I don’t have a dog in this hunt. All I can say is that I can state without fear of contradiction that Nic and his family are as nice a people as you will find anywhere.
Nic has been riding Harleys so long, his first one was either assembled by Mr Harley or Mr. Davidson. (I’m not sure which)
Anyway, I think featherlou that your brush is so broad, that I am surprised that you can even pick it up by yourself. Damn that sucker must be heavy being that broad.
I know a lot of people who own Harleys. They include some of my very favorite people, and others who are tedious wankers.
The dividing line, at least where the motorcycle is concerned, seems to have something to do with the ratio of how much time one spends talking about the bike vs. actually riding it. My boss, for instance, has a picture of his Harley on his desk and rarely fails to bring it up within ten minutes of any given conversation, but I’d be shocked if he rides it 100 miles a year.
There’s nothing wrong with being an occasional rider; I’m a world-class dabbler in any number of hobbies. But unless I’m currently involved in something particularly cool, I’m not likely to go on incessantly about any of them.
I know lots of people who own bikes of all brands, but the ones with the high talk/ride ratios are mostly Harley people. There is something about owning a Harley that makes middle-aged men (and several women that I know) feel like they’re still cool. I just wish they’d learn that it might be cool to talk about your Hog, but it’s about a thousand times cooler to just roll up on it one day.
Foilheads unite!
When people ask why I bought a Russian motorcycle, I tell them that I like to work on bikes, and this was the only thing I could find that was less reliable than a Harley.
Oh yeah:
Not all Harley riders are total dickheads, but give a total dickhead a choice of any bike, and they will choose a Harley every time.
Lord knows. Something has been draining out of it lately, since it hasn’t been working. I don’t think it’s oil. It might be vodka. It might be pee. I couldn’t hazard a guess.
Funny thing, mine started “oozing” something too, after a ride and it got good and hot. Stopped when it cooled down.
Not oil, per se. More like a sebaceous excretion. Really nasty. I knew then it was time to sell.
Milwaukee, the city that gave the world Harley Davidson and Laverne & Shirley. American culture at its best.
Well, assholery isn’t strictly limited to Harley riders…though they do work at cornering the market. I got a speeding ticket yesterday on my Honda Shadow 600 VLX that I, quite honestly, richly deserved. The cop incredulously asked me “Didn’t you see me sitting there?” What was I going to say? “Sorry, no I didn’t; I was too busy seeing just how fast this thing will go!”
Ah well…he was nice about it. He told me to request a hearing and he’ll cut me a break.
And Blatz Beer. $1 taps at the Roman Coin and the Uptowner. (Personally, I prefer Smithwicks at Paddy’s, but to each his own.)
Stranger
So do I, but AC will only allow me to get something like this.
I knew that, which is precisely why Buell is the “Anti-Cool”. I bet most HD riders don’t know that about Buell.
You really cannot overstate the importance of Laverne And Shirley. Lenny and Squiggy are icons of monumental proportions.
How can America not love “We’re gonna make our dreams come true, doing it our way?”
perplexed shaking of fist
Yes, exactly! It doesn’t stop doing it - the cardboard under the engine is always wet. I think he’s having it towed to somebody next week. He’ll be thrilled - that’s exactly it, some sort of sebaceous ooze. The garage is full of machines that don’t run - his Ural don’t work, my scooter needs the back wheel fixed, and my Mustang needs a new battery. It’s embarrassing.
Yeah. I know it. Its kind of “Liverworst” colored.
If I had to guess, I’m going with “A mixture of sand left over from the casting process, hot oil and assembly lube (as if they would use THAT) forced out of the pourous cylinder/head/crankcase/faulty gaskets.”
On a semi-related note, here is a joke we used to tell at Harley: “What does the ‘R’ in the Buell model designation stand for?”
“Recall”
I said that I think all Harley Davidson riders are assholes, and I stand by that. I didn’t say they WERE all assholes, just that I think they are - are you gonna argue with me what I think? I’ll even expand my painting with a big brush - I think all people who drive loud bikes AND loud trucks and cars are assholes.
::sigh::
I was hoping for much more from you. I’ve re-read the replies - no one is debating that you think the way you do. They are pointing out - correctly - that you are prejudiced. And that is wrong.
I’m prejudiced against Harley drivers and everyone else who drives vehicles much louder than they should be that affect everyone within hearing range? I can live with that.
Not all Harleys have loud pipes.
My brother owns two HD’s. Don’t know why.
The small one is a 1200cc Sportster. I’ve ridden that. Meh. Noisy and handeled poorly.
The big one is a full 700lbs of crome, and fiberglass that needs two large strong men to pick it up if it falls over. You don’t dare lay the thing over. When lifting, if you are worried about pullin a handle bar off, that’s a problem.
A motorcycle is way, way, too big if I can’t set it on it’s wheels without help (I’m 6’3” 215lbs).
IMHO.
That has always been a test for me. If you can’t self recover (in anything in life). It’s too big for you.
I own and ride a Suziki Intruder VS800. Mine’s bright metallic silver, though, not black. I’ve added some additional chrome accents.
I recently got it back from having its annual service, and they tuned it up a bit. It’s had a “flat spot” in it’s low-end throttle response that they’ve fixed. The first time I blipped the throttle leaving the shop, I was rewarded with “head-snapping acceleration” instead of my expected sluggardly performance in that throttle range. It’s got power to spare; how much, I don’t know. I have no desire to “top-end” it and find out. At most highway speeds, (60-80 mph) it still has “throttle” to spare, and that’s good enough for me.
Most of the Harley Riders I personally know have given me “grief” over it. Once. In a half-hearted, “we’re just kidding” kinda way. And then let it go. I get more consistent grief from guys on crotch rockets (of any make/model).
The Harley riders I meet on the road, with a very few exceptions, have been nice. We talk bikes, where we’re from, where we’re going, what we’ve done to our bikes, etc. We part company on good terms.
The real snobby assholes on two wheels I’ve met have been riding something like these. They won’t even acknowledge the existence of Harley riders, much less a “poser” like me on my “faux bike.”
Fuck 'em. I don’t let what someone else thinks detract from the enjoyment I derive from getting on my bike and riding.
They say loud pipes save lives. Pity it’s those lives.