Why no Harley squids?

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Interesting take on it.

I will say this - Harley has the market saturated. And, although they have more riders that go without protective gear, they also have more riders that are willing to get out there and ride. After going across the country, there are more riders out there on the open road on Harley Davidson's than any other bike.

Sportbikes say they ride. Bullshit, Harley riders do ride the fuck out of those bikes....

Comparing cross-country riders on HDs to cross-country riders on supersports is not a fair comparison. There are other types of riding than superslab. Sportbikes are not well-suited to long stretches of straight roads any more than Electra-Glides are suited to track duty.

In all honesty, though, if I wanted to ride a really long way, I would be far more likely to do it on something like a Connie 14 or BMW than anything HD.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Interesting take on it.

I will say this - Harley has the market saturated. And, although they have more riders that go without protective gear, they also have more riders that are willing to get out there and ride. After going across the country, there are more riders out there on the open road on Harley Davidson's than any other bike.

Sportbikes say they ride. Bullshit, Harley riders do ride the fuck out of those bikes....

It cuts both ways... You go to the big biker rallies and you'll see some guys that REALLY ride their machines... I will say this though... I've seen many more high mileage Harleys than I have just about any other bike... aside from maybe BMW's...

[Homeslice]

Since there are probably 2 or 3 times as many Harleys as sportbikes, it's rather obvious that there are going to be more high-mileage Harleys.

Also, sportbike riders are younger and ride more aggressively, so many of them get totalled before they get the chance to rack up high miles.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Since there are probably 2 or 3 times as many Harleys as sportbikes, it's rather obvious that there are going to be more high-mileage Harleys.

Also, sportbike riders are younger and ride more aggressively, so many of them get totalled before they get the chance to rack up high miles.

It also seems as if HD riders keep their bikes longer... CL is loaded with sportbikes here... in fact, loaded with everything but HD bikes... probably at a 10:1 ratio... Sportbikes wear out around 20k anyway...

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by Mikey

Sportbike riders wear gear because it is functional. Things like jackets, boots, and full-face helmets are all there for a very real purpose.

Harley riders, by and large, are posers and accountants with a mid-life crisis that cruise really slowly to the local "bike night" and back once a week. Their life is all about image and rugged individuality, which is why they all dress like a bunch of gay pirates.

The fact that more sport bike riders wear more gear is just a happy accident, in my opinion. There are plenty of riders in both camps who are just trying to project an image (and only cruise to weekly bike night). It just happens that the racing-inspired sport bike image includes a full-face helmet.

[racedoll]

Some very differing takes on this.

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by anthonyk

The fact that more sport bike riders wear more gear is just a happy accident, in my opinion. There are plenty of riders in both camps who are just trying to project an image (and only cruise to weekly bike night). It just happens that the racing-inspired sport bike image includes a full-face helmet.

You make a very good point there. I do love seeing the sportbike riders cruising around town in a pair of sunglasses, shorts, and a tank top with a helmet strapped to the side of the bike. I never got that one.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Mikey

You make a very good point there. I do love seeing the sportbike riders cruising around town in a pair of sunglasses, shorts, and a tank top with a helmet strapped to the side of the bike. I never got that one.

How can you cruise the whores and show them who the badass on the fast bike is if they can't see your face?

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by anthonyk

The fact that more sport bike riders wear more gear is just a happy accident, in my opinion. There are plenty of riders in both camps who are just trying to project an image (and only cruise to weekly bike night). It just happens that the racing-inspired sport bike image includes a full-face helmet.

I think you might be right.

Real riders are few and far between. By "Real" I mean... people that are in it because they love to ride. Not because they like to play dress up, or have watched one too many movies OR even that feel they need to be seen/recognized for what they do. My favorite are the guys that got stuffed in lockers in high school that thought buying a bike would make them cool - that doesn't work.

[HokieDNA01]

Sport bike manufacturers come out with new updated models every year so people want the latest and greatest. Harleys never seem to change much. why sell your harley to buy a new one that is exactly the same?