Why can't we all just...sniff...get along?

[Kenneth_Moore]

I’ve been meaning to put up a similar post myself since I joined MO late last year. I get tired of the endless knocking of HD, the ‘Genx-y-z" comments, sport vs. cruiser myself. I’m old enough to remember when the Honda 750 came out and started to really threaten HD’s dominance. Hostility in those days was real, as in get run off the road if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time (I was).



Even funnier was the snobbery within even the HD ranks. Sometime in the 70Â’s, HD started using Hitachi starters. Guys would rip them out and put in the Prestolite so they didnÂ’t have "Jap Junk" in their bikes. Then the belt drive came out, and it was endless comments about "rubber band bikes." It never stops. Just the other day there was a rant on guys who used trailers to get to Daytona. My friend and I took our bikes from Ft Lauderdale to Daytona on a trailer. My back is broken in two places, (thanks Mr. Cager) and I canÂ’t ride more than an hour at most without extreme pain. My buddy has a steel rod for a left leg, but he still rides with a Pingle shifter. I say itÂ’s better to show up on a trailer than not at all.



IÂ’m perfectly aware there are thousands of HD, cruiser, and especially custom or chopper buyers who are in it for the fad. Then there are the ones with the endless chrome and leather fringe, neon lights, whatever. Our bikes are as different as a sailboat is from a "go-fast," but theyÂ’re both cool.



I believe that the more people there are out there on any bike at any time, the more cagers there are with a family member, friend, or co-worker who rides. And itÂ’s my hope that this fact means there are more cagers paying attention to bikes, and not inadvertently, or even deliberately, causing us to wreck. Not to mention that as the industry thrives, our choices in bikes, accessories, service, and cool stuff like MO only increase.



One more thing: IÂ’m not at all sure why, but I believe God likes motorcycles. Maybe itÂ’s because they take us out of the cage and put us back in the world, maybe itÂ’s because they cause far less damage to the world than the SUVs, or maybe God simply thinks theyÂ’re cool. Whatever the reason, when I ride, I feel closer to God than when I don't.

[dorkboy]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, right?

[clively]

Because in a cage you are secluded and enveloped inside a cocoon. On the bike you are out in the wind. There is a heightened sense of vulnerability along with being outside enjoying everything God made from sun, rain, smells, and sights. I get the same feeling when I ride and that is why I think that is.



Plus I ride a real motorcycle, Harley Davidson Road King, and chicks dig it. After being treated to all sorts of devious pleasures, I am sure stemming from riding the motorcycle God intended to ride the earth along with looking like a young, muscular Michael Douglas, I am glad posers ride other atrocities, er motorcycles.



So I think we should all be nice and happy to see other motorcyclists on whatever they want to ride. It is their choice to ride whatever they want, whether it is a real motorcycle, rice rocket, Harley imitation, or whatever. They made that choice for a reason, like they are blessed by God to ride a Harley, can't afford a Harley, or they are really stupid. What I would like to see is more affection shown for the motor cops. They are so nice and just want to help us out but no one waves to them "sniff".

[Buzglyd]

In surfing it's longboard vs. shortboard.



Seruzawa is right. Some people are just insecure or hyper-competitive.



My posts are better than everyone's here but you don't see me rubbing everybody's noses in it.

[Rubble]

I find that the majority of negative comments come from wanna be's and posers - no matter what they are riding. The real riders by and large give the opinion that if it has two wheels it's OK. The most open minded group of people that I've come across are scooter riders.



Rub

[priday]

Beware of sarcasm. Especially here. Read everything here with the assumption that it's said in an Ironic tone, and with a goofy 1/2 smile.....



By and large, this is a pretty tolerant bunch, except when it comes to Idiots. What you ride really doesn't matter. Much.



(grin)



-Rob

[sarnali2]

"wobble home and polish chrome".....



Excellent, we'll file that one away

[BrowningBAR]

Also, beware of the Loud Minority.

[manalagi001]

We're conditioned heavily to adopt and us-versus-them mentality. Team sports, nationalism, brand loyalty, mods vs. rockers, etc. Some people fully internalize this mentality and they extend it to include motorcycles as well. It's difficult to totally erase-- we all enjoy team sports from time to time or enjoy a special satisfaction when we see 'our' brand of bike win a race, even if most of the time as true fans we're just happy to see great competition, and recognize that the teams and brands are less important sometimes than the athletes that switch between them every couple of years.

[pplassm]

Nice try, but a mediocre imitation of the original.