Annoying things people say to motorcyclists

[chief]

Yeah, Bake... I never, ever considered resale.  I suppose if you buy on credit, its more of a concern if you think you may have to get rid of it before you get it paid off... Personally, I don't usually buy bikes on credit. I would wager everyone who uses that argument have a bike payment.

[David Baker]

Being from the York, Pa area I don't have to tell you how many Harley's there  are here compared to Drifters, I have friends and relatives that work for Harley, It's tough for them to wrap their head around the fact that something as stylish and reliable costs less than their "Buy American" Harley's.

My nephew (Die-Hard, Who works for Harley) Was pretty upset when I bought the Drifter, He said "You should be looking at the resale value of the bike." I said "Really?... If you're looking at the resale value... You must not have the bike you want!" You guessed it... Dead silence! lmao

[jmbo]

When I road Triumphs I had a Brit in a Range Rover drive up next to me and ask if Triumph still made cycles.  "Nah, this is really a Honda."

[pcarrell]

You're probably right............

[49Reo]

I have a guy up the street who snubs me because I don't ride a "real" Indian.  He rides a Suzuki......

No great loss...

[pcarrell]

I have a guy up the street who snubs me because I don't ride a "real" Indian.  He rides a Suzuki......

[49Reo]

Them (with their buddies around) - "I only ride Harley's.  I am different, a breed of my own, billy badass, blah, blah, blah" - then they try really hard to all be alike!  Same clothes, same shoes, same bike - usually black, same ignorant attitude.  Ha!  Ride all day by yourself just because you love it - instead of meeting up with your drunk pals to spend most of the day in bars TALKING about how cool you are...

A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way into Kamloops, B.C. when I saw as Goldwing on the shoulder, guy working on it. I stopped, asked if he needed help, he said "you have NO idea how many bikes have passed me, not one of them even slowed down. Most of them were Harleys. Ive been here over an hour and NO ONE has stopped. My bike just up and quit, the battery is dead. I found one at Canadian Tire but it won't be ready for 2 hours, and I have no way to get it."  I said I would go pick it up and bring it back, he gave me what cash he had,(not enough to cover the battery) I told him I would go check on my bike while waiting for the battery; went to get the battery, woundn't tbe ready for another hour and a half. Poor guy had by now been sitting in 90 degree heat for better than 3 hours, we gave him a bottle of water before leaving him, that was all he had. I went back to the shop where my bike was, picked up a trailer, went and picked him and his bike up, he told us a whole bunch of Harleys went by, never even slowed down. A passing train (he was right next to the train tracks) the engineer hollered at him, and threw him another bottle of water. (Yes this story is going someplace) We went and picked up the battery, put it in, started the bike, and watched the voltage dropping. Alternator shot. So headed up t o where the Yamaha deasler was, (Honda was closed for the day) the yamaha dealer is in the same complex as the Harley shop; this is where the story is going. As we pulled up, A.J. (Goldwing guy) says, "hey, that's the bunch of HARLEYS THAT PASSED ME JUST BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP WITH THE TRAILER" (Damn capslock, I hate it.) When we got out to unlad the bike, the Harley riders started laughing and saying, "Hey, thats the bike we saw broken down on the east side of rown!" A.J. said, "yeah, that was me, thanks for stopping!" they all snicker, and stood watching as a lady, (my wife) a guy on a cane (me) and A.J. struggled to unload the bike. Real tough men; spell that "sidewalk commandos" It literally made me ashamed to own a Harley; their attitude is so much the same as most Harley riders I know; which is why I will not join one of the "H.O.G." groups. Long story short, Yamaha treated A.J. like a king, got his bike up and running right, took 2 days to get parts, so a bit of a delay in his trip, but on he went and made it home safely. Too bad butt-holes like those Harley riders have to tarnish the reputations of so many good people on bikes. Well, enough of me running my mouth;

Ride safe, and help others out as you do (even if they do ride Harleys!)

Regards and such,
49Reo

[CDNRatMan]

 rode my new bike to work today...lol..and a few people saw me ride i nad park...I had no issues....and these are none riders so remember that .....First question for most of them....I know how to ride a bike.......

no I am just learning and figured driving in morning rush hours is the way to learn.......

or did you ride that to work......

nope just pushed it all the way here all up hill.......

[ernie]

I had an odd one. she said "doesn't it make you nervous that you might die."  me wasn't to sure what to say rather it was time to move out. 

[Snow Drifter]

  Then last summer I had my 2 brother in-laws down from Nova Scotia, ( they seem to be tired of all the HD's up there, some sort of anti-pushy American thing maybe). But we rented a Road King and a Heritage Classic so we could all ride down in Galveston. Well it turned into a struggle over who was going to get to ride my 99 Drifter after about the first 50 miles! We were sitting at an intersection on the east side of the Houston ship channel with the map pulled out, sittin on our rides trying to figure out where we were when this nice older couple pulls up in an old pick-up and asks us if they can help us get where we wanna go. Then the old feller driven the truck leans forward looking out past his wife and says with a big grin and obvious sarcasm " Nice of you Harley boys to let that scraggily old Indian tag along with you!!" My brother was on my Drifter at the time, but we all almost dropped our bikes from laughin so hard!!

[1SG CAV]

last night I pull up to our church. This guy comes over and said," I thought you had a harley by the way it sounds." He then says "Nice INDIAN" I tell him it is a Kawasaki and he says, "NO way" I said yep it's a drifter . He was totally impressed with the looks.  I just said Thanks and smiled.

Ride with Pride

[chief]

Yeah, there are still those who think you can buy cool and 'brotherhood'.  I had a triumph chop way back. A club wanted to recruit me but told me I'd have to get a HD. The reasoning... for parts and expertise... those bikes needed a LOT of attention!

No worry. Let them drive up the price of one brand. That means my dollar can buy top quality bikes of other brands. Too many good bikes out there to restrict yourself to one brand.

[Troll]

Seems they have to try to impress SOMEBODY.....Don't see many H-Ds with Dragon emblems or Iron butt stickers...

[racemom91]

them "wow, is that bike yours?" (as I stand there with gear/keys in hand) - me "no, I stole from the neighbors"
them - "isn't that a big bike for you" - me "isn't that car too smart for you?"

them (if you are one on one without their buddies around) - "well, it's not what you ride, it's that you ride" - me "I disagree.  I'm proud of my ride.  I'll park beside you any day and we'll see which bike people come to look at!"

Them (with their buddies around) - "I only ride Harley's.  I am different, a breed of my own, billy badass, blah, blah, blah" - then they try really hard to all be alike!  Same clothes, same shoes, same bike - usually black, same ignorant attitude.  Ha!  Ride all day by yourself just because you love it - instead of meeting up with your drunk pals to spend most of the day in bars TALKING about how cool you are...

and this was my all time favorite, which actually kind of scared me a bit (too late of course as I had already opened my mouth and inserted my foot) - harley guy "come over and sit on this bike (a sporster), you can lift it, it's not too heavy" (group of four, 1 sporty and 2 baggers and a 1200) me " I wouldn't take that bike if you gave it to me, it's the ugliest bike I've ever seen, and of course it's not too heavy" as I climbed on the biggest bagger there and proceeded to stand it upright, followed by "and you all need to spend a day cleaning these dirty ass bikes anyway! How you gonna find all your oil leaks and loose bolts if you don't clean them?"  hahahahha

Just had to touch on the "harley" group as I read some of the previous posts...the attitude is pretty lousy if there's more than a few of them around .... they feel the need to impress each other for some reason?...

[chief]

Wonder how much he charges? I think that would be a good business... wonder if he works on AC too?

[ratze]

iam sitten outside a truk stop, 30degres geten suited up. a guys says its kinda cold aint it, i said yea an my heaters only puten out 50lbs pointen to my oil pressure guage. he said his son fixes motorcycle heaters. an he was dead serious.           WOW.

[49Reo]

I agree, Kimbershooter; it's just the naivete  of some people that makes me chuckle sometimes; on the + side, I get more people liking it than otherwise, aside from the local H.O.G. chapter, who tend to get hung up on the "if it ain't a Harley, it ain't $h!t! Which poses another question: if it is a Harley, is it $h!t? LOL 

Regards and such,
Fred

[Kimbershooter]

Pulled up at the National Cemetary this last holiday to help 88 other bikers put wreaths on the grave stones (4000). Most of the bikes were Harleys, but my Drifter 1500 was there. Immediately a group of people walked past the Harley line up to look at my Drifter. A man said Wow! Look it's an Indian. Another man was there and said. No, its not an Indian. I have an Indian. He said it's way, way,, better than an Indian. He said, It's a Kawasaki Drifter. I looked at him and smiled. He said to me, Man am I jealous. After finishing up and coming back to ride home, there was still a crowd around the Drifter. The same guy was there pointing out the features on it for me. (For annoyance part, I get the "that is not really an Indian" comment.) I included the above to point out there are a few people out there who 'get it'.

[49Reo]

My son-in-law and I stopped for coffee at a small road-side cafe a couple of years back; he rides a  Honda VFR 800, I was on my Drifter.  A couple of guys pulled in on their Harley's as we were getting on our bikes, the one guy asked how I liked my Indian... I just smiled and said "I love it" he replied "you know it's not a real Indian, don't you?" DUHH,! I bought it, I licensed it, I ride it;... Yeah, I think I have that figured out.
Oh well, if you can't laugh with them, laugh at them.

Regards and such,
Fred

[La Douche]

I work as a service manager at a diesel shop, i ride a bike year round (luckily here in south ga i can) but since i've gotten the drifter ive had atleast one a day ask me about my indian....

I always get people ask questions about it and then pull out pics of their old run down harleys and talk about how good they are

I obviously cant make any sarcastic remarks as im at work but boy do i feel it on the inside

when i had a vtx 1300c all done up i would get people come in and say, i was gonna ask you what kind of harley that was until i saw it said honda.... and then proceed to show me their bikes....

I think the best ones are when its pouring down rain and im in my rain gear about to come home, they ask me if im going to ride in it.... i just smile and step outside

[chief]

I've thought for a long time that non-bikers look at a big bike and think "harley"... its even more obvious they have no clue when the bike has big ole Indian-ish fenders!

[Troll]

  So, for some strange reason, we have no snow, and pretty nice weather, with highs in the upped 40's. I couldn't possibly leave the bike parked, so I went for a cruise again today...Stopped at a fast "food" place for lunch, and got into this exchange: That your bike? yes (I have my jacket on, helmet and gloves on the table). Aren't you cold?  No, you just have to dress for it...it's not that bad for January.  What kinda Harley is that? I never heard of a Harley Drifter.....you can fill in any blanks from here you want. I really think that people are starting to use the term "Harley" like you would use kleenex...generic. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and smile. Going out again tomorrow, they are promising snow for Wednesday, and they more "normal" temps.

[alamogeorge]

"Did you forget to put on your seatbelt?" I can't blaim anyone else for this. I usually say it to myself about once a month. I thought it was a newbie thing but I'm still saying it 2 years later. Still a newb and always will be.

When they tell you that they had a friend die in a motorcycle accident, after consoling them for their loss, tell them that you have had several friends die in car accidents.

[cmoran23]

This one is my all-time favorite.

After talking about my ride:

"Yea, but isn't riding a motorcycle dangerous?"

[VN1500]

Some of my most annoying.........[them] ya know a friend of mine was killed in a M/C crash...etc,etc

[ me on a Nomad]...Nice V-Rod...didn't know they offered a bagger version....

[them] I been thinkin' bout buyin' one, but id have to be a Harley..& a big one. [me] have you owned a M/C in the past..[them] no but I know I'd ride hard so I'd need a big one.

[guy on H/D,EVO] how do you like your little Kawasaki?...[me] are you smart enough to subtract 1340 from 1470?..[them] no answer...[me]..that's how much bigger mine is than yours.

And my favorite...not bashing but!....I was on a BMW....[them] nice little BMW...when ya going to move up to a Harley?..[me] my first motorcycle was a Harley, & I've been moving up ever since...