From: tim@intrepid.gsfc.nasa.gov (Tim Seiss)
Subject: Re: internal prejudice
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 15:57:05 GMT

>	Besides the fact that the Evos are often the prize of poser,
>wannabe Yuppie bikers, what is the prejudice?  

  I'm not a Harley owner (yet) but I've read every post to this group
so far because I am interested in learning as much as I can about
Harley-Davidson motorcyles.  I've seen and heard quite a bit of evidence
to support the 'wannabe Yuppie biker' label, that (to quote a previous
post about panhead covers for EVO motors) makes me 'giggle outwardly,
wince inwardly'.

  My Brother-in-law (BIL) got a new '92 XLH 1200 this summer, after riding
and neglecting an '83 Yamaha.  He always brought the Yamaha to my house
whenever he wanted something done to it (I've been a dirt biker for 20 years,
and have gotten some mechanical prowess).  It was always obvious to me that
he didn't have the slightest idea how a motorcycle worked, only how to look
good on it.

  Last Spring when he tells me he's ordering a Harley, I ask him if he's
ever ridden one.  He says 'no'.  I tell him that the big V-twin will feel
completely different to him compared to his current 750 in-line 4 cylinder.
He doesn't understand why and doesn't believe me. ( I've ridden several
road bikes over the years, including a mid-60's full-dress FLH, Yam SR500,
KZ1000, KZ650, Honda CB700S, CB1100, and Transalp, and been a passenger on
a Triumph Trident, so I felt like I knew what I was saying).

  Anyway, I ask my BIL why he wants a Harley, given his predilection for
screaming his Yamaha through quiet neighborhood streets and his complete
mechanical idiocy (He doesn't have any tools).  His reply? "Because Jennifer (his new girlfriend) likes Harleys".  Some additional comments I've been hearing, where GF = His girlfriend, Jennifier:
 
  BIL: "A Harley is the only bike I could buy that will hold its value"
  BIL: "A Harley is an investment"
  GF : "It's not about bikes, it's an image and attitude"
  BIL: "A Harley is the only bike that will always turn somebody's head"
  BIL: "I'm getting all kinds of looks from girls in cars and on the street
        when I'm on my bike, but don't tell Jennifer..."
  GF : "Nothing vibrates like a Harley"
  GF : "I need that sissy bar on the back so I can just lean back and look
        good"
  GF : "I like the Heritage Softail the best, except for that windshield"
       ME: "Why the Heritage Softail?
       GF: "I like all that leather stuff" (or something like that...)
  BIL: "The Sportster is the fastest bike Harley makes this year"

After my BIL picked up his bike, He admitted to me that He hated it at first
and was sorry he bought it.  Jennifer has never ridden a motorcyle, but she
"belonged" through her association with my BIL.  Anyway, He started to like
the Sportster after Jennifer "F***ed the S**t out of me after we got it
home".  Hardly ever any mention about the bike itself, only what it could
do for him.


  My personal opinions about Harley-Davidsons have run the gamut from complete
hatred and disgust, to respect, to interest, to desire, to fantasy obsession.
My initial opinions were formed in the early '70s (the AMF years?) through
negative magazine reviews and advertisements showing a bottle of champagne
being broken over one of their (Italian-made?) dirt bikes, which is ignorance
on my part.  I rode the dressed FLH in 1977 when I weighed about 115 lbs,
and was amazed at the amount of torque put out by the motor.  I really
changed my opinion for the better when I toured the factory in York,PA
about 4 years ago.  And now, after closely looking at the bikes themselves
and having the opportunity to ride my BIL's Sportster several times, I really
am genuinely interested in the *motorcycle* itself, not image or attitude.

  Sure, I am a Harley novice and don't know many details about the merits
of the ShovelHead vs. EVO, that's why I follow this group, because I want
to learn and know.  Even so, I don't identify myself with the 'wannabe
Yuppie bikers' who *seem* to be more interested in *appearance* than the
emotional enjoyment and satisfication that comes from riding.  I've always
thought of motorcycle riding as a very personal thing, a harmony between
myself, the machine, and the terrain, and haven't got tired of that
feeling yet!  I have seen some HD owners more interested in being *seen*
on their bikes at nightlife hotspots, than they are about riding their
bikes!

  BTW, What's an RUB?

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.harley