Something I hope I'll never have to read here

[gryphon]

Because of the different projects and stuff I always seem to have going on I follow the threads in most of the site catagories. One thing I see more of than I would like is the number of guys who apparantly aren't into riding as much as being seen at the more popular (mainstream) events. I say events rather than runs because sadly, they have mostly become "motorcycle extravaganza's" featuring merchandisers from all the major retailers. It used to be about riding but now seems to be a lot of  "fly and rent" or "fly and ship". This apparantly has become the accepted norm. One "owner" recently explained that he calculated the cost of riding compared to shipping. If it was cheaper to ship then that was the way he did it. I suppose it won't be long before someone hits on the idea of renting bikes at Sturgis etc that are already in legal parking spaces. All you have to do is fly out (wearing all of you Harley emblazoned leathers on the plane of course) and stand next to the bike you've rented for your alloted time slot. Then later you can tell everyone that "Yeah, I been to Sturgis and Daytona". Don't get me wrong now. There have been some positive side affects to all of this. With the abundance of new "owners", bikes have become more accepted. It's been a long time since I was refused service at a restaurant or a room at a motel. It's been years since I was stopped by a cop who just wanted to check me out. I sure do miss meeting other bikers on the road though. Sorry about the rant. Guess I'm just getting old and nostalgic.

[96flhpi]

Gryph - hate to tell you, but I lurk at a couple of other sites, and HTT is probably one of the best (along with shovelUSA) as far as being more tech oriented and less poser friendly.  If you think it's bad here, you don't want to know about what's goin on out there.

Gotta go - keeping a close eye on a thread about whether I can store my HD leather care products next to my HD lighter and my HD keychain in my HD lunchbox.  Oops, HD coffee's ready

[gryphon]

Gotta hand it to the MOCO. They do know how to sell merchandise. As sombody once said "Harley Davidson is a clothing retailer that also makes motorcycles". Seriously though, I hope that nobody has taken my remarks to be a slam against this site. I would be the first to admit that I have have been saved many hours of fitting and adapting time (not to mention money) and lots of aggravation because of the excellent information I have received on this site.

[HDdude5]

Gryph,
I totally agree with you. I did Sturgis in 79 when it was a real run... then again in 99, that will be my last visit for sure. Just riding into town seeing the lines of trailers, toyhaulers, motorhomes, etc... was overwhelming in 99.
HD is on of the top recognized brands in the world, with Craftsman, Avon, etc....
Speaking of "poser" sights, I just got into it with one nimrod who bought a bike in Feb 05, against all recommendations (that he sought out).....did it on ebay, flew from PA to CA, bought it, blew it up and it's still in boxes....funniest part is, he opened a motorcycle shop in the interim. People may soon have more respect for their money then they did 5 or 10 yrs ago.
Hopefully the value of all of our old iron will increase.....ALOT!

Still ridin',
HD

[Hoist!]

Are you kidding, HD COUNTS on people NOT riding, and posing like a buncha sidewalk commandos! They love that chit! They do these marketing surveys just to confirm this. Then hand the engineering over to the accountants to build em as cheap as possible, and maximize the return to the shareholders. The warrranty claims alone would put em under if everyone rode the chit out of em like we do!!! Smoke em til the wheels fall off boys!!!

Hoist!

[dablaze]

what bugs me...

HD Golf balls = not riding on the nice days...

Just don't make sense to me.

Craig

[jerite]

What bugs me:
golf period.
Jer

[tbickle22]

HDdude5, I too was in Sturgis in 1979, we were able to camp in City Park and man was that a blast. Over the next 11 years we only missed 1 year( son was born) but sadly by 1990, the 50th Anniversary, it had grown way too commercial for me. Today I could not even imagine what a perversion it must be. I refuse to go again if just to keep my memories of what a real Rally was in the 70's.
The best memory I have of how it was, goes back to Daytona Bike Week 1977. We camped outside town at "NOVA" campgrounds(how many remember the nite time parties at the pool!!!)
One grissled oldtimer rode in on a badly smoking and knocking Pan rigid, raked, maybe 12 over frontend. He had a Texas plate and you could tell he had been on the road more than just a few weeks. Well this greybeard proceeded to pull that motor out of the frame and tore it down including splitting the cases on a picnic table, with just the tools he had with him. We at the time were young bucks just impressed as hell with this guy. We gave him a ride into town in our chase truck so he could buy parts and oil. Then we hung around feeding him our beer just so we could watch him reassemble his only mode of transportation in the world.
I don't recall how long I stayed out there, but by the time I crawled out of my tent the next day nursing another killer hangover, the Pan rider was gone. What I do recall is this man didn't think it was anything special for a rider to be able to repair anything he needed to on his own ride, with his own tools.
While I don't profess to be able to do the same, it was a lesson well learned, passed on from a old greybeard to a then young wannabe.
Ok I'm off my soap box, thanks for listening
JD

[jerite]

JD-
Awesome story. Pictures of that would be priceless!!!!
Jer

[Hoist!]

HeHe!!! Like the guys that pulled into a rest stop in the east end of SD, while we were on our way to Sturgis one year. We took 2 days from NYC to the Badlands! At the rest stop, in pulls this Big Ass Winnebago with a trailer (MN plates on it) and 2 Ultras on it! He gets out with a full length leather duster, and sees us and says "Yo Bro"!!! We then asked if the A/C was too cold in his gigantic cage, and told him if he ever called us bro again it would be the last time! I know  but I got none of that scene! Wish I did! It made for a great story and memory though!

Hoist!

[76shuvlinoff]

 

What bugs me:
golf period.
Jer

 LOL!
I came late to the party, rode a lot of metric and bought the shovel in 94 after walking out of the hospital after pneumonia when they didn't think I was gonna. Hell the day I rode it home I could barely hold it upright and my wife was driving along behind me with white knuckles all the way.  I used to catch some crap from my buddies (non riders and riders both) about pissing around re inventing my sled every winter then running off on my own with it every chance I got.  I always said "At least it ain't golf."

[tbickle22]

You know one of the crew I ran with then was a real picture snapping nut. I could check with him and see if he has any pics off that road trip.If he does it would be a blast to see all of that bunch at that point in time. 32 years ago, damn I'd like to see that.
JD

[ramcr913]

Hey tbickle22

Yeah, the Nova Rd. campgrounds were the best- some of the greatest times I can't remember happened there. Tried several campgrounds over the years but Nova Rd. was always the winner. I quit going to Daytona when it turned into Trailer Week- haven't been back since about '89.  
Went on an Aspen run in Ruidoso NM in the early '80s. Had a pit bull named Ghengis ridin on the tank wearing goggles. I was single back then, but Ghengis was the only one who got lucky that weekend. Still the best weekend I ever had. I was installing a clutch pack (yeah, smoked it being stupid- fixed it with parts from a vendor and the tools in my bedroll) and some guy asked if I wanted the primary cover engraved, since the cover was already off anyway. He had a engraving booth set up but this was night time and he was thirsty. He did the engraving for beers- never saw him again but my shovel still sports the engraving on the primary cover. Wish I could find this guy today, he could engrave my Softail.  
I don't think I could do a fly n ride or ship n ride. I rarely go to a dealer since they became boutiques. I don't go to runs anymore because as Gryphon pointed out they aren't runs anymore, they are "extravaganzas". "Carnivals" is probably a better description- bunch of performers wearing costumes.
Times have changed all right. Ran outta gas once last year. One Evo and 3 Twinkies sailed right by me- one of them even WAVED at me- gee thanks, bro. Then a kid on a saki sucker with finishing nails stuck in his lip turned around, rode a wheelie up to me, found an empty beer bottle, pulled his fuel line loose and fueled me up. Wouldn't take a dime either. Followed me to a gas station, hollered "later dude" and rode a wheelie till he was out of sight. I wish him well and he is to me a true bro.

I don't play golf either- tried it once when I got invited to some golf outing even though I made it clear I knew nothing of golf. Got asked to leave for showing up with my Mossberg- they said it was a shotgun start.
Well, I am not a bitter old fart (OK, I'm not bitter...) and I'm glad there are still some of us left. I don't have any issues with golfers or fly n renters or metric riders or MoCo or anybody else- they are all free Americans and can do as they please. So can I- think I'll go for a ride and remember how it used to be.

[CraigArizona85248]

What bugs me:
golf period.
Jer

Jer... I literally just laughed out loud when I read that.  I can't say golf bugs me... but it sure bores me.

Gryphon, I always prefer to ride.  But we see a lot of folks flying to Arizona this time of year to meet up with a guy who brought their bike on a trailer or they rent a bike.  They can come here for a long weekend or longer and enjoy riding while back home it's waist deep snow and sub-zero temps.  I can see why someone might fly and ride under those circumstances.  Also, time can be a factor.  This is a big country.  If I only have a week to ride and I want to ride on the east coast, I'll take 3 days riding there and 3 days riding back.  That only leaves me 3 days to ride (assuming I leave on on Sat and return Sun of the next week).  Nothing wrong with flying to your destination and grabbing a bike there as long as you are still riding.  The only difference is the starting point.  For me the big thing that keeps me from not doing this are two things:  1)  The new bikes aren't as much fun to ride (IMO) so renting isn't attractive  2) No way am I trusting my panhead to a shipper unless I have no other choice.

-Craig

[gryphon]

Hadn't thought of it but I guess in those circumstances, living in the cold brutal snow, trailering to somewhere warm enough to ride for a little winter relief makes sense. I guess the thing that really got me was the decision to ride or ship based on which was more economical. I have actualy heard someone explaining trailering by saying 'And you don't have to deal with it all the way there". Deal with it all the way there!!!! Sure, sometimes the weather can chill out , or the bugs can get kinda thick. The roads can suck. But as I always told my kids as they were growing up "The only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is how you perceive it".

[Dawgtired]

"The only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is how you perceive it"
Amen to that Gryph.
Dawg.

[76shuvlinoff]

There used to be a fella in our group 10-12 years ago (moved away now) that rode a 47 Indian everywhere we went.  He called every hiccup an element, of course every good putt had it's elements. He would laugh and yell out "We're experiencing all the elements today boys!

As far as draggin the shovel outta Michigan on a trailer to find some sunshine to ride in..... welllllll been there done that happily and yes I got the T-shirt!

[jerite]

I played golf once........once.
Jer

[ST40]

I was in Sturgis 5 years in a row starting in 1975.  We camped on the south side of the highway the first couple years.  Then we moved to the main part of city park.    Wild times!    My next times were in 2004 and 2005.    That's more than enough for now.   I'll never forget a bunch of  "Bros" and their old ladies unloading their bikes off a huge trailor and posing with a huge premade sign with their full leathers on before ever starting their engines. (2005)   They don't have a clue!            Marty                                                                                                                                                                                 PS: anybody remember the year the National Guard was brought in because of a few idiots?

[dave_9113]

Gryph,

You should check out ShovelheadUSA.  I think you will enjoy that site too.  See if you can't make Shovelfest 2. 

I rode to Sturgis last year along with my cousin, and it was disappointing to see perfect bikes on trailers.  I'm sure they had their reasons.  Sturgis was the destination, but the ride was more fun.  8 of 10 bikes we saw on the way to Sturgis were baggers.  I rode my 89 FLHTC and my cousin rode his 05, 124 CI E-glide.  Unfortunately, he broke down 3 times.  We were pulling parts and making parts run while stranded at the Chip.  All in all, still good memories 'cause of the company.

Two Christmas ago, I flew to Arizona to visit family.  Would loved to have ridden, but not enough days off.  Second best thing was to rent a Harley from the dealer and enjoy the AZ weather.  It was great.  I got a new 08 Ultra for a day and rode the piss out of it.  The best $100 bucks spent.  I would only recommend going this route if you are looking to buy a certain model and like to see how they handle or not enough time on vacation.  Money well spent.

dave

[76shuvlinoff]

  2002 3 of us rode down to Little Sturgis in Kentucky. Had a damn good time. It's one of the lessor venues and shall we say, a bit more raw . We spent a couple days there then rode over to the Bean Blossom on the way home but didn't go in, we weren't going to pay those prices for the short time we had left.

The smaller gatherings can be a little more "authentic" and a pile of entertainment.

[randallwhitman]

Shipping, flying, and then riding is sometimes the only way to go if you're actually working for a living.  I live in Miami, and I've been to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia (2), Canadian Rockies (2), Seattle to Los Angeles (4), etc.  It's just too far and often too damn hot to ride to these places in the summer.  Oh.....did Sturgis that way about 15 years ago by shipping to Pierre, S.D.  Then rode through Sturgis, Yellowstone, Utah, Colorado Rockies, and went home via Denver.  On the other hand, I have never understood why people trailer their touring bikes.......those suckers are designed to eat up the road!  Randy

[J-Carr]

I've done a fly and ride on a non bike vacation we did with some friends to Vegas a few years ago.  To be honest the bike was such a piece of chit that I'll probably never do it again.

The first year I went to Delmarva bike week (about 5 years ago I think) we we're invited to stay at a house for free with some new friends.  They wanted to trailer down so we had cooking supplies and such.  I agreed because I didn't want to make waves.  I was so miserable that I told them sorry but never again.  And my bike and my wife's has only been on a trailer since when going for service when broken and unrideable.  With the bike covered under warrenty (shut up Hoist!   ) it just doesn't make sense to fix it myself.  However, my wife and I both do all our own non-warrenty work.

So what I want to know is:  In the summer I pass 20 bikes every morning.  Softails and Dynas and other "real men's bikes".  These flippin posers in their leather biker jackets and skull caps and etc.  Don't wave to the geezer glide guy wearin a helmet and nylon instead of leather.  Guess I don't look like a real biker for them.  So wera the F@# are they the last three months.  I haven't seen one of them on the road since October.  Do they shut off the bikes when it's cold?  Mine runs?   

My point is riding an HD has become image.  Too cool for your own good.  I ride it becuase I love it.  I buck the trend and wear a helmet in a non helmet state.  I wear nylon because it's comfortable.  And I've got 27000 mile on Nemo which I've owned for 16 month's.  And it's been on the rode every one of those 16 month's in PA.  So there's a few real riders left.  Some of us just don't look like a real rider anymore!

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[Jusbo48]

Golf?, oh yeah, I golf, we take a few boxes out and blast em with the AR,s, not a bad time.
I love it when some guy or gal looks at my ole scoot with a puzzled look on their face, gives me a big ass grin all the time, wouldnt have it any other way and to be honest, I have had a lot of fun over time workin on the ole mule.

[roadkingdresser]

  i've been ridin for around 30 some odd years. and i take time to go to these ralleys'? And as i walk along the crowded streets and look at some of the old places-boothill saloon or the cabbage patch. I sometimes wander what the hell am i doing in this place. Everything is so commercialized it really takes the fun out of it.