I just don't get all the Harley digs... (ride, custom, bike)

[AnesthesiaMD]

It reminds me of when I was in school in Chicago and people there found out I was from the NYC area. I lost track of how many people would tell me all the reasons why Chicago is a better city than NYC. It was completely unsolicited on my part, and it was just plain weird. You would never hear a New Yorker comparing NYC to Chicago in such a manner. New Yorkers don't really feel the need. I have lived in several other cities and have not noticed this anywhere else, so I just chalked it up to an inferiority complex unique to Chicago.

Now I didn't write that to tick off people from Chicago. I wrote it for the value of the analogy, not the content. I rarely hear Harley riders going out of their way to single out Hondas, Kawasakis, etc. Personally, I dont care what a person rides, just that they ride. Hell I ride a Vespa as well as a Harley. Guess what...Harley riders wave to me on the Vespa all the time. If I had to single out anyone in my area, it is usually the sportsbike riders (of any brand) that dont wave to me when I'm on the Vespa.

When I was in the market for a bike, I checked out all brands. I knew I wanted a cruiser, and I liked the Triumphs, Harleys and Indians. I found these three to be very rich in history, and well, they are just more my style.

There were many things I didn't like about other brands on my search, but I dont feel the need to list them here. I feel great about my bike, and it wont make me feel any better about my bike if I trash other people's bikes...or their riders.

[Awesomegenius]

Harleys are unsuitable for whole parts of the country: they are well marketed, but it is the truimph of style over substance: I think they are overpriced: certainly in Britain: I'm not hostile to any biker: but Harley riders tend to be elitist and smug.
They also tend to be once a year types rather than all year rounders. The bike is practical for high mileage:

[M3 Mitch]

Take it as a compliment.

NYC is the Big Dog of cities. The Chicago guys, partizans of what actually is commonly called the "second city", were exibiting "small dog syndrome". You, being from the Big Dog, had nothing to prove so didn't want to bring it up.

H-D is the Big Dog of motorcycle manufacturers.

Dude, you are not a typical RUB - the fact that you took the bike out in the cold and snow immediately after buying it proved that right at the beginning. But there are more than a few RUBs out there, and being a mature, professional guy with some money, you do fit the demographic that most RUBs fall into.

I mostly ride a FJ1100 Yamaha, it's more of a sport-tourer but to non-riders it qualifies as a "bullet bike". So I get a certain amount of that gas, about stuff they have seen "squids" do. I shake my head and laugh, hey squids do squiddley things, fine, I don't.

What non-riders think simply does not matter.

I have personally never owned a Harley, mostly because I could always get a better deal on something else, but have seen used Harleys and from time to time seen one I might like to own - primarily Sportsters, but, whatever.

Harleys do grant admission to certain "biker" as opposed to "bikerider", a, ahem, "cultural groups". You have to ride a Hog to get into these groups, but, not all Hog riders are interested in the "Easyriders" culture. It's optional.

I would halfway like to get a (probably vintage) Vespa, but I don't know about riding one if, like many scooters, the rear brake is where I'm used to finding a clutch - just don't know if I want to get into trying to keep all that straight.

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

I would halfway like to get a (probably vintage) Vespa, but I don't know about riding one if, like many scooters, the rear brake is where I'm used to finding a clutch - just don't know if I want to get into trying to keep all that straight.

I love the vintage Vespas too, but for me it is the whole 'mixing the oil and gas' thing that would keep me from buying one. I just dont have the time.

And yes, I ride every day I can. I only take the car to work if it's a downpour or really freezing. Thanks.

[muleskinner]

I don't think it's so much a dig at HD as it is at what it and the HD biking culture has become.It's has turned really cheesy in most older riders opinions.They look at the new HD owner as a total poser who thinks he gains the "patch" through purchase and the new riders do very little to dispell this image either.I've known dozens upon dozens who I have sold bikes to over time that were really nice,easy going guys who within a few months were all decked out in "the look" and had the attitude to go with it,but no ass to back it up,just a bike is all.

ANYONE that thinks another biker pops off about Harleys because they are jealous is totally clueless imo...MANY of us have tried that route and not found a fit there,jealousy is far from what another biker that rides a different brand feels for a member of H.O.G. most times and pity or amusement might be a bit closer to the truth for some,not all.

IMO that's where the digs come from.Cheesewads making the enthusiasts look stupid right along with them....Although an old school bike rider of many brands,I think it is cool that so many have got into biking in the last 15 or so years because of the HUGE advancement of parts,accessories and bikes available from ALL manufacturers.

Just my opinion and it's worth what you paid for it,nothing.

[AnesthesiaMD]

Muleskinner, jealousy and inferiority are two different feelings.

Jealousy would be me saying people wish they had a Harley, so they relieve that angst by dissing Harleys.

Inferiority is me saying people THINK that they are perceived as less or of lower status because they dont ride a Harley, so they relieve that angst by dissing Harleys.

See the difference? You cant tell me that there isn't at least SOME truth to that, can you? (Not with you personally, but in general.)

[bmwguydc]

That's an apt analogy, the NYC vs. Chicago issue on the part of the Chicagoan. I have experienced the same thing, many times, and it just gets so old.

That said, some of the best bikers I have ever met are Harley rider. Moreover, I don't understand why there's a need to take a swipe at another rider, no matter what they happen to be riding at a given moment.

[Sage of Sagle]

Here's my $.02....

Owning a Harley is like owning an Ducati. You bought it because you like it, you want it, and you can afford it. If you fall into the trap of being a poser, you will be the source of much amusement and digs. If you start arguing with VTX and Road Star guys that your bike is just as reliable, be ready for hoots and laughter, and even more digs. I knew guys in SoCal who had white collar jobs who stopped shaving on Thursday so they'd look rough by Sunday to go hang out at road houses. Seriously..."Wild Hogs" movie sort of guys. It just begs to be mocked.

But it's the same thing with Italian bikes. While the newer Ducs are awfully good, they're still going to be more fussy than a GSXR, R1, CBR, etc. And a mid-90's Duc wasn't as simple of a turn-the-key-and-go bike as the Japanese bikes, and you could be an awful poser on a Ducati too (you look awfully cool in all the Dainese Duc-branded stuff, you know). So will the new 1198 likely ever leave you stranded? No. But my mid-90's Supersports and Superbikes have done it at times...I just love the bikes and have always ridden them. But I'm not about to start saying how my 1992 Superlight was "just as reliable" as a 1992 CBR600F2, because it wasn't. Not nearly close.



Point is, if you like something, like it for what it IS...don't start trying to compare it to everything else and hold forth that every aspect of it is "just as good" as what the Japanese (or others) build, because it gets laughable and you open yourself up to becoming a caricature/stereotype of what you are trying to deny you have become....

And most important, if you buy something for looks or sound or soul, accept with good humor any digs, and go home knowing that you're riding it because you love riding it.

[Sayantsi]

My experiences with HD riders is colored mostly from how they behave on the road - they don't share the road, they hog lanes, and they don't wave at other motorcyclists. Granted, a lot of sport bike riders are almost as bad and more dangerous.

[muleskinner]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

Muleskinner, jealousy and inferiority are two different feelings.

Jealousy would be me saying people wish they had a Harley, so they relieve that angst by dissing Harleys.

Inferiority is me saying people THINK that they are perceived as less or of lower status because they dont ride a Harley, so they relieve that angst by dissing Harleys.

See the difference? You cant tell me that there isn't at least SOME truth to that, can you? (Not with you personally, but in general.)

I know the difference......Yes,I will agree that there are jealous people out there who will gouge you about HD....(IMO)I would say these are people who have never owned an HD or they own a *** cruiser that is a knock off of an HD model and wish it was an HD or they are the type of people who will talk bad about anything anyway regardless of what it is OR the worst of the lot imo are the guys/gals who've never even thrown a leg over a motorcycle regardless of brand.The latter have not earned the right to talk about ANYTHING to do with bikes and be taken seriously.

Those people's opinions(on motorcycles) carry no weight with me whatsoever.

On the other side of the coin you have bikers who have been in this game for decades and have tried every brand under the sun.These guys have forgotten(alzheimers perhaps?) more about bikes than your average duck will EVER know.These guys/gals will gouge you for fun without meaning offense,just to get a rise out of you and most are happy for you just because you are in the hobby.When these people talk serious to you about HD mechanical issues tho',you'd be wise to listen instead of discounting their opinion as jealousy...they are telling you to help you,not to disrespect you unless of course you cop an attitude with them and then all bets are off and most will let you hang yourself and then laugh for real.I fall into this category myself and the evidence of that can be seen in your thread dealing with the fact that you had just got your new bike.

I have to stick with my earlier statement...I think what turns a lot of people off HD and their riders now days and causes these digs you speak of IS the attitude of SOME bikers who as soon as they get an HD they turn into Billy Joe Badass in their own mind and become bike experts over night and the attitude of the dumbasses HD dealers now employ in their show rooms and parts depts....as I stated before,I have witnessed this myself because I've bought,sold and traded untold numbers of HD's over time and watched some of these guys almost change before your very eyes....You don't see this attitude with a guy who is riding a BMW and cruising along do you ?(he just pities everyone else who is NOT on a BMW and waves because he feels guilty)....you don't see this attitude with any other brand riders do you ???(with the exception of the riders of HD "custom" knock offs running S&S motors,HD knock off frames and tins AND some crotch rocket riders.Those guys can be total cheesewads in a major way too sometimes and some appear to actually be semi retarded)

Do you agree with any of this or do you think I'm way off track?