SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 #1 Posted July 21, 2008 It struck me today that whenever anyone brings something up about motorcycle riders, if the person happened to be on a Harley, they say "Harley rider" but whenever it's some other make involved, they generally only say "motorcycle rider" or "guy on a crotch-rocket", etc.... Why not "Yamaha rider" or "Kawasaki rider" or "guy on a Ninja", etc??? Why do we single out certain ones such as "Harley" and not the others? Better yet, why pay so much attention to them...why not put them in the same class as "motorcycle rider"??? awrite... it's pretty obvious.... I'm bored!
skidrow Posted July 21, 2008 #2 Posted July 21, 2008 when somebody buys a harley there seems to be a spirit that overcomes a lot of these buyers. they get a cocky attitude and a swagger that says mine's better or bigger than. they also seem to be the one seen more than anybody else NOT wearing a helmet just that protective do-rag. Those of us riding metric bikes just kinda blend in when they are not as noisey and we have the right gear on. Crotch rockets? usually weaving in and out of traffic at a breakneck speed and or riding on the rear wheel. again they make us blend in with the scenery. If they weren't the scapegoats of bike riders we would be.
Naked Rider Posted July 21, 2008 #3 Posted July 21, 2008 ok you got to much time in your hands :rotf:need to take YAMAHA RIDE lol
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #4 Posted July 21, 2008 ok you got to much time in your hands :rotf:need to take YAMAHA RIDE lol yesssss... a motorcycle ride! that will do it! Now if only I wasn't at work! hmmmmmmm.... my son's scoot is at my place... I could go for a Harley ride this evening!
OB-1 Posted July 21, 2008 #5 Posted July 21, 2008 hmmmmmmm.... my son's scoot is at my place... I could go for a Harley ride this evening! Yes you could, but why would you want to?
PBJ Posted July 21, 2008 #6 Posted July 21, 2008 this cuts along the same lines as A pet peeve i've had for years and that is that everytime they have motorcyclist on some talk show its always some hard ass biker bunch 10%'ers that in no way represent the total spectrum of Motorcyclists. Of course now with all the Stunters out their they're starting to get all the attention from the media while folks like us that ride and and live the motorcycle lifestyle get generally ignored. I don't neccesarilly feel people need to be singing our praises but it would be nice to see riders in general reperesented as mom's and dad's, married couples , friends and family that all enjoy riding together.
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #7 Posted July 21, 2008 Yes you could, but why would you want to? come to think of it.... I really don't know...
Condor Posted July 21, 2008 #8 Posted July 21, 2008 Harley riders buy into a hyped image. I don't think that's the reason we ride a Venture. If it is, I got a great deal on a piece of this bridge you might be interested in.......
whozleft Posted July 21, 2008 #9 Posted July 21, 2008 Have you ever stood back and looked at what is happening? Harley Davidson has done one thing totally right. They took a company that, within my lifetime, was on the verge of failing miserably. They have since turned that company around and are very successful. One of the strategies that they used was to create a family within the H-D owners. They have done this and people have many times bought the machines, not so much because they are the best bike on the road, but because of the comraderie that comes along with it. All the other manufacturers could learn a lesson from H-D. If they could create such a loyal following then your comment would be a mute point. I guess my point is that it's not H-D's fault or the fault of the H-D owners as much as it's a fault of Honda, Yamaha, whoever to give the buyers the same kind of family feeling that Harley has their customers. This past weekend I stopped at AD Farrow HD in Columbus just to look around. Many of my closest riding buddies (the majority) ride Harleys. Most of them have bought new Ultras this year. I got to tell you, I actually like the style of my Yamaha better than the Ultras. Yes, there are certain things I like better about each one. But all in all, I'd take my Venture over a Harley. I figured a long time ago I don't have time to get caught up in all the us vs. them stuff. I ride what I ride and respect their freedom to do the same. I don't have to please anyone other than myself with my ride choice. Be careful and ride safe.
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #10 Posted July 21, 2008 Harley riders buy into a hyped image. I don't think that's the reason we ride a Venture. If it is, I got a great deal on a piece of this bridge you might be interested in....... In the situation I'm referring to, it's not so much the Harley riders buying into the "hyped image" (although many of them do), it's most of the other's...even us here but in a lot of cases, the media as well. We all say "Harley rider" .... rarely, if ever, would we say "Yamaha rider" so it's really us who buy into that ..... ya think???
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #11 Posted July 21, 2008 Before this get's into a "bashing" game, I want to make it perfectly clear that that is not my intention... I am in no way bashing Harley or for that matter any other brand.... I just found it a peculiar "oddity" is all. I reference the post by wpredock .... his first words are "a harley rider..." ... why didn't he say "a motorcycle rider..." ??? I simply find this very interesting.... some kind of phsycological thing.... (I guess)
Condor Posted July 21, 2008 #12 Posted July 21, 2008 In the situation I'm referring to, it's not so much the Harley riders buying into the "hyped image" (although many of them do), it's most of the other's...even us here but in a lot of cases, the media as well. We all say "Harley rider" .... rarely, if ever, would we say "Yamaha rider" so it's really us who buy into that ..... ya think??? Now that I think about it, I don't hear the term 'harley rider' used that much. 'He rides a harley, or owns a harley, or bunch of harley riders'... sure, but 'harley rider'...nope... Getting back to the term 'hyped image', harley has done a great job painting a life style image that every yuppy in the world wants to jump in on. They went after a little of the inner-rebel in all of us, and it worked. That's hype my friend...
PBJ Posted July 21, 2008 #13 Posted July 21, 2008 The Harley name has really become synonymous with cruiser, V twin motorcycles. Most non riders can't really tell a V twin Harley from a Vulcan or a Roadstar or a Shadow. They all become a generic Harley Bike. Just the same as how some smaller 4 wheel drives are all thought of as Jeeps.
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #14 Posted July 21, 2008 Now that I think about it, I don't hear the term 'harley rider' used that much. 'He rides a harley, or owns a harley, or bunch of harley riders'... sure, but 'harley rider'...nope... Getting back to the term 'hyped image', harley has done a great job painting a life style image that every yuppy in the world wants to jump in on. They went after a little of the inner-rebel in all of us, and it worked. That's hype my friend... "bunch of Harley riders" .... to me, that's a form of "Harley rider".... a singular plural if you will ...("bunch" being singular, "riders" being plural). yep... that's "hype" .... "Hype means “excessive publicity or propaganda.” An exaggerated claim especially used in advertisements, sales promotions and movie trailers constitute the much needed publicity for the product. The possible synonyms for the word “hype” are publicity, propaganda, exaggeration, buildup etc. Hype as a verb can mean to publicise a person, product or service by making tall, exaggerated and sometimes misleading claims. Hype can be a part of swindle or done in good faith to generate demand for a product or service. Hype is one of the popular marketing techniques done by businesses in every part of the world. In today’s competitive world, generating hype is one of the obvious means to be “heard” and “noticed.” A successful product or service is one which lives up to the hype. " and the more "Harley" is referenced... the more the hype is pumped up....yes/no? Hey... this thread is doing just that LOL. Awrite...c'mon... let's start building the hype for our scoots and demoting the hype for the Harley....
skidrow Posted July 21, 2008 #15 Posted July 21, 2008 ok you got to much time in your hands :rotf:need to take YAMAHA RIDE lol wish i could, but yesterday stepped off my porch into a hole...pull ligaments in my foot killed riding for awhile....left foot...can't step down on toes or heel....3weeks + or says the DR.
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #16 Posted July 21, 2008 harley has done a great job painting a life style image that every yuppy in the world wants to jump in on. ah yes, their advertising methods really work.... not to mention how they've followed Ford's "easy financing" scheme from years ago. Practically anyone can ride home on a new Harley nowadays and look at what they've done to the pricing over the years... they are cheaper now than 10 or 15 years ago but wait.... sign on the dotted line... payments you can "almost" afford for the next 7 years.... hmmmmmmmmm me thinks they're getting pretty good bucks for those scoots in the form of interest. (more "food for thought")
SilvrT Posted July 21, 2008 Author #17 Posted July 21, 2008 wish i could, but yesterday stepped off my porch into a hole...pull ligaments in my foot killed riding for awhile....left foot...can't step down on toes or heel....3weeks + or says the DR. bummer! sorry to hear that. I'd be really PO'd if that happened to me.
1BigDog Posted July 22, 2008 #18 Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) A "Harley" rider friend called me up this AM to get together for some lunch and a little ride today. He has a 2006 Ultra white which we call snow white because hes the one big dwarf. We all got together, ate lunch and he wanted some beer. I suggested the DQ in St Augustine, a place known by many who had Meet and eats here before. Turns out that he and his son got into it with the manager there a few weeks ago, cops were called and now hes banned from there. We ended up back at my house and polished off the Buds left over from the Memorial day M&E. Now how bad ass can ya be to get tossed from a DQ???? Never heard of a Yamaha rider getting tossed out. :rotfl: http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/venturerider/muffins%20Ruffy%20BBQ%20May%2024th/th_DSC00051600x450.jpg Edited July 22, 2008 by ruffrider99
Grey Ghost Posted July 22, 2008 #19 Posted July 22, 2008 Now how bad ass can ya be to get tossed from a DQ???? Now that's funny. LOL:rotf::rotf:
BIG TOM Posted July 22, 2008 #20 Posted July 22, 2008 when somebody buys a harley there seems to be a spirit that overcomes a lot of these buyers. they get a cocky attitude and a swagger that says mine's better or bigger than. they also seem to be the one seen more than anybody else NOT wearing a helmet just that protective do-rag. Those of us riding metric bikes just kinda blend in when they are not as noisey and we have the right gear on. Crotch rockets? usually weaving in and out of traffic at a breakneck speed and or riding on the rear wheel. again they make us blend in with the scenery. If they weren't the scapegoats of bike riders we would be. REALLY WANTED TO STAY OUT OF THIS..BUT.......BEEN RIDING WITH A CLOSE FRIEND WHO OWNED A V STAR FOR FIVE YEARS..WE WOULD RIDE 3 OR 4 TIMES A WEEK.. 6 WEEKS AGO HE SOLD HIS YAMAHA AND PURCHASED A USED 1996 ULTRA CLASSIC. FROM THAT DAY FOWARD WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A RIDE TOGETHER..WE SEE EACH OTHER A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK DUE TO COMMON INTEREST..BUT, HE ONLY HIDES WITH OTHER HARLEY OWNERS NOW..SEEMS THE YAMAHA HE SO DEARLY LOVED AND RODE FOR YEARS WAS JUST A STEPPING STONE UNTIL HE COULD OWN A REAL BIKE.. NOT A BIGGIE FOR ME THOUGH.....OK..I MUST ADMIT TWO DAYS AGO WE MEET AT A RED LIGHT IN TOWN AND.............................................YEP..HAD TO SMOKE HIM..SORRY DON.. JUST MY TWO CENTS ..IT MEANS NOTHING:missingtooth:
Ky. Rider Posted July 22, 2008 #21 Posted July 22, 2008 People ride Harleys for 1 of 2 reasons. One is, they like they bike and that is what they want to ride. That is a good reason and it is the reason I ride a Venture and that is ok in any bike world. The #2 reason some ride Harleys is because they don't have enough self confidence to ride something else. That's it in a nut shell!
OB-1 Posted July 22, 2008 #22 Posted July 22, 2008 Thirty years ago I rode a chopped Harley. I rode it because I built it and really liked to ride it. It was a very nice bike. Some people seemed to think I was Billy Bad A$$ because I rode that bike and they couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I was in the USAF at the time, (short hair, no beard, uniform to & from work, etc.). In 81 I bought a new Yamaha XS-1100 Venture, (the first Venture), and sold the Harley. Why? Because I was tired of eating bugs, needing to own stock in a bungee cord company, and I wanted to ride more than wrench. I was also tired of being hassled by cops and red necks, (especially since I was also a Sky Cop and a red neck), for riding a chopped Harley. I haven’t owned a Harley since. I think they’re nice bikes and I have a soft spot for the Ultra, but IMHO, they don’t measure up to the RSV. I think that most of today’s Harley riders are buying an image instead of a bike. If what you ride is more important than the fact that you ride; you missed the point.
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