[eternal05]

…now that’s original.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

In a perfect world, Harley lovers would leave metric riders alone, and metric riders would not feel they had to defend their bike choice with words or writing.

You can show up in Sturgis, South Dakota during bike week with a Japanese bike if you want, park out front and stay at the bars all night, and hope the few extremely drunk Harley riders leave you and your bike alone.

We all have a choice in what we buy, unlike 1940s to 1980s Russia where you could only buy a Russian made Ural that was expensive and unreliable. Maybe 90% of motorcycle riders are reasonable about the freedom of others to make their own bike choices- the rest are really not, and maybe 1% might do a crime against those who chose differently, especially with enough drugs clouding their minds. A beginner should keep this in mind, especially if they plan to ride in areas with clubs that only ride one brand of bike.

[SantaCruzRider]

You mean to tell us that Harley doesn’t built the fastest, cheapest, highest-mileage, or most-technically advanced motorcycles on the planet? Wow, it’s like the veil has been lifted!

Next thing we’ll learn is that there is no Santa Claus, he’s just a fat man in red who drives a Toyota. Worse, he probably has an old Harley in his garage.

[Munch]

…..again you prejudice this to just the “Harley” , “cruiser” types? There are 1%’ers of all types. Not Just HD. Plenty of bike gangs from all walks of life and just as passionate about their ideas as the next. I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and never once have I ever had any problems with any Harley riders. Even some of the hard core folks approach me with more curiosity then loathing.

Areas that are saturated with bike gangs will rarely if ever approach you about your type of bike, unless your antagonizing them in any manner……wether it be your wearing the “cuts” from a rival club or your firing off at the mouth about how much better their wife looks then their bike (tongue in cheek). They don’t want or need the attention. And yes there are always exception to those rules.

A beginner should only really need to be concerned about what identifies a person as MC (motorcycle club) and not an RC (riding club). The first tell tale is the patches on the Jackets…and no not all wear black vess or leather jackets. Some of the Sport Bike MC’s around here have some sweet looking jackets that are of obvious sport riding position styling, but most if not all are easily identifiable by the huge club logo…..with the state and chapter also normally to be found is their rank of position within that club.

[owlie]

+1 I can totally see Santa on a Harley- its probably a trike to boot!

[owlie]

Jeff,

It is sad that you are unwilling to respect the choices that the rest of us make with respect to the bikes we ride. In this respect, I lump you unashamedly in with the very small group of Harley riders who hate any other manufacturer than their own. You are just as responsible for perpetuating the myth of the prejudiced Harley rider as they are themselves.

I really can’t believe that I am responding to this thread again. Eon is right-

Owlie

[Jeff in Kentucky]

but I would not buy a Harley because only a real man rides a Harley- millions of real men and women ride little scooters.

If I win a big lottery jackpot, I would like to buy a 1959 Harley Panhead, a 1938 to 1942 Indian 4 cylinder, and a Vincent Black Shadow, along with a bunch of newer bikes of several brands. For my low salary now, a cheap but good quality riceburner seems the best.

A note about Harley Sportsters- before 2004, the engine was solid mounted so vibration was a lot worse.

[SantaCruzRider]

The older Sportsters were brilliantly engineered with “peanut” gas tanks. You could rarely get more than 100 miles between gas stops, so you could shake the feeling back into your hands and butt during the 27 seconds it took to refill the tank. I owned a ’94 and never saw an issue with the vibes. Some of my sport bike buddies did get tired of the frequent gas stops, but whatever.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

On group rides the 2.9 gallon gas tank for my 2002 Honda Shadow VLX 600cc needs to be filled before everyone else gets low. I carry a metal can made for Sea Foam filled with gas and a little Sea Foam, just in case I run out of fuel.

On long trips especially in desert areas with few gas stations, some people will bring an extra gallon or two of gas- for weight distribution it is best to put the gas in the bottom of saddlebags, one plastic gallon container for each side.

[Author]

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