Ridin' with the Harleys
Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:16 am
Wednesday nights near me they use to have a bike night at the Quaker Steak and Lube. It was not a big thrilling event, but there were usually a pretty good variety of bikes there. I got to know a lot of the regulars too. I've been too busy so far this year to make it up, until this week. When I arrived there were about 7 bikes in the parking lot, and instead of just passing by and moving on, I decided to stop and ask what happened to all the other bikes. They let me know there was another bike night, not far away, that had been competing with this one, so they moved the Quaker Steak night to Thursday. They asked if I wanted to join them to the other bike night at Jackass Flats? I figured, why not?
If I recall correctly there were a couple of dressers, one of the big low riding bikes, a couple choppers with S and S engines, a Virago, and a couple of Sportsters. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but they welcomed me to join in the ride for about 10 miles between the two places. They all rode very polite. Staggered and nearly always just a hair over posted speed. The group stayed in control and tried to either push together through, or slowed down for traffic lights so they would stay together. When we left a couple guys took off first, and a couple guys wanted me to go before them, so I mixed in the middle of the pack.
When we arrived the group split into various open parking spaces at the Flats. Some guys I didn't see after that, but a few parked near me and walked over and introduced themselves and moved on to find their bros (not all bros really, as two were women, but bros in the general sense). This was a mostly Harley crowd (as is most of my area), but there was a few non-American bike mixed in there. Even a ZRX1100. I never found anyone else to strike up a conversation, and didn't feel like a beer, so I left after a quick review of the mobile bike show that is a bike night.
Anyway, my point is most people are cool and most people do not have this Harley vs. the world attitude we often discuss here. It seems to me the people with biggest issue about Harleys either don't ride, or don't ride Harleys. Most Harley riders have seemed pretty cool to me. Granted, none of them asked about my bike, or seem interested in it in the least, but I was not in the least giving their bikes much attention. I was in full gear, and they had none, but that didn't seem to matter at all to any of them. It was a good experience. I'm unlikely to go to Jackass Flats again, as it is not my scene, but it was a fun way to spend an evening, between riding alone, and riding for a small bit with a group of new dudes.
If I recall correctly there were a couple of dressers, one of the big low riding bikes, a couple choppers with S and S engines, a Virago, and a couple of Sportsters. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but they welcomed me to join in the ride for about 10 miles between the two places. They all rode very polite. Staggered and nearly always just a hair over posted speed. The group stayed in control and tried to either push together through, or slowed down for traffic lights so they would stay together. When we left a couple guys took off first, and a couple guys wanted me to go before them, so I mixed in the middle of the pack.
When we arrived the group split into various open parking spaces at the Flats. Some guys I didn't see after that, but a few parked near me and walked over and introduced themselves and moved on to find their bros (not all bros really, as two were women, but bros in the general sense). This was a mostly Harley crowd (as is most of my area), but there was a few non-American bike mixed in there. Even a ZRX1100. I never found anyone else to strike up a conversation, and didn't feel like a beer, so I left after a quick review of the mobile bike show that is a bike night.
Anyway, my point is most people are cool and most people do not have this Harley vs. the world attitude we often discuss here. It seems to me the people with biggest issue about Harleys either don't ride, or don't ride Harleys. Most Harley riders have seemed pretty cool to me. Granted, none of them asked about my bike, or seem interested in it in the least, but I was not in the least giving their bikes much attention. I was in full gear, and they had none, but that didn't seem to matter at all to any of them. It was a good experience. I'm unlikely to go to Jackass Flats again, as it is not my scene, but it was a fun way to spend an evening, between riding alone, and riding for a small bit with a group of new dudes.
