Confessions of a Harley owner

[DustyJacket]

I ride a Buell Blast, so I am the poor cousin to all Buell riders who are the red-headed stephildren of H-D.

Last weekend I helpd out at putt-for-mutts (a HOG ride for charity). I talked to a few younder Harley riders (late 30s or so) and they were all very nice ans didn't slam me or my bike. All had started on Japanese bikes and the only negative things I heard were they had bought bikes too powerful for their newer skills and they were lucky they didn't kill themselves.

These guys had nothing bad to say about any brand.

The only "negative" was when they heard I would be moving up to a Sportster next year, thay kept encouraging me to go straight to a Dyna. (Can't ever afford that. Darn.)

I am hopefull that as time moves on, everyone will get a little more tolerant of other brands and less defensive. Or at least argue facts.

[CentralOzzy]

I'm going to look some more, but to me, the Honda cruisers seem less tarted-up than the Harleys. Slightly cleaner in line and somewhat less gadgety. But there are so many models and options in the HD catalog that I might find one I really like the look of for when I'm done with my training wheels. Fit will almost certainly be the main factor. But then I'll compare prices and get a big VLX that'll be that...

If I read this right....Your saying the Honda is "somewhat less gadgety" than a Harley? That's a First!

If that were true then the Honda would be a bicycle wouldn't it?

[Sev]

Really if you are looking for a sparring match, this site is far less in your face than what you are used to.

Really, you need to read my post again. I'm not looking for a sparring match, I'm trying to explain my responses to recent threads. "Friendly jabs" are an entirely different matter - can you please point out which ones were intended to be funny and I will retract any statements I made in response to them.

That would be all of them...

[Telesque]

Really if you are looking for a sparring match, this site is far less in your face than what you are used to.

Really, you need to read my post again. I'm not looking for a sparring match, I'm trying to explain my responses to recent threads. "Friendly jabs" are an entirely different matter - can you please point out which ones were intended to be funny and I will retract any statements I made in response to them.

That would be all of them...

Harely jokes are more like bad puns, in which case, I'm not sure if you can say that any of them were actually ment to be funny.

[old-n-slow]

The only "negative" was when they heard I would be moving up to a Sportster next year, thay kept encouraging me to go straight to a Dyna. (Can't ever afford that. Darn.)

Don't worry about it. The sportie is a great bike.

[Kal]

I suspect that Harleys are knocked more because of some of the people who ride them and its easier to take it out on the bike than say all Harley riders are nobs. Which in some pubs can get you a right kicking.

I've been drinking in a biking pub before I could legally drink. I've met some Harley Owners who were right nobs. I've also met Suzuki, Ducati, Triumph, Yamaha, BSA owners, in fact owners of every type of production bike there is who were indeed right nobs.

Except Honda, Honda Owners are lovely although nuttier than a fruitcake generally.



When I had my accident Thursday night someone in a White van stopped <will explain white van men to non-English residents if required>. Getting over my embarresment at what I was doing when he stopped I was just glad someone had cared enough to make sure I was alright.

He stayed with me while I checked over the bike and fired her up again. Checked to make sure I wasnt obviously injured and chatted with me so he was sure I wasnt concussed and could continue my ride.

I suspected he was a biker when he stopped, I suspected he was a weekend warrior when he told me he rode a Harley and you know what? I dont care. He saw my bike down and checked it out to make sure another biker was okay. He didnt stop to check which bike marque I buy from.

Mans a biker, if he only rides on weekends or if he rides everyday, because thats what you do if you are a biker and you see another biker down.

I admit that I make as many Harley-Furgeson jokes as the next guy, but then I also approached the guy selling breakdown cover with the line "I ride a Honda - I need it!"

I suspect that a lot of Harleys image problems go back 30-40 years when certain clubs who rode them exclusively got bikers in general a bit of a bad rep and it was then finished off by in the last twenty years by yuppies buying a Brand Name rather than a motorcycle.

I suspect that its these 'riders' that people have the problem with not the bike and as yuppies move into the sportsbike market I suspect the Harley reputation will improve.

As far as I am concerned you can ride a Honda Melody* and be a biker or ride a GXXR* and still miss the point.

*Bike names pulled out of hat to prove it dosnt actually matter what you ride as long as you have right attitude.

<edited to save Toyuzu a migraine>

[Toyuzu]

Oh boy, Here we go again...

[Telesque]

Please tell me that a 'white van' is something other than a van painted white.

Edit: I'm now noticing that 'White' was capitalized. Proper noun? Some sort of cargo/towing vehicle?

[Kal]

A white van man is a most fearsome creature who drives a van that is white.

They often have no sense of responcibility, personal safety or rules of the road.

Often tradesmen driving vans that do not belong to them, one of the few times these public liabilities know fear is when they are facing an oncoming white van in worse condition than theirs.

G and I had one for about four months. It was wonderful and possbily the only vehicle we owned that suited G's kamakaze like driving style...

[Telesque]

Makes so much sense now! We've got lots of those too. Terrible creatures, really, just terrible.