Harley Attitude

[Pirate looks at --]

So we were coming back from our extended Spyders in The Redwoods trip, 2000 miles of great ryding. We came back to Eureka from a trip up the Oregon Coast and settled in at the Red Lion Inn for one more night. As we were getting ready to check out, I rode the RTL up to the lobby area and past a couple that was hooking their trailer up to their pick up. On the trailer were two rather generic looking Harley's. I rode by without comment. Well my fiancé was walking along behind me and she hears the woman in the couple say "what an idiot you ride one of those retarded motorcycles." Those things are so retarded, I can't believe that someone would be stupid enough to ride one of those ridiculous machines." Now she had no Idea that my fiancé was walking up to where she was at the time. When she heard all of this she passed by she said very clearly "well it maybe retarded, but at least we don't have to trailer ours to make sure we make it home comfortably, and safely! touché! I wonder what the same woman would have thought if she had been there the week before when the parking lot was full of 150 Spyders. The best part was that even though they left before I was done checking out we got to pass them on the highway outside of town, see they were towing a trailer and had to maintain a 55 mph speed limit. We blew them kisses and waived bye bye to them as we passed.

i have to say that other than that, the responses we have had from all other riders out there is pretty positive, we get waives from most other bikes no matter what make or model and lots of questions when we stop. All in all we had a fabulous trip and some beautiful weather and scenery.

[Chupaca]

comments like that require a certain amount of jealousy...looks like she had a lot. Was probably not happy with all the work she was having to do and how little riding...love the come back. Glad you had a great trip it was fun there...:thumbup:

[KX5062]

Yeah, sometimes I don't get the wannabe pirate mentality. :thumbup:

[PrairieSpyder]

That was a great come-back! And waves and air-kisses are much better than the middle finger. Good on you two! :2thumbs:

[Bob Denman]

:agree: :2thumbs:

[Dragonrider]

I only buy my leather goods at the local Harley dealer - IMHO, there are none better. However, the dealer has repeatedly requested that I do not ryde my Spyder to their dealership, as it sucks all of the prospective TriGlide buyers away. :roflblack::roflblack:

I suspect the attitude you heard derives from their attending too many local HOG meetings.

[coastrider]

Seems to me that blind adherence to one marque is juvenile and closes off all possibilities for new experiences. In my forty years of riding I've sampled and owned many motorcycles and now own an RT. There was something about each of those bikes that I liked. However,it's not my job to educate those with fragile egos, and I could not care less about rude and uneducated posers' opinion of my choice of ride.

[3 Wheel Addict]

Some Harley riders I know had items stolen off their bike when they took them in to a Harley dealer for service. Stock items put back on in their place so they didn't realize right away until after they left the dealership. The dealer of course claims no responsibility for the missing stuff. I guess that could happen anywhere to any bike but that whole Harley hype is just not for me.

[Jim&Teresa]

Words like "retarded" really turn me off. We have a nephew in Special Olympics and is a fantastic person! Also, my wife's brother is autistic....we've heard those type of words before.

I would have to say people who use words like "retarded" are in a class by themselves....and it's not an upper class. IMHO.

[Bob Denman]

[QUOTE=coastrider;856358]Seems to me that blind adherence to one marque is juvenile and closes off all possibilities for new experiences.QUOTE]
:agree: "Brand Myopia", just seems so narrow-minded and foolish! ;)

[LV2RYDE]

comments like that require a certain amount of jealousy...looks like she had a lot. Was probably not happy with all the work she was having to do and how little riding...love the come back. Glad you had a great trip it was fun there...:thumbup:

Usually, very positive comments and chats, except once at traffic light. Small tiny car like mini car but smaller than Mini Cooper. The driver said do you call this plastic toy a motorcycle? I opened my helmet and said: if you count your cheap toy a car, I call my expensive one auto-bike.
Honest, stupid comments hurt. But, who cares, we have a blast on it.

[ChasCS]

I have had nothing but friendly conversation from all Harley and crotch rocket riders I meet up with. Usually at a red light, we will turn and smile. But it's often the other guy who makes the first pleasantry. How do you like that ride, is a common opening line. "I love it!" is my pat answer. Way more fun than walking or riding the bus... Hahaha

Funny on our return ryde on Sunday, there were several hogs leaving the lake the same time many of us were heading her home. We had a group in front of us and several Harley's mixed in with us. They eventually roared off into the sunset. I was saddened to see how much stupid courage they have, passing on a narrow two lane highway, while going up a hill, & even when oncoming vehicles could be seen approaching on that narrow roadway. It would not have been a pretty sight...

Perhaps some of those rough and tough bikers should take a motorcycle riding safety course.

Chas

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I still have a yamaha zuma125 scooter, i remember when i was gassing up one time a few harley's were at the pump too & they were checking it out. This past sunday i did a group run with 3 harleys & the guys were as nice as can be & we did breakfast together, i guess it is just the type of person not the bike they own that determines JEALOUSY. Us spyder owners know we have the better bike so we don't have to be jealous of anyone & can always be nice. I know i am when i am parked & people come up to take pictures of the bike.
:yes::yes::yes: :clap::clap::clap::spyder2: power

[jcthorne]

Hang around the Harley guys long enough and you will be surprised how many more Spyder riders there will be in the group....

I too have found the vast majority of the Harely riders very friendly toward Spyders. Now the BMW and Honda crowd......not so much.

I don't think the Harley guys have anything to 'prove' Different strokes, not better. Most Honda guys I meet don't see it that way.

[DrewNJ]

Ah, the weekend pirates! Those riders that think they are better than all the other riders. Its usually the metric cruisers that I see with the attitudes. I usually get good responses from the BMW crowd and almost all sport bikes. Flip a coin on the Harley rider. The seasoned riders are usually good peeps. Its the weekend pirates with the chip on their shoulders that make me laugh.

I actually had a guy on a vtx almost kill himself trying to get away from me coming back from the shore. Its a bunch of back twisties and we came together at an intersection. I let him go first and kept my distance but was persistent staying with him. It was fun for awhile but finally backed off when he almost lost it on a high speed tight S turn. He sure as heck was going to do whatever he could to prevent riding anywhere near me....

[SPYD3R]

i once had a Harley rider approach my SPYD3R (with 2 friends) and he made a negative remark about my SPYD3R back in '09.....
i look right into his eyes, and made my own statement, "i'm certain glad you aren't in favor of my SPYD3R, because i would hate to think somebody like you would like the same things that i do".... his buddies started laughing at him and one said, "that old bastard got'cha"....

so you see... each to their own.... the world would be such a boring place if we all liked exactly the same things....
actually, RIGHT NOW, i'm looking to help a current HD rider to find his 1st SPYD3R.... his light came on....
Dan P
Easley, SC
SPYD3R

[BajaRon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJe6-afGz0Q

[frankc]

So we were coming back from our extended Spyders in The Redwoods trip, 2000 miles of great ryding. We came back to Eureka from a trip up the Oregon Coast and settled in at the Red Lion Inn for one more night. As we were getting ready to check out, I rode the RTL up to the lobby area and past a couple that was hooking their trailer up to their pick up. On the trailer were two rather generic looking Harley's. I rode by without comment. Well my fiancé was walking along behind me and she hears the woman in the couple say "what an idiot you ride one of those retarded motorcycles." Those things are so retarded, I can't believe that someone would be stupid enough to ride one of those ridiculous machines." Now she had no Idea that my fiancé was walking up to where she was at the time. When she heard all of this she passed by she said very clearly "well it maybe retarded, but at least we don't have to trailer ours to make sure we make it home comfortably, and safely! touché! I wonder what the same woman would have thought if she had been there the week before when the parking lot was full of 150 Spyders. The best part was that even though they left before I was done checking out we got to pass them on the highway outside of town, see they were towing a trailer and had to maintain a 55 mph speed limit. We blew them kisses and waived bye bye to them as we passed.

i have to say that other than that, the responses we have had from all other riders out there is pretty positive, we get waives from most other bikes no matter what make or model and lots of questions when we stop. All in all we had a fabulous trip and some beautiful weather and scenery.
ive been riding Harley for over 40 yrs I still have a Harley road king which I sometimes ride, because of open heart surgery and knee surgery, 2 months ago I bought a spyder, my wife has been riding a spyder for about 2 yrs last fall we went to a rally in fl. I trailered my Harley and her spyder not because I was worried about not making it back. we sometimes ride to a biker bar 90% of the bikes there are Harleys never heard a negative comment there are anywhere else, spyder is one bike that's excepted. they may have had a health issue not that they were worried about getting home:popcorn:

[Jim&Teresa]

Words like "retarded" really turn me off. We have a nephew in Special Olympics and is a fantastic person! Also, my wife's brother is autistic....we've heard those type of words before.

I would have to say people who use words like "retarded" are in a class by themselves....and it's not an upper class. IMHO.

BTW.... The comment above was related to people who judge and say the word "retarded" which can be anyone, not necessarily motorcycle riders....

I should mention that I have many friends with HD's and no negative comments at all. I ride every week on Wednesdays with a Mid-Week Riders group of retired folks...typically about 30 HD's, 2 BMW's, 1 Victory, and 2 Spyders....absolutely great folks and no negative comments....just lots of fun.

[frankc]

BTW.... The comment above was related to people who judge and say the word "retarded" which can be anyone, not necessarily motorcycle riders....

I should mention that I have many friends with HD's and no negative comments at all. I ride every week on Wednesday with a Mid-Week Riders group of retired folks...typically about 30 HD's, 2 BMW's, 1 Victory, and 2 Spyders....absolutely great folks and no negative comments....just lots of fun.

that's the way it is here in west ga. I don't know any spyder riders other than my wife and me. all my friends ride Harleys 2 weeks ago we went camping while we were there 9 Harley riders came up to spend the day with us spyder riders great day with great friends:yes:

[ARtraveler]

We are going to see the full range of comments in a thread like this. I have only had one negative comment so far from an HD rider. He mentioned the :spyder2: looked like a snowmobile. He was right.

I try to respect everyone and their ride of choice. I can usually come back with a good comment if I think about it a bit--so I am out of the game if I were to be attacked with a bad comment on the spot.

I kind of go with live and let live and you can't fix stupid anyway.

[Laila's Dad]

I will say that I have gotten comments from "those are cool" to "you ride a hov-around". Neither comment has made me ride less but I have rode a few extra miles to stick it to the "trailer queen" with his nose in the air. My catch phrase is "#CheckMyOdometer". If you don't ride more than me then we can't talk about what I ride. The type of bike has not been what is common but more so the type of person that is on the bike. Being in a M/C I completely respect the guy or lady who says that "two wheels is what it is about", assuming they ride more than a couple 100 miles a year because I personally want to add a Road King to my garage(wife is finally on board) to be a partner to the Spyder. The thing that has always "chapped my hide" a little is the person that has a bike(2 wheels) but doesn't do half or in some cases 1/4 the miles as some Spyder riders but has the nerve to say it's not a motorcycle. It's like not voting but complaining about...you get where I am going. If you are a rider(I don't even use the the term biker anymore cause half of them don't really ride) and want to debate the differences then I am with it and may agree with you on some things but you have to be in the game to tell me I am not playing right...wooosaaahh

[lwrydr]

Trailers are for boats...unless the bike/trike is broken.

[Ctcc73]

I was in a MC group for 13 years and had to leave because all I was getting was foul comments and rude talking people. It seemed that they didn't care for who you were but cared about what you ride. Now I have a 2015 Indian Chief and they seem to want to talk to me again. I turn the cheek and ride away. Still have the spyder though.

[bruiser]

I haven't had much grief lately from anyone. Seems the more Spyders on the road, the negative comments subside. I ride with a mixed group of bikers. Our PIO now has a Spyder as does his wife. Both drove Harleys. Seems the BMW riders around here are the unfriendly types. We were doing a charity ride last year and our MC was leading. But a BMW driver decided the wife and I needed to be in the rear. When he found out I was a member of the club leading and wasn't dropping back, he got mad and left. Oh well...

As to the word retarded. We don't like it either. We have a special needs daughter who is not "retarded". The Knights of Columbus do the Tootsie Roll drive nationwide. They have taken that word off their safety vests.

[ChasCS]

I love rolling into a new small town, and reading,
Truckers, Please refrain from using your engine retarder brakes....

Cracks me up every time, it's wording on signs like that which perpetuates the word being used.
When we see stupid people acting crazy in the roadways, they are commonly called tards.
No harm meant to those with actual mental diseases. It's only slang.

Chas

[ARtraveler]

I also have had experience with the "retarded" word. My ex had a special needs daughter and actually worked for an agency that dealt with special needs people and issues. I even had to watch what I said at times, because for some people, the word fires off some real issues and problems.

In most cases, those that use the word are just using it as every day slang. They do not know the issues that those who deal with special needs persons go through. They do not know how lucky they are to not have to deal with it.

I have never taken the word personal, or let the conotations bother me.

[spydaman60]

That was a great come-back! And waves and air-kisses are much better than the middle finger. Good on you two! :2thumbs:although I agree with you whole heartedly, somehow my blown kiss might have turned into an obscene gesture by accident!!:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

[BajaRon]

You know what they say about Harleys. 85% of them are still on the road..... The rest made it home!

But seriously. There are bad apples in every basket. I suppose we have our own as well. Take the good ones and leave the rest. Don't let a bad apple take the fun out of your day. Chuckle and move on. There's bound to be a better one down the road.

[JerryB]

Hi Dragon,

Re: the local Harley dealer

Is that the shop across 217 from Washington Square?

I was in there about a month ago looking for some gloves.

No one seemed to be interested in making a sale, so I left. :(

Jerry Baumchen

[Bob Denman]

But seriously. There are bad apples in every basket. I suppose we have our own as well. Take the good ones and leave the rest. Don't let a bad apple take the fun out of your day. Chuckle and move on. There's bound to be a better one down the road.

:agree: They've won, once you let them ruin a perfectly good day on the Spyder. :shocked:
Let them wallow in their ignorance; just move on to greener pastures! :D

[Pirate looks at --]

I really didn't take offense at the retarded comment, though I appreciate the perspective from which some of you are coming from, it was a poor choice of words from this person of limited intellect. Interesting my fiancé said the male portion of this couple had no comment at all. Oh well, like I said we did 350 miles that day and had a blast.

[jerpinoy]

I always give the :spyder2: wave to all. I just enjoy the ride and if other want to be stupid rather than to have fun ride so be it.:yes:

[ironbuttdean]

Have only had one negative comment. Was coming out of Lowes and a Harley rider mentioned he wouldn't ride if he couldn't ride a real bike. I replied, "Well when you get to be a VA rated disabled vet and my age, they'll let you buy a better ride."

Got an apology and thanks for my service of all things.

[frankc]

Have only had one negative comment. Was coming out of Lowes and a Harley rider mentioned he wouldn't ride if he couldn't ride a real bike. I replied, "Well when you get to be a VA rated disabled vet and my age, they'll let you buy a better ride."

Got an apology and thanks for my service of all things.

you get a thank you from me too:clap:

[Oldmanzues]

Us old VA guys have to stick togeather. So many have gone before us.
PGR Mission last night.
Oldmanzues

[daveinva]

All kinds of riders do this. I've met friendly sorts on every brand bike, as well as unfriendly (or just indifferent-- *I* don't smile 24/7, doesn't mean I'm not having fun, so I give others the same respect due me).

Heck, I've even met unfriendly *Spyder* riders before. Yup, even they exist, folks.

That said, I will admit that there is one type of comment that stings. I can take the "it's not a motorcycle" comments-- duh, it's not, and neither is an ATV, sled, jetski or any other awesome fun thing to ride.

But when I read other riders write words to the effect, "I think the Spyder is neat, I'll look into getting one once I can't hold up two wheels any longer," for some reason that REALLY peeves me off. For it suggests that the Spyder is only for retirees and the disabled, a "consolation prize" for riders who can't ride REAL bikes anymore.

I'm not even 40, I have ten fingers and ten toes, I know how to ride two wheels (and do! That Ninja in the driveway is funnnn)... and I chose to buy a Spyder, because it's a blast to ride. :thumbup:

[ChasCS]

The more that read about Kawasaki Ninjas, the more I miss not having mine...

It was a fun bike, but I think the new Spyder has many advantages... YMMV

Chas

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I always give the :spyder2: wave to all. I just enjoy the ride and if other want to be stupid rather than to have fun ride so be it.:yes:

All i know is I have fun riding my not motorcycle :spyder2:, people i meet think it's cool & some want to take a photo. If there are
some who don't like it then i will not let them ride mine.
If i don't know you & don't respect you I really don't care what you say & can never be offended by you. What i am saying to everyone, just enjoy the ride, we know we have the best ride in town & we have fun. :yes: :roflblack: :clap: :cheers: :ohyea:

P.S. remember when the slingshot comes out we have to tell them it's not a motorcycle but a kickazz fun looking ride

[Pirate looks at --]

My purpose for starting this thread to express my sense of being offended, but just to tell a story. We always have people tell us how cool our ryde is and they ask for pictures and of course we oblige. I really don't care what other people think, I know I have a blast ryding and have 140000 miles in 1 year. No one can make me feel anything but excited about ryding our RT. :yes::yes:

[NorCalBud]

SITR was a blast! Glad you two made it home safe.
I do find it interesting that these kind of ignorant comments seem to always be given when there's only one Spyder in attendance....I've received the obligatory "not a motorcycle" comment now and then, but have always been given nothing but positive reaction when in a group....People just LOVE the Spyders. I have never seen anybody grin or point and smile at ANY bike, ever.... This is a daily occurrence when I ride mine.
Jealousy rears its ugly head from time to time....
Bud~

[Pirate looks at --]

Yea we had a blast up in Oregon. Got back down to Eureka on Sunday and then Monday we headed hoe all the way down 101. Unbelievable smoke from Leggett down to Laytonville where we saw the Army of Firefighters staging for the fire fight. Glad you made it safe as well.