Bikers today listen to various genres of music from Rock all the way to Pop. The older generations would mostly listen to Rock, Country and even Hard Rock of their era. The newer generation of bikers who are considered ‘hardcore bikers’ will more likely listen to Hard Rock or Metal. Still, you may find that music has very little to do with riding motorcycles.
Overview
In this article, we discuss what music most of the current and previous generation bikers listen to. Remember that this refers to the majority and means that it does not include everyone, especially those outside of western cultures where their music is much different.
We will discuss the following:
- Why we can’t generalise music taste of bikers
- Music that most newer generation bikers listen to
- Music that most older generation bikers listen to
- Why is Metal and Hard Rock often the genre bikers listen to?
- Can you listen to music on a motorcycle?
Why we can’t generalise music taste of bikers
It’s simple. Not all bikers are alike, and reasonably music has very little to do with being a biker. It’s one of those things that people don’t seem to realise; there’s not much more to being a biker (or motorcyclist) other than riding a motorcycle.
Anyone can be a biker if they ride a motorcycle for their own entertainment and not just to get from point A to B. So that includes multiple millions of people from all over the world who have various tastes in music.
Besides being located in different parts of the world where cultures differ along with the music, every person is different. And each individual may feel different throughout the stages of their life. Music is an emotional amplifier that in many cases describe how people feel.
Yet, being among friends or other bikers may produce a specific emotional mood like happiness, calmness or excitement that everyone can relate to. So there are certain genres that are more appealing or relatable in gatherings at a clubhouse or a bar for example.
An individual might also relate more to certain music genres when riding a motorcycle. When listening to the same music after riding, they may be reminded of the feeling since music is a great way to stimulate memories.
This is still something I would like to look into more; how people make emotional connections through music. There is certainly a broad spectrum and very interesting. If you want to dive a bit deeper into this, you can check out this video which might give some more insight:
But since there are a few genres that stand out more than others in western culture, we’ll discuss those general music tastes in the next sections below.
Music that most newer generation bikers listen to
This playlist is an example of what the newer generation of bikers might listen to. This would be Metal and to a lesser extent Hard Rock and other music genres.
Once again, this does not include everyone’s music taste. It only refers to the majority and even then, it might not be completely accurate given the cultural differences among bikers.
The below music videos are only examples of the genre. It doesn’t mean that the specific songs are popular among newer generation bikers or reflect their personalities in any way.
Warning: the following playlist might include explicit audio/songs.
Music that most older generation bikers listen to
This playlist is an example of what the older generation of bikers might listen to. This would be Rock, Hard Rock, Country and other music genres.
The below music videos are only examples of the genre. It doesn’t mean that the specific song is popular among older generation bikers or reflect their personalities in any way.
Why is Metal and Hard Rock often the genre bikers listen to?
Metal and Hard Rock might be what most bikers listen to, but it might also not be. It does certainly stand out among other genres which makes them very noticeable. Plus, both of those genres often have some deeper connection to alternative lifestyles, which many noticeable bikers follow.
So just like many people think that all Harley riders are criminals, they may also think that bikers all listen to Hard Rock or Metal. It’s a stereotype. And not true, in case you were wondering.
With that said, I think the majority of bikers in the US probably do listen to Hard Rock or Metal music. But it still doesn’t mean that music has anything to do with motorcycles or riding motorcycles.
Let’s take a different example for a moment: Do all houses have chimneys? No, of course not. Yet, children always seem to draw them with one even if there are none in their neighbourhood. An architect would draw a house in much more detail and you would clearly be able to tell it’s a house even without a chimney.
But for someone who hasn’t had a lifetime of experience with drawing houses, that chimney is the thing that makes a weird block become a house.
Now, it’s exactly the same with people who want to do the ‘biker thing’ but don’t really know how. For them, the music stands out because it’s different from what they are used to. Some are some other things as well, but it doesn’t really matter for the purpose of this article.
You see, I’m trying to get you to realise why you typed the particular query on Google or Bing that landed you here on this article. We bloggers (including myself) try to answer the questions people search for but that doesn’t always mean the answer is pointing you in the correct direction.
In my case, I try to lead people out of a misconception or stereotype that most would probably just go along with.
The truth is, the music you listen to has almost nothing to do with motorcycles or riding motorcycles. How music relates to groups of people? Well, that’s a different story, and it’s probably what you should be searching for in the first place.
Can you listen to music on a motorcycle?
Yes, you can listen to music while riding a motorcycle. If your motorcycle doesn’t have a sound system like many cruiser motorcycles. You will need to install a com-system in your helmet. Most helmets already have cutouts for installing the speakers.
Most com-systems can all play music through your mobile phone via BlueTooth. And there are a few good systems I could recommend but it would be best to get the brand that other people in your riding group already have since different brands are seldom able to connect to one another. But I suspect those incompatibility issues will change in the distant future on new models.
This is what I would recommend if you are the first ones in your group to use com-systems: FreedConn 2 pcs Motorcycle Helmet Communication Systems – view on Amazon
Final words
Well, I hope you learned something new or valuable from this article. If you did, then you might like to take a look at my info products or share this article with a friend.
Featured image by ashamcha on Instagram.
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