Clean fingernails: What is it about...?

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Myself and my two best friends (age 25-27 now) have, over the past 3 years, begun owning and riding a number of older motorcycles. Best friend #1 has always messed around with 4-wheelers and dirt bikes, getting into a 125 Enduro, then up to a 250, then 3 different XS650's ('81, '75, and a mish-mash "chopper" of sorts he took from somebody else's barely-running project to a decent rider that, for the most part, just needed the cosmetic loose ends tied up) which he maintained, rebuilt, and built until last year when a health condition forced him to stop riding. Friend #2 (brother-in-law, didn't have much previous history with powersports) bought a '72 CL175 as several boxes of parts and single-handedly reassembled it into a decent rider that didn't look like a million bucks but proved pretty dependable - early last summer he rode it 200 miles to the destination of a camping trip the four of us (sister and my wife) went on. (Had to haul it back due to rain.) Later that year he bought an '81 CM400 (pretty good shape - aging with 17K on the clock, but well maintained) and I bought the 175 from him and continued to tweak and improve. After blowing the head gasket (4,000 miles over 45 years, guess it was bound to happen) it got new pistons, rings, and valves this winter, everything except the cylinder honing done by yours truly, and is running and driving even better now - rode it 140 miles on Saturday, which puts me somewhere around 400 total on the rebuild so far. Me and BIL are hoping the weather allows us to ride both the Hondas on another joint-family trip to the Pigeon Forge area next month.

Anyway, on to the point: aside from the three of us, there are at least half a dozen guys in our church that do a riding group. I've only ridden with them twice thus far, but BIL and friend #1 have gone more often and are constantly ragged on for how their bikes are too little, how they had to have a tweak along the way, how they need to move up to a newer, bigger bike, etc. It isn't just one or two comments - it seems nearly constant. The rest of the group is comprised of two Shadows, two new Triumph Bonnevilles, a V Star, a Yamaha? 1800, and one or two other post-2000, non-Harley, big V-twins - that with few exceptions go to the shop for everything. We go out and putz around the backroads 30 or 40 miles at a time on a Sunday afternoon, and the rest of the bikes go back to their spot in the garage until the next time the sun comes out and the owner has the time to go on a little excursion. Some of the guys go on multi-hundred-mile weekend trips once or twice a year, and they're all good guys that I otherwise like and, in some cases, whose work schedule dictates they can't ride a motorcycle all that often. But when they do ride, and I tag along, they can't respect that I (rather, we) have actually fixed our bikes, from end to end, and half the reason we're even out on them is because we can make the tweaks they require to stay in one dependable piece, on the fly? Or that we took a machine that has been in pieces longer than theirs has even been around and got it to go down the road with relative consistency and safety? In one instance friend #1 was meeting up with the group on their way into town and just as they were all leaving out realized something had gone wrong and he had to re-time his XS - so the rest of them went on and he caught them. I know some of the other bikes go to the shop for a drop of oil on the garage floor - yet my 175 is leak-free by my own skill.

I'm completely understanding of some people that can't or don't want to keep up with their own bikes - as a mechanic, I'd be out of work if they did the same with their cars. But part of the reason I do all the work on my little Honda is because I want to be the one most familiar with it, most able to repair it if something goes wrong ten or a thousand miles from home, because I intend to ride it in situations where I depend on it and I don't have the money to get it hauled to a shop and spend the night somewhere when it breaks down on a long trip. (Okay, maybe not 1,000 miles on a 175 but you have to start somewhere!
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) And, although I'm a novice, it's part of the spirit of riding I feel most strongly about - being self-sufficient and self-contained. And, by their habits, obviously my friends feel much the same and consider the service and repair part of owning a motorcycle. Anyone else out there that finds themselves in this same place? Or anybody that can offer insight into the "status quo" of my case? I don't look down on someone that doesn't work on their own bike... until they look down on me for doing different.
 
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Motorcycling is different things to different people, clearly the church group does not feel the same way about tinkering as you do and that is OK.

When I was your age I enjoyed tinkering on old stuff, hot rodding things and just general repair work, even most of the time that I made my living as a professional tech.

When a new job and responsibilities came along and time became shorter I realized that I’d rather ride the bike or drive the car than work on it in the available time. I still do my own maintenance and most repairs but I’ll take some stuff to a shop even though I COULD do it. Anyway if time is limited by work schedules (boy do I understand that) I would not assume that these folks cannot do the work, they may simply choose not to.

You might try explaining it to them if you haven’t and if you have explained it then it maybe that this group is not for you...
 
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Much truth, Duckryder. If the trend continues I intend to say something - as kindly as possible, but not forsaking all respect for myself. And, of course, if they aren't open-minded enough to lighten up a little I will leave them to their preferred way of enjoying bikes.
 
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder

When I was your age I enjoyed tinkering on old stuff, hot rodding things and just general repair work, even most of the time that I made my living as a professional tech.


This. When I was a youngin, I enjoyed fixing and working on stuff just like you. As you get older, and perhaps better off financially, you appreciate not having to tinker, or fix, the bike on trips. A newish bike is less likely to break down. At this point in my life I'd rather have a new widget, with a warranty, that doesn't give me any grief. Turn the key, and go. I didn't understand that way of thinking as a youngin, but I grew up and matured. Priorities, and available free time, changes as you age.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
What about clean fingernails?


I think it's pretty important. Kind of like clean teeth and clean hair.

But maybe that's just me.
 
Stop worrying about what other people think about you.
sounds like your church group is a pretty judgemental group from your point of view.
But also sounds like you are letting it get to you rather then just letting it roll off your back. maybe from their pov the scenario is they are just busting your balls for fun.
In reality you are less in the spotlight than you think.

Are the people in the group also 25 to 30?
I will also note that to me, ehst you described is normal and almost textbook thoughts around your age, where you are sensitive about fitting in and what others are doing and if you are missing out. this is because at thst age you are just figuring out who you are independent from what your peers or your parents say. hsve you ever felt the need to have to check around if other people are going to do an activity before you decide to go do it? or if you and a friend decide to go riding but then you check and other people are doing something else so you drop your plans and do the other thing? why?

But people shift around 30 to becoming a full adult and becoming confident in your own path and not looking for validation that it's the status quo and not letting what other people do or other people's paths define them. you just feel oh that's interesting rather then immediately going to how do I compare or taking it as an insult.

if you are interested go look up quarterlife crisis on the internets and you will find some articles and even books to read that can explain and give you lifehacks better than me.

I suppose the final advice is if you aren't having fun or fitting in with the church group don't go back expecting a change to happen out of the blue...or at least put a pause on it until you can read up a bit and see if you can gain a new perspective on your life and why the interactions made you upset.
 
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I work on stuff and clean my fingernails. The woman I like prefers clean fingers, etc.
 
A church group has a holier-than-thou additiude. That's really odd, I never would have expected that.

Sounds like you need to find a different group to ride with.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
What about clean fingernails?


I think it's pretty important. Kind of like clean teeth and clean hair.

But maybe that's just me.


My dad always told me that your hands are your calling card and you're judged by them. Assuming everything else in the hand shake is right (you're looking them in the eyes, you have a firm grip but don't squeeze fingers etc etc):

Soft hands: ???.
Clean worked hands: good.
Dirty hands and fingernails when not in the middle of work: lack of attention to detail/lack of care.
 
Originally Posted By: homeyclaus
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
What about clean fingernails?


I think it's pretty important. Kind of like clean teeth and clean hair.

But maybe that's just me.


My dad always told me that your hands are your calling card and you're judged by them. Assuming everything else in the hand shake is right (you're looking them in the eyes, you have a firm grip but don't squeeze fingers etc etc):

Soft hands: ???.
Clean worked hands: good.
Dirty hands and fingernails when not in the middle of work: lack of attention to detail/lack of care.


I shook a male co workers hand who never touched anything to make them rough or dirty and they were softer than any woman's hand I've ever touched.
 
In the '70's I rode British bikes from the '50's. So all these years later the internet is full of people saying how unreliable the British bikes were, and how much better the Japanese bikes of the day were. I'm still a bit puzzled - I loved working on my British bikes, I learnt so much about everything there is to know. I'd have every minute back...I just wouldn't've sold them all. Currently my bikes are from the '80's, and I still work on them.
 
Wow. That's a whole lot of worrying about what other people think.

I ride what I like when the mood strikes me. I am fortunate to have multiple bikes to choose from and couldn't care less about what others think of my choice.

I commend you for riding older bikes that you wrench on (and I enjoy that as well) but that doesn't mean that you can demean the guys who would just like to ride and pay for the maintenance.

It's just a matter of choices. And money.
 
Enjoy riding and wrenching on your bike...and try not to give a flying [censored] what anyone else thinks!
 
In rough order:

No, I haven't tried to enlist. I have my reasons, and while this isn't one of them I'll just say I've been yelled at enough already.

Maybe the "clean fingernails" title wasn't the best catch phrase. I certainly keep my hands clean when not wrenching - albeit I don't keep my fingernails continually cut down flush so some dirt stains will get underneath them that takes a few days to eventually wear off. I have paint on part of one hand at the moment - not because I didn't wash, many times since I sprayed the paint yesterday - it's chassis paint that will wear off when it will.

Disclaimer: Coming from the subject himself, I realize only so much of this is credible information, however... I've never been extremely concerned with fitting in. If anything, I was raised with an unhealthy example to stand out on purpose - not to go overboard to stand out more, but to be completely proud of the preexisting ways I was different in a certain crowd - but have since begun to realize the negatives of that and always try do what honestly suits me, disregarding the sway of others' opinion (when it is simply a matter of opinion) and the element of fitting in or, alternatively, taking on the air of a rebel. The other riders in the group are approx. 30-50 years old - yes, into an age where fiddling with the machine doesn't hold as much allure as maybe it once did... though that infers veteran riders, which the ones that seem to lay it on thickest are the more novice riders, themselves. More years and miles under their belts than myself, but in at least one case have never known how to seriously maintain the thing themselves in the first place. But I digress, thank you for the guidance, raytseng.

As I said, aside from their attitude on the rides I genuinely like each one of the guys and consider them good, trustworthy men. This "bro time" seems to encourage a lapse of judgement during which they resort to, well, inconsiderate, childish [censored] like I related above.

Several suggestions to stop worrying what other people say or think and enjoy it: you're right and I'll admit it. Posting this here was a vent that wasn't actually going to do anything but clear my mind, I suppose. Though I guess the reason for my unresolved frustration is that motorcycling is something I'm new to, thus far greatly enjoy, and, as with anything, had/have expectations of kinship with other enthusiasts which the church group hardly possesses because we ride differently, for different reasons. Heck, there are dozens of business owners in the church that do wonders for our community, but I'm the only guy who'll work on other peoples' cars and one of less than half a dozen (out of 200?) that's really even a competent mechanic. That is to say, while I value each person's unique contribution, there's no one else in that community that ticks roughly the same way I do, from a technical, left-brain standpoint or otherwise, and even though they're generally a more thrifty, self-help, sustainability (not environmentally, think emotionally, financially, etc.), crowd 75%? don't keep any kind of maintenance schedule on their cars... which to me, goes hand in hand with thrift among other things. Heck, one 40-something guy that's a staple member of the band and carries himself as a pretty intelligent dude said he "thought it was the starter" when his Caravan was cranking but wouldn't start. But I don't know the first thing about drums, so to each their own on that one.

Pardon my vent but it has brought some clarity. As one of my most valued older friends would say, "You never prove a point by proving a point."
 
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