The "Jap Crap Kid" to the rescue

"where Harley parts are actually manufactured"
What do I care? It's a world economy and I've had poor results turning assholes into nice guys by rubbing their noses in dog doo doo. (or any other way) Most guys are nice one on one, but can be real jerks in their pee-er group. Now if you want to talk about Corvette owners.........:poke:
 
You'll find this mentality in all walks of life. I suppose that Jeep Wrangler people could give me a lot of heat to the effect that my Patriot 4x4 isn't a "real" Jeep. And I suppose that the Martin crowd could give me a lot of gas because my Martin is a DX1 as opposed to an Ian Anderson siggy. But I also suppose I don't much care.

"I yam what I yam." ~ Popeye

TC
 
Want to do something fun? Call a Harley dealer and ask for Mikuni carb parts. When they ask what bike it's for tell them a Yamaha. Hang on for the answer, it's a good one. Then remind them that Mikunis were standard on Yamaha's before Harley saw the light.
 
I've been struggling with the Harley stigma for years now, mostly because I like the 45 degree air-cooled v-twin and pushrod simplicity.
I have come to the conclusion that the biggest rebel among Harley riders, is the man who really loves the machines, sees the yuppy/poser owners and the distasteful and/or sleazy events they attend, and decides to buy one anyway.
I would own a Harley--probably a pre-AMF FLH for 2-up duty, or an ironhead sportster cafe racer--but every event or cruise would find me lumped in with the H.O.G. people, which just isn't me. I just want the ride...not the "life." It sucks when some people decide to hate the machine because of the ridiculousness of the owner.

It's a variation of that theme that brings me to this forum. I have no need to emulate guys who hang out at Ace Cafe in the U.K., and I'm not a skinny hipster. I just happen to love the sound of old air-cooled parallel twins, and the stripped-down-to-the-bare-essentials bobbers and cafe racers.
 
platkeyboy said:
I've been struggling with the Harley stigma for years now, mostly because I like the 45 degree air-cooled v-twin and pushrod simplicity.
I have come to the conclusion that the biggest rebel among Harley riders, is the man who really loves the machines, sees the yuppy/poser owners and the distasteful and/or sleazy events they attend, and decides to buy one anyway.
I would own a Harley--probably a pre-AMF FLH for 2-up duty, or an ironhead sportster cafe racer--but every event or cruise would find me lumped in with the H.O.G. people, which just isn't me. I just want the ride...not the "life." It sucks when some people decide to hate the machine because of the ridiculousness of the owner.

It's a variation of that theme that brings me to this forum. I have no need to emulate guys who hang out at Ace Cafe in the U.K., and I'm not a skinny hipster. I just happen to love the sound of old air-cooled parallel twins, and the stripped-down-to-the-bare-essentials bobbers and cafe racers.
Click to expand...

Well said. And that is the same realization I made. I just want the ride, not the life.
 
Ive got nothing against Harley motors per se , just most of the owners, over here in England at least,they tend to be RUB's who buy them for the 'Wild Hogs' image , they havent got a clue how to swing a spanner , they trailer their barges into the HD dealer for a tyre pressure check... They wear Harley bandanas, lighter holders, shades , jackets & boots , sad bastids.....:doh:
Not sure about over in the States, but here real bikers aknowledge a passing rider with a nod of the head or a raised hand, not Harley riders, they seem to be in a (fantasy) world of their own , imagining theyre a cut above the rest..
 
Things are remarkably similar here in th US, I own 2 HD's, both are old. I won't ride anything new ( my newest bike is 24yrs old ). When I'm not laughing at the rubs, they pis me off. I don't want to be associated with them, but people are a whole lot nicer to bikers now that lawyers & doctors are riding, instead of stares & rude comments, it's "HI- NICE DAY FOR A RIDE". Anyway, I'm here cause I bought an XS for my stepson & am turning it into a tracker, and am liking it so much that I'm probably gonna make a cafe' bike for myself when I'm done. Just for the record- I'll wave to a dude on a 1972 cb-350 before I wave to someone on an HD.
 
I saw a bunch of "big tires" (OCC 300 tired bikes) get pulled over the other day. Delaware's helmet law does not require you to wear one, but you must have it on the machine when operating it. There was about 10 big tires pulled over, no helmets on the bikes. Their bandanas looked really cool though when the roll-backs came to tow the bikes. What's with the S&S engines, custom frames, and Harley Jackets? There's not a Harley part on the bike.

Oh, and a DNREC agent (game warden), who have more power than the state police, was telling me that he pulled over a BMW owner for no helmet and he said the guy was a complete ass. "You know who I am?" kinda guy. He said he got so mad at the BMW owner arguing with him that he almost impounded the bike, but had to respond to a call.
 
In Pennsylvania, the "hardcore" Harley guys (people whose entire identity is wrapped up in their motorcycle) won't wave to another biker unless they suspect that it may be a Harley. The funny thing is, it's getting harder and harder to tell if an oncoming bike is a Harley nowadays--but they definitely won't be waving to the Vespa, or the guy on the gixxer.
Now that's the "hardcore" guys. Most of the RUBS will wave, (although here it's RISURBS (Rich Suburban/Rural Bikers), haha. Anyway, no matter the Harley guy though, they always seem to be of one mind about the type of wave they offer, which is the "arm-straight-down-to-the-side-at-a-45-degree-angle--with-hand-motionless" wave.

A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law got fed up with the "I'm too cool to actually wave to you" bikers, so any time he gets that downward, slack-armed "wave," he waves frantically at them like pee-wee herman. That's one way to pop the ol' "cool bubble," lol.

And littlebill, I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that OCC-type bikes shouldn't be lumped in with Harleys. They all share common engine architecture, and the majority of S&S productions retain the exact (or similar) outer dimensions, so that even some of their biggest engines can be shoehorned into a Harley frame. It's the same with other engine suppliers like Revtech. The riders are cut from the same cloth as well (in your story, literally, haha), so why differentiate? It's all a variation on the same theme (low, raked-out, fat tire, high price), which is why a lot of bike shows are a yawn. I'm glad there are guys like Motus and Confederate shaking things up a bit--redefining what "American motorcycle" can mean.
 
My point is that why would you wear Harley clad everything and not own a Harley? I ride a Parallel twin, like most british bikes, but don't wear head to toe Triumph shit. Hell, most of those "bikers" don't even know who Smith and Stankos are or what they have done for the home mechanic since 1958.
 
I guess I just don't see as much of a difference, other than in name only. S&S started by making parts for the "home mechanic" who was working on a Harley engine, then came Harley-architecture crate engines, and that's basically all they still do. Take a look at their current product offering--Victory has the ridiculous distinction of being lumped in with the "Metric" category, which is itself a footnote in their product line. Everything else is Harley-inspired. Their new X-Wedge engine is cool, and that one stands apart from the typical Harley fare, but all of the Evo and Twin Cam 88 stuff is pure Harley aftermarket, so why the big beef with a Harley jacket? I understand that S&S is a great company, but they unashamedly serve Harley, or Harley-inspired clientele--no big deal. Side note: You really know S&S as Smith and Stankos? I mean, S&S hasn't even stood for that for like 50 years, haha.

This really isn't comparable to the difference between a Triumph and Yamaha XS. The two are actually quite different, other than the fact that their cylinders line up side-by-side, not to mention the fact that they are each a recognized long-standing OEM manufacturer. It is more comparable to a guy with a custom hot rod that resembles a '32 Ford, who wears a Ford jacket even though the engine is completely Roush racing. It's still brand identity.
Having said all of that, I feel that I need to recap: Any of these companies and machines is fine by me (I would even own a new Harley if I could see any tangible benefit over one made 35+ years ago), it's just just the elitist attitude of some owners that chaps (no pun intended) me a bit. I like this conversation, because I've finally found a group of like-minded riders, so I don't want to annoy anyone. Just trying to be logical.

P.S., littlebill, I like your bike. After I get out of the financial doldrums, I think I'll be building another XS. The one in my avatar is for sale.
 
platkeyboy said:
In Pennsylvania, the "hardcore" Harley guys (people whose entire identity is wrapped up in their motorcycle) won't wave to another biker unless they suspect that it may be a Harley. The funny thing is, it's getting harder and harder to tell if an oncoming bike is a Harley nowadays--but they definitely won't be waving to the Vespa, or the guy on the gixxer.
Now that's the "hardcore" guys. Most of the RUBS will wave, (although here it's RISURBS (Rich Suburban/Rural Bikers), haha. Anyway, no matter the Harley guy though, they always seem to be of one mind about the type of wave they offer, which is the "arm-straight-down-to-the-side-at-a-45-degree-angle--with-hand-motionless" wave.

A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law got fed up with the "I'm too cool to actually wave to you" bikers, so any time he gets that downward, slack-armed "wave," he waves frantically at them like pee-wee herman. That's one way to pop the ol' "cool bubble," lol.

And littlebill, I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that OCC-type bikes shouldn't be lumped in with Harleys. They all share common engine architecture, and the majority of S&S productions retain the exact (or similar) outer dimensions, so that even some of their biggest engines can be shoehorned into a Harley frame. It's the same with other engine suppliers like Revtech. The riders are cut from the same cloth as well (in your story, literally, haha), so why differentiate? It's all a variation on the same theme (low, raked-out, fat tire, high price), which is why a lot of bike shows are a yawn. I'm glad there are guys like Motus and Confederate shaking things up a bit--redefining what "American motorcycle" can mean.
Click to expand...

I'm going to start doing that!:thumbsup:
 
Make sure when you do that wave, that you also ad the horn "beep-beep" and then point down at your own bike like, "Look! I've got one too. We're friends, yeah".
I prefer the quick,"I'm a badass" head-up nod. Otherwise known as the "zup". That way they know you mean business.
My buddy does the low, "Shakedown Street" snap move. But in a retro beatnick style.
 
I have found waving like you are a blithering idiot enrages people, especially if you do it after they give you the bird.

Anyways, I am a die hard GM fan and I will rarely drive anything else. It is just a preference. If I had to, then it would be American first, then German, then probably Asian. I just try to support America when and where I can when I buy something new.

It's just me.

With that said, I do love the Honda Accords of the late 90s and of the 70s. I don't think the Civic is a bad vehicle, but the Fanboys out there are really bois.

With bikes, I started on a CBR600, yet my uncle had had Harlies when I was growing up. He had them all pre-AMF and some newer ones. He loved bikes, but also taught me alot about cars and hotrods.

When I began looking for a bike a year ago, I didn't want a crotch rocket again, wanted more of a cruiser.

I personally like the OCC/WCC stuff. Hell I like almost anything with 2 wheels and I know it pisses people off at times, as it pisses me off when people say that about cars. lol

Would I ever buy an OCC bike, probably not, WCC, maybe, Exile, yes. I think there were some really good builders on the biker build off series. MAtt Hotch did some crazy shit and Shinya stuff is more along the line of the style that I like.

Anyways, when I was looking, I ran across a few of the XS' and the CB's, and for some reason I liked the XS stuff alot better and at the time it seemed like there was only TC making hardtails, maybe a few more. Monet got tight and so went away the dreams of the XS, much less a Harley.

I have been wanting to build a bike for about 15 years, but I always have a project in the way. I really thought getting an XS would teach me alot and I would progress to a Harley. I don't see it that way anymore; well maybe an older Harley.

As far as the NEW Harley riders, they make me laugh as their chaps and clothes always look VERY new and even their shirts are basically shirts from the local dealership where they got their bikes, while the old guys that ride around here have some old shirts from way back and just seem born into it.

I don't care either way, but there is always good and BAD in every group.

I just want to ride.....x10
 
I love to ride. It's my main mode of transportation.
So, let's see... I have a motorcycle I built, I can go about 90 tops (speed limit is 65), I get to cruise down the road, and I saved about 13K by riding a XS. With that money saved I bought a brand new boat. Win-win for me. Guess I could have spent 15K on a Harley and become one of 25 million with the same bike.
 
littlebill31 said:
I love to ride. It's my main mode of transportation.
So, let's see... I have a motorcycle I built, I can go about 90 tops (speed limit is 65), I get to cruise down the road, and I saved about 13K by riding a XS. With that money saved I bought a brand new boat. Win-win for me. Guess I could have spent 15K on a Harley and become one of 25 million with the same bike.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and that's part of the reason I would prefer an older Harley to a newer one. Pragmatically speaking, I see know reason to buy a new Sportster 1200, when the last ironhead sportster had about the same horsepower and (in my opinion) sounded better.

Aside: I ultimately would like to get my hands on a wrecked Buell Lightning, pull the engine, and use a mid '90s Sportster frame to build a wicked cafe racer. Those Buell engines should could be de-tuned 20hp and still be better than the current 1200. I'm glad Buell is on his own again--less interference from the old money.
 

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