Why we Ride / Motorcycle Snobs

Cruiser, I agree with everything you said, but, I do have to bring up a point.
Most Harleys cost more than I spent on my Wing. I bought it used with 20k miles on it for 11k. Mileage...nothing for a Wing. BMW R bikes were about 15k, still less than a "full sized" HD.

I've seen a lot of very rich middle aged men who buy full sized Harleys (fat boy, road king, etc) for their 1st ride. They also tend to dump their bikes, and have accidents. I'd put them in the poser category.  They got more money than sense.

But, you may have a point, the people with nothing to prove go for the Touring bikes, and the BMWs. Hate to say mature, elderly, old fart, etc, because I don't think that's quite it.  

frbock, to add to that, I can almost buy 2 Stars for every Harley! I really like the Star line. Hope to one have a Venture, Warrior, and Stratoliner (especially if not a Venture).

My brother-in-law rode in a July 4 parade last year, a one-mile bike walk that lasted an hour, and said that Harleys were the bike dropping out most, overheating and whatnot.

Harley may be the great American dream machine, but it's also the most expensive. Would I take one if someone wanted to give it to me? Heck yes, but they're not number one on the list of bikes I'd pay money for.

Individually I think Harley riders are good guys, but too often when you get a bunch of them together, they form their better-than-anything-on-the-road clique and get that Harley 'tude that Happy-Hunter started this thread with.  

First of all, let me say "Thank you" to everyone that replied. When I started this thread, I admit, I was a little bent out of shape, I had, had a bad day   and it was not what I needed at the time, so I got on here to vent, blow off some steam. That being said, I thank you for allowing me to do so,  and I appoligize if I offended anyone. Your all right, I ride for me. I should not care what anyone else thinks. Why do I ? I have no idea, it was just a bad day.   I know there will always be jerk off's that feel good trying to screw up someones day. I am not a poser. I ride every day, for work and for fun, and to clear my head. I average usally between 300 and 600 miles a week when the weather permits and I get the time. I ride with Star and the PGR, and will ride with anyone that want to no matter what they ride. I wave at everyone {again no matter what they ride} beacuse I believe we are all kindred spirits and its a sign of respect. I know I have a tendancy to "get on a soapbox" and get long winded sometime. Sorry. Thank you all again for your comments. Ride safe and have fun. Thats what it is supposed to be about,,,,, right ?    

Happy-Hunter, right you are ... Semper Gumby...    

Ranting on an internet forum... There may be someone here who has never done that, but I wouldn't believe anyone who claimed they were the one :-)

regards,
Joe  

Standing on a cliff top, and ranting to the 4 winds??? like in old times.
Couldn't possibly happen.
Techno equivalent.

But, sometimes, it's good to know that you weren't the person in the wrong, other people feel the same way about the same situation. I think the technical term my wife uses is  need validation.  

FYI- In Harley crowds the Electra Glide is also known as the "geezer glide" because of the average owner's age and it is often their first MC. I think "crotch rockets" lead the crashing stats. I would guess the geezer glides crash more too because they are trying too hard to look like they ridden forever and don't corner (windy roads) often enough to be good at it.  

I've seen the stats, and... yup sportbikes are about 3 times more likely to be in an accident as all bikes.

The "Geezer-glide" would fall in the touring category, which is almost half as likely to be in an accident as the average.

I think most middle aged men buy Road King/Glides or Fat Boys as their 1st bike, at least according to the sales figures.  

Well, it's way too late to be my first bike, but if I buy a RoadKing, can I be just middle aged again?

regards,
Joe  

Joe,
You're in luck. HD is running a special on RoadKings. They no come with a bottle of Just for Men, and your choice of a wrinkle reducing face cream, or Leatherface to give you that authentic weatherbeaten look.  

Well said, Joe. I ride with groups occasionally to be social, but I'm happiest when I'm alone. Part of my problem with riding in a group, is that generally speaking, most of the riders don't seem to be very skilled with their bikes, and it doesn't matter what brand the bike is. I practice all the time to keep improving my skills. Always working to get those turns tighter and cleaner, and practice my maneuvering at speed. When I'm on a road with pot-holes and no other traffic, I like to keep my speed up and swerve to dodge the holes. The practice comes in handy when it's a deer or turkey in the road. You've never been riding long enough that you can slack off on the discipline.
Local people here, that don't ride, think I'm a little off my rocker since I ride my bike all the time, rain or shine, snow or sleet. hot or cold. A bike is simply my first choice, and it's what I ride unless I absolutely can't.
 

Interesting how this thread is supposed to be all about "why can't we all just get along?" yet almost half the comments are some form of Harley-bashing. No hypocrisy there.
After 50 years on the planet, 34 of them riding, and too many miles to count, I don't really care if I measure up to anyone else's standards. I don't ride to make friends or to join a buy-a-patch group or to impress anyone other than myself. I'll never ride past another bike on the side of the road without stopping to see if I can help - even when I'm in my truck - but I ain't your "brother" just cause you ride a bike.
I ride a Harley cause I like it. Had to make some sacrifices for it but it was worth it to me. Don't care what you ride or why and don't try to convince me that it's "just as good at half the price". It only sounds like you're trying to convince yourself and it cheapens you. If you like what you're riding, why do you feel the need to justify it? And why is it always about the $$? It's not about the bike. One of the two people I ride with most only rides hardcore sportbikes and rides 'em hard and the other one pilots a Gold Wing. We ride together because of who we are OFF the bikes.
There's no excuse for anyone to treat someone else poorly, particularly if it's because of what they ride, but by the same token you can't expect the whole world to embrace you just cause you bought a bike. Jerks ride bikes too, it's just a fact of life (yeah, I'm probably one of 'em). If being accepted by strangers is that important, join a friendly church group.  

Actually, I don't think there was "Harley Bashing" going on.

When people pick rides, they have a list of things that they want/need. Power, performance, braking,reliability, how much can I carry, and of course, how much can I spend to get as much of the others as possible, because I still have to keep a roof over my head, food on the table, pay for insurance, lights, etc.

For people to observe that they can get 2 of their chosen bikes for the same price as what the found in the HD line isn't a bash, it's a choice, they wanted the bike they got, and the money left in the bank account.

In my case, I could have gotten an Ultra-Glide for not much more than I spent, but, not with ABS (which I put on my required for next bike list) , it had only just come out and was going on next years model. New wasn't in the budget, HD or Wing.

Plus, I'm not a mechanic, so reliability and low maintenance was high on my priorities.

So, it's all choices. As long as you're happy with your choice, bottom line, it's all that matters.  

FLSTCO1, you make some valid points, especially that there are some jerks who ride and that it's about the person, not the bike, but may be overreacting to other observations. While you don't sound like one, I think a lot of people buy certain bikes (and cars, and houses, and clothes, and jewelry and other stuff) as status symbols. Some ride only on pleasant weekends. That's one of my definitions of a poser. Unfortunately, lots of Harley riders have an observed attitude that if you ain't on a Harley, you ain't sh!t. Lots of people buy HDs just because of that emotion. You can't deny that. This thread was started because of just that. Others of us use two wheels as a preferred mode of transportation.

Just because I mention that I can buy almost 2 Stars for one Harley doesn't cheapen me. I can't help if you interpret that I'm justifying what I ride. I'm not justifying anything, just making an observed, provable point. I like the Star line (just as you like your Harley). Stars are good, serviceable bikes that do a lot well but maybe not the best in any one category. But the same can be said for lots of other lines of bikes, too. I also have certain monetary restrictions that keep me from buying the most expensive of anything, bikes, cars, etc. That's my economic reality and I live with it.

You are definitely right about one thing, though, "there's no excuse for anyone to treat someone else poorly, particularly if it's because of what they ride." Couldn't agree more. And while we may not be brothers just because we ride a bike, I do believe we're kindred spirits because of what we do, what we enjoy, and it doesn't hurt to acknowledge each other as we pass each other on the slab.

Ride safe, watch out for cagers on cell phones, and thank The Man Upstairs for every safe ride.  

See this is what I needed to read- I'm still learning the ropes but will be buying my first (my money) bike- My Granddad is a HD guy through and through except for his GW with the full kit. He's like get a HD, blah blah, I don't really care for em... I found the Star dealer and I'm sold, I'm just pullin my $$$ together to get an 1100 V Star that I'm frothing over. I've been to the HD store over and over and just don't feel the HD at all. When I'm on the Star, it feels like a young guy's bike to me and let's face it, I don't wanna join my Gramp's crew! I don't want a Sportbike, I just want to ride until my butt molds to my seat... and make plenty of noise doin it. (Yeah, I'm one of "them"... already have it set up to have my pipes modified)

I don't care what I ride (Brand) as long as I love it -