ALL bikers and non-bikers please read?

Question

Ok..this is basically gonna be pro-harley but it pertains to all who ride and the non riding know it alls.Ive read comments lately about how Harley riders are hooligans,thugs,criminals and basically no-good SOB's.but I gotta say this...Do you all realize how many MILLIONS of dollars is raised by Harley riders each year to benefit those who need it? What about th Motor Companys contributions to Muscular Dystrophy each year along with what the riders come up with? There are charity runs for Rileys Childrens hospital and for the Shriners Hospitals.I have been on numerous poker runs that is raising money for charity or to help someone that truly needs help.By and large the overwhelming participant rides a Harley.Of all the runs I have been one I have seen a grand total of 3 crotch rockets and yes there are some metric cruisers but they are less than 10% of the bikes there? where are they?.....

I guarantee if you put together a run or event to help someone a Harley rider will be the first to show up.Why dont you crotch rocket riders help out? you would be more than welcome.So I challenge you show up at a run and give a little to that kid in a wheel chair or someone with Downs Syndrome or perhaps that young mother whos husband came home from Iraq in a casket a helping hand

well where I live the rocket riders would rather play than anything else. as far as the stereotypical comments and them being 30 yrs outdated...you need to read some of the answers ive been seeing right here

age is no excuse..most entry fees are $10.surely they can afford that

just a few things...
I live in the USA not australia
ALL harleys are made in the USA
I was talking about how much H-D and their riders donate not the total of american business which far and away is more than aussie business give
We arent trying to be heroes by giving an entry fee...we are just trying to help out in any way we can and yes many of us give at work and other places not just at bike events
im not ripping what you ride or how you ride it.no one bike is better than the other.they each are purpose built.I was trying to get the rocket riders to join us in these little rides and perhaps there would be such animosity between us.Maybe I expect too much

typo above...should read..would NOT be...sorry

Answer 1

I've wondered the same Mr. 955! A very good question and still in step with times. I ride a Harley not because of the Made In The USA banner, but chose it becuase of the history, nostalgia, mystique, and the union of all who ride heavy metal. I realize that my efforts to crush the stereo type and wave at all bikers on the road, especially sport bikes is like expecting spit in the ocean to raise a wave. Sometimes I get the wave sometimes I do not. I think, big deal he was busy shifting, breaking or mabey was tired of flapping his arms at other bikers. Too many hyper-sensitive bikers on the road think.
Sooo, Mr.182 seems to think that only Harley's make exccess noise. I've been awakened many nights and mornings by the unmistakable "Red Lined" whines of a sport bike ripping through the gears in and on the same quiet roads designed for children going to school and soccer moms heading for the grocery store.
Mr.182 also thinks that his sizable contribution is added to the other charitable billions given by businesses and is simultaneously insinuating that those billions are connected in some way to a multitude of other crotch rocket riders. What a crock of B-S that is. The listed charities you mention, Mr. 955 have also been called un-important by Mr. 182 as well. HD is all too often given front page news status for its giving interests. I'm sick of the whiny bickering between the two most valued bike categories. Talk about testosterone overdose, causing stupid phallic & status symbol excuses for fighting & arguing. Similar to Grade School playground rivalry. I've also been on HD rides that have been advertised in biker mags, giving dates, locations and times for such rides. So others excuses for not knowing about a ride is just more empty words. The rides I've been on and seen receiving honorable mention in local papers have been rides that were open to any rider. Who arrives??? A sea of Harley riders. I've wondered why rockets were not seen in mass, or given top billing in a local newspaper for charitable giving?
Heck, all import bike manufacturing companies could do well to use the same advertising and promotional tactics that HD uses to promote their products. I'd love to see a band of crotch rocketeers head for Sturgis and mingle with the Harley crowd, but then that may be as un-realistic as kissy-faced peace in the world!

Answer 2

Wow this is a lively one. I would like to first start off by saying the group I ride with, that is primarily rockets but not solely, sets up poker runs and donates the money to local charities. That said, Harley riders do a good job of donating money and being involed in the comunity, but lets be real not all poker runs are for charity. As for why you don't see many rockets at Harley runs, face it allot of Harley riders don't make us feel welcome and I have had run-ins with them or should I say altercations. I can't tell you how many times i have waved to someone on a Harley and not gotten one back, I can say it is more than the waves that are returned. Another reason is most rocket riders are young and single and don't have the knowledge or compassion's we have learned over the years. i know as I gotten older and had children my outlook has changed. Be realistic how many poker runs did you ride when you were 18-20. And if you did, was it for charity or just to ride and be with other bikers?


All and all both groups weather it be Harleys (or cruisers in general) and Sportbikes, have people who make them look bad by screaming down the streets or racking off loud pipes and we all suffer. If you want more involvement from sportbikes or metric cruiser, then contact the local riding group and invite them out, go to one of their meetings and talk to riders themselves. Action is the only thing that will change it. If your in Vegas drop me a line and I will hook you up with some of the local groups.

Answer 3

I got very interested in your question so thank you but I AM going to have to rip on you for some stuff. : )
Ok let us start, Harley riders as being bad asses? They have not been bad boys in many MANY years and they only were thought that way because they wanted to make them selves that way. However, times have changed and now they have respect for them selves and others. Most Harley riders now days are just some people going though a midlife crisis and want the part of being a bad boy biker and dreams of roughing it on the open road. People who are riding motorcycles to be cool or bad asses to me are just pathetic they are trying to make up for an unfulfilled sense of self and ultimately paint a bad image of true riders. Their are many reasons you probably don’t see many other kinds of bikes other then Harleys at the events and that is because they are ether out actually riding or they do not feel that they are welcome. However, I have been noticing that it is starting to ease up. Their has always been an unspoken dispute toward domestic bikers and import riders. I think it is starting to loosen up because riding has become more diverse and is becoming far more mainstream. It is not so black and white anymore. I think if you as a Harley rider would invite some of your fellow import riders and provide a welcomed vibe then I don’t see why other imports wouldn’t come after all it is for charity. Another thing you could do is actually invite an entire club, set up a meeting and I am sher that you could very well have a huge number of imports. Just remember people like different things I ride with many different kinds of people and some actually own both import sport and domestic cruiser. Sorry this is getting long but before I’m done I would like to point out that in the way you typed your question you actually came off as just plan against import simply for the fact that you didn’t think of them as the same as your self. O ya as for that donations thing Honda and Suzuki and many others do the same thing. I hope you enjoyed the read. : )
Sorry if any spelling errors the spell check isn’t working.

Answer 4

vERY WELL SAID. How established do you have to be to come up with $20. I go on a lot of poker runs and 98% of the riders are on Harleys. I can count the crotch rockets on one hand that I've seen on all the runs this summer and probably last summer too. I also think the stereotyped hooligans went out about 30 years ago. I'm headed to a poker run Saturday in Bergolz,Ohio. I don't even know what it's for but for $15.00 two people can get in a fun ride and eat BBQ afterwords. I'm sure it's for a good cause.

Answer 5

Curious.
On September 9th, the NHMRO(New Hampshire Motorcycle Rights Organization) had it's annual Toy Run. Every rider brings a toy for the Salvation Army to help others at Christmas. If you elect to buy a shirt, 50% is donated. Other donations are accepted as well. An un-advertised purpose of events such as this is to bring Motorcycling to the attention of the public in a good light. It is nowhere near a Harley event, it's for ALL motorcycles. I saw a large number of HD, but all the brands were represented. The types of motorcycles there were not proportionate to what's on our roads, though. There were Cruisers, Tourers, Standards, Trikes, and hardly a "Sportbike" around.

It's not so much the donation that he and I are talking about, but the support of Motorcycling in general. There are not enough of us for any particular group to hold themselves apart, yet Sportbike riders seem to.

Answer 6

I ride a sport bike. a GSXR 750 and sport touring bike, a ST1300 and give to various charities. I'm not into group riding or riding around on poker runs. Most poker runs are on boring roads.

Most Harley riders I know see motorcycling as a group experience. There is nothing wrong with that, it's just not my type of riding. I've rode with my Harley riding friends a few times, to be honest it was just too slow with too many stops.

Answer 7

why dont rice rocketeer's show up for poker runs and charity type rides? methinks its because rocketeer's cant stand going the speed limit, have little if any pack riding skills, and the pack would basically kick them out for stunting.

the warren h.o.g. does a yearly ride to the camelot riding center in champion ohio. the last ride they did, over 400 bikes showed up, and out of those, maybe 2 rockets...the majority were hd, and some were metric.
recently, the brother's regime mc that's in warren did their annual toy run. it was '10 dolla or a new toy'. they raised over 1400 in cash alone, + enough toys that they needed a large truck to haul em.

i ride hd, and i havent had no problems with anyone. seems too many belive the movie bullchit. a real 1%'er wont automatically try to slit ur throat, but like anyone else, if u show disrespect, then yer gonna get bitchslapped.

special note to bill b. enjoy the ride saterday in bergolz. be wary of rt. 164 tho. its the 2nd most challenging road i've been on so far in ohio. only rt. 258 would be more hazardous than 164. be careful on it bro.

Answer 8

Poker runs and toys runs are simply not enjoyable on a bike that is designed for carving up twisty roads. It is a different style of riding, to coin a heavily used HD phrase "if I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand". Going 45 mph in a straight line is just plain boring on these bikes, and it hurts. If I am going to do one of these events, I ride my T-Bird - not my sport bike.

I'd say if a charity event was organized that pertained to the kind of riding that sportbike riders enjoy, it would be more heavily attended by sport bikes than Harleys. Organize a charity event around a stunt show, track day, or AMA Superbike event and they would chip in heavily. Oh, and there are events like this, but I hardly ever see a Harley rider there - wonder why?

Answer 9

I ride a BMW duel sport and have been on many local charity rides and you are correct the majority of people out for these events are on Harley's. As for the criminal image of Harley riders it is very undeserved the are minority. My father rides a Harley and goes to church every week and has never committed a crime in his life. Thanks for the comment.

Answer 10

i appreciate and respect everyone who rides....however i wish i got the same reaction from harley riders,,,im not saying its all of them...but most are very derrogatory and insulting when they see that my very nice cruiser is in fact a honda.....or when youre talking about riding and as soon as they hear that you dont have a harley they ignore you...maybe if people that didnt ride harleys felt more accepted and welcome at events they would contribute more,,,instead of being outcast for not riding a harley. maybe your harleys did originate in america,,but do some real research and tell me where the parts are really made today..if you wanna get technical,,my honda was assembled here too.