Rob Hewitt wrote: In fact, I might argue that he wasn't even shy in high school. Picked on, yes.  Out of step.  Heck, he invited the most popular kids in school to go to that little science experiment

You might argue it, no surprise, but you'd be wrong.  He was a shy kid in high school.  He wasn't the class clown.  He wasn't an extrovert.  He wasn't the kind of kid to strike up a conversation with anyone.  Sure, he was attracted to several girls (who in high school wasn't, even if you were a science nerd?) and he acted on those crushes a several times, but I wouldn't use that as an example of someone who is just out-of-step.  Neither would I use Peter trying to invite (he was unsuccessful) the popular kids.  I take that one panel as shorthand in an origin story to communicate that he is an outsider.  Hell, Liz Allen says of Peter on the splash page of AF 15 "Peter Parker?  He's Midtown High's only professional wallflower!"  The definition of wallflower:

Main Entry: wall·flow·er
Pronunciation: 'wol-"flau(-&)r
Function: noun
1 a : any of several Old World herbaceous or somewhat woody perennial plants (genus Cheiranthus) of the mustard family; especially : a hardy erect herb (C. cheiri) widely cultivated for its showy fragrant flowers b : any of a related genus (Erysimum) of plants with showy flowers
2 : a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (as a dance)

Now you could say he was merely unpopular, but he's often painted as a kid on the outside who doesn't know what to say in any given situation. I'd call that shy.

As far as riding a motorcycle, wasn't that added as part of his backstory in SPIDER-MAN: BLUE by Loeb & Sale? I can't remember if he actually rode one during the Lee/Romita run, which is when much of that story takes place.  In any event, I think he was shy in high school, more confident in college, but not the cool cat you describe above.

Who can check my memory on this?

You know, I don't think this story is any worse than four-armed Spidey or Electric Boogaloo Superman or Teen Tony Stark or any other temporary story line. 

Six-armed Spidey was a two-issue gag in celebration of 100 issues, not an "event".  I wouldn't exactly compare that to any of the other publicity stunts you mentioned.  Nor would I suggest that the existence of previous bad publicity stunts somehow validates this bad publicity stunt.

Peter Parker's shyness was the main reason he even wears a mask. Keep in mind that at the time, most Marvel heroes like the FF didn't wear masks. He basically doesn't want to be humiliated if Crusher Hogan beat him, so he wore a mask, which the fight promoter thought was good "showmanship."

Flash Thompson, by comparison, probably would have ran around screaming, "I've got neat spider powers!" in a similar situation -- not attempt to hide his abilities or his identity.

This is the core of Peter's personality, I think. His concern about Aunt May's learning his secret wasn't really an issue until *after* Uncle Ben was killed. Then he was motivated in part by guilt to hide who he was. However, something must have been behind why he didn't tell anyone about his abilities prior to Uncle Ben's death. I've always read the Peter of that period as the person who is real funny and witty online but in person barely says a word. It's the same person yet there's something about the "other identity" that is freeing.

In my opinion, something is horribly wrong when Peter is identifiably "Spider-Man" even out of costume.

It doesn't much look like it, but I think the art in that design is by Joe Quesada.

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You are right

"Joe Quesada, this new design has a few tricks up its sleeve. "The Iron Spider design- as I like to call it- came to me during a Spider-Man story meeting we were having, we were talking and I was involuntarily sketching on a pad. It's inspired by a sketch that Chris Bachalo did that showed a new Spidey costume with <CLASSIFIED>."

marvel.com

Definitely he was not cool and unpopular (and not that I know anything about this myself, but that can often lead to shyness or be the result of shyness). But my reading is the stories revolved around his umpopularity, but not the fact he was overally shy per se.  I don't think he was hiding from view, afraid to talk to people. I'm sure lines could be picked out either way.  Certainly it has been a long, long time since I've read him as being socially awkward-decades.  

If you get a mortorcycle license, can you automatically drive a car? I'm wondering because  I seem to recall now, he had no problem with the motorcycle, so why did he have such problem with the Spider-mobile. In fact I think they even said then he didn't have a license. Hmm. Was Peter riding around like the Governator?

I've always read the Peter of that period as the person who is real funny and witty online but in person barely says a word. It's the same person yet there's something about the "other identity" that is freeing.

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I've looked at it in the same way people can go to college and be whoever they want, free from the growing up/high school baggage.

In costume, he could be who he really wanted to be, and who he really was or at least wanted to play like.

I'm reminded of these two Cary GRant quotes (a  guy named Archibald Leach originally)

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.

 I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me

I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie Leach and Cary Grant, unsure of each, suspecting each."