I ride a Gold Wing as mentioned in the other thread. I love riding my motorcycle but hate some riders. I hope the following doesn't offend anyone but if you do these things then maybe you need to be more respectful.
I really don't like Harleys but there are some good riders. The bikes are very expensive, not as well built as the Japanese bikes and many of the riders are jerks with their noisy, I-don't-care-about-others pipes and riding habits. My wife thinks lots of Harley riders are trying to show off their manhood. Why else would you want to buy a bike that costs way more than my Wing and is not as good, then roar around like an idiot.
I don't really like sports bikes but I realize that probably most of the riders here have them 'cause you're a younger crowd. I have no problem with a sports bike being ridden respectfully. However, I've had guys roar past me and do a wheely to impress me; it doesn't. I hate the load roar in the summer when I'm having a back-yard barbecue. I hate how they sometimes roar off from a red light trying to beat me to the next light. I hate when I'm on the highway and these guys roar past me just to show me that they can.
None of this stuff impresses me; I just think you're an idiot if you do these things. If you ride a Harley or a sports bike respectfully, good for you and these comments are not for you. I've gone on rides with riders of both persuasions, although I'll never own either a crotch rocket or a Harley.
A comment about safety: Motorcycles are dangerous. I know folks who have been accident free for decades because they're extremely careful, as am I. The guys most at risk are the sports-bike riders who take big risks. I've seen accidents where these freaks have crashed and destroyed their bikes and seriously injured themselves. One time this guy roared by me on the highway going probably 150 kph, but I came upon him laying on the highway a few minutes later. I stopped to help him and to move his bike off the highway; he was in rough shape.
Again, if you ride one of these bikes and you're respectful of others and of your own safety, these comments are not intended for you. If you're an offender, sorry but you're an idiot. If you ride stupidly (as many riders to, giving us all a bad name), then I hate to say it but you're probably hurt yourself badly one day.
As for the non-riders, we're not all like the riders you love to hate. If you see a guy on a cruiser/Gold Wing/whatever, wave. You can tell pretty quickly if he's the good kind or the bad kind of rider. By the way, Gold Wing riders tend to be older, very careful, very respectful and tend to live to a very old age.
I'm done. I hope these comments make some of you think.
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