Why I dislike Harleys...

[SWriverstone]

There's a lot of Harley-bashing that goes on here...as well as a lot of joking about Harley-bashing. I've avoided Harley-bashing, except possibly a complaint or two about the loud pipes. Otherwise, I've always stayed out of the fray. But I don't like Harleys...and rather than bash 'em, I thought I'd take a minute to write up exactly why I don't like 'em...

I wave to people on Harleys all the time, and 90% of 'em wave back. I've also invariably found Harley riders to be nice folks. I don't think I've ever been stuck by one or more Harleys on a 2-lane road. Generally speaking, they do their thing, I do mine, and all is well.

But I still say "I don't like Harleys." The reason I say this has little to do with the bikes or the riders and everything to do with what they represent.

Regardless of the origins of motorcycling and Harleys, today the HD represents CONFORMITY in a big way. If you ride a Harley, you might be doing it because you genuinely love the bikes. But like it or not, you are also joining a vast herd of riders who all look and sound alike. There is absolutely nothing "rebellious" or "individual" about riding a Harley. Nor is there even anything remotely exceptional or distinctive about riding a Harley. It's like driving a Ford Explorer, or (these days) a Prius. You're just part of the masses, nothing more. If you like that, more power to you---I have no problem with you liking that.  

I'm not immune to the desire to conform (who is?). When I bought my KLR, for example, I spent months researching what other KLR owners had done to their bikes (and what gear they wore) and did the very same things. So yes, I am a conformist too. But...I take pride in the fact that there are .0001% as many KLRs in the world as there are Harleys. So when it comes to numbers, I am most definitely NOT a comformist compared to Harley riders.

So for me personally, it's all about scale. If everyone in the entire country suddenly started riding KLRs, I guarantee you I'd sell mine in a heartbeat...because I refuse to follow the [gigantic] masses. It's illogical, I know...so what? That's me. I'm happy to follow a small group of owners of a specific bike.

Undoubtedly someone reading this will interpret my post as me saying I'm "better" than all those HD riders...but that's not the case at all. I'm different than they are...not better.

My point is simply to explain why I dislike Harleys. All my life I have avoided anything (or tried to avoid) that represents the vast majority. (And if you want to knitpick by saying something stupid like "Well, you live in house---that makes you part of the vast majority" you're missing my point entirely---go read the whole post again.)

The point here is scale. I like being a non-conformist relative to the total number of motorcycles on the road. And by that standard, I'm downright rebellious! (As are most other people on this forum, or you wouldn't be here.)

So when I see someone riding a Harley, I don't think they're a bad person nor stupid. But I do think they don't mind being a part of thundering herds...and that is definitely a difference in mindset. And my life experience has taught me that usually (but not always) the people I personally find most interesting are people who avoid being part of the thundering herds. Because people who don't mind being a part of the herd often (but not always) exhibit the same conformist tendency to follow the herd in other aspects of their personalities. They tend to be (but not always) conformists in everything they do. (This is supported by the fact that so many HD riders wear HD gear. Yeah, I know it's good gear...but there is plenty of other good gear out there. And you'd never see me wearing Kawi or Suzi-branded gear.)

Finally, I believe there is a high degree of hypocrisy inherent in the whole HD brand. Yes, there is hypocrisy everywhere, in all brands of motorcycles and products. But the hypocrisy is more blatant in HD, because the people who (very expertly) market HD have built the entire brand on the "mystique" of being different. Which is a complete and total farce, since by their very nature, HD is conformist. I have never once seen a KLR or V-Strom ad on television...and come to think of it, I've never even seen a KLR or V-Strom ad in print. And I've definitely never seen a KLR or V-Strom ad that told me if I ride one, I'm saying "NO" to "The Man."   So it's fair to say the degree of hypocrisy inherent in the KLR or V-Strom brands is considerably less than HD. (I didn't say "absent," I said "less.")

On a purely mechanical level, I don't like leaning back while riding. I never did this as a kid (even on my Schwinn Sting-Ray with a banana seat and sissy bar). I don't like riding with my feet spread like a woman at the OB-GYN clinic. And I really dislike chrome. I think it's tacky and butt-ugly. (I didn't say it *is* tacky and ugly...I said **I think** it's tacky and ugly.) And I don't like loud pipes. I think they're rude. (As an aside, I literally have never heard the stock exhausts of HD bikes...it's entirely possible I might like the bikes more if I got to hear a quiet one!)

So this is why I dislike Harleys. It's not because I think HD riders are bad in any way. It's not because I think the bikes themselves are bad (except for the loud pipes). It's because HD represents conformity on a very, very large scale. And I'm not a large-scale conformist---I'm a small-scale conformist. (And to me, scale matters a lot.)

 

Scott

[Scratch33]

I like turtles.  

[mike goodwin]

I dont like Hitler helmets or tattoes.

[Gsam]

 

[UFO]

It's a matter of personal taste. I don't like the bikes for the following reasons:

1) fugly
2) expensive
3) heavy
4) slow
5) handle like poo
6) low tech compared to their European and Asian competitors
7) HDs hypocritical marketing of "Be unique, be free" yet every owner looks like a Xerox'd copy of the next, and every owner looks down their nose at those of us who DO exercise our "freedom" to buy what we like and enjoy.  Yeah, this isn't related to the bike but it puts a massively negative bias towards my view.
7) fugly
.
.
.
100) fugly

I dislike a lot of things for many of the same reasons, but I don't spend my life obsessing about it on the intardnets.  I suggest others stop obsessing as well.

[Emerson00]

Wow... someone's bored!

[blueridgerider]

I don't dislike them unless:

1. I am riding it.  Not my cup of tea for comfort or performance.

2. I am stuck behind it and the owner has put on loud pipes.


Other than that they are just another motorcycle.  

[Dr Gil]

There's a lot of Harley-bashing that goes on here...

Scott

So,trying to a bit more of a positive spin on all this,  is there anything you like about Harleys or the people who ride them?  

[phoenix]

...and rather than bash 'em,

  Coulda fooled me.

You wanna be the non-conformist type? Buy the Harley bike that was made ~1999 that was nearly identical to your KLR. There ain't hardly ANY of them. I forget the model name.

[CosmicHD]

There's a lot of Harley-bashing that goes on here...as well as a lot of joking about Harley-bashing. I've avoided Harley-bashing, except possibly a complaint or two about the loud pipes. Otherwise, I've always stayed out of the fray. But I don't like Harleys...and rather than bash 'em, I thought I'd take a minute to write up exactly why I don't like 'em...

I wave to people on Harleys all the time, and 90% of 'em wave back. I've also invariably found Harley riders to be nice folks. I don't think I've ever been stuck by one or more Harleys on a 2-lane road. Generally speaking, they do their thing, I do mine, and all is well.

But I still say "I don't like Harleys." The reason I say this has little to do with the bikes or the riders and everything to do with what they represent.

Regardless of the origins of motorcycling and Harleys, today the HD represents CONFORMITY in a big way. If you ride a Harley, you might be doing it because you genuinely love the bikes. But like it or not, you are also joining a vast herd of riders who all look and sound alike. There is absolutely nothing "rebellious" or "individual" about riding a Harley. Nor is there even anything remotely exceptional or distinctive about riding a Harley. It's like driving a Ford Explorer, or (these days) a Prius. You're just part of the masses, nothing more. If you like that, more power to you---I have no problem with you liking that.  

I'm not immune to the desire to conform (who is?). When I bought my KLR, for example, I spent months researching what other KLR owners had done to their bikes (and what gear they wore) and did the very same things. So yes, I am a conformist too. But...I take pride in the fact that there are .0001% as many KLRs in the world as there are Harleys. So when it comes to numbers, I am most definitely NOT a comformist compared to Harley riders.

So for me personally, it's all about scale. If everyone in the entire country suddenly started riding KLRs, I guarantee you I'd sell mine in a heartbeat...because I refuse to follow the [gigantic] masses. It's illogical, I know...so what? That's me. I'm happy to follow a small group of owners of a specific bike.

Undoubtedly someone reading this will interpret my post as me saying I'm "better" than all those HD riders...but that's not the case at all. I'm different than they are...not better.

My point is simply to explain why I dislike Harleys. All my life I have avoided anything (or tried to avoid) that represents the vast majority. (And if you want to knitpick by saying something stupid like "Well, you live in house---that makes you part of the vast majority" you're missing my point entirely---go read the whole post again.)

The point here is scale. I like being a non-conformist relative to the total number of motorcycles on the road. And by that standard, I'm downright rebellious! (As are most other people on this forum, or you wouldn't be here.)

So when I see someone riding a Harley, I don't think they're a bad person nor stupid. But I do think they don't mind being a part of thundering herds...and that is definitely a difference in mindset. And my life experience has taught me that usually (but not always) the people I personally find most interesting are people who avoid being part of the thundering herds. Because people who don't mind being a part of the herd often (but not always) exhibit the same conformist tendency to follow the herd in other aspects of their personalities. They tend to be (but not always) conformists in everything they do. (This is supported by the fact that so many HD riders wear HD gear. Yeah, I know it's good gear...but there is plenty of other good gear out there. And you'd never see me wearing Kawi or Suzi-branded gear.)

Finally, I believe there is a high degree of hypocrisy inherent in the whole HD brand. Yes, there is hypocrisy everywhere, in all brands of motorcycles and products. But the hypocrisy is more blatant in HD, because the people who (very expertly) market HD have built the entire brand on the "mystique" of being different. Which is a complete and total farce, since by their very nature, HD is conformist. I have never once seen a KLR or V-Strom ad on television...and come to think of it, I've never even seen a KLR or V-Strom ad in print. And I've definitely never seen a KLR or V-Strom ad that told me if I ride one, I'm saying "NO" to "The Man."   So it's fair to say the degree of hypocrisy inherent in the KLR or V-Strom brands is considerably less than HD. (I didn't say "absent," I said "less.")

On a purely mechanical level, I don't like leaning back while riding. I never did this as a kid (even on my Schwinn Sting-Ray with a banana seat and sissy bar). I don't like riding with my feet spread like a woman at the OB-GYN clinic. And I really dislike chrome. I think it's tacky and butt-ugly. (I didn't say it *is* tacky and ugly...I said **I think** it's tacky and ugly.) And I don't like loud pipes. I think they're rude. (As an aside, I literally have never heard the stock exhausts of HD bikes...it's entirely possible I might like the bikes more if I got to hear a quiet one!)

So this is why I dislike Harleys. It's not because I think HD riders are bad in any way. It's not because I think the bikes themselves are bad (except for the loud pipes). It's because HD represents conformity on a very, very large scale. And I'm not a large-scale conformist---I'm a small-scale conformist. (And to me, scale matters a lot.)

 

Scott

Wow Scott. There is an entire "degree of hypocrisy" in your entire posts.

I think it is pathetic to dislike a brand and throw a whole group of people into a category -- or herd to use your words -- because you dislike the brand.  That is pathetic. Why can't you rise above petty things of this nature and simply enjoy motorcycling and respect all brands of bikes and riders?

And how is Harley riders any more conformist than a sport rider? Because you say they dress the same? Have any of your sport riders ever looked in the mirror? All of you dress like power rangers. Oh no, someone may wear some Harley gear. Big deal. Why are you so concerned about what others are wearing? Is this your version of "QUEER eye for the motorcycling guy"?

Every point you make Scott can be applied back upon yourself and upon any other brand.  

[CosmicHD]

It's a matter of personal taste. I don't like the bikes for the following reasons:

1) fugly
2) expensive
3) heavy
4) slow
5) handle like poo
6) low tech compared to their European and Asian competitors
7) HDs hypocritical marketing of "Be unique, be free" yet every owner looks like a Xerox'd copy of the next, and every owner looks down their nose at those of us who DO exercise our "freedom" to buy what we like and enjoy.  Yeah, this isn't related to the bike but it puts a massively negative bias towards my view.
7) fugly
.
.
.
100) fugly

I dislike a lot of things for many of the same reasons, but I don't spend my life obsessing about it on the intardnets.  I suggest others stop obsessing as well.

More stereotypes there. "EVERY" owner? Really? You've polled every owner? Or could it be that you're just narrow minded and assume everyone acts according to your preconceived notions?

[Shhted]

Cheese, Gromit?

[CosmicHD]

  Coulda fooled me.

You wanna be the non-conformist type? Buy the Harley bike that was made ~1999 that was nearly identical to your KLR. There ain't hardly ANY of them. I forget the model name.

Or buy a Sportster like I do. Heck, even some Harley owners bash me for my Sportster.

[JamesG]

What I'd like to know is why you bothered to waste however long it took you to compose this diatribe?
 
You don't like Harleys, you won't ride a Harley or get caught up in "that" lifestyle? Ok cool. No need to justify it to yourself or others.

[Thor]

Every time someone buys a Harley, god kills a kitten!

[county]

The best thing I can say about a Harley is that it's not a scooter.

[Shhted]

Every time someone buys a Harley, god kills a kitten!

Every time someone uses the term "Old School", god kills a puppy.

[keystonejenks]

Have I ever explained to everybody on here how Harley-Davidson "Gets It?" Maybe I shoud start a thread.  

[Liquidsilver]

"A Sportster ain't a real Harley!"    
 
That's what the guy with an HD sticker on his pickup at the convenience store told me.   I just thought I'd pass it along.  

 
 
 
 
 

[CosmicHD]

You don't like Harleys, you won't ride a Harley or get caught up in "that" lifestyle? Ok cool. No need to justify it to yourself or others.

Just adding to what you said.

Just what the hell is the "lifestyle?" i could never figure that one out.