i had to laugh

[falco03]

i stopped in to a h-d dealership this week. i wanted to look at the xb12r and sit on it. you know, just seeing what the other twins are like. anyway, i was chatting with the salesman and he asked me if i was a harley rider. i said (with chest out and with pride) i used to be but now i own an aprilia. he said something about buying american...bla, bla. anyway, i told him that my sporty was a leaker (it leaked oil - who would have thought?) and it was nickel and diming me. i also felt that the dealer was working me over on repairs. he said he would like to "get me back in the fold" and come in for a test ride. i said i like the deuce. he showed me one that was a factory custom. here's the point (finally) of my story. i looked at the price. i think it was around $28000. i said "nice". he showed me a soft tail standard that the shop had modified with chromies and other goodies - although no engine work. the price was $28995. all i could think of was i have a v-twin, liguid cooled, six speed with inverted forks and massive brakes for far less than half of what those bikes cost. i figure my falco is easily twice the bike as one of those. yes, they have their place, but i could own mine and a mille for the price of their iron....just though i would share that. we can all feel better about our aprilias.....

[ill_gottengains]

Yeah and that sums it all up doesn't it? If you have the money to burn and thats you bag, then go for it. Not for me though. I like my Aprilia and won't get anything besides another. I like it that much.

[vpr80]

After having a totally chromed out sportster I gave up on Harley's because I hated the ride, dealers, part price, etc. I never had FUN on the H-D so I knew I needed a sport bike. On the ride home from the dealership I was soooooo happy I almost wet my pants. I had the biggest smile when I got home because I actually had FUN riding the mille home.

PS - Here is a pic of the sportster.....not to brag but I have never seen a nicer sportster that still looked like a sportster and not a chopper.

[max mille]

dayum! yeah, that is nice. very bling! :p
I can't believe those bikes sell for that much.
just incredible. how in the heck do they get away with it.

[Tee-Dub]

That is sweet. Killer wheels. Too bad you gotta spend 6 hours polishing it after riding it for 1 hour.

I would like to have a cruiser in addition to my Aprilia, the Victory is what I'd get.

[Luigi]

Cruisers have their place. The so-called "metric" cruisers are a much better value than the Harleys, anyday. About half the MSRP of what's quoted for those Harleys.

I like the new Yamaha Road Warrior though I'd have to do something about the air intake that sticks out. If you want the biggest and baddest, the new Triumph Rocket III will list for $16K and give you 145 ft./lbs of torque at 2500 RPM. Rolling burnouts anyone?

[vpr80]

I actually wouldn't mind having a cruiser for a second bike because some days I want to go ride and am just not in the mood to ride hard. I would probably get a Yamaha Warrior but give strong consideration to the VTX.

[snoggin]

I like my #2 bike. 02 Bmw r1150rt.. Still has good handling but I can ride 1000 miles in a day if I want and even bring along the wife. Actually a Uamaha FJR 1300 would be nice but the beemer is the best two up.

[Micah / AF1 Racing]

I think BMW is loosing a lot of customers to the FJR right now. I know of 2 folks just here in Austin who have gone on over to the tuning fork company. With BMW's dumbass tuetonic attitude towards customer relations and their total refusal to admit when their bikes have flaws/problems it does not surprise me.

One of the FJR converts did so because BMW refused to fix a light throttle cruise detonation issue on his new 1150GS. We ran it on our dyno to simulate the problem and at 3,500rpm and just 12bhp load it would detonate so badly the bike could barely run and turn the headers bright red....we recorded the data so the customer could take his complaint inteligently to the BMW rep...who said simply...."there is not a problem"

[Velo]

Originally posted by Luigi
Rolling burnouts anyone?

Have you ever heard of BOSS HOSS bikes?

[RichL025]

Originally posted by vpr80
I actually wouldn't mind having a cruiser for a second bike because some days I want to go ride and am just not in the mood to ride hard. I would probably get a Yamaha Warrior but give strong consideration to the VTX.

Yeah, I'm looking at the Honda VTX and the Yammy Road Star - both of them look like great bikes. This winter when I'm in serious M/C withdrawal I'll go to the dealers, sit and make "vroom vroom" noises :D

I admit, there is just that something about a Harley, the soft-tails are sweet-looking bikes, but I can buy a VTX for less than 2/3 the price of a Harley...

[Rutan]

Yea, one day I would like to own an actual cruiser, right now my cruiser is a Yamaha YZF600. But I am torn between getting a actualy cruiser like a Victory or a Sport Tourer like the Futura. When I got my Mille, everyone at work was on me for not getting a Harley or Indian. When they heard how much the Mille was they thought it was too much, but when I told them the average price for a Harley they said the Harley was worth it. Yea I like the looks of the custom Harleys, but the rest of the ride is not there. My Dad had a Harley for many years as his only bike. When I got my first bike, 81 CB 750c, it was the first non-American bike he had ever ridden. His quick test trip on it was 3 hours. He has not bought a Harley since.


...and why are Harley riders to good to wave back on the road...


Marcus

[VikNWill]

Like the old saying goes....


"If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."


It is true. I can't explain what I like about my old Shovelhead, I just like it.

However, whats more important than what you ride is that you ride. I think i like my HD (and my Futura) the more I ride it.

I've tried others, but I couldn't really see myself replacing old "Tessie" with anything else. Maybe a Guzzi, they've got more than their share of "caracter." Possibly a BMW RT or GS, but probably not a "new" Harley. Don't get me wrong, they still have plenty of style, but maybe a bit too much.

The prices aren't as bad as many people believe. New bikes can be had for "sticker," and you should be able to find a lower miliage mid-90s softtail for less than what it cost new. (Not a whole lot less)

Oh, and regarding waves, I wave to anything with two wheels, I'm as bad as GoldWingers waving to bicycles. Some HD (and other brand) riders just don't have enough experience to take a hand off the bars or are too stupid/ignorant to know they should wave. Lots of times when I'm out on the HD other HD riders don't wave. I guess its hard to wave when you only ride a few hundred miles a year. Maybe they're afraid their Rolex might blow off.


Whatever, ride safe, have fun!


Will

[RichL025]

Will,

That's a sweet bike you got there...

About the waving - I wave to everyone. One thing I noticed about HD riders not waving to sportbikers - only when the weather's nice.

If it's cold, during the weekday, anything like that, the percentage of HD riders waving goes up. This leads me to beleive thatmainly the poseurs who only ride Sunday afternoons are 'too cool' to give a nod to a bretheren on two wheels....

[vpr80]

Now that you mention the waving I might as well add my 2 cents. Last year when I began to ride the Monster I waved to EVERYONE.....I mean if you were on two wheels you got a wave. Some a-hole harley riders didn't wave back but most people did. Then I sold the Monster and hot that Sportster so I though well great now Harley people will wave to me....yeah right. After a week or so I figured out that the reason not a single Harley rider would wave to me was because I was wearing a full face helmet. The reason I figured that out is because whenever I would stop some place with a lot of bikes no one would ever talk to me while the helmet was in my hands or even visible. As soon as I hid it under the jacket people would practically swarm me. To test this I borrowed a half helmet from a friend and went on a ride....well what do you know.....all them f-ers waved back! So basically they cared more about my helmet then the bike......:bond: :bond: :bond: I was fine with that since mine was nicer than 99% of the harleys i've seen. Anyway when I got the mille I never waved to harley riders. The metric cruiser, touring, and sport bikes all wave but not them proud american hick beer drinking harley guys!

[VikNWill]

Rich,


Thanks.

You bring up a good point regarding the weekday/weekend riders. I didn't really think of it that way before, but that seems true to me to.



Ride safe, have fun.


Will

[geo199]

i wave to every rider regardless of brand of bike, if you ride i can identify with you! i just change my wave to a single middle finger as the single or group of harley riders turn their heads or just ignore me.

[BBQ Chef]

Originally posted by falco03
we can all feel better about our aprilias.....

I've never felt the need to justify owning either of my bikes. I ride what I want because that is the bike that I wanted. But I definately know where you are coming from.

[falco03]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by vpr80
[B]After having a totally chromed out sportster I gave up on Harley's because I hated the ride, dealers, part price, etc. I never had FUN on the H-D so I knew I needed a sport bike. On the ride home from the dealership I was soooooo happy I almost wet my pants. I had the biggest smile when I got home because I actually had FUN riding the mille home.

you took all of the words out of my mouth because felt exactly the same way. i can honestly say that i had only a few rides that i can say were fun. the wind was beating me up and my hands were getting numb because of the vibration. i kept trying to upshift when i was already in fifth gear - it definitely needed a six speed. but who wants to drop $2000+ to do it?

[falco03]

Originally posted by geo199
i wave to every rider regardless of brand of bike, if you ride i can identify with you! i just change my wave to a single middle finger as the single or group of harley riders turn their heads or just ignore me.

i have found that most harley riders will wave. but almost all of the real high dollar, custom bike riders don't wave. not sure why.

[vpr80]

Originally posted by falco03
[QUOTE]Originally posted by vpr80
[B]After having a totally chromed out sportster I gave up on Harley's because I hated the ride, dealers, part price, etc. I never had FUN on the H-D so I knew I needed a sport bike. On the ride home from the dealership I was soooooo happy I almost wet my pants. I had the biggest smile when I got home because I actually had FUN riding the mille home.

you took all of the words out of my mouth because felt exactly the same way. i can honestly say that i had only a few rides that i can say were fun. the wind was beating me up and my hands were getting numb because of the vibration. i kept trying to upshift when i was already in fifth gear - it definitely needed a six speed. but who wants to drop $2000+ to do it?


LOL now you took the words right out of my mouth....I could not believe how much the damn thing vibrated....I was doing 40 mph in 5th gear and almost bending the shifter trying to upshift so the vibration would stop.

[Velo]

Originally posted by falco03
But almost all of the real high dollar, custom bike riders don't wave. not sure why.

They are not motorcyclists but just motherfuckers on 2 wheels trying to be cool.

[geo199]

of course i only change to the middle finger after the non waving hardley riders are past me....lol
don't know if they gonna wave or not till then, and yes...most do wave back

it makes me feel good and doesn't start trouble

[ryanb]

One of the more memorable moments for me in the last couple of years was coming up on a 400+ Harley rally coming out of Cloverdale, CA (read: the sticks. Deliverance. Nothing but 'merrican built REAL bikes. Trust me I grew up in Ukiah :()

I was on my KTM supermoto, which probably looked like an alien spaceship to most of the HD riders. I have never received so many quizzical looks on a bike, ever. The bicycle bell on my handlebars seemed to cause some odd looks as well, but it did get their attention. Was great fun hoisting a wheelie at the back of a procession like that....they turned off to 101, I went on to Skaggs Springs, go figure!

-R

[Luigi]

I wave to everybody: motorcycle cops, scooters, cruisers, sportsbikes, standards, etc. If you are truckin' on two motorized wheels then that's cool.

Here in Austin the motorcycle cops usually wave back. The kids on scooters get a real kick out of a wave and always wave back. Austin seems to have a bunch of old hippies on Harleys, usually with a long beard, long hair, and a big smile. They almost always wave 'cuz they're having fun. They generally ride well, too. Sportbikers almost always wave, of course.

The group that rarely waves is the yuppie cruiser crowd. Doesn't matter if it's American or metric. My theory is that they're too scared to let go of the bar because they're often occasional, inexperienced riders. I also wouldn't be surprised to learn that many don't even see another bike in the oncoming lane. Good thing their girlfriends in the pillion seat will wave for them:D

If someone doesn't want to wave, nothing lost. The worst thing that can happen to bikers as a group is for us to fragment with infighting. I don't want to strengthen any group that wants to take our away our right to ride. Nearly every activity that demands personal responsibility and accountability is under attack in American society: Guns, smoking, motorcycling, you name it. And the political tactics never change: divide and conquer. Chop the target group into smaller pieces and take them out one by one. When the fight comes, and it eventually will, everyone will need to hang together to preserve our rights to ride our awesome bikes.

No, I'm not yet an AMA member but I plan to be soon:rambo:

Enjoy your ride!

[RichL025]

I _always_ wave at motorcycle cops!

You never know when they might remember it fondly:)

[Norcal Factory]

There are some places that Harleys are great to ride. Hawaii, Vegas, New Hamshhire, some roads in Napa and Sonoma. I'll rent one for a day, but if there are curvy roads then it has to be a sportbike.

Riding a Harley reminds me why I love the sound and torque of a V-Twin. Of course riding a Harley reminds me why I like the fit, finish, power, performance, technology, components and overall value of just about anything other than a Harley.

[theImmoralist]

This was forwarded to me a while back by one of my riding buddies and I got a kick out of it.


To Wave or Not to Wave By Shalom Auslander

I love motorcycles, and I love riding. Like many of you, what first drew me
to bikes was not just the experience of riding, but the feeling that I'd
become part of a special community--a brotherhood, really. Nothing calms me
more than a long ride down the interstate, waving to the members of my
beloved clan. Except when I pass Harley guys. I hate Harley guys. Hate, hate,
hate. When they pass me on the highway, you know what I do? I don't wave.
With their little tassle handlebars and the studded luggage and the
half-helmets--God, they drive me crazy.

You know who else I hate? BMW guys. Oh, I do hate those guys. I don't wave
at them, either. They think they're so great, sitting all upright, with their
180-degree German engines. God, I hate them. They're almost as bad as those
old bastards on their touring motorcycles. You know what I call those bikes?
"Two-wheeled couches!" Get it? Because they're so big. They drive around like
they've got all day. Appreciate the scenery somewhere else, Grampa, and while
you're at it, I'm not waving to you.

Ducati guys--I don't wave at them either. Why don't they spend a little more
money on their bikes? "You can have it in any color you want, as long as it's
red." Aren't you cool! Like they even know what a desmo-whatever engine is,
anyway. Try finding the battery, you Italian-wannabe racers! I never, ever
wave at those guys.

Suzuki guys aren't much better, which is why I never wave at them, either.
They always have those stupid helmets sitting on top of their stupid heads,
and God forbid they should wear any safety gear. They make me so mad.
Sometimes they'll speed by and look over at me and you know what I do? I
don't wave. I just keep on going. Please, don't get me started on Kawasaki
guys. Ninjas? What are you, twelve years old? Team Green my ass. I never wave
at Kawasaki guys.

I ride a Honda, and I'll only wave at Honda guys, but even then, I'll never
wave at a guy in full leathers. Never, never, never. Yeah, like you're going
to get your knee down on the New York Thruway. Nice crotch, by the way. Guys
in full leathers will never get a wave from me, and by the way, neither will
the guys in two-piece leathers. And I'll tell you who else I'm not waving at
-- those guys with the helmets with the loud paintjobs. Four pounds of paint
on a two pound helmet ’Äì like I'm going to wave back to that! I'll also never
wave at someone with a mirrored visor. Or helmet stickers. Or racing gloves.
Or hiking boots.

To me, motorcycling is a like a family, a close-knit brotherhood of people
who ride Hondas, wear jeans and a leather jacket (not Vanson) with regular
gloves and a solid-color helmet with a clear visor, no stickers, no racing
gloves and regular boots (not Timberlands). And isn't that what really makes
riding so special?

[Luigi]

Justin,
"The Wave" was perfect, LOL. :happy: Thanks!

[Gunslinger]

This version of the "Wave" is my favorite:



The Wave
By Tom Ruttan
CYCLE CANADA - APRIL 2002
The bike's passenger seat swept up just enough that I could see over my father's shoulders. That seat was my throne. My dad and I traveled many backroads, searching for the ones we had never found before. Traveling these roads just to see where they went. Never in a rush. Just be home for supper.
I remember wandering down a back road with my father, sitting on my throne watching the trees whiz by, feeling the rumble of our bike beneath us like a contented giant cat. A motorcycle came over a hill toward us and as it went by, my father threw up his gloved clutch hand and gave a little wave. The other biker waved back with the same friendly swing of his left wrist.
I tapped my father on his shoulder, which was our signal that I wanted to say something. He cocked his helmeted ear back slightly while keeping his eyes ahead.
I yelled, "Do we know him?"
'What?" he shouted.
"You waved to him. Who was it?"
"I don't know. Just another guy on a bike. So I waved."
"How come?"
"You just do. It's important."
Later, when we had stopped for chocolate ice cream, I asked why it was important to wave to other bikers. My father tried to explain how the wave demonstrated comradeship and a mutual understanding of what it was to enjoy riding a motorcycle. He looked for the words to describe how almost all bikers struggled with the same things like cold, rain, heat, car drivers who did not see them, but how riding remained an almost pure pleasure.
I was young then and I am not sure that I really understood what he was trying to get across, but it was a beginning. Afterward, I always waved along with my father when we passed other bikers.
I remember one cold October morning when the clouds were heavy and dark, giving us another clue that winter was riding in from just over the horizon. My father and I were warm inside our car as we headed to a friend's home. Rounding a comer, we saw a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of the road. Past the bike, we saw the rider walking through the ditch, scouring the long grasses crowned with a touch of frost. We pulled over and backed up to where the bike stood.
I asked Dad, "Who's that?"
"Don't know," he replied. "But he seems to have lost something. Maybe we can give him a hand."
We left the car and wandered through the tall grass of the ditch to the biker. He said that he had been pulling on his gloves as he rode and he had lost one. The three of us spent some time combing the ditch, but all we found were two empty cans and a plastic water bottle.
My father turned and headed back to our car and I followed him. He opened the trunk and threw the cans and the water bottle into a small cardboard box that we kept for garbage. He rummaged through various tools, oil containers and windshield washer fluid until he found an old crumpled pair of brown leather gloves. Dad straightened them out and handed them to me to hold. He continued looking until he located an old catalogue. I understood why my dad had grabbed the gloves. I had no idea what he was going to do with the catalogue. We headed back to the biker who was still walking the ditch.
My dad said, "Here's some gloves for you. And I brought you a catalogue as well."
"Thanks," he replied. I really appreciate it." He reached into his hip pocket and withdrew a worn black wallet.
"Let me give you some money for the gloves," he said as he slid some bills out.
"No thanks," my dad replied as I handed the rider the gloves. "They're old and not worth anything anyway."
The biker smiled. "Thanks a lot." He pulled on the old gloves and then he unzipped his jacket. I watched as my father handed him the catalogue and the biker slipped it inside his coat. He jostled his jacket around to get the catalogue sitting high and centered under his coat and zipped it up. I remember nodding my head at the time, finally making sense of why my dad had given him the catalogue. It would keep him a bit warmer. After wishing the biker well, my father and I left him warming up his bike.
Two weeks later, the biker came to our home and returned my father's gloves. He had found our address on the catalogue. Neither my father nor the biker seemed to think that my father stopping at the side of the road for a stranger and giving him a pair of gloves, and that stranger making sure that the gloves were returned, were events at all out of the ordinary for people who rode motorcycles. For me, it was another subtle lesson.
It was spring the next year when I was sitting high on my throne, watching the farm fields slip by when I saw two bikes coming towards us. As they rumbled past, both my father and I waved, but the other bikers kept their sunglasses locked straight ahead and did not acknowledge us. I remember thinking that they must have seen us because our waves were too obvious to miss. Why hadn't they waved back? I thought all bikers waved to one another.
I patted my father on his shoulder and yelled, "How come they didn't wave to us?"
"Don't know. Sometimes they don't."
I remember feeling very puzzled. Why wouldn't someone wave back?
Later that summer, I turned 12 and learned how to ride a bike with a clutch. I spent many afternoons on a country laneway beside our home, kicking and kicking to start my father's '55 BSA. When it would finally sputter to a start, my concentration would grow to a sharp focus as I tried to let out the clutch slowly while marrying it with just enough throttle to bring me to a smooth takeoff. More often, I lurched and stumbled forward while trying to keep the front wheel straight and remember to pick my feet up. A few feet farther down the lane, I would sigh and begin kicking again.
A couple of years later, my older brother began road racing, and I became a racetrack rat. We spent many weekends wandering to several tracks in Ontario-Harewood, Mosport and eventually Shannonville. These were the early years of two-stroke domination, of Kawasaki green and 750 two-stroke triples, of Yvon Duhamel's cat-and-mouse games and the artistry of Steve Baker.
Eventually, I started to pursue interests other than the race track. I got my motorcycle licence and began wandering the backroads on my own. I found myself stopping along sideroads if I saw a rider sitting alone, just checking to see if I could be of help. And I continued to wave to each biker I saw.
But I remained confused as to why some riders never waved back. It left me with almost a feeling of rejection, as if I were reaching to shake someone's hand but they kept their arm hanging by their side.
I began to canvass my friends about waving. I talked with people I met at bike events, asking what they thought. Most of the riders told me they waved to other motorcyclists and often initiated the friendly air handshake as they passed one another.
I did meet some riders, though, who told me that they did not wave to other riders because they felt that they were different from other bikers. They felt that they were "a breed apart." One guy told me in colourful language that he did not "wave to no wusses.'' He went on to say that his kind of bikers were tough, independent, and they did not require or want the help of anyone, whether they rode a bike or not.
I suspected that there were some people who bought a bike because they wanted to purchase an image of being tougher, more independent, a not-putting-up-with-anyone's-crap kind of person, but I did not think that this was typical of most riders.
People buy bikes for different reasons. Some will be quick to tell you what make it is, how much they paid for it, or how fast it will go. Brand loyalty is going to be strong for some people whether they have a Harley, Ford, Sony, Nike or whatever. Some people want to buy an image and try to purchase another person's perception of them. But it can't be done. They hope that it can, but it can't.
Still, there is a group of people who ride bikes who truly are a "breed apart." They appreciate both the engineering and the artistry in the machines they ride. Their bikes become part of who they are and how they define themselves to themselves alone.
They don't care what other people think. They don't care if anyone knows how much they paid for their bike or how fast it will go. The bike means something to them that nothing else does. They ride for themselves and not for anyone else. They don't care whether anyone knows they have a bike. They may not be able to find words to describe what it means to ride, but they still know. They might not be able to explain what it means to feel the smooth acceleration and the strength beneath them. But they understand.
These are the riders who park their bikes, begin to walk away and then stop. They turn and took back. They see something when they look at their bikes that you might not. Something more complex, something that is almost secret, sensed rather than known. They see their passion. They see a part of themselves.
These are the riders who understand why they wave to other motorcyclists. They savour the wave. It symbolizes the connection between riders, and if they saw you and your bike on the side of the road, they would stop to help and might not ask your name. They understand what you are up against every time you take your bike on the road-the drivers that do not see you, the ones that cut you off or tailgate you, the potholes that hide in wait. The rain. The cold.
I have been shivering and sweating on a bike for more than 40 years. Most of the riders that pass give me a supportive wave. I love it when I see a younger rider on a "crotch rocket" scream past me and wave. New riders carrying on traditions.
And I will continue in my attempts to get every biker just a little closer to one another with a simple wave of my gloved clutch hand. And if they do not wave back when I extend my hand into the breeze as I pass them, I will smile a little more. They may be a little mistaken about just who is a "breed apart."

[mattjw916]

I don't wave... I give the peace sign... to all riders (except the cops) and if they make eye contact and don't wave back I give them the "L" or the "finger" since they are "too cool" to wave back... and besides they couldn't catch me if they tried :D

[PAC 762]

Originally posted by RichL025
I _always_ wave at motorcycle cops!

You never know when they might remember it fondly:)

I wave at all cops, car or bike, for the same reason.

[asg21]

I live in Colorado, which doesn't have a helmet law, so of course Harleys are especially popular. I always wave at other bikers and most, not all, of them wave back. It seems to me that the majority of non-wavers ride Harleys or metric cruisers, (I ride an RSVR or KTM Duke), and once in awhile it pisses me off, but I remind myself of an incident several years ago - I was riding an '83 Kawasaki Eddie Lawson Replica that I'd just bought the day before. A puke green sportbike, that is (I say that fondly). I was on a really busy freeway near San Francisco in Friday evening traffic on my way to visit my girlfriend, and after riding over 200 miles after getting off work I was having trouble with my throttle hand falling asleep, so I kept pulling off the road to rest it. I finally started just pulling to the shoulder on the freeway - dangerous, I know - for a couple minutes' rest. A real "outlaw" Harley rider went by - no helmet, tattoos, real chopper with a pretty tough looking babe on the back, and he cut across several lanes of heavy traffic to get to the shoulder, then started backing his bike up (as I said, he was tough) to where I'd stopped. Seeing that, I rode up to him, and they both told me they were just stopping to make sure I was OK and to offer help. I don't know if he'd have waved if we'd met on the road, but he sure modified my opinion of Harley Charleys.

[RichL025]

Damn, that's a good story.

I think it does fit in with my observation that most of the non-wavers tend to be weekend poseurs. Your man there doesn't sound like he fit that description ;)