Has the Stigma of "Jap" Bikes been Exorcised in the USA?

My riding is primarily on the HD Road King Classic. This bike was purchased for roadtrips, local trips hold little interest. That being said, under 40 miles trips do often happen on the XS1 now that the restore is nearing completion. The King is the same chassis as the Ultra's and feels far and away a more safe and secure than the XS. As to the view that "rice grinder" drivers may be less than proper, well any trip around Washington DC shows clear that metric riders ride like IDIOTS. On the King, at speed, I witnessed some fool rocking around, I backed off and moved 2 lanes right not wanting to be part of this fools crash. and at 85 mph this IDIOT brought the bike onto one wheel and rode it. I've seen other fools laying down and doing push-ups on the bars. NO, I WILL NOT wave to the "rice grinder" idiots as I don't want to distract the rider from whatever stupid antics may be forthcoming. The rest of the story; the XS1 was originally purchased in the early 1970's and at that time was the only dependable bike among those owned by myself or my friends. Back then we planned to do a cross country roadtrip, it never happened. I now ride without a crowd, all I need is the mrs. on the back and if she isn't there, it's an even quieter ride. Where else can you better commune with nature, communicate with the Most High and experience the wonders of this great nation. About Victory and Indian, I went to the dealer on the XS, walked in, the sales crew said sit on anything and walked out to check out the XS. The Indian Chief Vintage is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't even check out the other bikes . When I left, the XS was angry about my cheating and took 3 kicks to start. john

TwoManyXS1Bs said:

I think a lot of that was offshoots of the signs of the times. Post-Viet vets, blue collar workers, watching what was believed to be the beginning of the end of American business and technology. Industries off-shoring their manufacturing, layoffs, downsizing, big crash of '87. Murmurings of discontent coming to a boil in certain circles. The cry of "Buy American". If you bought import, you were part of the problem...

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That's a reason for a lot of the snobbery. I think about these very facts whenever I don my denim vest with the big US flag patch on the back and go riding on my Goldwing. But then I think that capitalism is about competition and filling the demanded niches. A sale is a sale, and the Nipponese learned capitalism from us and then taught us more about capitalism than we understood. Lately I've been thinking about how many families here are making a living dealing in sales of lower priced imported goods and how that will change for them if trade is changed and they loose their livelihood, that's a big number that may need to find another source of income.

Scott

Orion61 said:

Have you seen what a minty early series Honda 100 goes for lately????

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Hi Orion,
almost as much as the KSS Velocette I sold for the price of a case of beer back in the 1950s?
Or the (admittedly stolen) Zero mileage International Norton my Bro-in-law had stashed in his garage?
You, like me, whining for a time machine and a telephone? "Hey Jackass, don't sell that bike!"

I LOVE the Scout. I definitely hope to own one someday. I went to the Indian demo day and took the Scout for a nice ride. The motor sounded and felt just like the motor in my old Buell xb9s, only smooth as can be(I'd love to see Indian/Victory put that motor into something more sporty like a Buell XB or 1125cr! HD made a mess of that venture and I'd love to see what Victory could do with a smooth liquid cooled vtwin in a naked American sportbike). It was a super nice bike. Most of the magazines refer to it as a cruiser for people who hate cruisers, and I definitely agree. The bike has been able to get me to admit that I'm getting older and my riding style is changing, and I could be happy putting along on my way to work on the scout every day instead of something sportier, and it definitely has that nice finished feel that makes me think I could buy one and just keep it until I die, as opposed to me past habits of riding a bike for a couple years and trading it in on something new. My Buell S1 is the same way. It's a little older and has always been outdated compared to other bikes that were built at the same time, but I just can't let it go. Don't know that that's really anything to do with it being an American bike, but it's just got something about it. I'm just happy knowing it's in my garage, even if I haven't gotten to ride it for months.

JRay77 said:

I'm just a fan of machines. I appreciate the science and engineering of all motorcycles. I'm always learning and excited too. My lil section of the world does have a bad Harley scene. Office worker by day and then .......throw on that matching Harley gear....poof!! Hell raiser by night. Harley owners where I live tend to wear the matching apparel. Didn't the Power Rangers do this? Lol! Pay someone to bolt on shiny chrome. Speak in acronyms. Me: "Nice ride. Whatcha got?" Person: "FLXH 9er 2010 wide glide special bag deuce lowrider." but can tell you nothing else.

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Sooooooo true. The sheer number of dollars spent on apparel alone by HD riders is unreal. I own a ballcap and a pair of boots(that were cheaper than any other boots I could find)...for some guys it is their identity...a status symbol I guess. The clearance items are still double what I would pay in most cases...I only go to a dealership if I absolutely have to. To each his own I suppose...

I have always thought it crazy to spend a bunch of money, just to ADVERTISE for a company!
"Hold that thought.....I need to put my Minnesota Vikings cap on" LOL...

Orion61 said:

I have always thought it crazy to spend a bunch of money, just to ADVERTISE for a company!
"Hold that thought.....I need to put my Minnesota Vikings cap on" LOL...

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I wear a Boston baseball hat all the time. Only because my last name starts with B. There are some CRAZY haters of Boston Redsox. I'm not even a sports fan. Almost got into a fight once. Haha!

I have a Mitt Romney for president sticker on the back of my Vibe, forget all about it until someone tries to run me off the road.

Scott

It's so weird that Harley riders were so threatened by Japanese bikes in the 70's. Especially when you consider that the Jap bikes were just equally as cool looking but mechanically SUPERIOR clones of British bikes... you'd think the BRITS would be the ones pissed off!

There were also a LOT of guys building up VERY cool Honda SOHC based chops and diggers at the time too though... Maybe you just had to be in the right place where the Japanese stuff was more accepted? (I don't know for sure... I'm 35 and wasn't there. )

I turn 55 tomorrow and I'll trade you.... lol.. Black leather is very nice and club patches are a thing of pride and I'm not putting them down Actually I don't think anybody is. It is just when people dress up alike in them, (reminds me of Square Dancers) AWW you hear people say Isn't that cute lol, I will bet they have his and hers matching undies too....
I have seen a serious lack of quality 650's around in the past 10 years (especially) I started grabbing extra parts about 12 years ago... Looks like my timing was right on. Man there used to be an old XS in about every barn. Then prices went above $500.00 and there was a mass exodus of bikes to the West Coast USA. Turn signals were always an issue as many here in the States were taken off and thrown in the parts bin as soon as the bike got in their Garage. We had a Tornado near and my bike got knocked over (one of the seldom nights she was left outside) She hasn't been parked outside in more than 13 year now.. I had a little trouble finding NICE flashers and now my front RH flasher won't work....ground issue? That is her in better days in my Avitar. New Shorties, swing arm bushings, fork seals (and 4" Over forks if I can find some or trade my stock forks) A new Paint job and decal set is in her future (I am thinking Candy Teal or Aqua) SUGGESTIONS anybody?

As a young Canadian who only has 3 years of riding under my 32" belt I can say through my experience that there is a stigma but only with HD and less so but apparent with sport riders as well, it appears those who choose simple and straight forward riding make us a strange bunch to the sea of ninja 250 riders. When I was looking for my first motorcycle I was in love with British styling however my limited mechanical experience and financial means very happily landed me in the seat of my XS650 which is my only and daily driver.

I don't feel guilty at all as it is an inexpensive mode of urban transportation which is perfect for the XS. I can appreciate what a harley davidson motorcycle is capable of but it kind of throws me through a loop when there are other motorcycles that far exceed harley davidsons in what they are best at, touring. If i was to drive across the country and I could pick anything, a harley wouldn't be top 10. I mean even if you are dead set on riding american, I feel like victory or indian would be a far better buy.

Uhlaf said:

I can appreciate what a harley davidson motorcycle is capable of but it kind of throws me through a loop when there are other motorcycles that far exceed harley davidsons in what they are best at, touring.

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Not all Harley's are touring bikes.

Metal Wizard Machine said:

Not all Harley's are touring bikes.

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Neat, excuse my ignorance.

Metal Wizard Machine said:

Not all Harley's are touring bikes.

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I don't think these things helped much either.

Along with brand discrimination, you also have the size thing.
More than the "whatcha ridin" question, I hear the "how big is it" question.
One upmanship is alive and well and as ingrained as any habit. Even here on the XS650 site.

There was a day, long past, when Harley sold motorcycles. Now they sell "lifestyle" and the fashion accessories to go with it, and their shops are nothing more than boutiques for guys who are short on dues, long on cash, and have a lot to prove. Far as I'm concerned, the "stigma" is on HD.

The "American Iron" line is deceptive propaganda. Forks made by Showa, ignitions by Hitachi, carbs by Mikuni, pistons cast in Mexico, etc. About all that happens in Milwaukee is assembly. I have more American made bits on my XS650 than the average HD.

"The "American Iron" line is deceptive propaganda. Forks made by Showa, ignitions by Hitachi, carbs by Mikuni, pistons cast in Mexico, etc. About all that happens in Milwaukee is assembly. I have more American made bits on my XS650 than the average HD."

OUCH!!!

TwoManyXS1Bs said:

I don't think these things helped much either.

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I know where one of those is sitting, it is missing the carb and I think the Taillight, but is otherwise complete It is sitting inside a Farm Building up here and is for sale.

Yep, Harley acquired a stake in Aermacchi as part of Italy's WWII reparations payments. The sport versions of the Sprint, in 250 and 350 cc. displacements, were really pretty good bikes; they were nowhere near as fast as a Yamaha 250 2-stroke, Suzuki X6, or even a Honda 305 Super Hawk. But they handled much better than any of the Japanese machines of the period, and they were tough, reliable, and decent value for the money.

A friend of mine had the 250 Sprint, and handling was not something to brag about.