I hate Harley Davidson!

Harley-Davidson began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1901, when 21-year-old William Harley and
20-year-old Arthur Davidson decided they wanted to take "the work out of bicycling."

The first Harley in 1903 was essentially a bicycle with an engine, as seen here:

popularmechanics.comheroes harley davidsonOpen ↗

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

... or at least, the image.

The next time some idiot blasts past me and rips the throttle for my amusement I'm going to knock
them off their bikes at the next stop, if I catch them. If these pukes keep waking me up every
morning blasting their over-priced noise-makers past my apartment, I'm going to take up
street-side protest with a sign that says "Harley riders are pussys!"

Quoted message said:

[censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

i wonder how many people in this thread are motorcyclists? i am, to the tune of 250,000+ miles on
several brands, including three harleys. as in most other things in life, you will find most
motorcyclists are courteous to other road users, and there are a few bad apples that often
overshadow the good that other motorcyclists do. yes, i've been irritated by harley riders, along
with a few riders of other brands. all towns have excessive noise ordinances. you should call your
local police dep't. to report your problem. trying to knock them off their bikes or put up the sign
you mentioned is a very bad idea and is inviting a physical confrontation. smokey

Corvus Corvax said:

Since when would he get his ass kicked by a bunch of dentists?

While I realize there's a lot of middle aged yuppies on Harley's these days, the biker gang types
are still on them too. I still see them here in SoCal all the time. I sure wouldn't mess with them.

--Bill Davidson
--
Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies.

I'm a 17 year veteran of usenet -- you'd think I'd be over it by now

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

[censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

Maybe those same tax dollars could enforce laws to force biking [censored] to add head lights, brake
lights, turn signals, and higher gears to their bicycles so that they could keep up with posted
speed limits.

Please don't view this as a flame toward you personally... but as an example of how people think
other people's form of transportation should be more like their own. A lot of the posts here talk of
how motorist are unaware of the lifestyle of a bicyclist, yet here you are applying the same
prejudice toward motorcyclist.

Just a thought...

--
- Chris - www.skokatt.com
_____________________________

People say I'm cruel. But I have the heart of a small child. In a jar. On my desk.

Quoted message said:

I hate Harley Davidson!

Quoted message said:

Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

I was coming back from SD, to NY on my Harley, no, not from Sturgis, heading east to Pierre SD(??)
and passed a hundred or so bicyclists, a line which stretched for miles. There wasn't a cloud in
the sky, and I didn't see a shaded spot all along the route and the temperature when I reached
Pierre was
104.

I gave all the bicyclists plenty of room, and coasted by all of them with the least possible amount
of exhaust sound. As I passed I gave each group or single rider a blip of the horn and a thumbs up.
I told my wife, who was riding with me on the back, when we stopped for a break, that I bet when all
the cyclists gathered at the end of the day they would say, " did ya see that F'ing Harley guy
giving us the finger?"

Of course I ride a bicycle too.

Phil [email hidden] (Harveywallbanger)

"Skokatt" <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

Maybe those same tax dollars could enforce laws to force biking [censored] to add head lights, brake
lights, turn signals, and higher gears to their bicycles so that they could keep up with posted
speed limits.

Please don't view this as a flame toward you personally... but as an example of how people think
other people's form of transportation should be more like their own. A lot of the posts here talk
of how motorist are unaware of the lifestyle of a bicyclist, yet here you are applying the same
prejudice toward motorcyclist.

You are so wrong. Deducing that from my statements is quite a stretch! I don't mind motorcycles at
all, really. In fact, I personally love to ride motorcycles (started when I was 14). What I mind is
people whose egos are so large or fragile or whatever psychological maladay they have that they are
readily willing to disturb other's peace and violate their rights. Frankly, I don't give a damn what
others do until it starts violating my rights and reducing the quality of my life. Do you think I
shouldn't have a say about that, or is that prejudiced?

Quoted message said:

Just a thought...

No offense (taken or given), but, think again.

Quoted message said:

--
- Chris - www.skokatt.com
_____________________________

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

"Bill Davidson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:eOmYa.40340$Ne.1464@fed1read03...

Quoted message said:

Corvus Corvax said:

Since when would he get his ass kicked by a bunch of dentists?

While I realize there's a lot of middle aged yuppies on Harley's these days, the biker gang
types are still on them too. I still see them here in SoCal all the time. I sure wouldn't mess
with them.

Yeah, well, you can be sure 99% of these guys are of the more benign variety. Aside from that, why
does everyone feel it's their duty to warn my of the possible responses to my actions. <sarcasm
on> Ya know, I might've never thought aggressive behavior might lead to conflict. Do you suggest I
hold a crumpet and tea party to explain my views to all these idiots? Anyway, back when John Wayne
was a hero I learned that you don't let criminals run you out of your neighborhood. I laugh at
fearmongers who say "Don't say anything! You never know what they might do!" to anyone who might
be doing something wrong.

Quoted message said:

--Bill Davidson
--

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

"Phil" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I hate Harley Davidson!

Quoted message said:

Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

I was coming back from SD, to NY on my Harley, no, not from Sturgis,

heading

Quoted message said:

east to Pierre SD(??) and passed a hundred or so bicyclists, a line which stretched for miles.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I didn't see a shaded spot all along the route and the
temperature when I reached Pierre

was

Quoted message said:

104.

I gave all the bicyclists plenty of room, and coasted by all of them with

the

Quoted message said:

least possible amount of exhaust sound. As I passed I gave each group or single rider a blip of
the horn and a thumbs up. I told my wife, who was riding with me on the back, when we stopped for
a break, that I bet when

all

Quoted message said:

the cyclists gathered at the end of the day they would say, " did ya see

that

Quoted message said:

F'ing Harley guy giving us the finger?"

Of course I ride a bicycle too.

Phil [email hidden] (Harveywallbanger)

Hey, Phil, how well does your motorcycle comform with residential sound pollution laws? What kind of
decibels does it put out?

Another question, why does every Harley rider I see continuously blip the throttle at stops? I recon
it's a lot about puffing up the chest, or flexing the muscles, or saying (like a child), "Hey, look
at me!". (ok, *once* I saw a female rider that didn't, while her boyfriend more than made up for
her) Alot of times I'll pull up to these guys on my bike, look at them, puff up my chest, and pound
on it like Tarzan, with each and every throttle blip.

Wouldn't the world be a nice place if every vehicle on the road sounded like a Harley (hear that
[censored] roaring from a mile away), and everyone blipped their throttles continuously at stops.

Give me a break. Most of you guys are jokes (not you, necessarily) and need to live in Montana or
somewhere they only infringe on the rights of moose. Face it, this attitude is incompatible with
modern urban living. And Marlon Brando isn't cool anymore.

Oh, and for what it's worth, if bicyclists routinely wakened me from my sleep (particularly if they
all rode the same poser brand) and caused hearing damage when the went past me on the road, then I'd
post a similar topic on them as well.

Also, just in case someone might consider me "prejudiced", maybe conditions outside your bedroom
window are different, but there are no rice burners blasting down my street, hitting 3rd gear/45mph
in a 30mph in one block, from one stop sign to the next, rattling windows, scaring babies, and
generally disregarding the rights of others to live in peace and quiet. Most of these guys are about
riding the highways, not pretending they're Marlon Brando or some cowboy.

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Harley-Davidson began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1901, when 21-year-old William Harley and
20-year-old Arthur Davidson decided they wanted to take "the work out of bicycling."

The first Harley in 1903 was essentially a bicycle with an engine, as seen here:

popularmechanics.comheroes harley davidsonOpen ↗

Their technology hasn't changed much. OK, maybe a little up till 1950 or so. You'd think crappy
bikes would cost a bit less. I fail to see the allure of such overpriced junk. Or why Harley riders
never get tickets for the noise laws they almost always break.

Quoted message said:

The first Harley in 1903 was essentially a bicycle with an engine, as seen here:

popularmechanics.comheroes harley davidsonOpen ↗

Is that a suspension fork?

I think I have that same fork on my mountain bike.

--
Rick Onanian

Thu, 07 Aug 2003 07:41:16 -0000, <[email hidden]>, Skokatt

[email protected] said:

higher gears to their bicycles so that they could keep up with posted speed limits.

Posted speeds are the maximum. You aren't obliged to go that fast.
--
zk

Robin Hubert said:

up for her) Alot of times I'll pull up to these guys on my bike, look at them, puff up my chest,
and pound on it like Tarzan, with each and every throttle blip.

This has got to be a comical picture. I'd love to see it.

Maybe I'll try it if I find myself in that situation.

Quoted message said:

Give me a break. Most of you guys are jokes (not you, necessarily) and need to live in Montana or
somewhere they only infringe on the rights of moose.

There are moose in Montana? I thought just cows there.

Moose are cool. I damn near got my Pontiac mauled 6 or 7 times in one week while in Maine...

Quoted message said:

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]>

--
Rick Onanian

Robin Hubert said:

variety. Aside from that, why does everyone feel it's their duty to warn of the possible responses
to my actions. <sarcasm on> Ya know, I might've never thought aggressive behavior might lead to
conflict. Do you suggest hold a crumpet and tea party to explain my views to all these idiots?

Good point, but doing something that will result in a brawl, even if you were trying to be peaceful
and they attacked, is bad for both groups. It makes the whole rest of the world, especially the
lawmakers who could possibly make a difference (not that they would), think we're all idiots.

Also, a bicyclist with broken legs doesn't get far.

Quoted message said:

Anyway, back when John Wayne was a hero I learned that you don't let criminals run you out of your
neighborhood. I laugh at fearmongers who say "Don't say anything! You never know what they might
do!" to anyone who might be doing something wrong.

That is a good point. Many of us grew up after John Wayne ceased to be a mass-market hero [myself
included], but could stand to adopt a little bit of that attitude.

Quoted message said:

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]>

--
Rick Onanian

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Robin Hubert <[email hidden]> wrote:
: ... or at least, the image.

: The next time some idiot blasts past me and rips the throttle for my amusement I'm going to
: knock them off their bikes at the next stop, if I catch them. If these pukes keep waking me up
: every morning blasting their over-priced noise-makers past my apartment, I'm going to take up
: street-side protest with a sign that says "Harley riders are pussys!"

Quoted message said:

: [censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

: Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

: --
: Robin Hubert <[email hidden]>

Funny story, harley rider pulls into our shop like every other day, big fat guy with leather and
chains, just like the sterotype. 5 minutes later a road racer comes in and walks up to the harley
rider and starts curing him out for forcing him off the road a mile or so back. The fatboy starts
yelling something about bicycles should be on the sidewalk and what not, they take it outside and
the harley guy gets his ass kicked by a guy in pink and blue lycra.

--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ramsays-online.comramsays-online.comOpen ↗

Skokatt <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

Maybe those same tax dollars could enforce laws to force biking [censored] to add head lights, brake
lights, turn signals, and higher gears to their bicycles so that they could keep up with posted
speed limits.

Bikers are not required to have these things under the law. Posted speed limits are limits and not
requirements. You can't enforce laws that aren't there. Motorcycles are required by law to have
mufflers and be under a certain sound level. Yet many if not most Harleys are't even close to being
within the law. That's what ticks many non-motorcyclists off.

Quoted message said:

Please don't view this as a flame toward you personally... but as an example of how people think
other people's form of transportation should be more like their own. A lot of the posts here talk
of how motorist are unaware of the lifestyle of a bicyclist, yet here you are applying the same
prejudice toward motorcyclist.

Law enforcement is not prejudice. Well, ok, maybe the rest of his rant was.

Quoted message said:

Just a thought...

Mine too...

Quoted message said:

Give me a break. Most of you guys are jokes (not you, necessarily) and

need

Quoted message said:

to live in Montana or somewhere they only infringe on the rights of moose. Face it, this attitude
is incompatible with modern urban living. And

Marlon

Quoted message said:

Brando isn't cool anymore.

***** Marlon Brando rode a Triumph in "The Wild Ones." *****

Well, remember that they will be deaf at 30 (or 10 years, whichever comes first). Sound drops off
exponentially (sp) as you get further from it. Since you are being lulled out of sleep by the bikes,
just imagine how loud it is for them.

And, to make it worse (for them), it won't just be deafness. They will most likely have tinitus (sp
again), a terrible ringing in the ears all the time. Trust me, it isn't fun. I have a touch of it
from playing the trombone for years and working in rooms with cooling fans running all the time. I
can only imagine what will happen to most of these people when they are older.

Eric

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

... or at least, the image.

The next time some idiot blasts past me and rips the throttle for my amusement I'm going to knock
them off their bikes at the next stop, if I catch them. If these pukes keep waking me up every
morning blasting their over-priced noise-makers past my apartment, I'm going to take up
street-side protest with a sign that says "Harley riders are pussys!"

Quoted message said:

[censored] to muffle these over-priced ego builders.

Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

(Luigi de Guzman) said:

That said, there is one regulation on motorcycles that I'd be keen to introduce. Here in England,
where I'm studying now, the law restricts what sort of motorcycle you are allowed to operate at
which age. You are permitted to ride progressively more powerful motorcycles (measured by engine
displacement in cubic centimetres) as you grow older. This is a fantastic idea, and I don't know
why it doesn't catch on in north america...

Their formula would be inappropriate applied to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which have colossal
displacement but usually feeble horsepower. Further confusing matters is the fact that most Harleys
are quite heavy. Comparing an air-cooled Harley (1440cc, 700lbs, 55hp) to a Japanese race-replica
streetbike (599cc, 400lbs, 95hp) illustrates the point that displacement is not a good indicator of
power or specific performance.

As a plus-sized motorcyclist (2.04m/165kg), I suspect that getting into motorcycling on a 50cc bike
would not have been a reasonable option for me. That requirement might have left me as just another
jerk with a full-sized pickup truck as personal transportation.

I started with a 1100cc, 150mph streetbike because it gave an acceptable fit. I wound up crashing a
few times due to its abundant power combined with my lack of expertise, though. I would have done
well to start instead on a modestly-powered Harley, if such a bike had been priced according to its
worth. ;^)

Chalo Colina

Bill Davidson said:

One thing I have noticed is that when a motorcycle is zipping in and out of lanes through traffic
and generally riding like a maniac, it usually isn't someone on a Harley. For some reason, Harley
riders seem to be smarter riders than the average guy on a Japanese or German motorcycle.

H-D riders are, by and large, older than most riders of Japanese motorcycles, but less experienced
mileage-wise than most BMW riders.

Also note that Harleys don't "zip".

Chalo Colina

You should rethink point no.2. Diversity of speed on a road is NOT a good thing and, in fact, leads
to accidents. The safest road situations (other factors being held constant) are those where the
traffic is moving and the same speed or very nearly so. Large speed differences are a great way to
beg for accidents. You cannot seriously think that putting bicyclists and agricultural tractors on a
high speed highway with traffic flow moving at 70+ m.p.h. is a good thing.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
"Luigi de Guzman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyone else want to throw rocks at these idiots?

Nope, not me.

Why?

1) Motorcyclists in general, Harley riders included, are usually extremely polite to me. I think
there's a certain cameraderie in being on two wheels, exposed to the elements, and vigorously
asserting one's right to be on the roadway in the face of wave after wave of Cadillac
Escalades. (Trivia time: "escalade" is actually a technical military term, referring to the
taking of a fortress by storm, using ladders to scale the walls. yuk.)

Heck, I even wave at some of them, and a lot of them wave back.

2) I'm generally in favour of more diversity among road-users. This embraces motorcyclists, pedal
cyclists, tractors, equestrians, etc.

3) Back at home, the motorcycle cops ride Harleys. I wave at them. They wave back. They also wave
me through intersections they happen to be controlling. I know them all by face, and they know
me by face and bike. I feel safer.

I figure you merely encountered an [censored], and even my brief experience on this world has taught
me that [censored] are more or less equally-distributed among all walks of life and modes of
transport.

That said, there is one regulation on motorcycles that I'd be keen to introduce. Here in England,
where I'm studying now, the law restricts what sort of motorcycle you are allowed to operate at
which age. You are permitted to ride progressively more powerful motorcycles (measured by engine
displacement in cubic centimetres) as you grow older. This is a fantastic idea, and I don't know
why it doesn't catch on in north america...

heck, I'd be all for instituting a similar rule on engine displacement or power for cars, as well.
That way, you don't have kids doing stupid things in stupid-powerful cars, obliterating themselves
and endangering everybody else.

-Luigi

Luigi for Transportation Tsar: Fair and Balanced!