Bringing back some old slang

If you've spent much time goofing around on the internet reading motorcycle articles, I have no doubt you've stumbled upon many articles attempting to define the term biker. There are a million different definitions for biker, and what qualifies a person to call him or herself a biker.

Given how much I ride, how much I wrench and how strongly I usually smell of gasoline and exhaust, I think I could call myself a biker without anyone disagreeing with me too strongly (except for some Harley-yuppie-assholes. But who cares what they say?).

The thing is, I don't want to call myself a biker. To me, the term "biker" is associated with a particular lifestyle. A lifestyle that's been co-opted by men who wear leather with fringes, and have accessories on their bike to match.

But the thing is, "motorcyclist" is boring. A "motorcyclist" rides with perfect posture, wearing an open-face helmet with a bubble visor and pressed blue jeans. That's ok too (hey, as long as you're riding, you're ok with me), but again it's not me.

Luckily, there is a variety of old-school slang that can be plundered and brought back to common use. So, until I find a better term, I shall refer to myself as a 'sickle bum.