[Inferno]

Some of these responses make me laugh.

Why?

For the same reason I laugh when a stupid person thinks they're smart.

My mother rode a motorcycle. She rode on the street and she rode on the dirt. She had a MAJOR wreck in the Mojave on the edge of the Salton Sea.
She never looked like the "biker" chicks above.
But she also didn't stop riding because of that wreck. Truth be told, I don't know why she stopped riding but the last bike she had was the first one I wrecked on the street. She never found out I wrecked it either. I had to take parts from my Honda to fix her Yamaha. That was when I was 15.

I've NEVER worn leathers but I did have a denim phase.

Now, most of the time I ride wearing Shorts and a Tee shirt in the Summer and I wear Frog Togs over long pants when it's cold and a jacket that has 20,000 road miles on it. Best $20 jacket I ever bought. People ask what material it is because there's no material out there that is like it. Why? Because the wind has created a soft suede-like feel on a cotton fabric. It's like it was brushed a zillion times with a toothbrush to create a micro pile carpet.

If anyone wants to think they're more of a "biker" than I am, let them. I don't care. Fact is they NEED that moniker. I don't.

If I ever wanted to put resume to resume, I've ridden from minibike, to dirt bike, to three-wheeler (where I have my annoying lifetime injury), regular 70's bike, superbike, crotch rocket, cruiser, etc.
FWIW, I've also piloted boats and an airplane (just one so far) and operated heavy machinery that most young kids dream of operating and die never having had the chance.

Am I bragging? Maybe a tad but it's not to make anyone feel bad.

The "real bikers" can have whatever they need to feel better about themselves. I don't need a group of "brothers" to validate me. I don't need to smoke, drink, do drugs, and piss on others to feel like a man.

I'm not a "real biker". Why? Because I don't think riding a motorcycle makes anyone more special than anyone else.

Well, unless I'm riding my bike to work when it's 15 degrees outside and some Millennial dipshit thinks he's more of a man than I am just because he grew a beard. BTW, his name is "Callie". Who the frack names a male "Callie"? LMAO

 

[cyclejohn]

Theja1,

Thank you for replying.

John

 

[squidchief]

Some of these responses make me laugh.

Why?

For the same reason I laugh when a stupid person thinks they're smart.

My mother rode a motorcycle. She rode on the street and she rode on the dirt. She had a MAJOR wreck in the Mojave on the edge of the Salton Sea.
She never looked like the "biker" chicks above.
But she also didn't stop riding because of that wreck. Truth be told, I don't know why she stopped riding but the last bike she had was the first one I wrecked on the street. She never found out I wrecked it either. I had to take parts from my Honda to fix her Yamaha. That was when I was 15.

I've NEVER worn leathers but I did have a denim phase.

Now, most of the time I ride wearing Shorts and a Tee shirt in the Summer and I wear Frog Togs over long pants when it's cold and a jacket that has 20,000 road miles on it. Best $20 jacket I ever bought. People ask what material it is because there's no material out there that is like it. Why? Because the wind has created a soft suede-like feel on a cotton fabric. It's like it was brushed a zillion times with a toothbrush to create a micro pile carpet.

If anyone wants to think they're more of a "biker" than I am, let them. I don't care. Fact is they NEED that moniker. I don't.

If I ever wanted to put resume to resume, I've ridden from minibike, to dirt bike, to three-wheeler (where I have my annoying lifetime injury), regular 70's bike, superbike, crotch rocket, cruiser, etc.
FWIW, I've also piloted boats and an airplane (just one so far) and operated heavy machinery that most young kids dream of operating and die never having had the chance.

Am I bragging? Maybe a tad but it's not to make anyone feel bad.

The "real bikers" can have whatever they need to feel better about themselves. I don't need a group of "brothers" to validate me. I don't need to smoke, drink, do drugs, and piss on others to feel like a man.

I'm not a "real biker". Why? Because I don't think riding a motorcycle makes anyone more special than anyone else.

Well, unless I'm riding my bike to work when it's 15 degrees outside and some Millennial dipshit thinks he's more of a man than I am just because he grew a beard. BTW, his name is "Callie". Who the frack names a male "Callie"? LMAO

Sounds like someone who can call himself anything he wants and it's nobody's business to say otherwise.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

Sounds like someone who can call himself anything he wants and it's nobody's business to say otherwise.

This is where people’s minds are too closed to notice the ‘grey area’ between reality and fantasy. But it’s all in definition. I’ve seen people snub a poor guy who could barely speak coherently, much less type. Yet I pointed out to the that, throw that guy in front of a bunch of random parts with mechanics tools, he’d have a motorcycle hand-built inside of a few hours. So, what’s your definition?

@Theja1 reminds me of an idiot that commented on an article that an 11 year old flying his father’s plane wasn’t a pilot. Well, no, because you can’t legally get your license until you’re 16. But he can do everything a licensed pilot can, and better than most. And qualified instructors call him one. That didn’t matter to this guy, probably because he couldn’t stand being classified in the same category as a child. Which crosses the line into Reality-denying snobbish Elitery. A ‘biker‘, to me, is someone that rides a motorcycle, though you could narrow the definition to a certain type of motorcycles and probably not tread on anyone’s toes. The ‘Diamond 1%’ are just ‘hardcore extreme enthusiasts’. That’s not a standard, that’s the upper-end. And you’ll find that most other disciplines don’t snobbishly deny what you are merely because you don’t “Live The Life’… I’ve jumped out of an airplane 14 times. But when I talk to someone that lives at the DZ with 10k jumps, they still call me a ‘Skydiver’.

@Inferno… Why did she give up riding? She found out that you wrecked your bike. She just never told you. My father refused to give or even sell me, or my brothers, his Shadow, because he was scared we’d kill ourselves in a wreck. Then he saw how I could effortlessly navigate Los Angeles area traffic with something the size of a Suburban, with an emergency maneuver thrown in, and told me he didn’t worry about me any longer. Parents are like that.

And, scooters included (though I expect them not to wave back because ‘nerves’ 😉), I wave to everyone on two wheels.

 

[1shadowsabre]

Which picture defines a Real Biker nowadays.
But I am partial to the girls !

Clearly the one on the Honda!

 

[Inferno]

This is where people’s minds are too closed to notice the ‘grey area’ between reality and fantasy. But it’s all in definition. I’ve seen people snub a poor guy who could barely speak coherently, much less type. Yet I pointed out to the that, throw that guy in front of a bunch of random parts with mechanics tools, he’d have a motorcycle hand-built inside of a few hours. So, what’s your definition?

@Theja1 reminds me of an idiot that commented on an article that an 11 year old flying his father’s plane wasn’t a pilot. Well, no, because you can’t legally get your license until you’re 16. But he can do everything a licensed pilot can, and better than most. And qualified instructors call him one. That didn’t matter to this guy, probably because he couldn’t stand being classified in the same category as a child. Which crosses the line into Reality-denying snobbish Elitery. A ‘biker‘, to me, is someone that rides a motorcycle, though you could narrow the definition to a certain type of motorcycles and probably not tread on anyone’s toes. The ‘Diamond 1%’ are just ‘hardcore extreme enthusiasts’. That’s not a standard, that’s the upper-end. And you’ll find that most other disciplines don’t snobbishly deny what you are merely because you don’t “Live The Life’… I’ve jumped out of an airplane 14 times. But when I talk to someone that lives at the DZ with 10k jumps, they still call me a ‘Skydiver’.

@Inferno… Why did she give up riding? She found out that you wrecked your bike. She just never told you. My father refused to give or even sell me, or my brothers, his Shadow, because he was scared we’d kill ourselves in a wreck. Then he saw how I could effortlessly navigate Los Angeles area traffic with something the size of a Suburban, with an emergency maneuver thrown in, and told me he didn’t worry about me any longer. Parents are like that.

And, scooters included (though I expect them not to wave back because ‘nerves’ 😉), I wave to everyone on two wheels.

I don't know exactly why my mom stopped riding. Given the circumstances going on at the time, I imagine it was a life change.
Unfortunately, my mom was one who always wanted the life she didn't deserve. When I say it that way, it sounds judgmental but it's more of a "she didn't work for the life she wanted".
My mom never found out I wrecked her bike. She didn't find out about the second street bike I wrecked either. Both were life lessons.
1) DO NOT turn the front wheel while front braking
2) DO NOT ride blindly over a blind hill at high speeds. Short story, over the hill was an unimproved road with foot-deep potholes. I was barefoot wearing shorts and a T-shirt and no helmet. It was a test ride. I failed.

She had moved many states away when I had my 3rd major wreck. Lesson learned, don't trust turn signals or movements of vehicles using said turn signals. The driver signaled left, moved to the center of the road. I went to go around him and he turned right. Broke my foot on that one. 19th birthday with a first date later that night. What a day that one was.

Anyhow, back to why my mom stopped riding. It was actually at the same time she, pretty much, stopped working on her own car. I was 15 and she asked me to change the motor mount on her Chevy Vega. She had rebuilt and changed the engine herself 6 months earlier so it's not like she didn't know how.
Changing that motor mount was a very uncomfortable task. We didn't have the proper tools. Not even a floor jack. I parked the right two wheels on the curb and climbed into the gutter to work on it. It had snowed a little the night before and the snow was melting so ice water, and occasional ice, would run along my body while I worked.
I used a scissor jack against the wheel well to tip the engine enough to get the mount out but it was barely holding.

That's the memory that best sets the timeframe where my mom stopped riding. She traded her bike, a few months later, for a small sports car. She drove the car twice. For all intents and purposes, it was my car. I was the one that worked on it most of the time though my mom did do a few really cool repairs.
Two years later the car became mine officially.

A side note. 3 years later she was rearended in that same Chevy Vega, going into a tunnel. The car burst into flames and that was the end of it. She and her passenger survived with minimal injuries.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

You never know with mothers… 😉

 

[SpikesHD]

I have had HD guys walk up to me and ask me what model HD i have and i say "Irs not a Harley its a Honda" and they turn around, scoff and walk away.

Having been around 'Harley guys' for over 45 years and owning multiple brands - including Harley, I can't fathom this - but hey, waddo I know?

What I do know is that what other people think of me is none of my business. I also know that often times posts like this are made by people who are feeling insecure and wanting to hear that it's OK to own 'X' brand. It's OK to own 'X' brand!

Ride what you like or what your budget allows and don't worry about what other people think. Most of the time they aren't even thinking about you or your bike.

By the way, hi all - I joined because we are buying a Shadow soon to add to the garage for a new rider. Seems like a nice forum and I hope I can contribute as much as I learn.

 

[kesanders]

Having been around 'Harley guys' for over 45 years and owning multiple brands - including Harley, I can't fathom this - but hey, waddo I know?

What I do know is that what other people think of me is none of my business. I also know that often times posts like this are made by people who are feeling insecure and wanting to hear that it's OK to own 'X' brand. It's OK to own 'X' brand!

Ride what you like or what your budget allows and don't worry about what other people think. Most of the time they aren't even thinking about you or your bike.

By the way, hi all - I joined because we are buying a Shadow soon to add to the garage for a new rider. Seems like a nice forum and I hope I can contribute as much as I learn.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Theja1]

@Theja1 reminds me of an idiot….

I’ll be your huckleberry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cyclejohn]

I’ll be your huckleberry.

Hey Theja1,

Curiosity makes me ask again, do you own a Honda Shadow?

If yes, which one?

If no, when was the last time you did?

Thank you,
John

 

[cyclejohn]

1) I believe that many that talk down about bikers are just jealous. Not all... but most.

2) spot on regarding sitting in the stands at a ballgame. Deep down we're jealous.

3) I'd of did just about anything and sacrificed just about anything to of suited up and played a game at it's highest level.

4) I get a bit huffy when people talk down or make negative assumptions about 1%ers.

1) Squid, has it ever occurred to you, that maybe people on the HSN, just know the difference between right and wrong?

2) We're (meaning me) not jealous. Please don't project.

3) Well, maybe the coaches at Penn State could have made good use of you to make your dreams come true. Just saying (or typing).

4) Huff all you want to with your fingers Squid. This is the HSN and not the 1% huffy cheering section.

Going back to the OP's original post, I honestly believe that most members of the HSN are motorcycle riding enthusiast, plain and simple. My thought around 'biker' is in fact that they are the members of a specific gang of riders that have absolutely nothing to do with HSN and it's motorcycle riding enthusiast.

John

Thank you,
John

 

[Troy Jollimore]

I’ll be your huckleberry.

LOL! Intense comparison NOT intended. THAT guy was a World-Class idiot. Just totally off in his own little World. We may not be able to back you off from your opinion, but at least you’ll listen. Even if it meant crushing the soul of an aspiring child, he was having none of it… 😉

@squidchief … Yeah, can’t say I‘m jealous of pro-players, either. I had my chance, and just elected not to beat myself up pursuing a height I might never reach. Love watching them, though!

 

[h13man]

I find this thread very invigorating as the "layup season" for most is about to begin. I can't ever say I been snubbed by any biker in 52 yrs. of riding and I have spent time around 1% crowd with me riding metric. Yes they would ride my arse but we still would go fishing together but I never rode with them as it was HD & Triumph only club. The post EVO crowd are a different sort but for the most part are decent people though on occasion you find one that's a little aloof but they are that way anyway in real life. Riding a Valkyrie I definitely don't have any issues with other bike folk for quite obvious reasons. One of my son's HD friends came up to me and asked "How's feel to be fastest bike here and riding in the back of the pack? We're afraid you would lose us if you were in front." The rides/routes they take are very generic in comparison to what I take but.... And yes all my 3 sons ride Harley so I'm still the odd one out so to speak.

 

[Theja1]

Hey Theja1,

Curiosity makes me ask again, do you own a Honda Shadow?

If yes, which one?

If no, when was the last time you did?

Thank you,
John

I had a 2012 Honda Shadow Phantom. Traded it in on my 2014 Victory Cross Country.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[punxsybob]

Having been around 'Harley guys' for over 45 years and owning multiple brands - including Harley, I can't fathom this - but hey, waddo I know?

What I do know is that what other people think of me is none of my business. I also know that often times posts like this are made by people who are feeling insecure and wanting to hear that it's OK to own 'X' brand. It's OK to own 'X' brand!

Ride what you like or what your budget allows and don't worry about what other people think. Most of the time they aren't even thinking about you or your bike.

By the way, hi all - I joined because we are buying a Shadow soon to add to the garage for a new rider. Seems like a nice forum and I hope I can contribute as much as I learn.

Welcome to the forum from West Chester, PA. Have fun, stay alert and ride often. Lots of good people here and lots of good advice.

 

[RePete]

Many years ago, back in the glorious 80's, I was riding my Suzuki 550 triple with my girlfriend on the back.
That thing spun so fast that it destroyed alternators left and right. (the reason I got rid of the bike is I couldn't afford alternators).

I also had a Suzuki 550 back in the early 80's. You say triple. I had forgotten that it was a 3 cylinder engine, but I think it was. Mine was 2 cycle as well. You didn't have to mix the fuel, but it had a separate oil reserve where you had to keep filled. I don't remember a problem with alternators, but it was fairly new and I only owned it a couple of years.

I had some real experiences on with that bike. One was riding down to the mountains in Tennessee. A friend and I left after work on a Friday. It got foggy after dark, and you couldn't see very far ahead at all. Our visors would fog up. All we could do was to try to keep up with the tail lights of the trucks that were going 80mph. You couldn't see where you were going other than that. Good times...

 

[squidchief]

3) Well, maybe the coaches at Penn State could have made good use of you to make your dreams come true. Just saying (or typing).

John: Don't understand the context here. What am I missing?

 

[squidchief]

1) Squid, has it ever occurred to you, that maybe people on the HSN, just know the difference between right and wrong?

2) We're (meaning me) not jealous. Please don't project.

3) Well, maybe the coaches at Penn State could have made good use of you to make your dreams come true. Just saying (or typing).

4) Huff all you want to with your fingers Squid. This is the HSN and not the 1% huffy cheering section.

Going back to the OP's original post, I honestly believe that most members of the HSN are motorcycle riding enthusiast, plain and simple. My thought around 'biker' is in fact that they are the members of a specific gang of riders that have absolutely nothing to do with HSN and it's motorcycle riding enthusiast.

John

Thank you,
John

John I've been around this site for a little while. Not as long as you... but a while. I don't think people here are any better or worse than people anywhere else. They're just people that at one time or another probably owned or thought about owning the Dodge van of motorcycles, the Honda Shadow.

In my long winded, poorly written post I wrote "I believe that many that talk down about bikers are just jealous. Not all... but most." It would appear that you fall into the "not all" crowd. Good on ya.

I believe that there are many on HSN who are in the 1% cheering section. I've grinned numerous times when I've seen pics of fellow HSN'ers out in public dressed all in black like pirates... just as if they've crawled off the back of a HOG. So what? Please don't tell me that since I'm not a huge fan of the Shadow that I don't have a right to be here or state my opinion.

A couple of years back I had the opportunity to meet, speak with, and shake hands with a cat by the name of Dakota Meyer. Last year I ran across an interview with him by Joe Rogan. I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere. Long story short, during the interview Dakota said something along the lines that we should make more of an attempt to find what we have in common and celebrate that and quit trying to find what separates us. I think he has a good point. You don't like dudes that ride around with a 1% diamond on their vest.... cool.... not a big deal either way. You disagree with most if not everything I post.... that's fine, bothers me not. How about we agree that you, me, @Theja1 , @Troy Jollimore and most all of the other good folks around here are fans of motorcycles and enjoy riding them now and then... We'll just try to celebrate that. Cool?

 

[Bdilz99]

most all of the other good folks around here are fans of motorcycles and enjoy riding them now and then... We'll just try to celebrate that. Cool?

Well said. I ride because I enjoy (sounds like another recent thread) but I don't consider myself a "biker" in the sense that my definition of a biker was formed from what i saw in the movies and such. I do wear a leather jacket sometimes but not to be cool, more like not to be cold, that really blocks all wind.
I've been to events/bashes where there happened to be 1%'ers, they pretty much kept to themselves and I get it, it's like their brotherhood within the brotherhood, it's all good.
I generally ride by myself and when I stop to stretch or take in a nice view usually it's a spot where other riders are and I'd say almost always their HDs and Indians, not once has anyone ever "talked down" to me or given me the cold shoulder so to speak.
I can easily say i get more (good natured) crap from my chevy and dodge driving friends just for having an F150!