I would call Birdie a "biker" and he is in no way a 1%er. and damn sure not a Sunday afternoon fat yuppie harley rider playing biker [bleep].
Ain't sure how to define the term. One things for sure, motorcycles have to be a central focus in your life, but thats stating the obvious. There probably oughtta be a miles/hours per year requirement too, more'n a few Harleys sit for months at a time and/or just get ridden to the bar once a week.
No one doubts that 1%ers are bikers, so maybe a Harley is required.
I think a lot of people get too hung up over what constitutes a "real" biker. IMHO, you don't have to be a 1%er to be a "biker". There's a lot of bikers who live The Life who have never broken a law, and to be a 1%er, an outlaw biker gang member, you have to pretty much be a criminal or dang close to it. Are 1%er's bikers? Absolutely. But so are non-outlaw motorcycle club members who put thousands of miles on their bikes every year in the name of their favorite charity, or their faith, or whatever.
I really enjoyed Jay Barbieri's book that came out a few years ago, for the fact that he made it clear that being a "biker" is nothing more than being someone who takes motorcycles and motorcycle riding as a serious pursuit, and makes it a major part of their lifestyle. Harleys are desirable for many bikers, but there are others who love their Hondas and their BMW's, and they're no less bikers than the serious Harley lovers.
I know a guy who has a garage full of Harleys, and never rides. He has maybe 2000 miles of pavement under his ass in his lifetime, by his own admission. As far as I'm concerned, even though he shows up at local rallies in his immaculate leathers on one of his Milwaukee Steamrollers, he ain't a biker. He reminds me of the guys who come out to the gun club every week in their trap vest and hat, uncase a beautiful $15,000 Perazzi, put it in the rack, then sit and drink beer without ever firing a shot. Those guys aren't hunters, and they aren't necessarily posers, but they sure ain't shooters.
Actually, the COOLEST bikers I have met were old guys, independents, maybe formerly of an outlaw club. Old guys with nothing to prove, no axes to grind, been there done that, and most often been on and rebuilt the same bike for years.
Weren't a whole lot of them though.
Birdwatcher
Right. I ain't no shadetree mechanic, nor will I ever be. I change my oil, do routine maintenance on fluids and so forth, but I leave the real mechanical work to the real mechanics. The LAST thing I want to do is have my bike break down on me in the middle of BFE because of a bone-head amateur mechanic's screw-up. I have huge respect for the guys who can fix anything on their bike (and frequently enough, someone else's) with an amazingly small but complete tool kit they carry in one of their saddlebags.