Tweet
Hey everybody, been having a blast riding my 2001 250R. My MSF course starts July 12th. I have put about 500 miles on the bike in the last 2 weeks. On Friday I drove 2.5 hours each way to visit my parents upstate NY. Anyway... here is my delemna...
ALL my friends drive HD's. Fatboys, Screamin Eagles, and all kinds of 25K+ bikes. They all refer to sport bikes as ricers, squids, jap bikes, organ donors...etc... with good reason, the kids around here drive their sport bikes like maniacs.
This morning was one of thier famous poker runs. They invited me to go. It was to be my first one. We all met at the gas station down the street. There was at least 40 HD's there. All chromed out, all the guys in leather and jeans, all wearing some shade of black, virtually no helmets except for the occasional 3oz brain bucket. We sat at the gas station for around 30 minutes waiting for stragglers to show up. I was the only one with a sport bike... (and a 250 to boot!!)
I noticed some crap stares at my bike. I also noticed that some of them actually moved their bikes from where I parked mine. My friends were very nice but it felt more like a bike show then a ride. Everybody staring at everybody elses bikes... comparing... commenting. The people riding sportsters were mainly women. They even made an off color comment on a guy who pulled up in a big Yamaha V-Star.
I got my Ninja to learn to ride. I am a first time rider. I plan on getting a bigger bike after this season is over and I really want to get another sport bike. Maybe a Ducati or a bigger Ninja.
My friends told me that I really should get a HD so I could ride with them. They told me that when you ride a sport bike you will have nobody to ride with except for the kids who do wheelies and 150+mph around town. So far.. they are 100% correct. It seems that the guys on the sport bikes are out to kill themselves... no gear, no helmet and driving like maniacs... the guys on the HD's all stick together too.
Here is the thing.. I am not digging the entire HD black leather, patches, chrome gig.
Most of these guys dress up like motorcycle gang members. They like to hang at hooters, most of them drink, it seems like its a prerequisite to smoke cigarettes when you ride a hog and they seem to spend most of the time cleaning, upgrading, chroming or gauking at their bikes.
For me.. I like sport bikes. I like bikes that handle really good, brake really good and I especially like the looks. I also like the apparel better. I think that full face helmets ROCK, I really dig my Tourmaster Cortech jacket, my First Gear mesh jacket and ballistic pants, my killer Nitro riding boots and especially my Shoei RF-800 helmet.
I am not into the entire HD leather lifestyle. Todays poker run ended up at a big barbecue where they had strippers that would wash your bike and a tent for lap dances. Again.. I am not digging that entire scene. I don't frequent strip clubs. I frequent the local gym. I don't smoke or drink, I don't have a beard and I don't really care for leather.
So.. now to the advice (its about time!!!)
What would you guys do?? Would you give in and get a HD so that you had people to ride with.. or would you get another sport bike and be stuck with riding with absolute maniacs that wear no gear at all and drive very dangerously or should I just pretty much ride alone and hope to meet people who have similar interests as me down the road?
ALL my friends drive HD's. Fatboys, Screamin Eagles, and all kinds of 25K+ bikes. They all refer to sport bikes as ricers, squids, jap bikes, organ donors...etc... with good reason, the kids around here drive their sport bikes like maniacs.
This morning was one of thier famous poker runs. They invited me to go. It was to be my first one. We all met at the gas station down the street. There was at least 40 HD's there. All chromed out, all the guys in leather and jeans, all wearing some shade of black, virtually no helmets except for the occasional 3oz brain bucket. We sat at the gas station for around 30 minutes waiting for stragglers to show up. I was the only one with a sport bike... (and a 250 to boot!!)
I noticed some crap stares at my bike. I also noticed that some of them actually moved their bikes from where I parked mine. My friends were very nice but it felt more like a bike show then a ride. Everybody staring at everybody elses bikes... comparing... commenting. The people riding sportsters were mainly women. They even made an off color comment on a guy who pulled up in a big Yamaha V-Star.
I got my Ninja to learn to ride. I am a first time rider. I plan on getting a bigger bike after this season is over and I really want to get another sport bike. Maybe a Ducati or a bigger Ninja.
My friends told me that I really should get a HD so I could ride with them. They told me that when you ride a sport bike you will have nobody to ride with except for the kids who do wheelies and 150+mph around town. So far.. they are 100% correct. It seems that the guys on the sport bikes are out to kill themselves... no gear, no helmet and driving like maniacs... the guys on the HD's all stick together too.
Here is the thing.. I am not digging the entire HD black leather, patches, chrome gig.
Most of these guys dress up like motorcycle gang members. They like to hang at hooters, most of them drink, it seems like its a prerequisite to smoke cigarettes when you ride a hog and they seem to spend most of the time cleaning, upgrading, chroming or gauking at their bikes.
For me.. I like sport bikes. I like bikes that handle really good, brake really good and I especially like the looks. I also like the apparel better. I think that full face helmets ROCK, I really dig my Tourmaster Cortech jacket, my First Gear mesh jacket and ballistic pants, my killer Nitro riding boots and especially my Shoei RF-800 helmet.
I am not into the entire HD leather lifestyle. Todays poker run ended up at a big barbecue where they had strippers that would wash your bike and a tent for lap dances. Again.. I am not digging that entire scene. I don't frequent strip clubs. I frequent the local gym. I don't smoke or drink, I don't have a beard and I don't really care for leather.
So.. now to the advice (its about time!!!)
What would you guys do?? Would you give in and get a HD so that you had people to ride with.. or would you get another sport bike and be stuck with riding with absolute maniacs that wear no gear at all and drive very dangerously or should I just pretty much ride alone and hope to meet people who have similar interests as me down the road?
Comment