Why does it seem so few Harley owners...?

care to give the Japanese their proper due when it comes to motorcycles?





I ride a 08 1200cc Sportster HD Roadster. (883s are for sissies.) I've ridden numerous HD in my 30 years of riding experience and a good few Japanese bikes. I ride my Sporty because of it's light weight (in comparison to other Harleys, I mean.) exhaust note, and general overall feel of the bike. I didn't buy this damn thing so that I now have thousands of new 'friends' at the local watering hole. (More and more of them are weekend warrior dentists, doctors and wussy boy software designers with brand shiny new HD logo leathers that make them look like a walking, talking billboard.) I didn't buy this thing because it has 'a spirit' or 'a soul' (It doesn't. It's a ****ing MACHINE) that just so happens to have been around for 105+ years. Bread has been around longer. That doesn't mean that I think it has 'a soul'





That said I can recognize what the Japanese have done for motorcycles in general. Why can't you, Mr. Hardcore Harley?





Those Japanese practically own MotoGP and AMA with all of the big 4 bikes in there. They do great in dragging, too. So what's all this 'imitation' garbage? Remember in the 70s and 80s when Harley was PURE TRASH? I do. My old Fat Boy broke down TWO WEEKS after I bought it! Who do you think took advantage of that at put out similar looking motorcycles that, you know, actually ran for more than 5,000 miles without guzzling or leaking oil? The Japanese. While the government was bailing Harley out and screwing over the Japanese with taxes for the thank you.





While we're at it. Why do I never hear the loud mouths at the watering holes calling a Boss Hoss an 'imitation' or Indian or Victory bikes 'imitations'? But ALL of the Japanese cruisers are...even the ones that look nothing like a Harley. Well, I got new for you pinheads. Us Americans have 'imitated' plenty of things in the span of our years on this continent. Get off your damn high horse!





Harley is a great bike these days. Twice as reliable as they've ever been! Japanese bikes are pretty damn rock solid themselves, and those crotch rockets are amazing machines. You can't even tell me you wouldn't have fun busting 200mph in Bonneville Flats on an unlocked Busa or ZX-14, Mr. Hardcore Harley. I had fun with it! There's more to riding than 60mph, loud pipes and stopping at a new pub every 5-10 miles and stand around your chromed out bikes that you have PERFORMANCE parts on but then tell the sport bike riders that you don't ride for speed. (Hello double standard!)|||Word on that.





Expected that comment from Maddog. Man is what his user name is.





And Freak, I like how you can entirely dismiss a logical post because the man doesn't like 883s. Just a wee bit short sighted, yes? Bigger picture went right over your head, yes?|||lol....stfuposmf|||Funny....





In your first sentence you bang on 883 Sportsters and then you ask people to respect other bikes.





Funny stuff....





Respect gets respect.|||You said the same thing about 883 riders as you are claiming the hardcore do to metric bike owners.


Getting your knees in the breeze (be you a cashier or a welder) is the most important thing. I will ride with anyone who is willing to ride. My wife owns a chinese bike which I have even ridden a few times and the Honda Rebel I first started riding on.


My buddy has a Hyabusa which is very fun but I would not trade it for my cruiser, I prefer my feet ahead of my knees.|||The old panhead guys I used to know when I lived in NH never gave me any problems with my bikes. It was a friendly roasting and I gave as good as I got.





These days, it's the bad-boy wanna-bes that seem to take it seriously.|||I give you 10 points for noticing that so many HD owners are posers.





A guy told me he used to ride them. He said they ran the spectrum from the HOG guys to people on sportsters trying to bum money for gas.





I used to ride them. 30 years ago it was different, before they were status symbols and were just old beaters.|||May be its because Jap crap doesn't have a very long lifespan. I have a 49 Pan that I am the 3rd generation to ride. The town I live in is 14000 and I know of 18 Panheads 7 Indians 3 /2 BMWs and 4 Knucks here as well as 6 - 1950s and 60s Triumphs. I only know of one old Jap bike a 78 750 Auto and its quite new compared to American and Euro bikes still on road.|||Those "Hardcore Harley" OWNERS are using their brand label "enthusiasm" to hide their racist roots, the real cause of their dislike of Japanese products. Have you ever noticed that they're not quite as intolerant of European (especially German) brands?|||I ride Harley's. I also rode or owned just about every other brand and model of bike out there in the last 43 years I've had my face in the wind. In fact, I personally owned 26 bikes, with the last 5 all being Harley's. I don't run down any bike (well, I don't count scooters as bikes, so they are fair game). But I sure run down idiot riders, no matter what they are on.


I have a lot of praise for the Big street bikes from Honda, and owned several from CB 750's thru super sports and wings. Same goes for Kawasakis's and Yamaha. In fact, I rode for Yamaha on the desert circuit many years ago. It is no different than the ford vs chevy vs dodge etc that has gone on for years. Take pride in what you ride. But that doesn't mean you need to run down the other guys bike. I've ridden dirt bikes, street bikes. crotch rockets, touring bikes etc, even brands no longer around, that most people ave never heard of. I wouldn't have a problem climbing on 90% of them and going for a ride.


ride safe|||ive been riding sport bikes sence i could legaly put one on the road at 18 an used to get alot of **** from all my uncles buddys that rode harleys an other guys at the bars we would go to now 12 years later i still ride a sport bike a yamaha r1 an still ride with my uncle an all his buddys an still go to the same bars where all the harley guy hang an now i bring my friends on there sport bikes an nowadays i hardly ever hear a negitive coment about any bike sport or harley this past weekend i had a 65 year old die hard harley man come up to me an ask me if he could take my r1 for a ride i handed him the keys half hour later when he came back he said it hurts my back but dame that thing is fast|||Bigger Tony, I have respect for you, you have been riding for a long time, you ride for the passion and enjoyment of riding, you don't feel you're better just because you own a Harley.


What I have an issue with is the beginners, who never been on a bike before and they go out and buy a Harley, they fake that they are instant tough guys just because they own a HD.


The same guy that can't ride his HD and hits the brakes going around a tight curve at 10 mph will mouth me and make fun of me and my Japanese Bike, or that same guy will think he owns the local bar just because he rides up on a HD.


Where I live I see this all the time and it pisses me off !


I have no issue with HD Bikes, just some of the people riding them, I wear an American Flag decal on my helmet, cause I am a proud American that served in the military, but when some poser on a HD tries to pull that decal off my helmet because he takes it as an insult because i ride a Japanese Bike I really get mad and I inform him I will die to defend my American Flag decal, and if he wants to try to tear it off he's going to have to kill me first!