[Wild-Bill]

I wave at everybody and sometimes a HD rider won't wave back. For the longest time, I figured it was just an individual thing. You know, everyone's an individual and some individuals are jerks. After the DoD tightened up the rules on gear, though I noticed that the only HD riders who didn't wave back weren't wearing DoD required gear. What's that tell you...?

[ShadowFetus]

I wave at everybody and sometimes a HD rider won't wave back. For the longest time, I figured it was just an individual thing. You know, everyone's an individual and some individuals are jerks. After the DoD tightened up the rules on gear, though I noticed that the only HD riders who didn't wave back weren't wearing DoD required gear. What's that tell you...?

DoD required gear? Never heard of this

[Wild-Bill]

Department of Defense (DoD) regulations require all military personnel on motorcycles wear a helmet with either a visor or goggles, long, sturdy pants, sturdy shoes that cover the ankle, full fingered gloves and either a jacket with bright colors (day) and reflective material (night) or long sleeves and a reflective vest.

Most of the HD riders don't want to wear a real riding jacket (bright colored panels and phoslite clash with the HD logo, I guess) so they run around wearing these dorky looking $50 vests from Icon. It does ID them pretty well as military. Someone in the Marines was recently saying that their base is exempting them from the vests because it's making them a target.

[MikeyZ]

I feel that if a biker wears full gear and appears responsible, they will get pulled over much less than a person wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It shows responsibility and care for not only yourself, but others too. It also shows you are older and DO have something to lose.

Also- your pipe has a lot to do with it. There is a difference between running a stocker or mild exhaust versus straight pipes. Just shows your respect for others.

[KAT TOY]

I wave at everybody and sometimes a HD rider won't wave back. For the longest time, I figured it was just an individual thing. You know, everyone's an individual and some individuals are jerks.

I figured that they were afraid to turn loose of the grips, afraid they might crash.

[Wild-Bill]

Hey, don't hack on HD riders too much. Everyone has a mother and even if you lick windows you're special in your own way.

[Slofuze]

Hey, don't hack on HD riders too much. Everyone has a mother and even if you lick windows you're special in your own way.

For sure. Not to threadjack, but what do you do when coming upon a string of HD's on your favourite ride? .....and they're feking it up? Out of respect, I do follow for awhile....but then I get bored and crank past them. What do you guys do?

[Wild-Bill]

I try not to pass them too fast and make sure I'm smiling when I do. Most of them are OK despite the fact they paid way too much for a bunch of chrome strapped to a cheap bike.

[Psycho1]

The city police and county sherrif deputies in Klamath Falls, OR have been making up excuses to pull motorcycle riders over just to do an endorsement check for the past several years. Usually they'll just give :a warning" for the bogus reason given for the stop, like for not using the turn signal when making a lane change (when you know you did signal), or for supposedly going 5mph over the posted speed limit (when you actually may have been going at the limit or 5 under).

[Wild-Bill]

Only real defense is if you've got a buddy following who can act as a witness and deep enough pockets to sue for civil rights violations. Oh, and notifying the mayor that you're thinking of running against them in the next election, using a platform based on ending police repression.

Or just avoid the place...

[ShadowFetus]

For sure. Not to threadjack, but what do you do when coming upon a string of HD's on your favourite ride? .....and they're feking it up? Out of respect, I do follow for awhile....but then I get bored and crank past them. What do you guys do?

I crank it past them pretty fast lol, rarely are they riding at the pace I am. Any middle fingers coming my way get a blown kiss back

[Bezerker]

A lot of Harley guys around me will go out of their way to avoid eye contact at lights with anyone riding a streetbike and will flip you off in passing if u wave. I know wave just becouse it annoys them so much. Although is not neary as bad for me now since I cut the bike down and removed the plastics. I also get hit at work from the secretary about how I am going to die and she doesn't wanna see me squished on the highway cuz everyone gets killed on them

I ride by a Harley dealership on my way to and from work everyday and I love waving to those guys.. Alot ignore me but I've found some are actually cool and wave back

[Slofuze]

I ride by a Harley dealership on my way to and from work everyday and I love waving to those guys.. Alot ignore me but I've found some are actually cool and wave back

Don't get me wrong. I give the "rubber down sign" to all bikers coming at me.....even police officers on bikes..... and they generally acknowledge me as well. I'm just wondering what others do. I have a friend with two HD's and he's a cool guy. After our first ride together he noticed I didn't like riding beside anyone like many HD riders seem to do around here. He understood after I told him he was blocking a possible escape route.

[rexazz2]

Don't get me wrong. I give the "rubber down sign" to all bikers coming at me.....even police officers on bikes..... and they generally acknowledge me as well. I'm just wondering what others do. I have a friend with two HD's and he's a cool guy. After our first ride together he noticed I didn't like riding beside anyone like many HD riders seem to do around here. He understood after I told him he was blocking a possible escape route.

staggered for sure
probably why I like ride at the very back of the pack

[Kreylyn]

staggered for sure
probably why I like ride at the very back of the pack

This is probably the biggest reason I blast past the Harleys. I try to ride behind them staggered, they can't seem to pick one side of the road or other.... weaving all over the place so to keep "staggered" I'd have to swerve back and forth in the lane as well... about the 3rd time that happens, they get passed. Or they are going stupid slow. When I say stupid slow, keep in mind my max speed is 9 over the speed limit. I'm generally right at the speed limit to 5 over most times. Doing 20 under the speed limit... is just stupid.

Speaking of passing....

Headed down 28 toward CROT and come out of a curve for a short straight just in time to see 2 harleys going into the next curve... and I know there is a longer straight after that. I didn't slow down... came around at speed (doing the speed limit) and blew past in the start of the straight, on the far left side of the oncomming lane that was fully clear. Plenty of time to check oncomming, plenty of space between us, and I wasn't blasting by at high rpms, but because they were going so slow and I didn't slow down for the curve prior like they did I got past them pretty quickly and was back in my lane in short time.

Wife was following me and came up behind them about the middle of that straight. I guess I sneaked up on them because they didn't have a chance to pull what they did with her.

Everytime she was going to pass in a straight, they would lay on the throttle to accelerate and move to the far left side of the lane almost on the center line to make a point of trying to keep her from doing it. So while that works on the shorter straits, a few curves down the road is a longer strait. Didn't work so well on that one as they "swerved" to the center lines and tried to accelerate but she was faster. But just confirms why I don't bother to give them any more chance than a car when it comes to getting over or passing. Most can't understand having a courtesy for other riders as I've seen demonstrated many times with other sport riders and at the very least... act like they own the entire lane/road and that to pass them is an insult. They get alot of "attitude" when you do no matter how safe or reasonable it was to do so. It's just that you got in front of them.

Krey