FN Harley Riders

[No Problem]

my motto has always been i dont care what you ride as long as you ride but you have jerks on both sides of the fench

[Panzer]

J-Carr
It wasn't me who parked there, I was in the HTT woodshed at the time. 

Besides that snafu, how was it otherwise?

[rad3766]

I'm happy to see anybody else riding two wheeled anything, crap I've even waved at a bicyclist going it alone in west Texas.
I may not be particularly interested in your bike, but its yours, and if your happy with it, well, thats the way its supposed to be.
Oh, and believe me, theres plenty of HOG snobs out there; when I make a rare appearance at a meeting, I get the leper treatment because my bike is
10 years old, usually in need of a bath and doesnt have half of the P&A catalog hung all over her. Suits me fine.

[Dakota]

It's that kinda AHOLE that makes me wanna borrow a Honda Rebel for a weekend   

  My wife and I kind of wish we had kept her Rebel when she learned to ride.  It was fun to ride.

[seattledyna]

up in the NW I got more than a few negative comments from the "bought the bike and all the leather with one swipe of the credit card" crowd when I would ride the 1991 FXR, they just couldnt figure out why I would ride such an old bike, I would say "oh, my newer one is a 1995 HD"...they still didnt get it, lol

[Sonny S.]

It's that kinda AHOLE that makes me wanna borrow a Honda Rebel for a weekend   

  My wife and I kind of wish we had kept her Rebel when she learned to ride.  It was fun to ride.

It would be more fun to ride it to a bunch of Harley dealers or bike events in search of Joe Cool Harley Rider lookin to get mouthy 

[biker4christ]

my best friend rides an 84 honda, he rides just like everyone else ,upright ,knees in the breeze
these guy who act like that just dont get it,and no he wouldnt have moved it
i ride a sporty,if i could afford it id own an RG, but just cant right now,i have had people treat me like that even on my sporty,cuase i wasnt on a big twin,RG,or whatever,these guys act like theyre better,more than i just cause of their ride. well i prob put more miles on my sporty in a month than they do in a whole year.

[J-Carr]

J-Carr
It wasn't me who parked there, I was in the HTT woodshed at the time. 

Besides that snafu, how was it otherwise?

To be honest, I'll never go back for another HD anniversary party.  I'm not a MoCo basher and in fact I'm usually the guy quietly trying to defend them.

IMHO the MoCo just sold the hell out of everything they could.  It was so crowded that you couldn't move at some of the venues.  We got trapped in during the HOG 25th concert when SurgarLand was playing and couldn't get out if we wanted to.  No big deal for us as we wanted to Kid Rock anyway, but there were people pissing on the ground because you couldn't get out.  ZZ Top appeared to be as crowded so we didn't even try to go in.  Bruce was so packed the even though we got there 3 hours early we were so far back that we couldn't see him at all over the crowd.

The hotels had jacked prices and gouged people as bad as any town I've ever seen.  So our feeling was we wasted the money on the event tickets and got gouged by the "hospitality" industry in the town.

The museum on the other hand was great.  They did a great job on it and on managing the crowd.  No tickets needed for 13 and under but that wasn't true for the museum, but rather then make one of us miss it they slipped us an extra ticket so we could see it as a family.  That was the attitude that brought the MoCo back from the AMF brink and at least a few people still have it.  Coicidentaly, this was the only venue where they did limit the number of tickets.

Also the people of Milwaukee were extremely friendly, especially the employees at the plant tours.  The only jerk I encountered was the one I described above in this thread and he had an out of state plate.  Everyone else was extremely friendly and polite.  I always say you'll never find a politer crowd then a biker crowd.

So to sum it up - We intend to return to Milwaukee on an off year and enjoy the factory and the Museum without getting ripped off because it falls on a 5 year anniversary.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[RK101]

We like to talk about the freedoms we get from riding. I as much as anybody enjoy the freedoms of riding on a country road or slab, where the bike and I become a single unit. I'm sure others do also regardless of what brand or model bike there sitting on. I hear others in our two wheeled ranks talk way to much about brand or model of bikes others choose to ride.

This has always made me wonder if we are that narrow minded and self absorbed that we can't see that maybe that other individual might have other things going on in his life. Do we ever stop to think that maybe the guy on the other bike just might have kids in college or a wife and kids who are sickly, and eat up most of his paycheck?    Just maybe he's doing the best he can and riding the brand or model bike that he can comfortably afford. Who knows maybe that bike he on is the only transportation he has and it means everything to him. Do we really need to belittle him to make ourselves feel better?  is with that?

I rode foreign bikes before I ever got a Harley. I would have loved to have a brand new Harley, but living life on life's terms meant that was not going to happen at that time.
Funny thing though as I was moving up the ranks and getting better bikes through the years I never didn't enjoy the bike I was on at the moment. I guess riding has always been more important than wanting.
Those bikes put me on the same roads as the bike before and the feeling was always the same. Me the bike and my surroundings as one. The brand or model decal on the tank had very little to do with any of that.  I heard all the remarks from others when I had my foreign bikes, and I also heard remarks from others when I had my sportster, like when are you going to buy a real Harley and stop riding a girlster. That one always made me laugh as we took off from a light and my Girlster dusted there azz. 

Now I own a 04 RK  and I love the bike, it takes me down the same roads as all my other bikes. Being truthful, I don't love it more than my 305 Honda Super Hawk that I had in the Navy. That bike was the only thing I owned at the time except for maybe a couple pair of civilian cloths. It meant the difference between walking and riding. I road that bike up and down the Fla. Keys for 2-1/2 years. I will always cherish those days regardless of what others said about my bike. Others thoughts and words meant nothing. I was having a blast and that was all that mattered. I've learned that if you’re a true Motorcyclist it's not what you ride it's that you do ride. All the other B/S that some like to throw around is just that B/S. If they truly enjoyed riding as much as they say they do they wouldn't need to judge you on what your riding. They'd already understand none of it matters as long as your knees are in the breeze.

[takwolf]

When I had my Sportster, a guy called it a "girl's bike", I asked him if he wanted to explain to everyone how he got beat-up by a guy that rode a girl's bike?

[J-Carr]

A friend at my local dealership rides a Sportster.  He set the 1/8 mile (Speed and ET) and 1/4 mile (Speed and ET) AHDRA Hot Street records on it...  Go ahead, call that a girl's bike.

I rode my 1200 Sporty 12 straight hours once, just gas and go stops.  Many dresser guys can't do that.  I rode my Sporty 5000 miles in a year on 2 different occasions.  Don't know many non-touring big twin guys who put that many miles on.

I got off my Sporty because I wasn't man enough for it anymore.  I got to dang old and needed the cushy ride, backrest and storage space to haul all my meds along.  .  So I say to my Sporty breathen, "You the man!"

As to the other makes and models, a rider's a rider with one exception.  I have no use for the adrenilin junkies on any brand of crotch rocket (Buell, Jap or German) who using thte street as a stunt track.  Ride it fast, ok.  Ride it on one wheel or at 150 mph, you're gonna get someone killed.  Go find some track or private lot to do that stupidity in.  Heck, I'll even pay to watch.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[Ultrashovel]

I don't think I would have moved. I might have put my boot on his saddlebag and tried to push him over though. It's hard to chase someone with your bike on the ground. LOL. 

[motorplex88]

As the old saying goes, it's not what you ride, it's who you ride with. And that tour pack monkey thing is some funny sh#*, I can't quit laffin.

[RK101]

Funny thing after my sporty whooped up on his softail he never called it a girlster ever again. He learned a lesson that day. Just because a bike is loud doesn't make it fast, it only makes it loud.    The RK Barka lounger suites me just fine now and it's my last bike, I have know desire to own any other bike, but if you own a different brand or model  and you like it, well the only thing I can say is Cool.  Ride safe and enjoy. Maybe we'll meet on the road someday and share a few laughs and some frosty ones.

[Tsani]

Tell them to kick start a sporty on a cold damp mountain morning and then let ya know how much of a girlie bike it is.

[hardonthemerch]

Attitudes like that is why I dont go on any HOG rides any more. I would rather ride with people that ride because they enjoy motorcycling, and not those that buy a bike to show they are better than others.

LOL - You don't ride with HOG members because of their attitude?

[Panzer]

J-Carr,
Your quote:  I got off my Sporty because I wasn't man enough for it anymore.   I got to dang old and needed the cushy ride, backrest and storage space to haul all my meds along.  .  So I say to my Sporty breathen, "You the man!".

Thx for the compliment. 
I own an 07' sporty, my only bike and I love it.
I bet I'm older then you and age is all in the mind, young or old, you just have to decide which.

And, I would have given the idiot the "what fors" in no uncertain terms too.

Panzer

[tireater]

I feel cheated...I am a big, scary guy and people I don't know never give me chit no matter what I ride...U R lucky...

[Ultrashovel]

Attitudes like that is why I dont go on any HOG rides any more. I would rather ride with people that ride because they enjoy motorcycling, and not those that buy a bike to show they are better than others.

LOL - You don't ride with HOG members because of their attitude?

I was in HOG for about ten years. I used to be an officer and all of that. Some have bad attitudes but those generally don't stay long. For the most part, they are like anyone else. Some do drink a bit too much on the rides, however, so I eventually had to go elsewhere.

[J-Carr]

J-Carr,
Your quote:  I got off my Sporty because I wasn't man enough for it anymore.   I got to dang old and needed the cushy ride, backrest and storage space to haul all my meds along.  .  So I say to my Sporty breathen, "You the man!".

Thx for the compliment. 
I own an 07' sporty, my only bike and I love it.
I bet I'm older then you and age is all in the mind, young or old, you just have to decide which.

And, I would have given the idiot the "what fors" in no uncertain terms too.

Panzer

Hey Panzer,

I grew old, not up.   I'm only 41.  But I had a heart attack at 35 and herniated some disks in my back.  I've gotten myself straightened out health wise but I just never could get my back to co-opporate on the Sporty after that.    For Tireater: Careful...That can change! When I had my heart attack I was a 350 pound scary guy too!  Then I had gastric bypass weight loss surgery.  Now I weigh 200 pounds and I'm not scary.  I used to just look at a jerk crooked and they'd go away.  Now I look and they look bak like "what you gonna do old man".  Oh well.  I have a fix for that too.  Whenver possible I ride with my bud who was a bouncer at Hammerjack's in Baltimore.  Kinda like carrying a loaded gun in full view but legal!  

I bought a dresser for long distances and fell in love.  Found I wasn't treating the sporty right and it was a shame to keep it locked up in the garage so I sold it so it could be appreciated.  by going down to one bike I was able to upgrade and two years ago as a reward for getting my act together health wise my wife suggested I go buy the Screamin' Eagle.  Plus my lawyer firend assured me that the bike was cheaper then a girlfriend for mid-life crisis!

The '07s a great ride.  The new rubber mount frame really improved the look, comfort and handling on the Sporty's.  I'm friends with my local dealer and helping out at various functions I get to ride most of the models.  I really think alot of the Sporty these days.  Mine was a '94 and although I loved that bike I just felt "at home" when I got my first dresser.  I also ride with a guy who's got a Kawasaki Nomad and a guy with a V-Star.  Also nice bikes.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[Big Dan]

The funny part about the "Sportster is a girls bike thing" is that it goes both ways. I love it when a guy on a Sportster (or a Dyna or a Softail) makes some snide comment about my "old man's bike" while sitting at a stop light, and then the light goes green and they get downright shamed. Lol- Thanks HTT, for makin' it all possible.

[Ultrashovel]

I remember when the Sportster first came out. It was the successor to the Models K, KK and KHK (the last of the flathead solo bikes). It was certainly not thought of as a woman's bike at that time. It wa just about the fastest thing around back then.

The connection of Sportsters and wonen came about later on when women began riding more and wanted a lighter Harley. I think the dealers pushed that idea to sell more bikes. Lots of males buy Sportsters though, partly due to the price.

[tireater]

If you have a Sporty... get a little thicker skin...I asked another rider how it was going at a mountain top bar...
He said 'OK ...even if you think I have a girls bike"...Of course I ask what the hell he is talking about...
Months before He said I said Sportys were for girls...There were 10 women who showed up all gay and on Sportys that day...
I didn't even know the guy rides a Sporty and he is mad at me months later...Just like a girl...

[RK101]

Dan I used to bust on my friends about riding the road sofas when I had my Softail, but it was just banter among friends.
When I got my RK they busted on me unmercifully.    It was fun and harmless and know one got heated over it. If it wasn't that it would be something else. They even busted on my front fender extension, They told me to get that pos off my fender. They told me to look on the inside of it when I took it off to see if there was a Budwiser label on it. LOL They broke my nads so bad it was the first thing I changed. LOL Now I'm busting on one of them about the shield he put under the seat to remove some of the heat off the rear cylinder on his 08 ultra. I tell him his nad sack hangs to low. LOL  It's never ending,and if we didn't bust on each other we'd know something was seriously wrong.  
As for the smart azzes, you have to admit it is nice to put them in there place with not a word said.  

[mrmotoguzzi00]

"When I had my Sportster, a guy called it a "girl's bike", I asked him if he wanted to explain to everyone how he got beat-up by a guy that rode a girl's bike?"

LMAO   had to wipe my eye's i was laughing so hard when i read that, thanks for that takwolf