why do harley riders hate people on rockets??

[macgyver]

now we all know there is people out there on harleys that when you wave to them they don't wave back. i even had some guy give me the finger. now the question that is bugging me is why do harley riders hate crotch rockets?? i know there is some that don't but it appears if a lot of them do. we will never know the reason as to this but i would like to hear some of your ideas. normally when they dont wave back i downshift and fly past i guess that could be one reason

[bamarama]

You're right. Most cruisers I wave to wave back. Harleys tend to be more half and half. I think it has something to do with not being able to sport the black leather vest and american flag doorag, but I could be wrong.

[KansasKat]

I ride with several Harley Riders as well as Metric Cruiser Riders and most of them don't respect Sport Bike riders because of the 'squidly factor'. As most of us are aware, too many sport bike owners are young kids who have no respect for the law, themselves or other riders. When one of these squids tick off another rider, the other rider only remembers that it was a Sport Bike that did it and not the fact that it was the driver, not the bike that did it.
They dislike us for the same reason we have to pay more for insurance onr our bikes.

[macgyver]

another possibility rockets arnt as loud and obnoxious as harleys

[woobie]

I've found that very early in the season and Late in the season everyone waves regardless of the bike type. Once it warms up and the posers come out of the wood work then then snubbing begins.

I wave regardless, they don;t wave back I don't loose any sleep over it.

As most of us are aware, too many sport bike owners are young kids who have no respect for the law,

As opposed say to those older type Harley and cruier guys that ride from bar to bar (yes I'm stereotyping )

[bamarama]

I myself think that Harley riders have less respect for the law. I mean their goddamn exhausts wake the dead and are way more of an aggravation than the occasional sport bike wheely. For instance, I was sitting at an intersection in my car with a pack of harleys beside me. Couldn't hear shit. The light turns green and I start to go and a police car comes flying across the intersection (the intersection was more of an x than a cross, so I couldn't visually see the cop). I attribute not being able to hear the cop car due to those excessively loud machines. If I had taken off from the stop aggressively, it was likely that I would have hit the cop.

[Anonymous]

They can't wave.....The handlebars will fall off!

[macgyver]

As most of us are aware, too many sport bike owners are young kids who have no respect for the law, themselves or other riders

ive seen many a harley rider trying to do a wheely which is hillarious in itself and you always see them riding like a bat outta hell when they pull out. like its not bad enough to have to listen to their loud a$$ exhausts not being able to hear anything but to watch them getting on it like they have a race bike. i did ride a harley for awhile (my dads 79 sportster 1000) and i dont have anything against harleys. they are in a class of their own but i did notice that when i was on that harley (which has seen better days) that everyone no matter what type of bike waved. also everyone looked as well but he took the baffles out so it is loud as shiate

[KansasKat]

I'm just telling you what I hear from the guys I ride with. They have stereotypes of sport bike riders, just like we have stereotypes of Harley riders.

The fact of the matter is.......

It don't matter what you ride............JUST RIDE.

[bamarama]

It don't matter what you ride............JUST RIDE.

Do Segway's count? They have 2 wheels.

[Black_peter]

Reasons Harley guys don't wave..

1. terrified of letting go of the bars
2. jelous you can go 500 miles between repairs.
3. jelous/wish their knees still bent like that
4. jelous/wish they could see their knees.
5. they dont see you.. Just the road a head and the
free flying eagles...
6. too busy worrying about their payments
7. too busy worrying if their "old lady" is gonna reem them for buying more chrome gee gaws.
8. too busy looking at the guy with the cute butt

What I wonder is why Harley Bikers..
the so called freedom loving outlaw heros of the road wear Nazi shaped helmets and Maltese crosses?

NOTE:
None of these apply to our own Slim however...

[BearKat]

I am a Sportbike Rider Raised by a Harley Biker...

I think its just like the American Muscle Car vs. Import Tuners. Different crowd, different vibe, same mode of transportation. Of course there is going to be some clashing or extremist that will talk trash about the other. Bikes are bikes...except them stupid Segway riders I hate them...

[Black_peter]

.except them stupid Segway riders I hate them...

I'd like to see someone do a stoppie on a Segway...

LOU!!!!

[tdrcomm]

I've heard many reasons. Some make perfect sense, others don't. One that seems somewhat plausable is that after WWII GI's that came back from the war took up riding and the bikes they road were american-made Harley's (or Indians and Triumpths, I suppose). Gradually the culture grew. 20 years later the Japanese bikes started to appear but old animosity dies hard. But because the younger generation at the time (60's) were radically against anything of the establishment, the old hatred for anything "Made In Japan" started to die, especially when the products started becoming more superior (ie: auto companies now). Resentment grew and Harley riders circled the wagons and thumbed they noses at anything non-Harley. Younger riders just wanted something fun to ride, not fun to wrench. And that means a bike that's cheap and reliable. Now what Harley should have done is noticed the writing on the wall and scraped together all the cash they could and BOUGHT a Japanese UJM maker (it's the american way, after all).

Now, after all the pain and agony they're back, and their riders have an enormous chip on their shoulders. But notice they're back but with no current technology. They are Cadillac and GM waiting to happen. Younger riders as they get older could care less about the "mystique" and would rather have a comfortable cruiser with the latest technology that they can ride without having to adopt a mechanic. That isn't Harley. That's Japanese or Victory.

The two biggest mistakes that Harley has made in the past 20 years will come back and bite them in the a$$:

1) Not buying Indian when they had the chance.
2) Not buying Britten when they had the chance.

They could have used Indian to build high-tech, affordable cruisers and street bikes to compete with the Japanese without damaging it's reputation with it's loyal customer base.

With Britten, automatic respectability within the racing world with a revolutionary and race proven V-Twin. Technology that could have filtered down to their core business - Harley-Davidson twins. 10 years from now we'll be talking about H-D just like we're talking about the death of GM.

[Yellow2002Kat]

I dunno, it seems that almost everyone I wave to waves back. However, I can't really tell the difference between a Harley and an Import cruiser for the most part. I guess I can tell the imports because they're not stopped on the side of the road for repairs

I have guys on sportbikes not wave back on occassion also. I think if you don't get a wave the other rider just doesn't see you and is actually keeping his eyes on the road I know, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe it depends where you live. There are always a ton of bikes on the road where I live and everyone is pretty friendly. I even ride with a group of cruisers once in a while - If I get up early enough on a Sunday