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Author Topic: It happened again. Harley culture versus mainstream motorcycle culture.  (Read 4437 times)

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VMAX-VROD

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I have a number of CVO Harleys and other bikes from most other manufacturers, as I have for years.

I’m not a test rider. I generally know exactly what I want and just buy it. But the local Harley dealership recently had a Demo Day, and there were a few models I wondered if I had any interest in. So I decided to take the day and go ride several of the new models, particularly the Panamerica and the latest CVOs.

I had showed up on my 2020 Yamaha VMAX and parked it innocuously in the row of customer bikes participating in the Demo Day. After the last ride, a California-transplant Harley rider was yammering on and on about how big a gearhead he was and his Street Glide was putting down a massive 105HP/TQ while his VRod was a monster putting down 120HP.

He said no one knew what a quick/fast Harley was because Harley guys don’t want to talk about VRods. So I responded that I’d talk to him about VRods, and he continued his spew about how superior he was and his bike was to anything else on the road. I just nodded and let him be ignorant for a bit. Then I told him I rode to the Demo Day on my little metric over there, and pointed to the VMAX.

He said, “Isn’t that a 4 cylinder?” I nodded yes. He said he really wanted to run it stoplight to stoplight, because he really thinks his VRod will put it down. I asked where his VRod was, and he said he’d ridden the Street Glide today. He then said I wouldn’t ever get anyone to ride with me if I had a VMAX. Or at least not anyone cool, as he put it.  I said I didn’t really have any trouble finding others to ride with me, regardless what I was riding. And I do have a decent collection of CVO bikes.

He said he wanted to get together for a drag race soon. He’s very sure his 120HP VRod will show taillights to my 174HP VMAX. I continue to be amazed at the stupidity and vanity of mankind, no matter where it comes from. Owning a CVO VRod with 118HP, I’m quite familiar with the comparative performance of the VRod and VMAX. It’s not even the same universe, street or track.

I just wish the Harley community as a whole had a better index of objective truth relative to performance metrics for all kinds of bikes. 100-130HP Harley baggers aren’t the pinnacle of performance. They are what they are, which isn’t a bad thing. But it takes a lot for a Harley bagger to run with a stock BMW K1600, much less something much stronger. I don’t get why there’s such intentional cognitive bias about performance amongst Harley riders. I doubt many of them are cross-shopping Superbikes for realistic purchases. The race replicas weigh under 450# wet and are putting down over 200HP at the tire when flashed and piped. That’s a different world.

Any comments? (Please, no more Cali braggarts.)
« Last Edit: June 08, 2021, 11:28:31 PM by VMAX-VROD »
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Twolanerider

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You've got more patience than I do for staying in the conversation as long as you did.  The whole "mine is bigger/faster/whatever" just bores and has for a long long time.  I just never really cared what anyone else rode or how anyone else felt about mine.  I like mine.  They make me happy.  That's good enough for me.  If someone else feels anywhere kinda/sorta the same we'll go riding and drink a beer.  If they can't shut up about all the rest of the noise I'll get on my slow old stock bike and ride the other way.

Not sure if age brings cranky or wisdom.  But it works for me :2vrolijk_21: .
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VMAX-VROD

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You've got more patience than I do for staying in the conversation as long as you did.  The whole "mine is bigger/faster/whatever" just bores and has for a long long time.  I just never really cared what anyone else rode or how anyone else felt about mine.  I like mine.  They make me happy.  That's good enough for me.  If someone else feels anywhere kinda/sorta the same we'll go riding and drink a beer.  If they can't shut up about all the rest of the noise I'll get on my slow old stock bike and ride the other way.

Not sure if age brings cranky or wisdom.  But it works for me :2vrolijk_21: .

Exactly. I would’ve never brought up performance or my VMAX. The day was about the new H-D models and the Demo ride. Let’s just talk about human stuff and leave the genital comparisons to the animal world. I’d rather have heard what he thought about what he rode in the demo run. I won’t be contacting him for a street race.
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dayne66

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  If someone else feels anywhere kinda/sorta the same we'll go riding and drink a beer.

But......what kind of beer?    hahaha
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OBB

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Lemme guess. His SG was black wasn't it?
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Hondo2doc

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Well that exchange was interesting to say the least.

Well us men (we’re all boys inside) all have a little of the “mine is bigger, faster, stronger, taller, better than yours” in us. To some degree.

To me I don’t care what you ride or how fast or who makes it. If you like the wind in your face then that works for me.

Also sounds like that boy forgot one key rule. I don’t care who you are or how bad ass or fast you think you are..........somewhere, some place there is someone badder or faster. Just the way it it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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TN

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I use to be a shy quiet guy on discussions like that, I get louder and more obnoxious than the instigator now, unless I’m the instigator.    :drink:


Just a phase I reckon


Lets ride!
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Wut the hell was that maneuver

iski

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Unless I find those "mine is so much faster than yours" conversations humorous - sometimes they are but usually unintentionally - I find Something Else To Do.  As a young whippersnapper I can recall a lot of those conversations where I was an active participant, and the races that followed, but as time went on they became mostly boring. 

Will offer this:  A lot of Harley owners/riders I know only ride with other Harleys.  In the Harley rider world, some Harleys eat other Harleys for lunch.  And some Harley riders get - shall we say - "opinionated" about it.  Which is my nice way of saying - assholes.  But in the non Harley world, much of the time Harleys are the lunch. Have observed this a number of times, and sometimes is accompanied by Harley rider loss excuses which becomes sort of pathetic  sooner than later.

Don't get me wrong, I like Harleys. A lot.  Have owned other brands, each bike has a purpose is the way I have looked at it always.  As for me & Harley, that has never been the "fastest bike on the street deal."  To each their own.
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tazmun

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Lemme guess. His SG was black wasn't it?
And you have something against Black, Mike?😁
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2smoke

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I found this story extremely humorous. I own 5 different brands of bikes at this very moment and I enjoy every one of them. I am always entertained by braggers and douche bags that tell tall tales. I've encountered "that guy" you mention in your story a bunch of times. I go to bike night at my local drag strip several times over the summer. I always invite "that guy" to line his bike up next to mine for a run down the 1320. Most never show. One showed up but made excuses why he couldn't run that night. I'd bet my morning coffee that guy wouldn't show-up either. And one more thing... if you think a V-Rod is fast you have NEVER ridden a fast bike.
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Twolanerider

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Fast bikes are why mine stay stock.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  It avoids all kinds of escalating levels of stupid.  Now if you want to chat all the details of the variations of stock and how we got that way; well, that's beer time again.
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VMAX-VROD

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Lemme guess. His SG was black wasn't it?

Oddly, his Street Glide was white with all black trim and accessories. It looked kinda weird the way he did it.
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VMAX-VROD

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Well that exchange was interesting to say the least.

Well us men (we’re all boys inside) all have a little of the “mine is bigger, faster, stronger, taller, better than yours” in us. To some degree.

To me I don’t care what you ride or how fast or who makes it. If you like the wind in your face then that works for me.

Also sounds like that boy forgot one key rule. I don’t care who you are or how bad ass or fast you think you are..........somewhere, some place there is someone badder or faster. Just the way it it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Absolutely true. Two wheels and in the wind is all that really matters. Slow or fast, Imperial or metric is all irrelevant except for personal purchase preferences.

And there’s always someone faster, for sure.
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VMAX-VROD

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I use to be a shy quiet guy on discussions like that, I get louder and more obnoxious than the instigator now, unless I’m the instigator.    :drink:


Just a phase I reckon


Lets ride!

I think I will be next time. I’m really tired of this mindset. Let’s just ride.
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VMAX-VROD

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Unless I find those "mine is so much faster than yours" conversations humorous - sometimes they are but usually unintentionally - I find Something Else To Do.  As a young whippersnapper I can recall a lot of those conversations where I was an active participant, and the races that followed, but as time went on they became mostly boring. 

Will offer this:  A lot of Harley owners/riders I know only ride with other Harleys.  In the Harley rider world, some Harleys eat other Harleys for lunch.  And some Harley riders get - shall we say - "opinionated" about it.  Which is my nice way of saying - assholes.  But in the non Harley world, much of the time Harleys are the lunch. Have observed this a number of times, and sometimes is accompanied by Harley rider loss excuses which becomes sort of pathetic  sooner than later.

Don't get me wrong, I like Harleys. A lot.  Have owned other brands, each bike has a purpose is the way I have looked at it always.  As for me & Harley, that has never been the "fastest bike on the street deal."  To each their own.

So well said. :)
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