1998 HD Sportster 1200S

[Zedhed]

Originally Posted By: outoforder
Apparently some Harley riders are quite insensitive about any negative comments regarding their bikes. This only furthers my thought that those who own a HD do so for the ego, status, appearance, etc. If they were in it sorely for the intangibles that come from riding 45mph down a country road with the wind in their hair, they wouldn't care less about what someone thought of their ride, let alone some nameless person online. Did you buy the bike because it met your approval, or were you seeking the approval of others?


+1 Couldn't say it better

Loud pipes assuage weak egos....

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: Zedhed
Originally Posted By: SWSportsman


If that's the best you can do, don't keep straining yourself. Doesn't appear that you have the ability or willingness to view the bigger picture.


What's the bigger picture? Not bowing down and worshiping at the altar of Harley Infatuation?


C'mon Zed, you're smarter than that. Why do you have divide motorcycling into camps and sterotype everyone? Are you actually that insecure (like Bo) or a just a pot stirrer? I own a HD along with two Asian bikes and a European one. I'm enthusiastic about them all. I really don't see the need for constantly feeding into the negativity surrounding one brand or the other. There are folks who ride Harleys that I don't want to be around. But I don't go out of my way to ridicule them. There are folks who ride metrics that I avoid also. These guys they call "squids" who ride crotch rockets seem like a danger to everyone on the road as a general rule, and I don't approve. But, hey it's a relatively free country and I'm glad they are able to enjoy those freedoms. Besides, I sat on one once and it was darned uncomfortable for an old man and yep, it almost crushed the family jewels! You seem to think that everyone riding a certain brand is blindly following some crazy need to be a member of some kind of cult. There certainly are some of those kind, but I run into great people weekly riding Harleys, lots of Hondas, and British and European bikes that aren't out to impress anyone with whatever brand they chose and really wouldn't care if the machine came with no identifying markings.

I just feel that there is so much to enjoy about motorcycling that it's a shame to put so much effort into bad-mouthing your fellow rider over what the lettering says on the tank. The old Ford vs Chevy think is apparently alive and well still, so I don't know if there is much hope at all for killing the hostility between owners of differing bike brands.

Tunnel-vision is a symptom of narrow-mindedness. Don't let it keep you from seeing the "bigger picture."

Sorry for the rant, but it's kind of a pet peeve with me. If you want to continue with the brand-bashing though, I'll continue to challenge you....cordially of course.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: Zedhed
Originally Posted By: outoforder
Apparently some Harley riders are quite insensitive about any negative comments regarding their bikes. This only furthers my thought that those who own a HD do so for the ego, status, appearance, etc. If they were in it sorely for the intangibles that come from riding 45mph down a country road with the wind in their hair, they wouldn't care less about what someone thought of their ride, let alone some nameless person online. Did you buy the bike because it met your approval, or were you seeking the approval of others?


+1 Couldn't say it better

Loud pipes save lives....


Sure you could. You could make it more accurate and sensible and I know you can spell better. Do they have schools in Ohio?

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: bigbird_1
Last evening when out on my Honda 150 scooter, a Harley rider on a low slung bagger actually nodded to me when I drove by him as he was stopped for a traffic light. I ignored him.


IGNORED HIM??? Man...You really know how to hurt a guy!

 

[dime]

i've noticed one thing with harley riders,besides their desire to keep the bike spotless. i seem to get more waves from the crusier crowd when i'm not in full gear,they wave at me more when i'm in just a t-shirt and jeans. could just be a coincedence though.

 

[Zedhed]

SWS, Actually, I am as much a gearhead as the next guy, and I have a sort of soft spot for HD's if truth be known. What tends to get me twisted is the attitude of some HD guys. I really don't dislike the bikes, just the persona.

Also, I wouldn't engage in "brand-banging" if I didn't get such a rise out of the offended. You know what they say? "No call, no foul.."

The weekend warrior accountant-doctor-lawyer-turned-biker-rebel RUBs are just too tempting to ignore. Like you, I have been riding bikes of all types for a long time and I tend to have a little pride in my ability and knowledge. This "what is the best oil for my new RUB-Glide?" stuff just gives me fits.

I guess, I just have biker-issues..... I am associated with several, serious riding organizations and interact with some hard-core riders (i.e. Iron-Butt, and adventure-touring) so my patience for the neophytes, and posers is limited.

 

[outoforder]

Sure you could. You could make it more accurate and sensible and I know you can spell better. Do they have schools in Ohio?

[/quote]

Why do you worry about what some keyboard kowboy thinks of your ride? Did you buy the motorcycle to ride, or did you buy it to have other people tell you how sweet it looks? Harley should have included confidence with the purchase of the bike. You paid enough for it.

 

[outoforder]

But since the insults have started flying, allow me one bashing post....

Harley riders with thin skin have come to the realization that all the extra money they paid for their bikes didn't give them a lick of improvement in performance, reliability, or durability when compared to their Japanese counterparts. They are salty because they have come to the realization most people outside the HD community could care less what the side of the tank says. They feel the need to defend their exorbitant purchase, because hey, they paid more for their bike so therefor it must be the best by default. And if all the put-downs and not nice comments were not enough, that monthly payment is enough to chap anyone's a$$.

 

[whitesands]

I never owned a Harley so I have no bias for or against them really..But it is quite obvious that every time there is a Harley thread there are some regulars that use it as an opportunity to run the product or someone that owns one down...It's dumb, it's childish, and gets real old real fast and just clutters the board up and makes it harder to find useful information which is what the original poster was looking for....This thread isn't about Harley riders that are senstitive, I think the sensative ones are always the ones that feel like they have to resort to constant ridicule...I guarantee some of the folks doing the bashing would get pretty defensive if every time a thread started about a bike they owned and people started talking as if they owned a useless piece of machinery and insinuating how unintelligent people are for buying brand "X" they wouldn't feel too nicely about it...

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: Zedhed
SWS, What tends to get me twisted is the attitude of some HD guys. I really don't dislike the bikes, just the persona.


Glad to hear that you are a reasonable person, unlike the boring one. Just realize that "attitude" and "persona" aren't just found amongst the riders of one particular brand. Visit advrider.com (especially Jo momma) if you don't already and see just how pathetic and perverted motorcyclist enthusiasts can become.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: outoforder
But since the insults have started flying, allow me one bashing post....

Harley riders with thin skin have come to the realization that all the extra money they paid for their bikes didn't give them a lick of improvement in performance, reliability, or durability when compared to their Japanese counterparts. They are salty because they have come to the realization most people outside the HD community could care less what the side of the tank says. They feel the need to defend their exorbitant purchase, because hey, they paid more for their bike so therefor it must be the best by default. And if all the put-downs and not nice comments were not enough, that monthly payment is enough to chap anyone's a$$.


I'm glad you've posted here. You seem to be a perfect example of the outrageous and irrational stereotyping that is pervasive with the uninformed and inexperienced. There are several brands now with motorcycles for sale in the same price range as HD, so your hangup with price is off base and probably due to being told by wife/mother that you can't have what you really want.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: whitesands
I never owned a Harley so I have no bias for or against them really..But it is quite obvious that every time there is a Harley thread there are some regulars that use it as an opportunity to run the product or someone that owns one down...It's dumb, it's childish, and gets real old real fast and just clutters the board up and makes it harder to find useful information which is what the original poster was looking for....This thread isn't about Harley riders that are senstitive, I think the sensative ones are always the ones that feel like they have to resort to constant ridicule...I guarantee some of the folks doing the bashing would get pretty defensive if every time a thread started about a bike they owned and people started talking as if they owned a useless piece of machinery and insinuating how unintelligent people are for buying brand "X" they wouldn't feel too nicely about it...



Amen.

 

[GMBoy]

This place is starting to suck.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

"The weekend warrior accountant-doctor-lawyer-turned-biker-rebel RUBs..."

Jealousy, thy sting is noisy and petty. An oldy but a goody.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
This place is starting to suck.


I agree. If the Harley bashers would mind their own business some business might get done.

 

[EagleFTE]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
This place is starting to suck.


I’ve been thinking this a lot myself. This thread is a good example and sadly becoming the norm. A new guy buys a used vehicle and asks a perfectly legitimate question about after market alternatives for fluid changes. This is BITOG right? Supposedly the best and most appropriate forum to ask such a thing. Before you can blink someone (almost always one of about three members) has to chime in about what his neighbor wears, people who buy that brand are (pick your stereotype and insert here), or any number completely off topic ramblings. So then the original poster has to sift through all the nonsense to find an answer to his question. It’s hard to believe that the moderators are allowing a handful of members to turn this site into what it has become. But it is what it is.

 

[Zedhed]

Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: Zedhed
SWS, What tends to get me twisted is the attitude of some HD guys. I really don't dislike the bikes, just the persona.


Glad to hear that you are a reasonable person, unlike the boring one. Just realize that "attitude" and "persona" aren't just found amongst the riders of one particular brand. Visit advrider.com (especially Jo momma) if you don't already and see just how pathetic and perverted motorcyclist enthusiasts can become.



Yeah, but they do some pretty crazy rides on the site too. I bet not a fraction of the average riders would even attempt some of those "safaris" Prudhoe Bay to the Atacama? Oh yeah.. To me that is "men's" stuff, no preening around like some leather covered peacock.

 

[Zedhed]

Originally Posted By: Mr_Incredible
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
This place is starting to suck.


I agree. If the Harley bashers would mind their own business some business might get done.


Hard to mind your own business, when the guy next door fires up his 105 db straight-piped "motorcycle" at 1 in the morning to impress his drinking/riding buzz-buds. Yeah, my motorcycle riding neighbors think that's why you own a Harley -- to do drunken tire burnouts in the middle of the night. The next day they quietly polish them.....nursing their hang-overs. When I leave early to go on a long ride, they don't even hear me leave. But after I return, they go, "You rode all the way to Calif and back? What for?"

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: Mr_Incredible
"The weekend warrior accountant-doctor-lawyer-turned-biker-rebel RUBs..."

Jealousy, thy sting is noisy and petty. An oldy but a goody.


That is exactly the kind of stuff that alienates riders of any bike that the owner thinks is superior to others. Do you actually think that most of us cannot afford a Harley? They're a very cheap commodity right now. I could have a garage full of them if I wanted.

As mentioned innumerable times in the past, it's the attitude that rubs people the wrong way. The "holier than thou" because I own a Harley turns more people off to the bike than anything else.

Those of us who chose not to own a Harley do so on our own volition. We either do not think the machine is our style of ride or just don't want to join the herd.

Owning a Harley is certainly not some type of achievement that should make one feel that they have attained a lofty position in society and cast derision on those who chose not to own one.

When Harley owners get past that mindset, you'll find more acceptance in the motorcycling community. Until then, expect a few lumps.

 

[Jeff_D]

Originally Posted By: EagleFTE
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
This place is starting to suck.


I’ve been thinking this a lot myself. This thread is a good example and sadly becoming the norm. A new guy buys a used vehicle and asks a perfectly legitimate question about after market alternatives for fluid changes. This is BITOG right? Supposedly the best and most appropriate forum to ask such a thing. Before you can blink someone (almost always one of about three members) has to chime in about what his neighbor wears, people who buy that brand are (pick your stereotype and insert here), or any number completely off topic ramblings. So then the original poster has to sift through all the nonsense to find an answer to his question. It’s hard to believe that the moderators are allowing a handful of members to turn this site into what it has become. But it is what it is.
Yup, yup, my thoughts exactly.

It's not the fact that there are people out there in internet land that come here and act like you mentioned, Eagle, it's the fact that it's allowed to continue, that I find disturbing.

I tried giving some of the same medicine back to one of those you mentioned but was told via PM to leave him alone or I'd be banned.

I guess you/we just put up with it until you can't stand it anymore and then leave, find another oil forum?

Getting real close, now.