Wait a minute. Harley-Davidson makes motorcycles?? I thought they just offered hats, T-shirts, chain wallets, dog collars, sunglasses, belts, boots, jeans, gloves, thongs, stirrups, bar stools, folding chairs, doo-rags, cigar holders, mustache combs, belt buckles, ass-less chaps, leather vests, jackets, water bottles, golf balls, baby clothes, cell phone holders, boxer shorts, coffee mugs, beer steins, parkas and stuff like that. (By the way, don't get me started on the Shelby American catalog we just received.)
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Nov. 5, 2009 2:26 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director
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Nov. 5, 2009 2:34 p.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork
Mmmmmm...assless chaps.....
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Nov. 5, 2009 2:38 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork
You forgot dog leashes. I used my Harley-Davidson Officially Licensed Product dog leash just last night. And had coffee from my OLP coffee mug this morning, after finishing coffee from my TRD coffee mug earlier, of course.
I do have to admit that the non-riders with thirty large and a fantasy do kinda get in the way sometimes. On my recent trip to Irving in the Rolla, I got stuck behind several packs of people in the twisties of the WaE36 M3a Mountains that really, really, didn't know how to ride. About half were on jap dressers or BMWs. The rest were on (gasp) Genuine HD's.
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Nov. 5, 2009 2:47 p.m. klipless New Reader
Dr. Hess wrote:
the WaE36 M3a Mountains
GRM curse word scrubbing fail!
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:05 p.m. JetMech Reader
In reply to Carson:
I certainly wouldn't be surprised to learn that they drive Prisuses.
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:06 p.m. Carson Dork
In reply to JetMech:
And therefore polluting the world with smug.
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:09 p.m. JetMech Reader
Carson wrote:
Amen.And therefore polluting the world with smug.
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:20 p.m. RossD HalfDork
If they do drive Priuses(eseses), they sniff their own farts, too.
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:30 p.m. DrBoost HalfDork
HD is the General Motors of the bike world.
Hopelessly out of date but refusing to make a world class bike (or car GM). They'd rather just buy another company that makes decent stuff and run with it assuming that people will keep buying the junk "cuz my daddy and grand-daddy did."
Disclaimer, GM is now starting to build good cars, i.e. the vette, CTS-v and Cobalt SS. H-D has started using better cotton for the socks they sell to the mindless masses.
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:37 p.m. Mental UberDork
I can appreaciatte the stereotyping of HD folks as a sportbiker. But as a sportbiker, I loathe the idea.
Everyone seems to be genuinely impressed that I am almost 40, my "girl" on the back is: actually my wife, not 20, not in a thong w/low cut jeans, wearing a helmet.
The reason you don't notice folks like Dr Hess is becuase he doesn;t blip his throttle at 2 AM at every stoplight. The reason you don't notice portbikers like me is becuase I don't ride 140 in a school zone.
Of course you think every HD rider is a D-bag and every sportbiker is a social deviant. You don't notice the ones who aren't, we're too busy riding normal and we get home before 3 AM (sometimes)
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:42 p.m. aircooled SuperDork
Cotton wrote:
...For a board full of Miata owners you guys sure do like your stereotypes.
Harley riders being fags (in the new definition) and Miata drivers being fags (in the old definition) are not really all that similar. The percentage of Miata fags (in a homosexual sort if way) is probably (wild guess) in the 5% range (at most), the percentage of Harley fags (in the douche bag open exhaust sense) is probably (again wild guess) in the 60% range (probably conservative). So calling a Harley rider a fag is a far more reasonable assumption then a Miata driver.
Besides, I think it is reasonable to assume that almost no one here would consider all Harley riders fags, just the ones with the open pipes. It should also be noted there are a good number of sport bike riders that would be classified as fags, and even a good number of "fart can" equipped car drivers.
Cartman: "You know everyone thinks you are fags, right?"
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:49 p.m. mad_machine PowerDork
I wish my neighbor could have seen that episode. He recently bought himself a new (used) harley and spent all day last sunday running up and down the street with it.
I work nights.. hearing open exhaust at 10am was enough to make me consider homicide as a reasonable course of action.
My Business Partner rides a harley.. it is compleatly stock, but he still needs earplugs to keep the noise down
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Nov. 5, 2009 3:55 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork
It's not completely stock, then mm. Stock HD's are so quiet you can't hear them at all. Really.
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Nov. 5, 2009 4:10 p.m. oldopelguy Dork
Dr. Hess wrote:
It's not completely stock, then mm. Stock HD's are so quiet you can't hear them at all. Really.
That wouldn't be because they aren't running, would it?
I've probably got more miles on bikes than 99% of the bike owners out there, well over 400k on various machines, and I can't for the life of me figure out how HD riders get away with the straight pipes. Put a set of even vanilla Yoshi pipes on a sport bike and you won't make it to the nearest Sprawlmart without getting a ticket, but ride a HD and you can be stupid loud all the time and never a word.
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Nov. 5, 2009 4:11 p.m. cwh SuperDork
That makes them more dangerous, right? Loud pipes save lives!!
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Nov. 5, 2009 4:57 p.m. Schmidlap Reader
A guy who lives a few doors down from me used to have a Harley, and would rev it every time he started it or pulled into his driveway and shut it off. Surprisingly, he didn't blip it when it when idling. I asked him if he realised he was annoying the entire neighbourhood when he did that, especially when he was leaving for work at 6:30 in the morning, and he told me "a friend who is a Harley guru told me it was the proper way to start it and shut it down - you had to get the oil through the engine quickly on startup and keep it up there on shut down." I started to explain how wrong that was, but let it go. He sold the Harley last summer and picked up a Mustang 2 and restored it (did a really good job), except for the open pipes on the 4 cylinder engine. He revs that on startup and shutdown just like his Harley, and it's just as annoying, and surprisingly loud.
Bob
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Nov. 5, 2009 5:04 p.m. jrw1621 Dork
^^^ Restored a 4 cyl Mustang 2? I did not realize that anyone did such a thing.
How is that the loudest voice for social commentary in our society comes from Comedy Central through South Park and Stewart/Colbert ?
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Nov. 5, 2009 5:06 p.m. fifty Reader
David S. Wallens wrote:
- (By the way, don't get me started on the Shelby American catalog we just received.)
You mentioned his name. That's five bucks.
We have a lot of outlaw CPAs and lawyers in my town too. Not a fan of their faux machismo or their "lifestyle" bikes.
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Nov. 5, 2009 5:17 p.m. Woody SuperDork
Keith wrote:
If Harley owners are so concerned with safety that they have to ride without mufflers, why don't they wear helmets except under duress?
I love how, with the recent drop in temperature, you'll see Harley riders wrapping their balding scalp and wrinkled face with any kind of ridiculous covering, other than an actual helmet.
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Nov. 5, 2009 5:35 p.m. benzbaron Reader
People love to hate on harleys and I think there is some rationale behind it. I went to street vibes about a month ago and notice a lot of harley riders had really obnoxious exhausts not for riding just showing off.
Now I have a buell blast and stock it sounds like a leaf blower, when the crappy sheet metal harley muffler rotted off I put on a vance and hines which both made the bike louder but also produced more power which I need all I can get. Now my bike is louder than my mom's stock sporty and I get some unwanted attention but I can handle myself on a bike.
Lastly everyone points out harleys are loud but nothing is more annoying sounding than a riced out honda with a 4 inch muffler. I used to live in san diego on a busy street and all night people would drive by with those rattle can exhausts. So if everyone feels the need to knock down harley riders with loud pipes don't talk about how you cut out the catalyst and muffler out of your car for a couple HP because it is the same goddamn thing as taking the muffler off a bike.
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Nov. 5, 2009 6:01 p.m. aircooled SuperDork
oldopelguy wrote:
......I can't for the life of me figure out how HD riders get away with the straight pipes...
This is the source of a lot of the frustration surrounding this. Most cops just seem to refuse to enforce that law, they even mention it a bit in the Southpark episode ( something like "...and no one else seems to want to do anything about is..."). The fact that they even need to make a law that says you can't ride/drive around with open exhaust is pretty sad.
Schmidlap wrote:
....a friend who is a Harley guru told me it was the proper way to start it and shut it down - you had to get the oil through the engine quickly on startup and keep it up there on shut down." I started to explain how wrong that was, but let it go...
I think this might be somewhat related to the fact that Harleys sound like hot rods with hot cams. With some high performance engines (not sure if it is the cam or the heat of the plugs) it is best to rev the engine before shut down to clear the plugs to make it easier to start. The Harley riders may have adopted this without any real knowledge of the purpose but just because their engines have a similar idle (for completely different reasons of course).
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Nov. 5, 2009 7:10 p.m. DirtyBird222 Dork
DrBoost wrote:
HD is the General Motors of the bike world.
Hopelessly out of date but refusing to make a world class bike (or car GM). They'd rather just buy another company that makes decent stuff and run with it assuming that people will keep buying the junk "cuz my daddy and grand-daddy did."
Disclaimer, GM is now starting to build good cars, i.e. the vette, CTS-v and Cobalt SS. H-D has started using better cotton for the socks they sell to the mindless masses.
You must be living in teh 80s or mid 90s still. It's ok and I forgive you, but it is in fact almost 2010, remove the flannel shirt that is tied around your waste, put the joint down, and cut your Jim Brewer styled hair (from half baked), and look at some of the other cars they've produced over the past 8-10 years. A lot more world class cars than just the CTS or Cobalt.
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Nov. 5, 2009 7:15 p.m. Keith PowerDork
benzbaron wrote:
Lastly everyone points out harleys are loud but nothing is more annoying sounding than a riced out honda with a 4 inch muffler.
I feel bad for Honda. They make great engines, but for some reason they sound really nasty uncorked. Every time someone's worried about what our exhaust systems might sound like, they always make sure it won't "sound like a Honda". Poor Honda engineers.
Around here, about 5% of the Hondas have fart cans. And 95% of the Harleys cause physical pain when they stutter past.
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Nov. 5, 2009 7:28 p.m. Osterkraut Dork
JetMech wrote: South Park, on the other hand, really got under my skin. Never found it funny in the least. Yet I'd now like to know what Parker and Stone drive.
In "Erection Day," there was a bike that was a dead-ringer for an SV650. I suspect somebody on South Park's staff has one.
That would make them very wise!
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Nov. 5, 2009 7:30 p.m. oldsaw HalfDork
What is this phenomenon "South Park" of which you speak? I was weaned on Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies, Clutch Cargo, Johnny Quest, et al.
Use different words, apply them to different situations and figure out when to paint with a detail or broad brush.
Asshats don't have exclusive rights to the HD logo.
