Why they don't wave back!

[gprsh924]

Originally Posted by Drago

I'll buy I bimmer (beemer is resrved for the cars) if you will.

I'm thinking of a 2005 R1150GS. In blue, with the white stripes. Either that or a K1200[i]X[/] bike. Or maybe an R1100RS. I don't know quite yet...I need to go take some test rides.

Oh, and when I had my '80 GS1100E, I waved at everyone on two wheels.

Actually you are wrong. Bimmer is for cars, beemer is for motorcycles.

http://www.bmwccbc.org/misc/tech-and-trivia/bimmer.html

http://www.boston-bmwcca.org/reference/Bimmer-Beemer.aspx

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Drago

I'll buy I bimmer (beemer is resrved for the cars) if you will.

I'm thinking of a 2005 R1150GS. In blue, with the white stripes. Either that or a K1200[i]X[/] bike. Or maybe an R1100RS. I don't know quite yet...I need to go take some test rides.

Oh, and when I had my '80 GS1100E, I waved at everyone on two wheels.

Marc: I'll sell you an '82 GS1100G (Shaft Drive) Still likes like new, all stock and original. If you had an '80, you know they are great bikes - comfortable, fast and handle well.

[Racerbvd]

[charleskieffner]

Originally Posted by Flatbutt1

Found it!

man is this friday??????? dont know how many of you live in towns that cater to this, but just imagine what TODAY brings for all of us local natives??????


BIKE WEEK BEGINS!


and yes this will be happening right and left drunk sober fast slow and while its on the kickstand all day and all night for a ******* week!

having run with a club and we flew colors for quite a few years its interesting to observe these morons. actually its amusing as hell for us to just sit and watch the crap go down.

the difference with us is we were SUN OFFROAD M/C. a full blown offroad racing club with about 75-100 members. now morphed into CHECKERS OFF ROAD M/C(if ya dont have a pecker ya cant be a checker!)everyone had bikes buggies trucks. in da old days when we road the countryside high and wide , we used to come into harolds bar here, so dirty/muddy/sweaty/stinky/bleeding, that we SCARED HELL OUT OF EVEN THE HARDCORE BIKERS THAT WERE IN THERE!

just picture 50 + dirty bikers coming into a cowboy bar, long hair dropping out of helmets, ordering mass quanities of beer, shoulder pads,leathers,moto boots,fanny paks and generally clearing the place out!

cops are already in town with a heavy presence. the hideaway bar has all their vendors unpacking goofy harley crap to sell. the beer banners are up and its time for MAYHEM!

at age 50 seeing yer typical snobbsdale RUB wearing a chromed motorcycle chain belt is about enough to send us over the edge!

also the skull rings on every finger adds a nice touch along with the leather handlebar streamers!

the really smart? RUBS buy their beeatch a nice big sportster and get to watch her fall over at the stop signs when she looses her balance. this was witnessed by us at a four way stop. we could not stop crying with laughter.!!!!!

better yet some of these einsteins trailer their bikes up here, unload them, buzz around bar to bar to bar "being seen" and then put them back on trailer to go home.

it aint sturgis yet here but its close. stay tuned for more bike week BAFOONARY!

[Overpaid Slacker]

True story -- One of our local multi-multi millionaires (and there aren't that many of them around Syracuse) hangs out at my local ginmill occasionally.

Other patrons of said ginmill include professionals, town/village workers, retirees, etc.... the whole gamut of upstate New York folk. Including, as it turns out, two dyed-in-the-wool Harley guys, who are probably in their late 40s. These guys are serious, with all the indicia of long-time, hard-earned ridership and Harley ownership. They're as close to the real deal as you're likely to find. They're also two of the nicest guys to hang out with. You don't discuss Wittgenstein or nuanced political positions with them, but they're good fun.

In comes Millionaire last week, and someone had told him I'm a "car guy", so he starts dropping "names" on me like mad (this Ferrari, that Lambo, what he "used to own", how he doesn't have room for the GT40, so he's buying another house for the garage it's got, etc.) Now half of this is bullpoop, but he has got the ducats to have owned and certainly had access to the cars he mentioned. He's also got on one of the Ducati-style Harley leather jackets (I don't know how better to explain it). So, once he's done impressing the heck out of me, he sidles up to Jimi (one of the aforementioned Harley riders).

Jimi is a really nice guy and starts talking with Millionaire, occasionally shooting me a "WTF?" look. Thinking he'll escape for a minute, Jimi excuses himself and steps out back for a smoke. Millionaire follows... evidently this is his chance, I find out later.

After Millionaire leaves, I'm saying good night to Jimi (who'd heard the whole "these are the cars I've owned" conversation -- the whole bar was intended to hear it) and I asked Jimi if the Millionaire had regaled him with stories of every cool bike the Millionaire had ever owned.

Jimi laughed his quiet laugh, pulled me down so only I'd hear him and said "the guy owns 2 brand-new Harleys, which he just bought for 45 grand. When we were out back for the smoke he asked me to teach him how to ride. He just spent 45 grand on two Harleys he has no idea how to ride!"

I added "... and he probably spent another 5 grand on Harley schwag." That made Jimi fall off of his barstool.

JP

[LakeCleElum]

Back when Jeff started riding Harley's, those were the guys that were knowledgeable, knew how to ride and work on the their bikes.

Today, many HD rides are just dressed up in their Halloween costumes, trying to convey a tough-guy image when they are out of the office on the weekend.

Now, I stay a long way away from these dangerous riders. A big clue of their riding ability is when they take off with both feet down, lift one foot to shift and puts the out-rigger back down thur 2nd and maybe even 3rd gear.......Most don't even know how to check the air in their tires

[charleskieffner]

slacker that was GOOD! the difference here is the goofy ass RUBS and the real bikers . it is POLAR OPPOSITES.

mentioned before we went to sonny bargers(hells angels) birthday party here at the buffalo chip bar. have sat across from him at breakfast a few times. nice guy cordial wants no coverage. just to be left alone. entire group about 200 well bahaved, well mannered, well dressed. only slobs were the hardest of the hardcore AB(aryan brotherhood) guys.

when working at garrett aviation had a ton of friends(machinists) that rode . went on a few HIGHWALL JAMMER RUNS down to florence prison. what a hoot! naked babes everywhere! lots of cops and yer typical biker shenanigans. we were invited simply cuz they liked us and we had pickem up trucks which became designated crash trucks slapped full of goofy harley stickers and obviously full of ice chests of beer.

great group of people. some a little off kilter, some a lil wierd, some alot wierd, but all in all a fairly good group and neither my g/friend nor i ever felt threatened by anyone. it also helped that one of my friends "GENO" who rode with the dirty dozen at the time was about 350# pounds and packing a .44 mag HAWG LEG!

[island911]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

...
Yes, I've been riding Harleys for 30 years now. These clowns have me seriously considering something else, as much as I love the bike. The "guilt by association" that comes with riding one today is starting to get to me. ... ...l.

And, you're in the R-groppe! ...And you've been seen with those trouble-making NW Pelican guys. sheesh, man, you've got it baaad.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I always wave (and get waved at) by other sportbike guys. Not that a Katana is really a "sport" bike, but it's more of a sport bike than a Harley is. Point is there's a comradeship among motorcyclists that's pleasant to experience while out on the road.

I agree though, the Harley guys are the ones that never wave. I always thought it was part of their "wanna-be-tough-guy" image. If I rode one, I'd probably wave to others too. And I wouldn't feel the need for the tats, the leather & studs and all that crap either. I'd just go ride and that's that.

Actually my neighbor might be selling his Road King. I chatted with him briefly about it and he offered to let me borrow it for a weekend just to experience it. Not sure I'd buy a Harley though - I've never seen myself as a Harley kind of person - more BMW/Ducati/Jap. Actually the Katana is a great bike for me although if I had to get rid of it, I'd look at a Suzuki Bandit, a BMW or maybe a Monster. Possibly something really weird like a Moto Guzzi.

[FastCarFan]

Top Ten Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Don't Wave to Anyone;

10. Cataracts make it hard to tell whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.

9. Afraid he might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated hand grip.

8. Arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it impossible to raise arm.

7. Reflection from the aftermarket lace design etched onto windshield momentarily blinded him.

6. Mesmerized because the bike's automatic cappuccino machine just finished making a perfect froth.

5. Was asleep when other rider waved.

4. Depressed because his first AARP card arrived along with accessories catalog.

3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.

2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height,
programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.

1. Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on dashboard.

[911Rob]

I've got some bro's that ride Hogs; nice bikes imo. Makes them happy.
As for the waving thingy, I always thought it was ghey myself?
I didn't mind giving the wave to other truckers when I drove a rig for a few months 30 years ago, but when they came out with all the goofs dressed in spandex leather riding rice rockets, wave; no way!

Just finished this book....

[baldman]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I agree though, the Harley guys are the ones that never wave.

I'm not a big "waver" - not even to other Harley riders. While not in the league of some others here, I've been riding Harleys for 20 years. I've owned everything from garage-built choppers (by me) to the current Heritage Softail. So why no wave?

To start with, when I first started riding not one sport bike or non-Harley rider would even give you the time of day. In the early days I had been broken down on the side of the road (yeah, I know the jokes) and had non-Harley riders pass right by. Now all of a sudden because Arnold and Jay Leno bought a Harley we became "acceptable"?

On the road you can spot a poser a mile away. Wearing their $1,000 Harley leather jacket - which by the way is a $250 leather jacket with Harley etched into it - their matching chaps, Harley half-helmet, Harley gloves, Harley shirt, Harley boots, Harley boxers with a factory certified skid-mark... you get the idea.

The old timers are getting harder and harder to find. (And for those curious I do NOT consider myself one of them.) One reason is the wannabe tough guys, but for me it is the company itself. Once upon a time you could walk into a Harley dealer and get a cup of coffee and treated well. Now if you don't have gold coins dropping out of your a$$ they won't even talk to you. They have cracked down on their own long time dealers, driving some out of business, and made independent shops stop using Harley in any of their names or advertising. So you add up a company who tries to screw you out of the last dime, posers making you look foolish, and car drivers swerving into you while they text and eat and check email and it just isn't fun anymore.

[charleskieffner]

my roomate in college was from milwaukee. he worked at harley. owned a harley. a AMF harley. oh those were the good old daze?????

AMF= if it aint leaking....................ITS OUTTA OIL!

can remember quite a few times picking him and da hawg up, with pick em up truck off of I-70 broked down..............really really BROKED DOWN!

[Dueller]

They're made in North America. Most of their components, anyway.
They're loud (or they can be with a little help).
They're beautiful.
Everyone wants to own one.
There are thousands of accessories available, so you can make your Harley uniquely yours.
They can be painted outrageous colours, with strange murals, and no one thinks they look terrible or silly. They just look like Harleys.
There are more Harley mechanics around than for any other bike.
Even an old, beaten up one looks good.
They have a long, rich history and heritage.
Anyone can ride one.
Everyone recognizes a Harley.
You can get a Harley tattoo.
You can get a Harley bumper sticker.
They hold their value, most of it, even years later.
There are songs about riding Harleys. There are even collections of Harley music on CD.
You can find more Harley parts at swap meets and flea markets than for any other bike.
You can get a loan to buy a Harley easier than most other motorcycles.
You can buy a fully-dressed Harley with a radio; comfy seats with armrests; a big, useful windshield; solid saddle bags and a trunk, and no one thinks you're an old fart when you ride it.
You never have to wonder how to spend your extra money.
You always know there's something appropriate you can give as a gift to a Harley rider.
You can join a HOG chapter, wear a patch and pretend you're a one-percenter on weekend rides, then go back to your real life on week days without getting into serious trouble.
An old Harley rusting in a barn is probably still worth something to someone.
When your Harley is stored away for the winter, you never feel ridiculous when you go to the garage to sit on it or polish a little chrome.
When you say you're going to clean the bike, your spouse will always know what you're up to for the next few hours and not have to worry.
It can make you smile on a bad day.
It gives the local police a way to earn their salaries and keeps them wondering if you're a badass biker or maybe really an influential judge or lawyer under those leathers.
It gives you the opportunity to try out every metal polish and auto cleaner in the hardware store.
Every man's second childhood is more fun on a Harley.
Even a small Harley is a big bike.
You don't have to wear a lime-green and purple leather body suit to ride a Harley.
You're more willing to go out and pick up milk and the newspaper if you can ride to the store on your Harley.
You can wear a Harley cap and not look as silly as 99 per cent of people who wear baseball caps (except of course backwards, which immediately identifies you as a dweeb regardless of the brand name... Remember: people who can't figure out which way a hat goes on are also poor prospects for mates.).
Unlike sport bikes, you don't need to visit your chiropractor after riding a Harley for more than 15 minutes.
You never have to explain or apologize for your choice or ride.
No one ever asks you to race them.
There's something infinitely satisfying about that big-twin rumble.
You always have something to talk about with other Harley riders.
You can always find an after-market part for any Harley, no matter how old it is.
The chrome is on all the right parts, but you can always add more or take some off and it still looks good.
If you own two Harleys, people get even more jealous than if you have just one.
They have only one carburetor to adjust.
They're always in style.
If you ride another motorcycle at 40, people think you're either crazy or haven't grown up. If you ride a Harley at 40, people think you're young at heart and have style.
Harley riders always have something to talk about at parties.
Sure you can ride other motorcycles to Daytona and Sturgis, but why?
Women riding Harleys look sexy, confident and independent.
Cleaning your bike becomes an act of love and respect - almost worship - with a Harley.
Harley riders have a better sex life. Honest!
Harley riders are recognized worldwide. Wear a Harley cap or T-shirt anywhere in the world and someone will walk up and talk to you about your bike.
People can argue endlessly about the technical advantages and ergonomics of other motorcycles, but when it's all been said, Harley riders get on their bikes and ride away with a smile.
Harley riders always have a wrench handy to loan someone.
Harley riders never have to worry about their Harley-riding friends asking to borrow money.
Harley riders learn to say 'No' early to people who ask to borrow their bike. This skill is useful when dealing with sales people, Jehovah's Witnesses and children.
Harley riders always turn heads going through the center of town.
Harley owners can (almost) always get a loan (although they may not be eligible for a Harley Davidson credit card simply because they own a Harley!... or a house, a computer, another motorcycle and a car... or have a steady job and no significant debt... maybe you have to be Bill Gates to qualify, because I have all the rest and I still didn't qualify).
Harley riders don't have to worry about their bikes being outdated by new technology.
Long-term marriages are safer with a Harley because the husband will be too preoccupied with the bike to bother meeting other women. And the wife always knows where hubby is when he's not in the house... he's in the garage, polishing something or out riding around town showing off.
When someone asks "What do you ride," everyone understands "Harley." They don't care what the model is. If you tell them a GSX... or a CBR... or an Intruder... or an ST100... or any of these makes, you have to explain who makes it and what kind of bike it is. Note the eyes of your audience glazing over...
You meet more people at bike shows and rallies who ride Harleys.
Speed doesn't matter on a Harley.
Harleys even make good rat bikes.
You can ride a Harley in rodeo and field day competitions at bike rallies (try riding a sport bike in the barrel push... or the weenie bite).
If you want speed and power, you can buy a Buell and still have a Harley. And when people ask you what it is and you tell them, they get a wonderful look of amazement and say things like "Gee, I didn't know they made one like that..."
There are more Harley riders at any gathering than any other bike rider.
Harley still offers demos and test rides.
No matter that he rode a 1953 Triumph Thunderbird in his role, everyone still believes Marlon Brando rode a Harley in the movie The Wild One. Harley makes its own mythology.
When you do the wave to another Harley on the highway they wave back.
Every other issue aside, Harley takes pride in its people, and its people take pride in Harley. Harley Davidsons aren't built on a faceless assembly line that cranks out motorcycles by the ton, it isn't just a product pumped out for consumption. It's made by people who care, for people who believe in it.
You get more grins per mile, even in the rain!
You dont need to understand "double overhead cam's" to maintain them.
Harley riders understand that if you have 2 Harley's you are not rich, if you have 2 harleys you have no money at all!
Non-Harley riders will never borrow your tools...no metric!
Harley Davidsons feel better than any other bike. You can feel the rumble pulse through you as you ride.
You don't have to drop the engine out to work on it.
You can find any style of seat for every year.
You can build one from the ground-up, and everyone thinks its cool.
If you have to ask or have it explained, you wouldn't understand.
They can get you laid!
The older you are the better; the idle helps keep your pacemaker synchronized...
Simply put, "They're big, they're bad, and they look good!!!!!
So you can have nice, wide, soft seat to fit your old, wide, soft butt.
When people ask "Isn't there a waiting list?", you can tell them "Yeah, I waited 33 years and 9 Jap bikes"
Harley salescritters gotta eat to
Help keep your neighbors from sleeping away their whole weekend!
You can do your part to keep the highways properly lubricated.
Lots of extra protein from those bug hits while rollin' on and smilin' wide!
Remember those old-time vibrating excercise belt machines? Think of all the flab you can shake off just going to the grocery store!
Let's just think of them as the Winnebago of motorcycles -- room for everything you ever wanted to bring along... and then some.
It's a piece of physical fitness equipment -- you have to make sure that you are in shape, just in case you ever have to stand it back up.
You don't have to explain your mid-life crisis in detail -- "got a Harley" will suffice nicely.
If someone cuts in front of you in traffic, then sees you in the mirror, you have the "Biker on a Harley" intimidation factor on your side.
If you get stuck in boring business meetings, you can always think about that stretch of back road with the big sweeping turns.
"Honey, it's economical -- gets GREAT gas mileage!"
You can putz along at 20MPH, and still look dangerous.
If things got bad, you could melt it down and have enough iron to build a locomotive.
Think of it as "dry cleaning" for your brain -- hop on and do a few miles, and it's amazing how much clearer things are.
You have a great excuse to wear really old jeans - "He rides a Harley" explains it all.
You get to hear that neat "plop" sound that comes as their jaws hit the pavement.
Relieve eye strain and muscle tension -- crank it up and shake 'em around for a while.
When someone asks what color it is, you can answer "mostly chrome"!
Because you've wanted one since you were 11 years old, and that was a very long time ago!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Overpaid Slacker]

"There are more Harley mechanics around than for any other bike. "
Why would that be?

"You never have to wonder how to spend your extra money. "
---- bwaaaahahahah! Classic!

"When someone asks "What do you ride," everyone understands "Harley." They don't care what the model is. If you tell them a GSX... or a CBR... or an Intruder... or an ST100... or any of these makes, you have to explain who makes it and what kind of bike it is. Note the eyes of your audience glazing over..."
--- Yeah, it sucks to ride an Aprilia rather than something the cattle have heard of. Now say "Harley" and note the eyes of your audience (and you have a Harley to have an "audience" anyway) rolling.

"You dont need to understand "double overhead cam's" to maintain them."
--- ...or "apostrophes" to "use" them

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Overpaid Slacker

"There are more Harley mechanics around than for any other bike. "
Why would that be?

"You never have to wonder how to spend your extra money. "
---- bwaaaahahahah! Classic!

H-D doesn't stand for "Harley-Davidson." It stands for "Hundred Dollars." As in evrytime you ride it something costs you a C-note.

[Overpaid Slacker]

I had done a (crude) design for a T-shirt that used the stylized H-D letters:

You can't spell HerD without H-D.

JP

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Overpaid Slacker

I had done a (crude) design for a T-shirt that used the stylized H-D letters:

You can't spell HerD without H-D.

JP

My favorite "anti"-HD tshirt is one with a HD logo and the phrase "If they built an airplane would you fly in it?"