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Manly or Not Manly

(Image Credit: Joey Newcombe)

We’ve all seen them: those guys on the sleek motorcycles, usually brightly-colored, and often speeding down the highway. For lack of a better term, they’re lovingly-referred to as crotch rockets. These bikes elicit a range of responses from guys, everything from “Wow, what a schmohawk” to “Whoa, nice ride.” In this “manly or not manly,” we hear your arguments for and against the manliness of crotch rockets, and ultimately settle the issue once and for all in a vote. To help get things going, a couple potential arguments for both sides are below.

The case for manly: Automobiles are the epitome of manhood. Grease, engines, fire, rubber, metal…it’s all there. Men have worked on making their transportation faster, sleeker, and frankly, cooler, since the invention of the wheel. The crotch rocket is merely an extension of this quest for speed, and is one of the manliest pursuits around.

Crotch rockets are the Ferraris of motorcycles–sleek, fast, and showy. There’s nothing unmanly about Ferraris, so why would this not transfer over to crotch rockets?

The case for not manly: Riding a motorcycle, in and of itself, is certainly manly. The unmanliness comes in when a guy chooses to ride something other than some classic metal, like a 1930 Indian 4. Now, not everyone can afford (or find) such beautiful pieces of machinery, so don’t extrapolate this argument to say that someone is not manly because they drive a Civic, rather than Duesenberg. The point is that if you’re embracing your manly desire to work on a machine that will go fast and get you greasy, try to focus it on something less zippy and more poppy. There are plenty of affordable bikes out there that fit this category.

Crotch rockets are the Jägermeister to a Harley Davidson’s Drambuie. They have the same purpose, but the former is for mere indulgence, the latter is for true passion.

What do you think? Are crotch rockets manly or not manly? Does it depend on a particular fact? Give your vote, then speak your mind in the comments below.

Manly or Not Manly: Crotch Rockets

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