I went on a nice ride yesterday up on a twisty moutain road ..i was coming home maybe a little to pumped mind you i am 60 years old .I was waiting at a red light second back and car moving slow 4 lane road as they started to move i could slip easy between two and get ahead of traffic harley in other lane ..harley boy really gave me sh!t over driving aggressive ..What have we come to on bikes bunch old old woman carrying more about other and or how they drive than we do ..What you think was out of line i do not think a cop would pull me over for it ..I gave back a ration of you know what but felt some bad ..i guess i do drive some fast but i bought a sport bike to enjoy ..I also see harley people my age going slow than traffic i just blow buy never thought i was offending ...My point is do you think i am out of line..
It does make you think...do these guys think they're the traditionalists who are protecting the "sanctity" and "conservativeness" of motorcycle cruising? Or are they trying to tell you that you're giving ALL motorcyclists a bad name by zipping a little faster and more maneuverably? I'll take a wild guess that you probably had some sort of fuller-face helmet than he did, hiding your age - is it ageism, railing against "those whippersnapper kids!"?
Funny, I had to work late yesterday and was enjoying the diminished traffic on the DC beltway on my way home - I could really haul, and there are never any cops (knocking on wood). I was in the left lane and blasted past a grizzled guy wearing a beanie, jeans, and a leather vest on an Electra Glide. Traffic thickened up, and he caught up to me - I looked over to wave and he was giving me the thumbs-up. ME, on my weird Buell, wearing ATGATT. That's always nice.
My experiences lately are that Harley Riders will not even hardly look your way let alone bad mouth you. And, it seems that the friendly wave is a thing of the past too.
I continue to ride my Uly, with other Harleys most of the time & we have fun with no drama, so far.
I guess it depends on what part of the country you live, we still have that "friendly wave" in the southeast. I usually initiate and most of the time the riders respond in kind, it wouldn't bother if they didn't, I just notice bikers in general!
BTW....Im selling my Uly for a Harley. I hope I don't get rocks thown at me.
Djz, were you by any chance in the same lane as the HD? I had a little trouble picturing exactly where you were in relation to the HD. That's the only possible reason I can imagine why he would have been angry.
I was riding yesterday with my 76 year old friend in the Georgia, N. Carolina area. We were running Wayah Rd. and came upon two couples on Harleys doing the "touring" speed. They were enjoying the scenery but we wanted to enjoy the road. As usual they would not let us pass so at the nearest semi straight away we crossed the double yellow and blasted past them. Now we were on Harley's too so sometimes a jerk is just a jerk no matter what is under their ass! Later on we were cruising a straight and boring section of a road and had some beemer riders come up on us and we moved over and let them pass. We later caught up with them in the twisties. That's always entertaining!!
Last ride I was on, the group I was with got caught behind a bunch of cruisers. They WOULD NOT move over, and continued to ride staggered which caused us to have to travel in the oncoming lane to pass.
We ended up getting stuck in their slow moving caravan for several miles, passing when we had a safe gap.
Now, they could have just eased over and waved us by. The speed limit was 55, they were traveling 45. We were doing about 65 of 70 when we caught them.
We finally go around them, and stopped at a little store down the road. Minutes later, they pull in. Revving their engines and acting all bada$$.
I go to take a pee, and just being friendly, I say, "Nice day for a ride". The guy responds by saying, "Yeah, unless some dumb a$$ tries to run you off the f'ing road".
I just bit my lip and walked by. Didn't figure it was worth getting in a fight over.
Full disclosure...like a lot of us, my Uly sits next to a Harley - a pretty cool flat-black bobber - and I love it. Never thought I'd buy one, but they finally made one that I could see myself on.
Now, that said, I also peeled the H-D logos off the thing to make it an anonymous bike...so what does THAT say?!?!
Chadhargis, It would have been out of my mouth before I thought about it,"I'm your huckleberry, That's just my game"."SAY WHEN"! I've almost got Doc down pat. It will get me in trouble sooner or later.
Nothing wrong with Harley's and some of their owners IMHO - it's the morons that think they are IT because they have a harley, and look down on those that don't.
I had a Harley last year - traded it in on the Uly because it handled like a turd, but also because I didn't want to be associated with the type of people I see on harleys here all the time. The moron who couldn't ride his bike out of a paper bag but thinks he's tough because of his loud pipes and his beanie helmet. I don't usually care too much what other people think, but it bugged me a bit that someone might see me as one of those guys... plus the bike scraped it's pegs on any turn of any significance...
Even worse is that I'm starting to see this Harley Assh*** attitude amongst some metric cruiser riders too - sad really.
Jerks are everywhere, and ride everything. Anyone who feels they are superior because of what they ride, wear or don`t wear, should take up another hobby. I ride my Harley FXR, wearing ATGATT, same on my ULY. I`ve heard all the comments, good and bad. I won`t fight some turd over it, I`d rather spend the time on the bike. I`ve passed slugs, and have been passed by others too. Whatever. I think all riders should ride in Europe and see how they roll over there. To me it`s the way it should be, as bikes are respected and cars yield to them. Then there is the roads, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Niiiice!
"Half the fun of riding a Buell is pissing off Harley riders."
Well I guess you must be half-assed then. I thought riding a motorcycle, any brand, is about enjoying one's self, not how you get a reaction by your riding technique from others. How is this any different than what is, IMHO, too popular here, slamming cruisers for all show and no go?
Motorfish- very true observation about Europe. Riding over there is totally different than here. If you are on a motorcycle of any brand you are accepted by any and all other riders regardless of brand. It is a different world. The cars give way to you and actually pay attention to you and what you are doing.
I have not ridden my '83 WideGlide since buying my Buell in '04. It just sits there. I am repainting it this fall and selling it. I have had it for 16 years and hate to see it go but I am so sick of the Harley attitude these days that I doubt I'll ever ride it again. Anybody with mediocre credit can buy a Sporty and think they are Billy Badazz. It is truly pathetic the attitude these guys put out and I actually laugh when I see them and their rolling fashion show. I'm out.....
I am so sick of the Harley attitude these days that I doubt I'll ever ride it again. Anybody with mediocre credit can buy a Sporty and think they are Billy Badazz. It is truly pathetic the attitude these guys put out and I actually laugh when I see them and their rolling fashion show. I'm out.....
Plus 1000
It would be very unwise to lump every Harley rider into that bucket but we all know the type. Some of these guys would not have made it just a few years ago. It would be like putting Barney in Jurassic Park. He would not make it. Yeah, he is a Dinosaur but a fake one.
I have had a Harley of some type since 1981 and sold my last one a year ago. For many of the reasons stated.
Lynn and I went to a party this weekend. We rode, everyone that showed up had a Harley, and we were the only ones that rode (Lynn on her Sporty and me on the XB). There were 3 Doctors and two Lawyers that all rode but did not want to get wet so they drove their Jags and BMWs. They are nice people but the attitude about riding is very different. The only one I did not get along with was the one making wise cracks about Buell. Since it was not my house I let it go, but I did tell him if he knew me he would not be so quick to bash my bike.
I rode it up a dirt trail to a rock formation. He took a 4 wheeler, I won!
I have always told Lynn that if I get another Harley it will be a Shovel. You actually have to know something about your bike if you ride anything older than an Evo and when you see someone riding a Shovel or older bike you KNOW they are riders that know a little about their bike. I like that.
I see more and more FORMER Harley riders these days.
I get the "what do you ride" question a lot on the floor.
I ALWAYS have a Buell shirt on, and my bike sits within inches of the front door every day I work. When I say I ride Buell but I used to own a HD, they look VERY confused (like my pug, when she's trying to figure out why the tennis ball on a string moves by itself when she tries to pick it up). They can't understand why someone would "give up" the HD owner experience.
I'll probably own another one. The new touring platform is amazing, but I do miss my Evo. Right now, though? I drag toes and feet on my Buells every day. That's with a currently-recovering knee (boy do they get pissed off when you get a pair of 3" screws taken out!). I can't *imagine* how quick I'd be going through floorboards. Again. My '96, I had to buy a set every season like they were tires.
Ride, don't ride. Wave, don't wave. Whatever. Just leave me alone and let *me* ride
I had a Harley dude pull up next to me at a light last week just to chit chat. Of course I had to mute my XM radio and flip up my visor to hear him, but he was just excited about what a great riding day it was here is Denver! This guy was the helmet-less kind or rider with a pony tail and ragged goatee, wearing an old generic T-shirt. Seems like someone that is truly passionate about riding (whatever their brand) is more likely to participate in good friendly conversation with other bikers.
I could not find any uly's to go and play with me. I did find a guy on one of the BMW adventure bikes, but he did not want to take his bike off road. One day soon I will join you guys on an Ulysses. right now I will just have to lust a little.
Disclaimer... I have both a Uly and a Road King, rode the HD to work this morning.
What always kills me is the guy on a Harley riding down the road, beanie helmet, etc. with that nasty scowl on his face. If whatever I was doing made my face look like that, I'd stop doing it. Whenever I see that, I about run off the side of the road from laughing at the goober so hard.
I guess some of them might be the real bada$$ deal, but for most I have my sincere doubts. (Especially since I never see them unless it's >75 deg and sunny, rare around these parts.)
What's even more confusing now, is I see the same look and attitude on guys riding the Japanese cruisers.
Ever notice when there is a solo harley dude you get the wave but get a group of them and they go right on by with that stupid looking tough guy scowl and no wave, most of them never been in a scrap in their entire life!