Who is really riding for show?

[Hideandseek]

this thread started out with a little Harley bashing, which I dont have a problem with but I ran across this post on another board. I know I will probably get flamed for this but I wanted to share it. I dont want to start a ruckus but it is probably fairly close to the main stream harley riders thoughts.

here it is.


Why Harley.....

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After reading some of the recent posts about
riding a Harley and the "acceptance" of that by
others brought some things to mind.

The first is the commonly used saying:

"If I have to explain then you wouldnt understand".

Well, I dont particularly like this statement. Maybe
there are those who really dont understand.
After all there are all these new "modern" bikes
available for a good bit less money. Better throttle
response, better brakes, better get up and go and so on.

SO WHAT!

I have said before that Harley-Davidson has "soul". I
was questioned what I meant by that and lazily
gave the previously mentioned quote that I dont really
like.

Well here it is. In my humble opinion I think we are
drawn to the Classic Style, Mechanical Simplicity, and
an Emotion Inducing Sound and Feel that no other
bike has. I relate this to the cars of yesterday. The
Mustang, Camaro, and such. Something about the
feel, sound and overall experience we dont get from
other modern day autos. There is a heritage that
Harley has that seems to add to the personal experience
we get from riding this two wheeled beast. Maybe
its an emotional connection of American Pride. Although
it seems all nationalities have a similar connection
to the bikes as well. This same connection is still
present in many cars such as mentioned above. We
love a classic "hot rod". Its simple. Its mechanical.
Its classical. When we drive one we "feel" the road.
We hear the road. We experience it. We are not removed
from the experience with "modern" suspension, dampeners,
and noise reducing measures. The same is true with
Harley......as least for now. We feel the bike, hear the
bike, and openly see the mechanicalness of it. There is
nothing that turns my head quicker than hearing an
old pan, shovel, etc. Same as a 302, 327, 350, or even
better a big block 429 or 460.
I for one hope Harley doesnt change too much. We dont
need modern day machines that remove the connection
we have to riding the local highways. Faster isnt always
better. A Big, Classic, Mechanical, Heart Thumping,
American V-Twin between my legs carrying me through
to the next corner where I can take in the sights is
just fine with me.

 

[Jack Giesecke]

I gotta say I've heard all the arguments before and they're just as lame in his post. That old refrain, "If you gotta ask...." I agree with him on that, lame as ****, LOL!

If this guy want's mechanical simplicity and "soul" (I particularly hate this anthropomorphic "soul" crap), and just putt along and check out the scenery, well, he could save a lot of money by buying an Indian Enfield, or even a Ural.

I'll keep what I got, thanks. Even my 21 year old GL1100, soul or not, is mechanically reliable. I can putt on it and smell the roses.

 

[YouthKwest]

Greetings,

I know this is my second "real" post, but I have to say something.

To ride is to live. Doesn't matter what you ride, where you ride, how you ride....just that you ride.

I understand the comraderie that goes on with bikers and biker boys (Cruisers and Sportbikes). We all like to ride and each of us has our own style of riding. We wave to acknowledge each other. I do not care if the other guy waves or not. At least he is riding. I used to own a Porshe 930 and all the 911 guys in Oklahoma would flash their lights when we passed each other. Cool but that faded. I see that eventually even the "wave" will fade.

Lets just remember that attitude will always go hand in hand with something that is an extension of ourselves. I ride a VFR with polished wheels, smoked DB shield, and Laser pipes. This bike is normally overlooked by the 18-25yo crowd because it isnt sporty or fast enough. At 37, I am neither sporty nor fast. I have a few mods, just to make me stand out from the other VFR's around. I do that with my SUV, and with my car as well.

The point I am trying to make is that the bike is an extension of ourselves. How we carry ourselves (attitude) is a direct reflection on how we live our lives.

I love all bikes. I even had the red-headed step child of the American Cruiser market...a 2000 Excelsior Henderson Limited Edition Touring model. Too flashy and not youthful enough.

So I sold it and bought the 02 VFR. That is just me.

Enjoy what you ride, and always smile from under your helmet to the other riders out there. After all, they understand what it feels like to ride as well as you do.

Cheers,

Joe
Oklahoma City