Curious..

[jgarib]

I've not had any issues nor has anyone I know who rides. Then again, i'm relatively new to riding compared to many of you.

[Barracuda]

This is interesting. I've not been riding for very long and have definitely not seen any harassment. In fact, my area is pretty biker friendly and some of the restaurants and businesses even like having the bikers show up. Last night, I was actually at a 'Bike Night' at one of the Helen Back restaurant in my area. This is a weekly event where they actually provide free pizza to anyone who rode their bike. Now it happens to correspond to Thursday Night Football as well so I get to combine two of my favorite things.

When I got home, I was talking to my wife about this really nice man that I met and spent the evening talking with and watching the game with. He was the prototypical biker -- leather jacket under a denim vest (with a bunch of patches), long hair, mustache that went down below his chin -- the whole package. But he was a really nice guy who loved to talk and told me all about his current adventure riding the country.

I then told her that I realized later that I had always wanted to be like my father and that, in many ways, I am very much like him and I'm proud of that. But one of the ways that I'm very different from my father is that my father would have never approached that biker and started a conversation with him. He would have assumed that he was a bad-a$$, no-good, weight on society. He wouldn't have taken the time to talk with him and find out what his life was like and what kind of person that he is. I know that we all create 'first impressions' of people. I'm just as guilty of that as anyone. But I'm glad that I've tried to temper those first impressions and give people the benefit of the doubt. It has allowed me to meet some really interesting people!

[jah2707]

I just wanted to thank everyone for there comments. Being a new rider it is nice to hear what over people and went through.

Been riding for less then a month and haven't had any issues... besides someone in a kia soul thought that they were small enough to use the same lane I was using. I didn't agree and let them pass.

[So-Crates]

Ive gotten more crap about the color of my skin than I have about riding motorcycles...

When I used to work in the San Ramon Valley as a Property Manager, when I would go into offices that my boss owned, the first thing said to me was always "Thanks, but we do not need janitorial service - its paid for by the building owners." I would say "Yes, I know - I am the property manager!" and their faces would turn red... They assumed that Hispanics either clean their pools/yards/homes or provide janitorial services - nothing else. Because a Hispanic couldnt possibly be educated!!

[wallasan10]

Reading the posts in this thread gives me the impression that there are many newer riders who never experienced the way things were back in the 60’s and 70’s and that’s a good thing! Before that was before my time.

This past summer I was riding on US 67 in east Texas. As I entered one small town, I think it was either Naples or Omaha, there was the local cop sitting in a spot where he could keep an eye on the comings and goings through "his" town. As soon as I passed him I saw in my rearview mirror that he pulled out and started to follow me. At first I thought it might be just a coincidence but it soon became obvious to me that I was the object of his attention. As I watched him approach me from behind I expected him to pass me but when he got about even with my rear tire he slowed to match my speed. I suspect that he was looking at my tag but at this point I could only see the front of his car out of the corner of my eye. After hanging in that position for a moment or two he increased his speed slightly and slowly passed me. I’m in the right lane and doing the speed limit. As he passed me I got as good a look at him as he got of me. It was an older Crown Victoria and I’d be willing to bet it was a hand-me-down from a larger community. The driver was young and clean-cut looking. A passenger in the car was older, overweight, and not in uniform. They were both checking me out pretty good. By the time he got by me we were approaching the edge of town and he put on his right turn signal so I put on my left turn signal and got behind him. He pulled into the parking lot of some small business and I went on my way still doing the speed limit. In my rearview mirror I saw him pull out of the parking lot and go back the way he came.

It reminded me of the way things used to be. I have the feeling that he would have pulled my over if I had given him any reason at all. These days they are unlikely to pull you over without probable cause. Lucky for us there are few places these days where they are looking for an excuse. Most small towns are happy to see you and hope you tell your friends about them. It didn’t used to be that way and I don’t miss the good-old-days one bit.

[SC_RIDER74]

OH YEA!! I've had run in or two with the law over me just being on a bike, thats the way I see it anyway. The latest was about two months ago. When my wife and I ride we take the shadow, when I ride alone I take the my Harley deuce. I put street sweepers on the bike around 6 0r 7 months back and it is a little loud because it is carbed and not fuel injected so it still has that aggressive harley sound. Coming out of Myrtle Beach one night around 9:00 I was stopped by a state trooper, the stretch of road I was on was not in the hotel district nor was I around an residential area. Long story short.. he gave me a ticket for the exhaust being to loud and i was disturbing the peace, WTF!!!! Then he asked if i had been drinking and then asked if i would mind if he did a pat down, well i had nothing to hide so what the hell right. So yea I've been there done that and 175.00 poorer to prove it.

[John Hopkins]

Originally Posted by So-Crates

Ive gotten more crap about the color of my skin than I have about riding motorcycles...

.. They assumed that Hispanics either clean their pools/yards/homes or provide janitorial services - nothing else. Because a Hispanic couldnt possibly be educated!!

Wow..I'm not sure what a Hispanic is..I guess it has something to do with Spain..someone left behind by the Conquistadors maybe..Apart from the language how would you know..We have Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Rumanian, French, Hungarian, Arab, and South American, and just by looking it is pretty hard to tell one from the other, I think the cold weather here bleaches out most of the color and the racial mix removes the rest, The only real way we can tell is when they insist on standing out by wearing national dress.

You don't wear a sombrero do you?

But our police don't seem to pick on bikers, in fact whenever I have been stopped, even when at fault, as soon as I remove my helmet and reveal my age, they just wave me on..

John

[ejsaenz]

Originally Posted by John Hopkins

Wow..I'm not sure what a Hispanic is..I guess it has something to do with Spain..someone left behind by the Conquistadors maybe..Apart from the language how would you know..We have Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Rumanian, French, Hungarian, Arab, and South American, and just by looking it is pretty hard to tell one from the other, I think the cold weather here bleaches out most of the color and the racial mix removes the rest, The only real way we can tell is when they insist on standing out by wearing national dress.

You don't wear a sombrero do you?

John

Here's a visual guide to tell the difference:



Before anyone gets their "chones" (pronounced in my area as cho-knees) in a bind, my parents are hispanic. I'm an American, not a hyphen American.

[CrazyDave]

Originally Posted by ejsaenz

Here's a visual guide to tell the difference:



Before anyone gets their "chones" (pronounced in my area as cho-knees) in a bind, my parents are hispanic. I'm an American, not a hyphen American.

yeah uh.. it's not like you screen name gave anything away there

[O'Larry]

Mid 50's, 60's dribble down to the 70's, OH HELL YEAH!! 80's on up to the 90's, dribble down even further, from there? NOPE, NADA, NOTHING! Got to love it!