Just light banter about HD's - and I certainly don't mind. There's a lot of us here with Harley's, and I bought mine for a lot of reasons - high on that list is long-haul trips and the utility. Heck, I can hook up my trailer, pack it full of camping gear and ride a couple of thousand miles through Colorado. Something you can't do on a sport bike. Plus I even go shopping all the time, fill the trailer with groceries, sometimes cement and lumber from the local Box store - something you can do on most bikes - but I can and I do
But on this board - just about everyone is an enthusiast and I love that here.
Why a Harley instead of a metric cruiser? Easy - I don't like them. Some will say they're too expensive, and I'll agree they're over-priced but I like it. Some will say it's old technology - I'll argue against that. Old does not necessarily mean bad. Since I do all my own work I like the ease and compartmentalization of the design. I don't have to tear down the engine to fix a transmission issue or upgrade that bit or this. Most of the major stuff on the engine can be done with it still in the frame. Face it, you don't buy a Corvette or Porsche to haul groceries or take the kids shopping. If I wanted to zoom through the mountain curves here I'd buy a sport-bike, it's just not what I'm into right now.
Now the flip-side of the Harley equation is the Harley Posers - I find them irksome. A "poser" is a non-enthusiast who goes out and buys a new Harley loaded with all the latest bling, they buy all the newest leather bits, maybe put a few miles a year on the bike and has the local shop do all the maintenance - and they consider themselves kings of the road. I kind of laugh - there's a really big show here every summer - almost like a mini Sturgis. The city closes a dozen blocks of down-town, (Last year was something like 8,000 bikes) - bikes of all types come and of course a lot of harleys and Posers. This last group cracks me up, here we are, at 6,000 foot elevation, it's 100 degree's outside with sun that will roast a chicken, and here are these posers fully dressed in their black leather chaps, vests, coats etc.
Normally I just get a laugh and say to myself people are entitled to do what they want. BUT like last year at the Gap this it can be dangerous too. We were stuck behind a group of what I'll call "posers", they would not move over and let us by. In fact they were intentionally going incredibly slow and weaving through the whole lane to keep us behind them. I did finally pass them and knowing they would come to the hotel/store for gas and what-not I waited for them. Sure enough they showed up and parked, I walked over and politely told them about courtesy of the road and the potential danger they were causing to other riders. They in turn told me (and a very rude manner) it was a public road and they could do what they want. OK gloves off, lots of screaming both ways - almost came to blows and and that's fine by me - I'm not afraid of another assault charge. But there was no fight in the end, and I was reminded we were guests at the Hotel and then I felt bad. So next time I'll wait till I see this again at the Lookout or some other spot not at the hotel
Edit: I have to say my H2 has always been the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle. I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes over the years and since 1978 my H2 has never left me without a big grin after a ride.
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