Not all harley riders are arrogant A-Holes.

I went to Mr Tedds Cycle yard today looking around for anything I might be able to use. After chatting a bit I headed home.

The trip was going smooth. Left his shop on hwy 229. Went into london down hwy 192 to 25w. Then south to corbin. I was all smiles until I got to the red light at the junction of 25w and 25e....pulled the clutch only to hear...snap......

Yay..clutch cable snapped.

SO after sitting on the side of the road for awhile..I thought I might be able to limp her home. No such luck..I could speed shift it but the red lights on 25e made it impossible.

So sitting on the side of the highway for a while....About 2 hours...This red chevy truck pulls up. After talking with the guy about my problem he says Ill be right back I think I can get you going.

So he shows back up with a trailer, we load my bike up..and off we go. He says he thinks he has a spare clutch cable at his garage...Im thinking..cool this guy must be into old yamahas.

We pull into his garage....I was shocked to see 10 or more harleys parked out front..and a sign that says V-twin cycle services on the building.

We unload my bike and push it in. He looked around and pulled out an old clutch cable and put it on for me.

After thanking him I asked how much I owe him...He smiled and said 5 bucks for the cable.

After thanking him some more and talking about the bikes he had out front, and him talking about riding to sturgis I headed off for the house.

Like the title says...Not all harely riders are A-Holes.

 

Great story. You are right. Harley Dudes ain't all bad. It's when they travel in packs that "The Attitude" prevails.

There's several kind of HOG Riders. Old, Pack and New.

The "Old Bike" riders are tough on so-called "Rice Jockeys"
The Pack will wave if their leader does.

The new guys are in it for show. They are happy to yack bikes with who ever comes along; but don't expect them mto know a lot about bikes. They bought their Harley because some other guy at work bought one and they are keeping-up with the Jones's.

You see these guys on new bikes with all the gear.
Generally speaking ... their harmless.
Their bikes are spotless.

 

Arrogance has no brand loyality...

 

True. But living in the Milwaukee area, I certainly feel like the outcast. I get waves all the time from riders on other jap bikes. ( usually older/ rougher than mine, but sometimes the new ones and crotch rockets as well ) But the hog riders NEVER EVER wave. Even when I do. They just look.

Most of them are set into their "if it aint american, its shit" ways...

Just the general feeling I get. But I'm sure there are some that just love bikes. Like the one you came across. Great story! 8)

 

What ... Harley have a Factory Outlet Store where you live???

One's a "Biker"
Two's a "Crowd"

Maybe it's because I'm a old, fat-guy, riding a clean-looking, well-tuned-up old Yamaha Shaftie that gets me a wave from the HOG Boy's riding alone.

But, if there's another one-of-'em following close behind ...

You just got invisible!

 

Point taken.Living in a rural area,as I do,Harley riders often wave first.But I have noticed as I approach cities,often times the "pack mentality" prevails. I have access to a 2000 Sportster 1200 custom,and I love it. But I cut my teeth on Japanese bikes,and I still own several of them.I believe that a bike that has endured over a quarter of a century of use (often times with less than stellar upkeep) commands a high degree of respect.Many people are too hung up on image and "posing".I miss the good old days when tools were used to work on bikes,as opposed to piloting them.

 

That's a good analysis of PART of the population of HD riders. But you can't lump every one into one of those categories. I don't really fit into the "Old HD Biker" mold and I most definitely am not a pack rider. I guess that kind of leaves me as a new rider, even though I did have a Yamaha 400 Special back in the mid 80's. I did not buy my Harley to keep up with nor impress anyone. I bought it for several reasons. I had always wanted one since I was a little kid and my older brother had one when he was in the service (Viet Nam era). My wife and son gave me a small amount of seed money as a savings starter a few years back. I had a '91 Vulcan 1500 (HD rip off) that I had brought back from the dead. Once I saved a couple grand I sold the Vulcan and bought a new 2004 HD XL1200C (the re-designed Sporty). I also looked and looked and looked at metrics before I made up my mind. I just liked the quality of the Harley, especially the fit and finish and lack of plastic engine parts (alternator covers, etc.).

I consider myself fairly knowledgable. So I guess I don't fit the mold of a new biker, either.

I ride with anyone on any bike and wave at every rider I see. I do not like a lot of the stigma associated with HD's. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I don't belong to HOG, don't wear HD gear head to toe, don't attend a lot of large group rides and am not an elitist.

All that said, I just sold my beloved Sporty a couple weeks ago. It didn't get enough riding to justify the value it held and, even with a great seat and backrest, I want just a little more room for riding with my wife on the back. My next bike will most likely be a Yamaha or Honda cruiser (ala one of the Stars or a VTX). We are probably going to wait a year or so until my son is done or almost done with college before we buy our next bike.

I just wanted to weigh in on the issue.

Now....those BMW riders...........those guys never wave! 8O I'm kidding, but serious at the same time. I don't think I've ever had one wave back. Maybe because I was on a Harley? Well, they sure won't wave at me on my lowered, ratted out Maxim, then.

EDIT: When I said that I will "ride with anyone" I meant that I wouldn't discriminate against anyone because of their bike choice. :wink:

 

You can't generalize everyone. There are exceptions to every stereotype. I've got a few guys at my office here who ride Harleys. One is in his fifties and knows about everything on two or four wheels, but he doesn't mind metric bikes because he raves on about his old Yamaha Special he had when he was younger. The other guy is in his thirties and I think he just likes the noise of a Harley with straight pipes, but he rides with me and several other metric bikes. Sometimes he's the only Harley.

Hey Rescue, you're pretty close to me if you're in Corbin. Nice to see someone else in the area. We like to go ride Big South Fork once or twice a summer. What else is good out that way?

 

My riding buddies last year were on an 89 Heritage Softail (stripped), a 2006 R6 (modified) and an 85 CB450T Hawk (army cafe)...
So I guess everyone's right about not being able to peg everyone with a harley just by looking at them...


But COME ON. haha.
You see some dude on a brand new harley with leathers that aren't yet broken in driving around with a mean look on his face... Tell me you don't get a little frustrated. :lol:

Pretty sure most of this is tongue in cheek... so I wouldn't get defensive over rick's comments.

P.S. My best buddy is a Harley mechanic by trade... and I would absolutely love to have a sportster. I go to the harley test drive every year just to be able to ride something that I can't afford (BUT I show up on my cafe racer XJ!). 8) 8)

 

Down here in Austin we have a flood of Silicon Valley Yuppies moving in, which is okay; Texas is friendly. But we've noticed the same thing you said (apparent arrogance) about many drivers of BMW cars. So there's a local riddle/joke on the subject:

Q. What's the difference between BMW cars and porcupines?

A. With porcupines, the pricks are on the outside!.



[if this is off-color for a very civil board, I'll delete it with sincere apologies]

 

Backwoods roads and bad drivers :lol:

just kidding...about the best road around to drive is hwy 90 from corbin to whitley city over towards big south fork. It takes you across cumberland falls resort.

I usually stay on hwy 25w anywhere I go. If you head south through jellico there are some sites to see along the back way across jellico mountain.


Last summer I rode 25w most of the way to Lexington and back. It was midnight so I didnt really see much.

 

Amen brother!
I've been blessed, just about everyone waves back, HD, BMW, doesn't matter out here it seems.

 

I get waves from Harley jocks quite often. I think it must be because my Maxim is cleverly disguised as a cruiser, what with the fairing, bags, and the American Flags on the antennas. (One Hog rider even saluted me as I rode past him in Granite Falls! :lol: )

 

hay, easy on the BMW's guy
personally i won't wave to anyone without a helmet and jacket, weather i'm on the yamaha or bmw, that leaves out 99% of harleys

 

I wave to everyone on two wheels....yes, even scooters and bicycles, the "real" bicycle riders, not kids playing around on bikes. Well, ok, I wave to little kids,too. May even beep the horn for 'em. God, I'm ruining the big bad biker image for everyone!

:lol:

 

Yeah, being a cyclist myself, I'll wave to one if I pass them. Sometimes I wonder what they might think of the motorcyclist waving, but maybe they get it.

All little kids ever want is for you to do a wheelie. When I'm on my road bike, they say, "Do a wheelie," and I say,
"It's not that kind of bike. It can't do a wheelie." I give the same answer on my Seca. They must think my bikes are crap.

 

I work across the street from the Harley plant in York,pa.
You wouldn't believe all the harley's in town all summer especially on open house week, but that's ok I'm still driving my 550 down RT 30.

Some wave and some ignore no big deal.