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Motorcycling means different things to different people. This lifestyle is made up of all sorts of people each with their own conception of what motorcycling is. Think about it for a second. A "Harley" guy is all about presentation. No doubt that guys enjoys a nice ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon just as much as we do, but alot of his enjoyment comes from being seen on his bike. Of course, no respectable Harley rider will admit to it, but it's pretty obvious to us. I am not saying we as Sportbike pilots don't share this behavior because we do, but we do have our differences.
Take my "Harley" friends for instance. One of them worked in the machine shop of my old workplace and I was there when he was building his panhead rigid. There he was, ordering Cams, HUGE pistons, and other so called "high performance" parts. After sitting on the side and listening in on him and another Harley guy go on and on about what he was doing, I asked them a simple question: "So...what do you expect all this stuff will do for your bike?" Simple enough question I thought. Then came their answer..."It's gonna sound NUTS!"
Sound?
"Uh, so you mean you got this high lift Cam, HUGE pistons, Super Coils, and $800.00 pipes (that look like 3 ft. of chromed bent tubing to me) so that the bike will sound nuts? That's it?" Both guys looked at me like I was retarded. Forgive me if I'm out of line here, but wouldn't some old spark plugs and a few holes punched in the exhaust with a nail have the same effect? LOL!
I guess it all comes down to personal preference here. This same bike sported a 21"X90 front tire with no front brakes. I dunno bout you, but the idea or riding a 3 ton motorcycle around without front brakes with a rubber band for a front tire terrifies me. So guess what the answer was when I asked them "Why would you run a skinny tire like that up front with no brakes"? was? "Because it LOOKS good".
Ooooookay.
Up till then I had never ridden a Harley. (Or Harley like clone). The first bike I ever owned was a Sportbike, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. After my first Harley ride it all because crystal clear....These guys...I take that back, these MEN are truly daring souls. They have every right to portray themselves are the Road Warriors they are. Their unlimited bravery so vividly celebrated amoungst themselves is indeed earned...BECAUSE THEM BIKES ARE DEATH MACHINES!!! LOL!
Of course most guys raised on Harleys think we are nuts. I get it all the time, stuff like "You guys are nuts. Those "Ninja's" (I hate when they call ALL Sportbikes "Ninja's") are too dangerous. I'm into cruising, not killing myself." But walk in on these guys talking about their amazing feats and it really makes you think. Ive heard them talking about how they blast down the highway at a 100mph going SO fast that they couldn't feel their feet because of all the vibrations. And they call me nuts. I now know that SOME, not all of the Harley guys do really share one of the reasons why we ride, and in some ways they take it a step further! LOL!
It may be too late to say that this post is NOT an anti-Harley read. Quite the contrary. I could easily flip the coin and talk about the preconceptions Harley riders have about us and our bikes such as, "You have to twist up like a pretzel in order to ride those things. Can you imagine the strain on your back? I like to kick back when I am riding". I thought the riding position on them cruisers was comfortable till I rode one. Without your legs to support you the shock of hitting a bump goes straight up your spine. I swear I was about an inch shorter after my first ride on a rigid! LOL! Here's another one "the front brakes are too powerful on those things. My uncle's cousins nephews girlfriends brother flipped one over once when he tried using the front brakes on one of those things. That's why I only use the back brakes to stop, it's safer and you stop way faster".
No comment.
So what I am trying to say here is, it's different stroke for different folks. Even if some of us got into Sportbikes for "the Look" even the most jaded Sportbike rider can't help but get into the riding aspect of it. Sportbikes ARE Motocycling to me. Big Twins, especially the TL series of bikes from Suzuki is my definition of what a "Sportbike" should be. It wasn't always so, but now? I couldn't imagine not owning one. I realize that even amounst the Sportbike fraternity my preferences aren't what would be considered as Mainstream. For me my TLR is my idea of what a Sportbike is: To me, my TLR is the Heart and Soul of riding.
Take my "Harley" friends for instance. One of them worked in the machine shop of my old workplace and I was there when he was building his panhead rigid. There he was, ordering Cams, HUGE pistons, and other so called "high performance" parts. After sitting on the side and listening in on him and another Harley guy go on and on about what he was doing, I asked them a simple question: "So...what do you expect all this stuff will do for your bike?" Simple enough question I thought. Then came their answer..."It's gonna sound NUTS!"
Sound?
"Uh, so you mean you got this high lift Cam, HUGE pistons, Super Coils, and $800.00 pipes (that look like 3 ft. of chromed bent tubing to me) so that the bike will sound nuts? That's it?" Both guys looked at me like I was retarded. Forgive me if I'm out of line here, but wouldn't some old spark plugs and a few holes punched in the exhaust with a nail have the same effect? LOL!
I guess it all comes down to personal preference here. This same bike sported a 21"X90 front tire with no front brakes. I dunno bout you, but the idea or riding a 3 ton motorcycle around without front brakes with a rubber band for a front tire terrifies me. So guess what the answer was when I asked them "Why would you run a skinny tire like that up front with no brakes"? was? "Because it LOOKS good".
Ooooookay.
Up till then I had never ridden a Harley. (Or Harley like clone). The first bike I ever owned was a Sportbike, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. After my first Harley ride it all because crystal clear....These guys...I take that back, these MEN are truly daring souls. They have every right to portray themselves are the Road Warriors they are. Their unlimited bravery so vividly celebrated amoungst themselves is indeed earned...BECAUSE THEM BIKES ARE DEATH MACHINES!!! LOL!
Of course most guys raised on Harleys think we are nuts. I get it all the time, stuff like "You guys are nuts. Those "Ninja's" (I hate when they call ALL Sportbikes "Ninja's") are too dangerous. I'm into cruising, not killing myself." But walk in on these guys talking about their amazing feats and it really makes you think. Ive heard them talking about how they blast down the highway at a 100mph going SO fast that they couldn't feel their feet because of all the vibrations. And they call me nuts. I now know that SOME, not all of the Harley guys do really share one of the reasons why we ride, and in some ways they take it a step further! LOL!
It may be too late to say that this post is NOT an anti-Harley read. Quite the contrary. I could easily flip the coin and talk about the preconceptions Harley riders have about us and our bikes such as, "You have to twist up like a pretzel in order to ride those things. Can you imagine the strain on your back? I like to kick back when I am riding". I thought the riding position on them cruisers was comfortable till I rode one. Without your legs to support you the shock of hitting a bump goes straight up your spine. I swear I was about an inch shorter after my first ride on a rigid! LOL! Here's another one "the front brakes are too powerful on those things. My uncle's cousins nephews girlfriends brother flipped one over once when he tried using the front brakes on one of those things. That's why I only use the back brakes to stop, it's safer and you stop way faster".
No comment.
So what I am trying to say here is, it's different stroke for different folks. Even if some of us got into Sportbikes for "the Look" even the most jaded Sportbike rider can't help but get into the riding aspect of it. Sportbikes ARE Motocycling to me. Big Twins, especially the TL series of bikes from Suzuki is my definition of what a "Sportbike" should be. It wasn't always so, but now? I couldn't imagine not owning one. I realize that even amounst the Sportbike fraternity my preferences aren't what would be considered as Mainstream. For me my TLR is my idea of what a Sportbike is: To me, my TLR is the Heart and Soul of riding.
. Good thoughts as usual!
. Yoshimura bolt on Titanium cans. Yosh box remap. Joe V airbox mod. plug in TRE. 17/41 sprockets. Zero Gravity double bubble screen. 
fan switch. HyperPro steering damper. Extreme Graphic Top Gun undertail. Ohlins rear shock.
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