- This topic has 17 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by Sangria7.
Hey Guys!!
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June 21, 2009 at 10:01 pm #3038Sangria7Participant
I havent been here for a long time. Just stopping by to see whats going on. I see still lots of good advice and good peeps still around.
Well as for me, I am full swing with the magazine gig. We are going to do the Space City Bike Festival just North of Houston. Here is the flyer just for curiosity sakes:
http://www.spacecitybikefest.com/
I also been riding with both the sportsbikers and cruiser guys…seems like there is a definitely a chasm between the two groups but I had both groups come to last bike night with great success. We had like 40+ sport bikes and 50+ cruisers come. We had a live band and even some stunt riders perform from the local Tejas Yamaha/Suzuki bike team.
I convinced our editor to make the magazine a 50/50 split coverage on sports bikes/cruisers. Though our roots were Harley driven, breaking out of that stereotype is definitely been difficult. I even went on a 200+ mile sportbike ride with me being the only cruiser. They were impressed that a cruiser could keep up on the twisties My goal is to completely integrate all the bikers here in Houston, TX. Gonna be hard but I hate the sports/cruiser stereotype and segregation. Peace guys! These forums were definitely the catalyst for my riding and knowledge base! I suggest to anyone new here to really listen to these guys ….
Anyways new pics of the bike as well.
June 21, 2009 at 10:11 pm #20003MunchParticipantWell there you are. Huge task you have chosen. With the “charm” you have it’s do able. The chasm isn’t so big. You will find that aside from some of the 1%’s most everyone really don’t mind. My lead tech was a die hard Harley person and he has since sat on my 900….needless to say he is rethinking his opinion. He also has been rethinking the whole sport bike attitudes to since one of our other techs is a sport bike person. We been working on him. Your fight is a bit tougher as you got the guys from areas like 5th ward clashing with people from the likes of Humble. Good luck!
The bikes looking good! You ought to come round more often and share some of your adventures….oh yea pics are good to!June 21, 2009 at 10:13 pm #20004Sangria7ParticipantYea I will swing by more often…just been so busy will real life motorcycle stuff. BTW hitting 10,000 miles so far in 8 months of riding…woot woot.
June 21, 2009 at 10:18 pm #20005MunchParticipantGrats!!! right there with ya at a total between the 500 and the 900 right at 13K total. Would be more but we do have some winter months and nasty t-storms. Keep it in the wind man…if your travels bring you to saner territory …. like NC… give me a hollar.
June 22, 2009 at 12:52 pm #20013wbsprudelsParticipantNew windshield? How do you like it? I took my C50 out on the interstate Saturday and the wind was nearly unbearable. I don’t think I want to add a great big windshield, but I like the look of yours. What kind is it? Does it help with cutting into winds?
June 22, 2009 at 3:04 pm #20014DaggerParticipantGlad to hear things are going good for ya.. If you’re ever covering any events in SoCal let me know. The bike is looking great (Even if it’s not a Yamaha)
Dagger
June 22, 2009 at 5:24 pm #20025CandiceParticipantSounds like you are doing good and keeping busy. Cool about uniting sportsbikers with cruisers! I like your windshield too!
June 22, 2009 at 6:05 pm #20028eonParticipantIs this bike gig your full time job now? I forget if you mentioned that in the past. If it is that would be awesome. And good luck uniting the sport bikes and the cruisers. Sounds like a Herculean task. But don’t forget about the dual sporters (they tend to look down on everyone else )
June 22, 2009 at 7:53 pm #20035motokidParticipantnot too difficult from their 32 inch seats
June 22, 2009 at 10:20 pm #20042Sangria7ParticipantHAHA….
The windshield is great it is a Memphis Shade Hellcat – handlebar mountable and will fit just about any cruiser bike.
No, the gig is not my real full time job, though I wish it was. Its a second job nonetheless.
Yeah I have yet to see a dual sport in our bike nights though the last two bike nights we had about 40+ sports and the 50+ cruisers…so equal showing. I think the bikini bike wash had something to do with it LOL. The stunt riders were fun to watch too, and finally topping it off with old fashion blues/rock band in the tune of ZZtop/Aerosmith type.
Yes Dagger I do miss the Star – and how nimble that 650 really was. The M50 now is a little over 100lbs heavier but not too bad.
Busy with vendors as well – I am about to receive the new AFX helmets for review. Then the largest MSF course in Texas wants to distribute our magazine. Then I have to help find more models for the events…yea poor me LOL. Lots of work but fun work!!
June 23, 2009 at 8:06 am #20056Speedy RodriguezParticipantI don’t understand this antagonism between people who ride sports and people who ride cruisers.
June 23, 2009 at 12:51 pm #20060Sangria7ParticipantJust a few of my observations on the sportbike/cruiser segregation:
1. Generational Differences – typically your “younger” crowds ride the sports and the “older” ones like me prefer the cruisers. This also creates differences in music, interests, and preferred hang out areas.
2. Truth in stereotypes – Sportsbike riders are seen as the dangerous ones cutting in and out traffic giving bikers a bad name in general (speedsters with no regard to others safety). Cruiser riders are the roughnecks who look and smell dirty from the old Hollywood movies (think Hells Angels).
3. Predisposed historical prejudices – I know this will be controversial but here goes. Cruisers in general were associated with the Harley Davidson motorcycles, and were considered very “American”. Opposed to sportsbikes which are mainly “rice-burners.” Case in point when I pulled up next to a HD rider he was all nice to me until he found out I had an Asian built bike; then he told me to get a real bike LOL. On the other hand, I seen Sports bike Riders call any Cruiser Rider as a “Honkey Tonk Confederate Flag Yielding Whiteboy.”
4. Riding differences – Cruisers like to cruise. Sports riders typically ride hard. The last ride I went on was with all sportsbikes (20 of them) and I was the only cruiser. I could barely keep up even though I had pegged my speedomoter at 120mph. They had Hyabusas, Gixxers, R-1’s, etc. In the deep turns their lean angles were amazing. I couldnt do that and would have scraped my pipes/pegs. Luckily my M50 is built more like a sportsbike with a cruiser body (inverted forks, and same suspension as the gixxer). Then I had a friend with a sportsbike that went a ride with a bunch of cruisers. He was bored out of his mind. So you’ll rarely see a mixed riding group.
Again these are just my observations and encounters and do not reflect my opinions. In my world if you ride a bike…youre a biker! I dont care what you ride!!
June 23, 2009 at 5:08 pm #20072briderdtParticipant“2. Truth in stereotypes – Sportsbike riders are seen as the dangerous ones cutting in and out traffic giving bikers a bad name in general (speedsters with no regard to others safety). Cruiser riders are the roughnecks who look and smell dirty from the old Hollywood movies (think Hells Angels).”
In my experience riding on the road so far, the only ones that have done dangerous things in traffic near me (lane split to make a pass, passing multiple vehicles around blind corners, etc) have been cruisers.
June 23, 2009 at 7:02 pm #20083eonParticipantI think the stereotypes are very much true. I have seen young guys (complete squids) cut through traffic and do wheelies on the interstate. I have seen cruiser riders wobble round corners much too close together with NOGATT.
On the other hand, I have also seen examples of great riding by both camps. I think a large part of the problem are the people who are drawn to riding by the image. Whether you want to be a power ranger or a pirate don’t matter, if image is the only reason you are riding your riding skills are probably questionable.
Oh how I long for the winter days when it was only serious riders like myself out on the road. I knew then I could wave at fellow riders knowing they were worthy of my respect.
June 23, 2009 at 10:46 pm #20093davidmdahlParticipantIn Oregon, driving 120 MPH is way over the top. Getting caught and convicted of driving over 100 MPH will result in a 30 to 90 day suspension plus a fine of $1,103. I am sure that the LEOs will do their best to add on enhancements like eluding whenever possible. If sport bike rides typically speed so flagrantly, that would be a risky group to join.
Best wishes,
David
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