Why arent Metric Cruisers given any respect?

[Rumblestiltskin]

I'm thinking there's a song in this somewhere....

[1SHOT1HIT]

Originally Posted by Let It Fall

Omg where to start...

This respect lee and stupid Harley owners MADE UP is just that made up. There in the cool club and you can't be in it unless they say you can.

People identify too much with a Tool/recreational equipment. When they refer to car drivers as cagers. This is so stupid, I don't care if your a squid on a street legal dirt bike, I'm not gomna disrespect you because of it.

For me it's a tool to get me to and from work efficiently and fast, and fun on weekends and after work.

I dont stick my nose up to people who play squires. And last I heard FENDER wasnt considered a way of life

You had me until the end, then you lost me.

Listen if you haven't heard Fender was a way of life it doesn't mean it's so.
Just means you haven't heard from the right people yet.
There's no rule saying that you have to play a Fender to be cool.

It says that if you don't play a Fender the odds are stacked against you. : )

[sledgehamer73]

I do get that feeling sometimes when I'm out for a ride about certain Harley riders, but as in life, not everyone is a jerk.

I ride a Kawasaki 650R. It's not a cruiser, and it's not a super sport bike as it's a parallel twin standard that is fared. (vs a 4cyl SS). So I've gotten slack from all sides, but I don't care, I just enjoy riding.

Funny though, I have several "sets" of friends that I ride with. Most ride Harley's. Two ride custom choppers, but they all always invite me on rides. They really could give a flyin' F about what kind of bike I ride. We just enjoy getting out and riding, and hanging out afterwards and talking about motorcycles. That's what it's all about.

As a matter of fact I just had to turn down a 2 day ride to Skyline drive with about 8 Harley riders because of another commitment I had.

Try not to care so much what others think about you and your ride and just have fun on your bike.

I still wave to every two wheeler I see whether I get a wave back or the finger, it doesn't really bother me either way. I'm just blessed to be out on the open road and enjoying the day.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by duff beer

Most people who don't ride couldn't care les what kind of bike someone rides, myself included. What does bother me are the idiots who thinks it is their God given right to have such a loud exhaust that they can be heard a mile away. My neighbor has a bike that I can hear idling 400 yards away. Chain saws are quieter, yet no one is stupid enough to run a chain saw at 3:00 in the morning...but plenty of people are stupid enough to make the equivilent noise of a chain saw a 3:00 in the morning...

To be honest, I don't know why they are allowed to have such loud exhausts. When I'm on the road driving I can never hear them until they are literally right next to me.

[viper4000]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

To be honest, I don't know why they are allowed to have such loud exhausts. When I'm on the road driving I can never hear them until they are literally right next to me.

I've never "almost hit" a Harley with drag pipes. I have "almost hit" every other type of motorcycle though. Even Harleys with stock pipes. Blind Spots are tough, and in traffic a bike sits in the blind spot soooo well. Not everyone agrees, but loud pipes do save lives. Everyone's experience is different.

[nortonrider]

[Let It Fall]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

To be honest, I don't know why they are allowed to have such loud exhausts. When I'm on the road driving I can never hear them until they are literally right next to me.

Wait what?

I think loud exhaust is a sort of safety measurement. When I was on my ninja 250 I had a few people just merge onto me. Like its obvious I'm here if you just check your mirror, I wasn't speeding or anything I was actually passing him very slowly maybe 1-2 mph and he just didn't know i was there. That doesn't happen anymore.

Also running a chainsaw is a little different because it doesn't fly by at 60 mph, it's not gone as fast as it came.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by viper4000

I've never "almost hit" a Harley with drag pipes. I have "almost hit" every other type of motorcycle though. Even Harleys with stock pipes. Blind Spots are tough, and in traffic a bike sits in the blind spot soooo well. Not everyone agrees, but loud pipes do save lives. Everyone's experience is different.

Well - repeated study of accident and injury statistics compiled by both NHTSA and the insurance companies show no correlation between bikes outfitted with loud pipes and lower "failure to yield" accident rates.

I have no problem with the folks who are worried about safety and use loud pipes in conjunction with other safety gear.

...but 99% of the loud pipe folks I've encountered:

1) Don't wear high visibility vests
2) Don't wear real DOT approved helmets
3) Don't use headlight/brakelight modulators

All things which evidence shows save lives... unlike loud pipes.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by Let It Fall

Wait what?

I think loud exhaust is a sort of safety measurement. When I was on my ninja 250 I had a few people just merge onto me. Like its obvious I'm here if you just check your mirror, I wasn't speeding or anything I was actually passing him very slowly maybe 1-2 mph and he just didn't know i was there. That doesn't happen anymore.

Problem is - you generally can't hear a bike exhaust UNTIL IT PASSES YOU (or at least gets next to you)...

...and I've seen just as many "jerk the wheel because I heard a sudden loud noise" reactions to loud pipes as I've seen "Oh there is a motorcycle I should watch out for" reactions.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by aborgman

Problem is - you generally can't hear a bike exhaust UNTIL IT PASSES YOU (or at least gets next to you)...

...and I've seen just as many "jerk the wheel because I heard a sudden loud noise" reactions to loud pipes as I've seen "Oh there is a motorcycle I should watch out for" reactions.

Exactly.

I understand the premise for them, but I'm not sure if they really accomplish their goal. TBH, I don't think I've ever met a single person who has added pipes to their vehicle under the premise of safety. Rather, they just add them to show off and get attention from everyone (besides other people on the road).

Personally, I can never hear a bike until they're almost exactly or completely parallel with me on the road, and even then I don't hear every one.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Let It Fall

Wait what?

I think loud exhaust is a sort of safety measurement. When I was on my ninja 250 I had a few people just merge onto me. Like its obvious I'm here if you just check your mirror, I wasn't speeding or anything I was actually passing him very slowly maybe 1-2 mph and he just didn't know i was there. That doesn't happen anymore.

Honestly, I never hear a bike with loud pipes while its behind me. That sound doesnt really travel forward. I hear them when theyre just about next to me, and for a long while after they pass me, but never when theyre behind me.

Originally Posted by aborgman

...and I've seen just as many "jerk the wheel because I heard a sudden loud noise" reactions to loud pipes as I've seen "Oh there is a motorcycle I should watch out for" reactions.

When I notice a bike coming up on me I make sure to leave room for them to pass. I cant stand it when a bike comes up on me and then revs up, it honestly startles the crap out of me. Ive not jerked the wheel because of it, but Ive surely called those types douchebag, before.

[aborgman]

My family has always rode motorcycles.

My stepdad currently rides a Harley Fatboy.

My dad has; Suzuki GSXR 750, Husquavarna 390, Kawasaki KX250, and a 1964 Honda CL-350.

...and we were always obsessive about safety gear. My dad is pretty glad about that too - last Friday he had a dog run out in front of him on his way home from work and put his GSXR750 down. Lots of bruises and a broken big toe - but the helmet kept the pavement from scraping off half his head.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by Lee H

yeah, I get perturbed at this same old complaint coming up over and over again. It has been thrown out there on every single motorcycle forum I have ever been on, and now it is on a bass player forum.

It is ALWAYS someone complaining that he is disappointed because everyone else does not have the same opinion of him and his bike that he does.
The rationalization is always the same. metric bikes are faster and less money, or more reliable, or some other bunch of rhetoric. Justification for the righteous indignation is always the same. The only thing different is the username of the person butthurt that they do not get to set the standards by which others judge them

The OP didn't try to become a prospect for a 1% club and then get rejected because he didn't pay his biker dues. He was just riding along and minding his business, if we are to take his story at face value; then he got harassed.

I've spent years under stage lights and in the woodshed, so no, the nascent player who went and bought a new guitar and amp isn't automatically going to get respect as a musician from me. But I'm also not gonna go to that person's first couple of gigs to heckle them either.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

I was a few miles outside Boston on Friday on my way home from the airport when a guy in a delivery truck pulled up next to me in rush hour traffic. Him and his buddy started calling me an idiot and a mother effer. Thinking maybe I had cut him off, I put my window down to ask what was wrong. It turns out his issue was with the Pittsburgh Steelers license plate frame on my truck. For another minute or so they went on and on about how stupid I was. When I put my window back up, he called me a pussy and told me to go back to Pittsburgh.

That was a shocker for me.

-Mike

People take their tribal indentification with things like sports teams way too seriously.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

I was a few miles outside Boston on Friday on my way home from the airport when a guy in a delivery truck pulled up next to me in rush hour traffic. Him and his buddy started calling me an idiot and a mother effer. Thinking maybe I had cut him off, I put my window down to ask what was wrong. It turns out his issue was with the Pittsburgh Steelers license plate frame on my truck. For another minute or so they went on and on about how stupid I was. When I put my window back up, he called me a pussy and told me to go back to Pittsburgh.

That was a shocker for me.

-Mike

Fortunately, I'm a Bengals fan so I never have to worry about that sort of thing. Mostly I just get people who will tilt their head sideways and say, "you poor thing."

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

People take their tribal indentification with things like sports teams way too seriously.

They sure do, and up until a couple years ago, I was one of them. It was actually my wife and interacting with other fans here that made me realize how bad I was, so I adjusted accordingly.

I took the license plate frame off since the wife rides in my truck now and then, and I prefer she not be exposed to that level of idiocy. It may never happen again, but I'd rather not risk it.

-Mike

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Fortunately, I'm a Bengals fan so I never have to worry about that sort of thing. Mostly I just get people who will tilt their head sideways and say, "you poor thing."

I feel your pain. (Lifelong Detroit Lions fan).

[rekesbass]

Well...I'm a Harley rider and most(actually all but one) of the guy's I ride with give ME crap all the time(especially since I ride a Sportster). Of course it's all in good fun..the truth is,most H-D riders couldn't care less what anyone else is riding..I know there are some out there that are real a$*****'s but,I find them on every brand of bike out there...also,as far as loud pipes go..the crotchrocket aftermarket pipes are waaaay louder and waaaaayy more obnoxious (they sound like a swarm of bees on steroids) than most H-D after market pipes. I won't even get started on the ones that ride at 90 m.p.h. ..on one wheel...
I put my pipes (V&H short shots in black) on because they sound good,ARE NOT excessively loud,give me better performance and look great on my bike ...
The helmet thing... wear (or don't wear) what makes you happy.I like(and wear) half helmets but, I will wear a full face when it's cold or raining or if I'm going on a really long trip..I sometimes ride through a "no helmet law" state(NH) with a helmet because it makes me and my family happy..
BTW..the price gap between metric and H-D has closed a lot in the last few years. my nephew spent 20,000 on his Yamaha Raider...I can get just about any H-D in their line for that kind of money..when I was shopping around for bikes,I looked at everything in my price range and almost got a V-Star(even though I like H-D)..they are really nice bikes,but I found a really good deal on my almost brand new Sporty,a 2008 model purchased in early 2009 with 2450 miles on it and 1.75 years of warranty left on it..it was a repo and I got it at a really good price...It puts a smile on my face every time I get on it (as would any other bike that I happened to buy)....
As far as the respect thing goes,I show people respect no matter where I am or what I'm doing,in a car,on a bike, on a dogsled..life in general.. and I usually get it in return..my mother raised me that way.
I guess my point is ride what makes you happy and don't worry about anyone else...sorry for the long post..

[nortonrider]

I just got back from riding to town on this:


I passed 5 Harleys and none of them waved (or even gave me the finger).
I guess it doesn't have to be a metric bike.

.

[Let It Fall]

Originally Posted by rekesbass

..also,as far as loud pipes go..the crotchrocket aftermarket pipes are waaaay louder and waaaaayy more obnoxious (they sound like a swarm of bees on steroids) than most H-D after market pipes. I won't even get started on the ones that ride at 90 m.p.h. ..on one wheel...
I put my pipes (V&H short shots in black) on because they sound good,ARE NOT excessively loud,give me better performance and look great on my bike ...

Pah leeez.

First of all let's stop with the "crotch rockets are louder because there not what I drive bs"

Lets split the difference between v twins and inline 4s. I can honestly say I have heard WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYY MORE annoying v twins than I have heard a stupid loud inline 4 (never)