Chuck Schmidt wrote:
>
> David Cowie wrote:
> >
> (cut)
> > In Germany, it is (was?) common for the factory to omit the model plate
> > from the rear of a Mercedes Benz , at the buyers request, so it could
> > not be identified by a simple glance. This was a status symbol .This
> > flies in the face of the American status seeker...
>
> When I started riding as an adult in 1976 there was an interesting
> phenomenon going on in the local bike scene here in Southern California
> (maybe else where in the US also?).
>
> Guys would get their race bikes repainted without decals and have the
> headbadge removed. The thinking was that if you had to ask what their
> bike was, you were not a "member of the club". Arrogant? Snobbish?
> Testosterone poisoning? I guess boys will be boys.
>
> The Peter Johnson bike pictured on my web site is a reflection of this period.
Forgot to mention that my BMW 2002 tii had a chrome "1600" model plate on the rear back then... heh heh...
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
.