| Author | Message | ||
     Snackbar64 |
I'm in a local motorcycle club here in Albany. Ruff Ryders to be exact. The only problem that I am faced with is that I am the only one who rides a Buell. Most of my fellow club members don't understand the bike and make fun of it and constantly try to urge me to purchase a newer Japanese bike like a Gixxer 1300, or many of the other popular liter bikes. They think that my bike is crap basically because of the way it sounds and looks. Please give me some helpful advice here as well as some verbal ammunition for all those who hate the Buell. Eventually I will get another bike, but it will be the new 1098 and even then I'm not trading the Bolt in. Thanks for your helpful advice in advance. | ||
| Swordsman |
I'd tell them that "Ruff Ryders" sounds like a gay porn flick.  ~SM | ||
| Ds_tiger |
hang out with different riders People who judge you by your bike are snobs Not worth hangin' with "haters" move on bro | ||
| Hammer71 |
To hell with verbal ammo. Take em to a nice twisty road and shut em up that way. After a brutal ass kicking in the twisties I bet the only think said is something like I didnt feel to good today or my tires are messed up and so on. Anyone can go fast in a straight line.. | ||
| Snackbar64 |
Point well made Hammer, I actually beat'em up pretty bad in the twisties and I notice the guys on the Busa and Kawi 1400 slow way down when approaching a corner. | ||
| Beastie |
Take it for what it's worth, and don't let it bother you. Last thing I would care about is a bunch of "Me Too" riders not "getting it" when it comes to a Buell or any other non-comformist bike. I love my XB12R and none of the guys I ride with give me grief, and I ride with guys on GSXR's, R1's R6's and Ducati. They all get my bike and like that it's unique. After demoing one at Daytona this weekend my next bike is going to be a Speed Triple. It's another different bike and like my XB12R I doubt I'll have any trouble keeping up with the guys on the "Me Too" bikes. | ||
| Sneth |
yeah, i almost bought a speed triple. It was just one step above me. It's a better bike than the xb12s, but it takes a better rider as well. If you are not a skilled rider, that bike will buck you off in less than 8 second... | ||
| Beastie |
I'm keeping my XB12R. Reason I love the S3 is the fact to me it's the best of both worlds. My last bike was a Yamaha YZF600R, the inline 3 in the speed triple has a nice balance of torque, high revs, and handles great. I guess part of me misses the high revs and 6 gears I am used to with my previous inline fours, but I still love the big rumble and gutsy torque of my XB12R. Also the riding ergos of the S3 are so plush compared to my XB12R. So I may turn my XB into a track bike and ride the Speed Triple for everything else. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
 EQUALS  And actually twice as common. Get new friends. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
would ya get a new girlfriend if ur friends made fun of her....i equate my bike to my woman,,,actualy i like my bike more...neither one of em are goin anywhere if my friends make fun of them thats for sure...sounds like someone needs a dose of reality....ruff ryders...didnt they go out with DMX....damn some stupid crap never dies....maybe the RR's need a bad reality show for an ego boost like their founder or whatever he is....personaly i would find new people to ride with... what a bunch of dicks. | ||
| Slaughter |
The RRs out here have a pretty bad rap. Not my choice of folks to go riding with. Part of the reason that sportbikes have such a bad reputation is groups like them blocking the freeways to film the outlaw stunt videos that sell so well. Sorry but it's not my style. Sell the Buell to me - get a Busa. | ||
| Xbduck |
Just tell them you will ride whatever THEY buy you. That usually stops that kind of talk. If it doesn't then maybe you should find a new group to ride with. What you ride is your choice not theirs. Don't take their crap life is to short, find a way to enjoy your time riding. Don't let them bring you down! | ||
| Edmbueller |
Ammunition: "Oh, and which bike is yours?" - that one (maybe 5 or 6 color options) over there "I am sorry I can't see which of the 75 clones you mean" -up yours or some such witty retort "have a nice day" | ||
| Nutsnbolt |
Ruff Ryders... You're not gonna believe this, but there is a group out here called Ruff Ryders, Rated-R, and some other clubs. Basically, they all meet at the local "Squid Mart" (BP) cause it's got a big parking lot and they all sit around posing in their Icon Jacket and Alpinestars Boots with no scuffs and rev their engines real loud and giggle for about an hour and then ride (in a straight line) for about 3 hours real fast, get off their bikes after numerous gas stops and hang out at other gas stations and rev their engines some more and giggle and pose a little more and all talk about all the "beauty marks" (not cracks in the farings, but beauty marks) that they've all got. Every once in a while one of these douche bags shows up at the spot that a few of us riders meet up at and then after we take em through the twisties and force em into a 3G left handed sweeper, they usually never show up again. Just how I like em. (Of course at every straight away, they pass us, until the next set of twisties.) Dude.... Find yourself a different group. Here's an idea. Give it NO NAME and just find people that you like and like their riding style and enjoy their company and go and actually see the country the American Way... On a bike and on the back roads. Later, pimp. Mark | ||
| Hammer71 |
Introduced a few of the Hudson Valley guys to some friends that build and drag race their rides. All of em are off the wall ie. 180 MPH "testing" on a local straight, out running the "Man" closing down the Thruway for money races and so on. Not once have any of them criticized our rides. Each has actually ridden mine and said they would love to have one for playing in the twisties and loved the punch it had but their cash goes for more speed parts. Thing is they get it (as stated above) doesnt matter what you ride but that you ride. Another factor to figure in is that the "Man" will hassle these pseudo "clubs" due to the above stated antics,patches and all around disregard for fellow motorists oh and those Bullet Proof vest looking things they wear pisses the Man off big time. | ||
| Snackbar64 |
Love the responses guys. I don't know why they bash my bike so much. A few of them have ridden it and think that it sits to high, but they've never taken beyond a parking lot above 25 mph. I don't trust them riding it anymore now. I'm on my way back to Cali right behind L.L. Cool J. anyways so my time with RR is limited. Also, they only like the straights it seems. What good is a 200 mph bike if you can't use it where it matters. I'm not even capable of extracting every ounce of performance from the XB9R, a bike most motorcycle authorities feel is under powered. It's almost paid for and I want to relish the since of bike ownership with that pink piece of paper. The RRs don't seem to get it. I needed that boost fellas. Thanks. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Funny thing is that most of us will never extract all the performance out of our bikes, someone is always faster, corners better and so on. Unless we have some GP riders lurking around here. When we ride around here it usually ends with one or all of us learning something from the other. Always a good time and learning experience each time out. This years goal is to teach Saintly how to get his knee on the ground. (Message edited by hammer71 on March 12, 2007) | ||
| Nutsnbolt |
Yeah.. You know... Even the Guy with a 13" unit still wishes that it was bigger. We're never happy. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
My buddies tagline for his posts: "The older I get, the faster I was!" At 50 plus, I can't catch him even if he were riding a moped. The real riders can still walk at 50. Many of the guys that make fun of your bike now will be rolling wheelchairs, dead, or walking with a cane because of the pins in their back and legs. Use 150HP on the street often, and your destiny is set. | ||
| Thepup |
Ft bstrd,are you saying it's more dangerous riding in a straight fast than it is riding fast around a twisty road?I would say it's just as stupid doing either one.I love the rationale some use. | ||
| Beastie |
Hrrm... Not seeing where Ft_bstrd implied that. He simply stated, that you can't really use a Race bike to it's full potential on the street without putting you or others in danger.. I believe. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Not at all Pup. I'm saying that taking a bike that is tuned to maximize power on the track and trying to maximize that power on the street is inherently more dangerous than trying to capitalize on a bike that was designed to maximize power on the street. The GSXRs are great bikes but their peak performance capabilities usually lie outside the street's capability to exploit them safely. As an example, in the United States I don't believe that there is anywhere outside of Montana maybe where one could fully maximize this on the street:  Is it a bad car? No. It's a great car. Lamborghini Gallardo specs Top Speed: 191 mph / 309 km/h 0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds 0-100 mph: 9.2 seconds 0 - 1/4 Mile: 12.4 sec @ 118 mph Engine: V10 DOHC 4 valve 5-liter Could something else give you as much 0-60 fun but be more streetable? (Message edited by ft_bstrd on March 12, 2007) | ||
| Nevrenuf |
anybody can roll the throttle back but isn't it more fun hanging from the side of the bike wondering if your knee is going to hit the pavement. if you really want to go fast in a strait line go to the drags, if you just want to have fun and test your ability take the back road. i've known a couple hard core guys who are just independents. do your own thing. you'll be happier. | ||
| Cmm213 |
Well If you keep riding with that crew and you never really get into cornering, at least show them the xb is one of the best stunt machines out there. | ||
| Johntman |
snakbar, you must have been the blue bolt i used to see in east albany. I used to work with APD over there, and i always wanted to stop you just to talk to you, but you know how the PD is over there, run way too thin. I work over in crisp county now. I thought a few of the ruff ryders had cruisers? i never saw too many buells so i was gonna stop you to get up with you and go ridding. If you want a buell friend to go ridding with let me know? we can get you and the ruff ryders to go up to pine mountain and we can show them why we ride buells. | ||
| Crg11983 |
snackbar, I face similar criticism from my friends, whom all ride jap bikes. My best defense is too ignore it. At the same time it doesn't detour them from asking to ride it. They may make fun of you for choosing a bike different from theirs, but who really wants to be like every one else. They just do not understand Buells, or what riding is really about. | ||
| Metalstorm |
There's an old saying that I think applies here. You laugh at me because I am different I laugh at you because you are all the same | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
When i was stationed in ft Hood i rode with a M.C. and I must say yes there was some of the standing around looking cool stuff But most of the time we was riding some good old curvy back roads in central texas. But these same guys didnt care what you was riding just as long as you was riding, yea we would pick on each others bikes but it would be just out of fun no one really hated each others bikes we just all liked our own bikes better. I have met some Ruff Riders at bike events and they all seemed more about how cool they looked than riding but there is a few other clubs that was like that. It seemed to me like the club i was in put more miles on our bikes than any of the other clubs cuz we was out riding when they was tlaking about how much money they spent on there bikes. So in saying that weather or not your in a motorcycle club or not dont make you a "squid" or "Poser" like some of them are. It all depends on the club some are all about looks and some are all about riding if you want to be in a club be in one thats all about riding not how cool you are cuz you ride a zx14 or busa and wear a chrome nazzi helmet | ||
| Chainsaw |
As an example, in the United States I don't believe that there is anywhere outside of Montana maybe where one could fully maximize this on the street FYI: Montana's 'reasonable and prudent' speed limit lasted only 4 years from 1995 to 1999. Current maximum speed limit there is 75mph. I was kinda disappointed when I rode thru, but my Sporty will only do 114mph anyway. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
True Chainsaw, but it ain't just the speed limit. It's enforcement. You'd be much more likely to get caught on I-40 than I-94. |
