Why The Hate

[dan3]

Originally Posted by oasysco

Honestly, I think msot people think of little bikes and scooters when you say Honda. They're not thinking heavy muscle cruisers. It's like msot of the unitiated think every crusier type of bike is a Harley. Same for Harley-only people; any brand other than Harley is a scooter.

There is something to that. About three or four years ago I went to the local HD dealer to see what kind of deal I could get on a RK. And I was serious so don't even go there about wasting time. Anyway the salesperson asked me what I was riding now and I said a Honda VTX. So she said "you are tired of that little sportbike huh?" That's the impression of the ignorant HD snob in their own little world. Hell I even told her right up front that I was just window shopping for now and needed a number to put things in perspective. I educated her and said seeya when I found out what the payments were gonna be. Robbery. I could not then and still cannot now figure out why people will pay those prices and be happy. Just the institution of being a Harley owner, for many people, is a religion so the price to them is irrelevant I guess.

[KenzX]

Originally Posted by oasysco

Hey, he let you live, didn't he?

That he did...

He didn't look like someone I would have enjoyed (or survived) debating on any topic anyway, so I didn't call him out on his rudeness.

[lucky_1_chris_0613c]

Originally Posted by KenzX

I've only gotten the "HD attitude" once from an actual HD rider (and, ironically, I had stopped to help him as he was broken down on the side of the road... ) All the other comments I've ever received (and there haven't been that many) have been from people that didn't have ANY motorcycle, much less a Harley.

I had a similar experience. I stopped for a harley rider around the corner from my apartment a couple years ago. He said he had a problem with his battery, and if he could get his seat off he could get it going. I told him I carry some tools and offered to help him get the seat off, he said no thanks, honda tools couldn't get it off. I told him that I had a small toolkit with metric and standard tools, and that if I didn't have what we needed I could run to my garage right quick and be back in 5 minutes. Then he told me that he didn't need my help, he'd call somebody, and looked off in another direction and just kinda ignored me. From the way he said "honda tools", and his attitude to a perfect stranger offering to help it was clear that the guy had a problem with me being on a honda. He was still there 20 minutes later when I came back home. Some people just don't get it. Some folks buy harleys to ride, others buy 'em for an image. This guy was obviously the latter. It's usually the image guy wannabe who have the problems.

[phambo]

I have a bit of an issue with HD because for years their tactic was shaming people into buying their products. If you don't buy a HD, you are not a patriotic American. Heck, you are not even an American. A lot of HD owners have the same attitude. It never occurred to them, until recently, build a quality product and let the capitalist market take it due course.

[oasysco]

Originally Posted by phambo

I have a bit of an issue with HD because for years their tactic was shaming people into buying their products. If you don't buy a HD, you are not a patriotic American. Heck, you are not even an American. A lot of HD owners have the same attitude. It never occurred to them, until recently, build a quality product and let the capitalist market take it due course.

Didn't WalMart do that at the outset... we buy only American (implying so should you). Not long after, that changed to "We buy mostly American" and later "We try to buy American when we can" and now, We buy only Chinese products (implied).

All companies do this type of thing to get your money. Guilt, sex, greed - whatever separates you from your wallet.

[GIJoeJarhead]

Kahuna, my brutha, you're killing me man . . . I wanted to play golf, and now I have to completely re-think that . . .

Mirrors, I like mirrors, mirrors are GOOOOOD!!

[BandMan61]

Originally Posted by GIJoeJarhead

Kahuna, my brutha, you're killing me man . . . I wanted to play golf, and now I have to completely re-think that . . .

Mirrors, I like mirrors, mirrors are GOOOOOD!!

Ditto!!
The blond was hot, but this brunette makes me sweat!

[1800 spec 3]

Originally Posted by phambo

I have a bit of an issue with HD because for years their tactic was shaming people into buying their products. If you don't buy a HD, you are not a patriotic American. Heck, you are not even an American. A lot of HD owners have the same attitude. .

Sadly---there is some truth to this. I have owned 3 Harleys, 1 Yama, 7 Hondas. Loved them all. If it takes a mechanical piece of steel to define your attitudes, thoughts, and character, then you are not much of a man---or woman for that matter.

The bike should be a reflection of your personality---- NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

[dan3]

Harley snobs are pretty laughable, but there are sure alot of them, and there sure are alot of events geared around harleys and the culture. It is what it is. It's a religion. The Company depends on that and perpetuates it. It's a joke to the rest of us but to the diehards it aint no joke. So be it.

[vTxcnut]

" If you cant say something nice.......say nothing". OOpps,Sorry Mom,I have been mean to obama ......but,I cant stop telling the truth either.

[vTxcnut]

60's when I raced Mopars.People were nasty saying things like,"Those terrible sounding starters,those worthless torsion bars,that unibody wont last,its not strong..." Now,almost 100% unibodies and torsion bar suspensions + so many higher compression motors,so an "gear-reduction" starter is necessary and now for the last 25 years,all Mopars are banned from the demo derbies because......they are much tougher! Funny..."what goes around...comes around"!

[Tombstone270]

[toad6301]

What I get a kick out of is a lot of these
Dyed in the wool Honda riders that retrofit HD
parts to their bikes. I chuckle when all
the HD fairings,hard saddlebags,Road King
leather saddlebags, and Tourpaks show up
in those VTX signature pictures, just sayin'

Ride what ya ride and quit griping

[wayne]

Originally Posted by toad6301

What I get a kick out of is a lot of these
Dyed in the wool Honda riders that retrofit HD
parts to their bikes. I chuckle when all
the HD fairings,hard saddlebags,Road King
leather saddlebags, and Tourpaks show up
in those VTX signature pictures, just sayin'

Ride what ya ride and quit griping

Alot of my friends have HDs and i have riden them and rode a lot of miles with them, I dont have a problem with them and they dont have any problems with me.
That being said HD hwy bars, horn, air cleaner, lic. plate, and I did have a whindshield.
We do joke around alot, when some one asks where I got the HD parts, I just say, along side the road.
I do have a hard tail the only thing that is HD is the top end.

[phambo]

Originally Posted by toad6301

What I get a kick out of is a lot of these
Dyed in the wool Honda riders that retrofit HD
parts to their bikes. I chuckle when all
the HD fairings,hard saddlebags,Road King
leather saddlebags, and Tourpaks show up
in those VTX signature pictures, just sayin'

Ride what ya ride and quit griping

A real pirate get a kick and chuckles when he sees people wearing pirate skull caps for no apparent reason.

[bumble]

Originally Posted by dan3

There is something to that. About three or four years ago I went to the local HD dealer to see what kind of deal I could get on a RK. And I was serious so don't even go there about wasting time. Anyway the salesperson asked me what I was riding now and I said a Honda VTX. So she said "you are tired of that little sportbike huh?" That's the impression of the ignorant HD snob in their own little world. Hell I even told her right up front that I was just window shopping for now and needed a number to put things in perspective. I educated her and said seeya when I found out what the payments were gonna be. Robbery. I could not then and still cannot now figure out why people will pay those prices and be happy. Just the institution of being a Harley owner, for many people, is a religion so the price to them is irrelevant I guess.

Like Dan, I do not have disposable income.

[vTxcnut]

having been a "roadwhore"( aperson who accepts contracts and moves from job to job primarily in the nuclear power plant circuit)for many years,thats the first time I ever saw that explained that way. I almost used my old 35+ year handle of "Roadwhore" when I joined ,but,then I reasoned that not many here would understand + being an family forum,I certainly didnt want to offend anyone.In the nuclear business,the "in-house" workers from engineers to painters to ironworkers and almost any occupation there,do not want to either risk being near radioactive material or do the actual Craft work such as welding,electrician etc. So...during periods of major activity such as when the plant is in "shutdown",the company hires outside contractors and as we travel on the nations roads= Roadwhore. I still have many placs and nameplates refering to the above name,but,here I am known as vTxcnut and will stay with that.

[Philscbx]

Originally Posted by metalhealth

I wonder if the HD riders realize just how little of thier bike is made in the USA. It's assembled here but alot of components come from other countries. Food for thought

That's it 100%.
It's not really HD vs Honda, they truly believe HD is the only 100% US machine as it was 35 years ago.
They can't get passed it, and despise others, and probably would rather starve their kids then get a Honda that's 100%.

Yet, 0% of the items in their home is not made in the US, Ok Milk.

Depending on model/
Just like you think Chevy is 100% US, when it's part Toyota & almost all Mexican, Brazil, etc.
Just like Ford, when it's really a Mazda, 100% smart, or they would of been history long ago.

I'm not anti Harley the slightest.
I just prefer high tech, and enjoy the bar stool BS, which doesn't bother me the slightest what shaver you use.
My first job out of the service was Harley in the 70's.

[ironbutter]

Originally Posted by Philscbx

...I'm not anti Harley the slightest.
I just prefer high tech,...

Then why don't you ride a Goldwing or a sportbike? The VTX is probably the lowest-tech motorcycle Honda makes because the bar was low (how hard is it to build a V-twin cruiser with more bang-for-the-buck than a company that deliberately sets prices above the mainstream?)

Let's be honest. Cruiser riders, no matter the marque they ride, buy style and/or comfort over high tech. And you can get that from any brand.

[vtxfreak]

I have just finished reading all of the post and I have to say that when I rode sports bike I never experienced the type of division that I have experienced with my VTX. I suppose being a minority I that I have in life but it never seem so predominate before.

I live in the most culturally diverse city in the world or at least I thought until I moved an hour north and then I realized that things were not as diverse as I had once thought.

While riding where I live now riders don't wave and even go as far as call my bike jap crap. I mean really, I have never distriminated against anyone for who they are or what they ride and yet it happens to me all the time. I have even questioned selling my bike and going back to sports bike but for now I will just avoid riding with others and keep to myself.

I suppose my point is if you think you have it bad there is someone else who has it worse.

[ironbutter]

Originally Posted by vtxfreak

...While riding where I live now riders don't wave and even go as far as call my bike jap crap. I mean really, I have never distriminated against anyone for who they are or what they ride and yet it happens to me all the time...

Intolerance is genetic in some people (and people with intolerant genes come in every color).

Now that the traditional forms of prejudice and bigotry have become politically incorrect, and the intolerant themselves have become not so well tolerated, these mental midgets have become desperate and look for areas where they can be stupidly intolerant without fear of losing their job if they let it slip out in the workplace. Motorcycle brand intolerance is just perfect for them. The political correctness nazis don't care because most of them don't like anybody who rides a motorcycle anyway. Bikers are subversives who drive these 2-wheeled middle fingers that don't have 14 airbags and a 5-star crash rating. Motorcycles are not pc, so bashing any or all is ok. Just like bashing rural caucasians who live in manufactured housing is fine as long as you call them white trash. Bash any other ethnic subgroup, or bash liberal hypocrites, and You're Fired in DT's immortal words.

Bottom line: don't let cretins of any kind bother you especially not Harley bigots OR Honda bigots

[Tombstone270]

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.




tomb

[1800 spec 3]

I love the phrase "mental midgets"--- so true. I get snubbed on Big Yellow all the time with the HD crowd. It don't really bother me because I KNOW behind the dark glasses they are checking out the bike--they just can't bring themselves to acknowledge it with a brief wave or nod---BUT I KNOW THEY ARE LOOKING.

You are not poor or inferior unless you believe it---and that my friend is not determined by chrome, metal, rubber or plastic.

Ride on!

[Philscbx]

Originally Posted by ironbutter

Then why don't you ride a Goldwing or a sportbike?

As Tombstone said, you could be misquoted or judged. Oh Well, So be it.

Bar stool BS is great when they have no idea the scoot in the line-up out front their talking about is yours.
I say nothing to burst their bubble. It's Happy Hour for Fk Sakes.
When the ride commences, then they want more.
It's a huge population out there that have no clue yet.

Now,
My R1, how's that anymore hightech than the X? 40 more Hp?
Tunable on the fly suspension dampeners, alloy frame? Barely 400 lbs.
You may have me there on that point. No body is riding two up on it, or wants to.

Been riding Goldwings since the day the came out uncrating them.
Their tough, but the engines are no way higher tech than the X.
Belt drive cams, 2 valves per cylinder.
They didn't change the slightest bit in 14 years, but go from 4-6 cylinder, 11-1800 and finally injection in 01 and no further change since.

They simply perfected the couch & entertainment to the Nth.
But I already had a Caddy, and despised the Volkswagen sound.
The Rune would be the choice in this class.

Gadgets didn't make them any more high end mechanically.
There's a real inner engineering high tech of Honda's power plants that's being missed here.
Work 12 hrs a day on them, racing it, you'd see the secrets inside of every matting part.
If not, compare shop manual views for a detail hint.

The others all took 20 years to catch up.
Some never will. Push Rods? Going backwards in time was not the goal.
When it went 2 to 4 valves 30 yrs ago in 78 -79, we all had CBX's.
Only Alfa Romero had 4 valves prior.

Going from rubbing two sticks together to a bic lighter, you still want sticks?
I studied the 18x day one, it is the Bic. Linked braking works.
There's little out there that rips elbows straight in it's class right out of the box as a twin.
BMW didn't, Harley not even close, unless a 13x limit, and that leaves Yamaha and a couple others.

The Vrod, probably would do better labeled as a Porsche.

As a Super Bike, I'd choose the 06 RC51 over the R1.
I just wanted a high end street rod, and the 18x did it first.
It's far from perfect at .4 tons, but I'll get to it as needed.
Cheers

[ironbutter]

Originally Posted by Philscbx

I just wanted a high end street rod, and the 18x did it first.
It's far from perfect at .4 tons, but I'll get to it as needed.
Cheers [/SIZE][/FONT]

Thanks for including the last 2 sentences. After that dissertation I was about to re-phrase my question as "Why in the world would you want a VTX since you have those other bikes?"

Apparently we've both owned a variety of bikes, but even the sportbikes I've owned were decidedly less high-tech than yours. In my job I work with some of the most bleeding-edge black boxes on earth down at CLI level. When I get on a bike that is my "to hell with high tech." My last Honda before the X was a GB500--the most beautiful bike that ever came out of Japan. An extremely rare Honda sport bike that didn't spoil its character with overkill technology. Kick myself for selling it!

[dracul]

There are many bikes offering a wide plethora of options and performance characteristics. To each his or her own. Although I've invested a small fortune in customizing my VTX 1800 over the years, I've really no nameplate preference. I'd love to have the funds for 10 or 20 bikes at least; each significantly different from the others. Currently I'm upgrading and performance boosting a Triumph Rocket 3 and am considering a used V-Max in good form. All unique and intriguing scoots. Linear predilections and brand prejudice is ridiculous and childish. I actually like some of the new HD models at last!!! A nice V-Rod would certainly garner my interest

[Philscbx]

Originally Posted by ironbutter

My last Honda before the X was a GB500--the most beautiful bike that ever came out of Japan.
Kick myself for selling it!

That's the perfect in-town beautiful scoot.
I'll definitely be watching for one.

The GB500

The GB500

[oasysco]

Originally Posted by Philscbx

That's the perfect in-town beautiful scoot.
I'll definitely be watching for one.
The GB500

Gotta admit with rat bikes, street fighters, minimalist bikes, and throw backs to cafe-style racers folks seem to like nowadays, that GB500 would be about the coolest thing on 2 wheels around town. Perfect for bike night a Hooters, Quaker Steak and Lube, etc. Talk about turning heads!

[ironbutter]

Originally Posted by Philscbx

[FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="2"] That's the perfect in-town beautiful scoot.
I'll definitely be watching for one.

Oh gee thanks for that video dude now I'm really kicking myself for selling it

If you find one you'll likely pay a pretty penny. Baxter Cycle (an outfit in Iowa that deals in vintage bikes, mostly Brit) had a NEW GB500 they found somewhere a couple years ago and they were asking ~$9K. I paid $2600 for mine brand new when Honda was closing them out with a rebate. Nobody wanted them 'til they were gone. That's the way it goes all too often

[Philscbx]

At first, I thought it was a typo of CB500 which were sweet in the day, and some are restoring them.

So I punched it in, and the video was the top pick.
But I have to admit, the GB500 totally escaped my eyes.