What's a Biker Friendly Business?

Biker Friendly simply means an establishment that doesn't treat you like the plague when you show up wearing leathers and understands your stuff is not as easily protected as it would be if you were driving a car.

Back in the day, bikers had a bad reputation and were looked down on. It's different now. Today's bikers are just like everybody else and have lots of discretionary income.

A business that doesn't recognize this won't be in business for long. Modern businesses know that bikers bring in the money and strive to cater to us. Average annual income for motorcycle households is almost 10 thousand dollars higher compared to non-motorcycle households. Additionally, bikers use less fuel to power their ride, which translates into more money to spend on other things.

If you're like me, you don't like to park your bike out of sight. We've got a lot of expensive gear and equipment on our bikes and being able to keep an eye on them is critical.

When I stop for meals, I always try to park in a place that allows me to watch my bike from my table. This means I don't have to strip off everything that's removable and lug it into the restaurant.

Generally speaking, people are honest, but there are times where I feel a little nervous when someone is sniffing around my stuff. Most places understand this and are more than happy to seat you where you can keep an eye on your bike.

Motels that are biker friendly and cater to bikers are by far the best places to patronize. A biker friendly motel knows the things that are important to bikers.

The first thing is a parking space right in front of your door. After check in, it's nice to be able to have your stuff immediately at hand right in front of your room and knowing you can peek out the window and see your bike affords peace of mind.

Some of the larger chains don't have direct access to your room from the parking lot but are very accommodating. They'll sometimes allow you to pull your bike up on the sidewalk right in front of the office. This could even be better, since there is usually an attendant working the night shift and plenty of lighting. If this is not available, they will try to make sure you can at least see your bike from your room.

I've stayed in many great places, but for illustrative purposes I'll cite this one good example. The Park Motel in Russellvile, Arkansas fits the bill for all the things that I look for in a biker friendly motel.

• They advertise on the internet that they're biker friendly.
• Room rates beat the nearby chains, hands down.
• They guarantee the best rates compared to all national chain hotels.
• Very comfortable room with plush bed.
• Both standard rooms and rooms with fully-equipped kitchens.
• Parking is right in front of your room.
• Large covered parking area in front of the lobby.
• Clean and well maintained property.
• Towels offered to wipe down your bike.