Questions for Harley Riders?

Question

Would you/Do you ride with bikes that aren't Harleys?
---Including Sport Bikes etc. I ask this because I usually only see Harleys riding with other Harleys.

___Why when the question is asked 'What bike do recommend for a new rider' do people answer a Harley?
----I ask this because I would think they are way too expensive and way too big for most new riders too start with.
Example, http://youtube.com/watch?v=qZlAPD67jfQ

___I work for a large corporation and have noticed that the "Blue Collar" guys ride mostly Honda's, Yamaha's and just about everything else, and the "White Collar" guys all ride brand new Harleys. Why is this?
---I ask this because I always thought of Harleys as a working mans motorcycle, but it seems that only rich people have them.

---Feel free to express your opinions about any or all of these questions.

Answer 1

I have never been on a Harley only run, mostly Harleys and metric cruisers. I don't see many sport bikes on them but it's their option whether to ride with us or not. We probably ride too slow.
I have friends that ride metric. My brother rides a Honda, he gives me more **** about what I ride than I do him. In fact, I offered to let him ride it several times and he refuses to.
I am far from rich, I get my hands dirty at work every day. I bought my Harley new in 2002. I was 39 at the time, I couldn't have afforded a new motorcycle of any kind much before then.
The only person who ever gave me **** about owning a metric was some tool that didn't own a bike of any kind, but if he did......
I have never seen so much of this metric vs. Harley BS in my life before I came on Yahoo Answers. It's like a bunch of women at a hen party. They can't be happy unless there is some **** to stir.
Really, ride what you want, I don't think anyone cares. Neither should you.

Answer 2

Nice 3 part question. Ok, here goes.
1.) Yes and yes. The two guys I mostly ride with are on a Yamaha (cruiser) and a Honda (sport).

2.) I don't recommend a Harley as a first bike. Actually, I don't make those recommendations anymore. The market has changed drastically from when I used to shop. I don't really know what's available.

3.) Blue/white collar: seems that way, but depends where you look. Every place I've worked, the HDs belonged to my co-workers. The parking lot fills in the summer with a whole range of makes/models. They all belong to the blue collar crowd. The HDs in this lot all belong to people in my department (yes, we get paid more = skills). It is hard for an average joe to get a new one. They are expensive. When you go to the dealer, all you see is fancy watches and manicures. So I pay for my oils and filter and go. I may ride a Harley, but I don't always see eye to eye with the "new breed".

My collar is blue, when I bother to wear one. Don't matter a bit, there are pencil pushers who make less than I do.

Answer 3

Our group is mostly Harleys, there are a few guys with English bikes some BMWs and yes even some Jap bikes.My opinion as to why one doesn't see Harleys and sportbikes together too often is the same as why you don't see Harleys and Motocrossers riding together, **Totally different type of riding**Harleys aren't canyon racers and FZs aren't cruisers..A Harley Sportster is a great 1st bike they are small ,light and *Not* too expensive,hell I see little girls on 883s all over.My old lady's 1st was a XL1200. Owning a Harley is not about Blue collar/White Collar.It's a personal preference and in my opinion a matter of evolution.Many if not most rode metric and worked their way up to "The King Of Motorcycles"I am far from white collar, I'm a contractor/finish carpenter,the old lady is a nurse(Do you call that white collar?)Consider this as well, Smart, ambitious ,successful "White Collar Execs." who could ride whatever they want choose a Harley, it must be because they're stupid fools right?Harleys cost more initially ,but they are worth it. My three bikes 90 FXR, 91 FXR and 91 XL1200 are worth more now than when I bought them,how many Jap bike owners can say that about their 17 year old bikes?Resale value aside,one cannot appreciate a Harley,how they feel, how they're made unless they spend some time on one. Ride on.

Answer 4

hmm a my two cents questions..I like these..
I have ridden over 50 years now mostly always on HD big iron. I don't care what the fellow next to me is pushing as long as he rides safe ain't drunk or drugged. Its no skin off my nose if he's on a Honda a triumph a BMW or a Kawasaki, its his ride and I've no right to look down my nose at him for it. I say ride what you can afford cause it don't matter yer in the breeze...
I try and avoid this what do you recommend question as its tricky..but I try and convey to people " your going to drop it at some point" and point out the fact that some of the smaller Harley's are rather quick and nimble and can get you in trouble real fast if not careful.
LOL..I make min wage and have ridden HD all my life, not always a new piece of iron but still flashy and clean and runnable..so the white collar blue collar thing isn't quite a good comparison..Now days HD has shoved pricing so far up that its not funny, I feel they've kind of abandoned us that helped them get where they are..
Plink Plink my two cents and thank you

Answer 5

I ride a Harley Deuce. I had a Honda before that and like both of the bikes. The Harley is a little better for distance riding but the Honda was great for short trips. I don't care what you are riding so long as you are riding safely and having a good time.

There are some clubs and rides out there that will not allow you to join them unless you are on a Harley. My husband has a Harley so it was part of the reason that I got one. We wanted to be able to go on these rides together.

People should buy what they can afford and are comfortable on

Answer 6

I own and ride a Harley, and it doesn't matter what anyone that I ride with is on. I have owned other makes and enjoyed them all, but I have always wanted a Harley. I am a working-class stiff, but the price doesn't make any difference, either.
The 883 Sportster is an affordable ride from Harley, but it might still be big for a first-time rider.
If someone asks me for a recommendation on a bike, I tell them to get whatever they like. They need to choose what suits them. If it's a Harley, great. If not, I'll still ride with them.

Answer 7

i'd ride with a dude on a scooter if he dont cop a 'tude or show disrespect. there's a guy about an hour from me that rides a honda, and we've pulled a couple of all-day rides last summer. he had to stop here and there cause his bike didnt have a touring seat on it but pulled in a good 400 miles on that run.

i figure the softail's and up are just a tad too pricey for those that dont work at gm without havin to take a mortgage on the house for it, tho i would love to have a road king for the extremely long hauls. a min. wage job wont be able to afford a new harley except for maybe a bare bones/no frills 883. i woulda started with the wide glide, but i couldnt come up with the coin to keep the payments easy to handle.

for cheep...883 or 1200 will be the ticket if u want to carve some twisties. they have very respectable lean angle limits for cruisers. deuce and wide glide would have a touch more, but are a higher in price. the sporty's would be best for solo riding...unless she's about 115 wet. they're no harder to handle than a metric, but the heritage up to the road king would be easy for even a rookie to handle if they go thru the msf class first. u'd learn the secrets to be able to handle a big bike...size doesnt matter, technique does. heritage's have a very low center of gravity that makes it a breeze to snap it into a 180 turn in a parking lot.

as far as that dumbazz that dropped that ultra, that's what ya get when ya disrespect a bike. he grabbed a huge handful of gas and basically allowed the bike to get away from him after he paniked. had this been a gsxr, it would have put him down in 10' or less.

if u want to be aggressive in the twisties, out of all the harley's, it would be best to pick: wide glide, sporties, buells, deuce. electra glides could be aggressive, but with the floorboards, lean angle is reduced too much to keep up with a sportster.

Answer 8

Ride what you like. If any harley guy gives you attitude, that's his character flaw not yours. I rode metric bikes all my life because I know a lot about cars and bikes. I would never pay near $20k for a bike just cuz it said Harley on the tank when a $8-10,000 metric cruiser would run circles around it, last longer, have less problems and cost less to fix when it did. I'm a man of principal and I don't let bullies tell me what to ride. Until I bought my V-rod, there wasn't a Harley worth buying, from my perspective. If you must have an American bike, I'd buy a Victory any day before I bought a Harley. In fact, I was on my way to buy one. Then I saw my first V-rod. I got a V-rod because it was the most powerful, most technolologically advanced V-twin on the planet, not because it was a Harley. I'd ride with anybody, but only the crotch rockets can keep up now. As for your first bike, only yuppies go out and buy a Harley for their first bike. There's a reason why the state police use small 175-250 cc Japanese bikes to teach people how to ride. They learn how to handle a bike that wont kill them if they make a mistake. Buy a small used bike that's in good shape, but won't cost you a fortune or ruin your day if you drop it. When you get enough confidence & experience, then you can buy something that suits you better. Just ride.

Answer 9

I have been riding Harley's for a number of years. I bought my last new in 93. It's a 94 FXR. I also own and ride a "scooter." It is an E-Ton scooter. Yes, many owners of Harley's are now "white collar wannabe bad to the bone bikers." They will eventually tire of the current rage and move on to the next most popular "thing."

Answer 10

Just like anything in life, some Harley riders can be pretentious. They are usually the ones that take their $500,000 camper pulling a large trailer full of bikes until 100 miles outside of Sturgis that then ride a bike in just so they can "officially" get the patch that says"I rode mine, Sturgis". I also think some clubs have certain requirements that you ride a Harley? Others don't care who rides what because they truly appreciate the ride & that others do too. You have them in every crowd but at the end of the day, as long as you have the wind in your face & sunshine on chrome, who really cares!!