Why do so many Harley riders hate Japanese bikes and the people that ride them, mainly sportbikes?

Question

I know not all Harley riders are like this, I have several friends that ride Harley and my dad loves them but I have noticed lately that a lot of Harley riders absolutely hate Japanese bikes, actually any bike thats not a Harley.

Answer 1

Many people despise those who do not conform to their own standards. This is true in every area of life, not just bikes.

I'm sure you'll find that those who sneer at others for their bike choice sneer at everything and anything that dares to have a differing opinion.

Answer 2

I think it's more of a group thing. I've never experienced a single rider that's had anything bad to say to me about my ride, no matter which one I'm on. Heck, many times they'll come over and ask about the bike (probably because of the saddlebags, tank bag, tent and sleeping bag I have on the bike :) )

I have rolled into a gas station where there are a group of Harley riders and gotten the look from several riders and no one comes up.

Even that doesn't happen all the time. I was up at a Tim Horton's in Canada back in July and there were a bunch of riders on various bikes. The biggest question from them was "you rode from Colorado to Newbrunswick on that?" :)

But I have noticed that there doesn't seem to be any anti-rice posting in the HD forums I've been in but there are a few anti-hd posts in the non-hd forums. Mainly subjects like:

1. Why don't they wave.
2. Why do they drive an outdated, non performance motorcycle.
3. What's up with the pirate outfits. That can't be very protective in an accident.

For me, I have an appreciation for all types of bikes.

Answer 3

Why do so many Jap bike riders hate Harleys and their riders?
Think I 'm wrong? While I've been on Yahoo Answer's since only October, I can not recall a single "question" ask by a Harley rider bad mouthing Jap bikes. BUT, there is a slew of "questions" (actually, more like a rant or a tirade in the guise of a question) by non Harley riders bad mouthing Harleys and the people who ride them. Hmm....This should tell a person of normal intellegence something.
To briefly cover some of the rants poised in the motorcycle section:
First, this is 32 years of riding Harleys talkin'
No, I do not wear leathers in 100 degree weather. My leather wearing is dependent upon the weather, or the predicted weather of where ever I'm headed, which is sometimes 100's of miles away.
While I do agree (see....I can agree sometimes) that it seems the majority riding Harleys now are "posers" (or RUBS [Rich Urban Bikers] or YUPS, etc), it's because it's the "trendy" thing to do.
Because of this, they get bored and move onto the next trendy thing, which explains why there is a lot of Harleys for sale with less than 10,000 miles (even though they usually sell for close to the original price).
While I do not cotton to this "new breed", I tolerate them, trying to help them along as much as I can, until they move on to something else. These are the ones, I feel, that started the trend that by putting on a fancy paint job, and a few bolt on parts, it makes it a "custom" __________ (insert model here).
Back in the late 70's, I took a lot of crap from Jap bike riders about "That V-Twin engine design is such a dinosaur, they need to get rid of it and get modern". So what's the story now? Not too many Jap companies do not sell a street cruiser without a V-Twin engine! My, how times change!
As far as hating Jap bikes, I don't "hate" them, they're just not my cup of tea. One of my riding buddies rides a Honda (can you get anymore Jap bike than that?) Shadow 1100. If I hated Jap bikes and riders so much, why would I ride with one?
Bottom line, at the end of the day, a used Harley will go for a lot more than a Jap bike of the same year and style. Which I feel really irratates the Jap riders, and is part of the foundation of THEIR hatred, and ensueing rants/tirades.

Answer 4

For me personally ,I don't really (Hate ,anyone) I do, however resent when Jap bike riders talk $hit about Harleys. Most Jap bike riders have never owned ridden or maintained a Harley and have no basis on which to base their criticism.I rode Jap bikes for many years ,been riding Harleys for the past 20 or so. I know both. The difference between the two is comparable to hot rod civic vs. a GTO.Its not a matter of better or worse . What pi$$es me off is ( mostly kids) with Jap bikes that have never owned a Harley pretending to know about them.

Answer 5

Actually, there are Harley riders and riders who choose to ride Harleys. The first is the snob-nosed group you are talking about and are mostly RUBS. The second will wave to any rider and don't care what you ride, as long as your ride.

I ride a cruiser but dislike sportbike riders. Unfortunately, my prejudice exists because of the few morons that pull wheelies at 100 mph in rush hour traffic... or run redlights/stop signs when traveling in a pack.

Answer 6

I have been a motorcycle engineer for 35 years, I started out building Indian scouts and chiefs from army surplus from WW2.
I owned 12 Indians of my own at one time ,and have worked on many Harley in my time, i was a one percent er for a lot of years ,and have never understood why people liked Harley's except for the sound that you get on a run its like rolling thunder, but really i think the Angels started the Harley cult, they burnt jap bikes back in the 60s, but you never saw anyone burn a Harley, It was a hate thing left over from the war, that's were the Angels came from ,the army,Anyway although I worked on them all those years I never had any inclination to own one, then the other day a v-rod custom, rolled up to the workshop, and i fell in love, Now isn't that an irony, Angels hated jappers because they fought them in the second world war, but some Harley components were made in japan and the man who was responsible for the beautiful v-rod, was a German Nazi, Doctor Porche so really its a load of ****! because most of these guys who are so staunch, were never in the war , and most of them own jappers too, as a second bike, hidden at home were the boys cant see it, usually a trail bike.

Answer 7

I am gonna preface this by saying, I have been riding since I was 8, obsessed with bikes. I have owned MANY, but I have never owned a Harley, because, I just think they are pretty much all show/vibe.

That being said,I think 2/3'sof Harley riders are POSERS. Yuppies, dropped in, bought a hog, took a class, bought all the gear ( chaps/jackets/skullcaps' voila, instand biker. I am not a real Harley guy. They are rare, Most of the people I have seen riding Harleys are noob riders. Watch them they are nervous, unsure of turns, awkward. I do not say this to rip on Harleys. They ARE cool in there way, but many of the people riding them today are wanting ot be cool by proxy of OWNING a Harley. Ultimately, it does not matter. Riders ride, whatever they can, as often as they can, as far as they can. If I could have ANY 3 bikes, one would be a Harley for sure (probably a wide glide cause I love the look), the 2nd would be a Yamaha FJR1300, and a BMW K1200LT. Cool, Power/comfort, and engineering/comfort.

Answer 8

I find quite the contrary, that it's the metirc riders always bashing Harley and their riders. Most harley riders truly have a live and let ride attitude, while the metric riders contsantly bash HD. If they'd spend as much time riding as they did bashing...well.....

Answer 9

It's mostly metric riders or non riders who are the ones who are stirring the ****. All you have to do is read this forum once in a while to see that.
I do get a little annoyed at people spreading the myth that Harleys are unreliable, oil spewing, status symbols that only get ridden to Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon. I guess it's the same "logic" as Ford vs. Chevy, Chevy vs. Dodge, etc.

Answer 10

I think it really is about the age group of each riders. Cruisers tend to attract a older crowd, while sportbikes tend to lean to the younger. That and just look at the name of the two types of bikes, it's two extreme ends of the motorcycle spectrum. Really true hate is ignorance. Real riders like two wheels. So those who hate, really don't understand what it means to be a motorcyclist.

Answer 11

well from my own experience i think harley riders have more comrodery even if they dont know one anouther i unfortunetly have not owned a harly yet but i've been rideing jap bikes and a few old euro bikes for the last 18yrs and i've met alot of nice guys with harleys that wher nice guys, and i've met alot of cocky guys on jap bikes thinken theyre better then everyone else, for example EVERY harley rider i've driven past has given the wave but maybe a handfull of jap riders have.