Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Why we ridicule Harley riders

This is why:

http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7450

(The Bonneville America name at the bottom of the picture is added by the site, not me or the advertiser.)

cause they can't post up a pic?

Cause they are the man?

Hmm, at this point if I was going to stick it to the man I wouldn't buy a new harley by any means.
You've got to hand it to them. They have a great marketing division.

All I see is a dot...

So if you're going to stick it to the man, you shine your headlights down a tunnel?

Soren

Uh...I don't get it...but then again I'm just a dumb Harley rider...

On a similar note, I just saw a TV commercial in the Orlando area for Cambridge Homes...."Buy one of our new homes, and get a new 2007 Fat Boy with it." Just what we need on the road, another newbie who may have not even wanted a bike, riding a HD Fat Boy....

later, Tom.

If I were house-hunting, I'd take a serious look there. I can't afford to go out and buy a Fat Boy, but I wouldn't mind seeing one in the garage of my new house...

I don't think I understand the "Stick it to the man" thing...

Will

We have enough fat boys laying around the house now.Go to HD 's main site and click on to " living by it " video and get the whole perspective , pretty cool !

I have to because my Brother owns one and I've pointed out his shortcommings all my life.

Gerry

I poke fun at Harley in jest as most of my Harley friends poke fun at jap bikes and Brit bikes in jest as well. My friend got caught in bad weather at another friend of mines house and had to leave his Sporty there in the garage. When he came back to get it my friend had sprinkled stay dry all over the ground and some on the seat and said it leaked. (may have leaked a drop or 2 it's was just to rib him) Well a similar situatiopn came around in reverse with the same 2 guys and the other guy had to leave his Honda 750four in the other guys garage. Well when he came back to pick it up my friend had sprinkled rice all over like the stay dry and told him the Honda leaked!

Point is it was all in fun not meant to be nasty. I know some guys take it seriously but more often than not its just a joke.

Excuse me, but shouldn't that be "stick it to your wallet"?

Okay! Sarcasm over(at least for a moment anyway)

What REALLY "get's me" is that H-D advertising tends to appeal to this mindset. The mindset that they are selling a "Lifestyle" NOT a product!!! Where in all of these ads you they tell you about THE PRODUCT???!!! How H-Ds might be superior in design or execution??? NOWHERE!!!

THAT, as this thread is titled, is..."Why we ridicule Harley riders". And most especially H-D's advertising.

It tends to be about IMAGE, and little else.

I've been called a lot of things....but never a Dentist.

Well, don't worry, Al. It isn't too late for ya, Dude!

Dentistry IS a respectable profession, ya know. And I wouldn't discount a second career at your age, if I were you!

(being a newly retire gent myself, I've been thinking that THIS might not be a bad thing to look into....I HAVE always kind'a wanted a Dynaglide, the 35th Aniversary Superglide with an updated Boattail rear fender would do...but alas, Willie G. in his "infinite wisdom" FAILED to supply that Boattail on it, so I guess it wasn't in the cards...and besides, I don't like the sound of those dentist's drills anyway)

Mark,
You may have bought into a lifestyle, but it wasn't one forced upon you with a bunch of corporate propaganda.

I see what you're saying, Mark. Admittedly, "indirectly" we HERE at BonnevilleAmerica.com have a "lifestyle" also, but I would venture to guess that the vast majority bought these machines NOT because of any percieved "sticking it to the man" mentality, BUT because most of us have a little more of an open mind about the choices in motorcycles that we choose to examine before we lay down that check.

I would have a nice little nest egg(for the purpose of buying that Beck 550 Spyder that you see as my avatar) if over the years I had a buck for every time I've heard from those less inclined to investigate alternative brands before they purchased their "lifestyle", and have absolutely NO IDEA that those alternative brands even exist out there...because...due to this lack of investigation, they "think" there is no other choice out there and all their buddies have H-Ds already anyway.

It seems the "Rebels" just "want to fit in", in other words.

my way of sticking it to the man was buying a cheaper bike and paying less taxes on it

and the moonshine...

I am a narrow minded Brit rider. I bought my Triumph because I always rode them and always will.

Brand, schmand. Buy what you want. My first bike was a 86 Yamaha Maxim 700, the next one was a V* 1100. I'd still have that one except I lost it on some dirt in the road last year. Now I have a 1 month old Triumph America. My brother has an HD and a Ducati, my Bro-in-law has a HD.

Get what speaks to you. The HD campaign speaks to a lot of people, even me. I'm just not willing to pay extra for the name.

well I am not trying to stick it to anyone. Just wanna ride.

Because it's easy, because many of them have it coming, because even those who don't should learn to live with it, because we enjoy it and, lastly, because we can!

As a sailor I harrassed Marines, soldiers, Air Force weenies and Coasties.

As an Aviator I harrassed skimmers and bubbleheads as well as all staff corps types.

As an S-3, and later, P-3 flyer I was in constant conflict with fighter pukes, attack weenies, and anyone who didn't fly what I flew and do what I did.

Why? Because it's easy, because many of them had it coming, because even those who don't should learn to live with it, because I enjoyed it and, lastly, because I could!

It was all part of the culture, both in the Navy and among motorcyclists. It's fun as long as it's not taken seriously. Anyone who actually takes it seriously needs to get a life.


My brother is a huge HD nut. Both he and his wife buy new Ultra Glides every two years or so. I needle him a bit but we really go at it when he's with his Harley buddies. He likes to see them get wound up when I zap him.

(and speakin' of "non-confrontational"......)

Hey! How ya been, Larry???

(now...where the heck is Greg, Kevin and a...let's see here...oh yeah...Friar John, so we can begin this session of "Blowhards Anonymous", anyway???)

Ahh....I see I have been missing out on yet another gratuitous self effacing Harley bashing thread?

Thanks to us all its all just tongue in cheek stuff eh.

But the ole tongue must be getting tired and may yet puncture the visceral cheek.

Okay, Kevin! BUT, we're STILL missing Greg, and FJ here!

(we can't get a quorum goin' until THEY show up, ya know?!)

Okay...NOW evidently we're just missing GREG!

(Is anybody in Connetticutt available for a little mission?)

Last month at a huge bike night in Indianola, Iowa I ran into my brother and his toadies. As usual when he is with his HD buddies he started razzing me about my beloved Triumph. Totally against my will, and purely in self defense, I started sniping at his bike in particular and HD’s in general. I called it a 2 wheeled Winnebago and a Barcalounger on wheels. 1930’s technology married to 1940’s style updated only with 1990’s marketing. He made some disparaging remarks about the Blue Streak and we were even. While we were laughing and buying each other an adult beverage one of his cronies asked how much horse power and torque my bike had. I told him what the advertised specs are but added that mine had been slightly modified. He responded that his bike had a lot more torque than mine. When I asked him “So, just how much torque does your bike actually have?” he said “I’m not sure after all the performance modifications I’ve made to it, but it’s powerful enough to pull a stump!” I responded with “Great! If I ever need a chrome plated stump puller I’ll know who to talk to.” He frowned, all the others laughed, and we went on to have a very good evening. It reminded me of drinking with fighter pilots 20 years ago.

THAT was a good one, Larry!!!

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind having the torque figures on my BA that the long throw Harley engines have. But it does come with a cost. And that is the narrow power-band that they have. Every once in a while my buddy Phil, who has among his collection a '95 Road King, and I will exchange bikes on a ride somewhere. And while the torque on his Harley is impressive, I tend get a little frustrated that the redline on his bike is relatively low, and that there isn't much power to be had after taching the sucker much past 5,000RPM.

Comfortable beast, though.

yea, screw harley riders... and liberals...and the church...and the ****** rainforests