time around there seemed to be a lot of cruisers, both H-D and Japanese. On previous trips I don't really recall there being many at all and I tended to notice them because they were uncommon and what wasn't a scooter always seemed to be a sports bike (or a Beemer). Given lane splitting is common there (although actually illegal in France) and the roads are often quite narrow - watching baggers ride the dashed line between lines of other cars without removing every side mirror as they went along did provide some entertainment. So is this a sign of the times ? I always had the impression that Europeans (including the UK) generally sneered at cruisers - not so any more ? Perhaps indicative of the increasing average age of the riders ?
