What is it with Harley Riders? RANT

[mjptexas]

Great Hill Country ride today - Hwy 16 from San Saba to Bandera, Execpt,
#%€£*# Harley's!  Only two I encountered going over 60 mph were on a trailer!  And then they get upset when you pass half of them and cut into their nice little group. 
Grrrrr...

[ITSec]

Great Hill Country ride today - Hwy 16 from San Saba to Bandera, Execpt,
#%��*# Harley's!  Only two I encountered going over 60 mph were on a trailer!  And then they get upset when you pass half of them and cut into their nice little group. 
Grrrrr...

Group rides are a 'lowest common denominator' situation. They ride as poorly as the worst rider in the group, they have manners as bad as the worst mannered in the group, and they are as attentive to what's happening around them as the most distracted member of the group.

[radguzzi]

Great Hill Country ride today - Hwy 16 from San Saba to Bandera, Execpt,
#%��*# Harley's!  Only two I encountered going over 60 mph were on a trailer!  And then they get upset when you pass half of them and cut into their nice little group. 
Grrrrr...

What's the matter...?  Didn't have enough nuts to get around them all...?  :D  Go big or stay on the porch there Bubba. 

[ITSec]

What's the matter...?  Didn't have enough nuts to get around them all...?  :D  Go big or stay on the porch there Bubba.

Well, he might have been on the Vespa - he didn't say!

[twowings]

We stopped at a Wal-Mart fuel stop today with Luap's beautiful brand-new MGX and a group of those clowns didn't even have the good grace to walk 10 extra feet and compliment him...

For some of them it seems to be much more about the 'image' than motorcycles...sad 

[Lannis]

What's the matter...?  Didn't have enough nuts to get around them all...?  :D  Go big or stay on the porch there Bubba.

First I thought "Hey, what an insult!" then I thought "That's a pretty good one!" then I thought "You know, that's true."   Especially with an 8-valve, you can generally reach escape velocity on any reasonable stretch to get around them .... !

Lannis

[Perazzimx14]

I have on occasion encountered the rolling road block. Everyone plodding along at 37 mph feet up on the highway pegs, smoking cigarettes and getting their Starbucks latte out of their LED laden screamin; eagle chrome cup holder while their stereo is blasting out some awful 80 crap rock. I have no issue running up through the pack passing whoever I can when safe and filling back in until the next passing opportunity.

The South Park episode is so true for the 90%+ of the Hardley riders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGyKBFCd_u4

[Tom H]

I get your grrrr. Been there.

JMHO: when you encounter a group ride, either pass them all carefully or pull  off for lunch. Been in group rides, we did not like to have a rider cut around us and tuck in when we were tight. With many gaps in the group, ok, just not when tight.

One time a ricki racer passed our group in a corner, we didn't mind it in a straight, not in a corner as you should work your way through as above. If we were all correct he ended up hitting a rock/boulder on the outside of a corner by being careless, we think while passing a car as one was stopped at the scene. Scene dig not look pretty.

I understand frustration!! Please be careful!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tom

[oldbike54]

We stopped at a Wal-Mart fuel stop today with Luap's beautiful brand-new MGX and a group of those clowns didn't even have the good grace to walk 10 extra feet and compliment him...

For some of them it seems to be much more about the 'image' than motorcycles...sad 

 Of course it might have been because Luap said in a stage voice , "hey , we ain't riding Harleys , we can't be stopping every 15 miles" 

 Dusty

[Penderic]

Can't help it. Parades are limited to 15 mph.   

Another one.

[El Pescador]

Great Hill Country ride today - Hwy 16 from San Saba to Bandera, Execpt,
#%��*# Harley's!  Only two I encountered going over 60 mph were on a trailer!  And then they get upset when you pass half of them and cut into their nice little group. 
Grrrrr...

I really need to start riding with you guys.  I ride with a great group of guys, but they're slow, stop often, and don't want to go very far.

I did a three day ride with them.

Day 1:200 mile ride from home to the hotel.
Day 2: Grand total 90 miles...90 miles!!!
Day 3: 200 mile ride home.

I can't handle all the excitement anymore!

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Like any other parade, just stop for lunch and let them go by.  You can never win an argument with an idiot
anyway.

[fotoguzzi]

Well, he might have been on the Vespa - he didn't say!

! That's good IT !

I blast past them often on my 650 Thumper.. they think, was that a dirt bike that just passed us?

[LowRyter]

I get your grrrr. Been there.

JMHO: when you encounter a group ride, either pass them all carefully or pull  off for lunch. Been in group rides, we did not like to have a rider cut around us and tuck in when we were tight. With many gaps in the group, ok, just not when tight.

One time a ricki racer passed our group in a corner, we didn't mind it in a straight, not in a corner as you should work your way through as above. If we were all correct he ended up hitting a rock/boulder on the outside of a corner by being careless, we think while passing a car as one was stopped at the scene. Scene dig not look pretty.

I understand frustration!! Please be careful!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tom

You shouldn't be riding "tight".  Give yourself some room as well as the folks trying to get around you.  You're riding like an accident waiting to happen.  Get a parade permit or ride properly so that traffic can navigate and everyone has enough room to be safe.

How dang hard is it to let someone into "your group" when he's trying to get around all of you ?

[dxhall]

Here's some food for thought:  a month or two ago, three riders in one week were killed riding the tail of the dragon in three separate wrecks.  You're thinking they were 20-year olds on hyper sports bikes, aren't you?  Wrong.  All three on Harleys, two on trikes.

[ridingron]

  Been in group rides, we did not like to have a rider cut around us and tuck in when we were tight.   

Why ride tight? I'm asking you because you said you were. It is an open question to anyone that can suggest a logical reason.

I've come upon a herd of Harleys riding a beautiful motorcycle road. Why do they always ride in large groups, way below the speed, and slow for every curve? Selfish inconsiderate jerks!

[TobyJug]

And they hardly ever wave ..

[Tom H]

LowRyter, I'm not the best at getting across what I exactly want to type.

The groups I rode with back in the '70/'80s always tried to give room to those who wanted to carefully/ politely pass us on the highway or canyon. If you wanted to carelessly race your way through, then we couldn't help you safely get through.

Again, I get the Grrrr. But, I also understand there is more than me on the road. Now a days if I want to just cruise a road with the least traffic, I pick a day with the least traffic on that road.

Tom

[Tom H]

Why ride tight? I'm asking you because you said you were. It is an open question to anyone that can suggest a logical reason.

I've come upon a herd of Harleys riding a beautiful motorcycle road. Why do they always ride in large groups, way below the speed, and slow for every curve? Selfish inconsiderate jerks!

To start with see the first line of my last post.

That is a good question! Why did we ride tight side by side? Umm it does take some skill to do so. So does racing through a canyon corner solo. Riding that way was, Ummm, fun back in the day. When I rode back then with my now life long friend, we always rode side by side. Don't have a reason why, just we did.

Without starting an argument......Is the solo rider wanting to run fast down the road selfish? Is the group that wants to ride in a group selfish? We should all try to work with each other.

Ummmm...this is a subject that I would have liked to have talked about in a favorite watering hole. Typing just does not always convey what is intended to say or how it is meant to be said.

Tom

[Mr Revhead]

I once made the mistake of going on a charity ride with a bunch of them...
I was on my CX500 as didn't have my Guzzi then. I hated how close they all rode, so I hung around at the back so I could have some stopping distance.
They would be doing 120 (KMH) on the straights, we came up to a 65k posted corner. The type I usually just feather the throttle for, and they all jump hard on the brakes! Glad for that stopping distance! I thought someone had binned it, nope... thats just what they do for corners. It was THE worst ride of my life.
After the 2nd to last stop we were headed up some of the best riding roads around here. So I gave them a 15 minute head start on the 30  minute ride. Still caught them 3/4 of the way around  Remember I was on a Honda CX500, not exactly a fast bike!

[beetle]

I fart in their general direction. 

[Rough Edge racing]

 My my, such intolerance of folks who have a different riding style...  

[Perazzimx14]

I really need to start riding with you guys.  I ride with a great group of guys, but they're slow, stop often, and don't want to go very far.

I did a three day ride with them.

Day 1:200 mile ride from home to the hotel.
Day 2: Grand total 90 miles...90 miles!!!
Day 3: 200 mile ride home.

I can't handle all the excitement anymore!

Next time they asked me to go riding I'd decline.

[Noguzznoglory]

 Since we're all trying to work with each other.........
How about you group ride participants pass the word to ride iinstead of one big pack ride in several small packs with space enough between for those going over 50 mph to pass!!!

[LowRyter]

LowRyter, I'm not the best at getting across what I exactly want to type.

The groups I rode with back in the '70/'80s always tried to give room to those who wanted to carefully/ politely pass us on the highway or canyon. If you wanted to carelessly race your way through, then we couldn't help you safely get through.

Again, I get the Grrrr. But, I also understand there is more than me on the road. Now a days if I want to just cruise a road with the least traffic, I pick a day with the least traffic on that road.

Tom

sorry, but I don't understand you.

whether you felt someone was racing or not, it's just courteous to watch your mirrors and let folks in to pass you.  And it's safety foremost.

Further, you have a greater responsibility to do so when you are in a large group of riders causing congestion knowing that you are impeding traffic.  And you should never ride "tight". 

The only exception is having a parade permit.

[Stevex]

That is a good question! Why did we ride tight side by side? Umm it does take some skill to do so.

I can't think of anything more unsafe than 2 bikes riding side by side.

[Gliderjohn]

Quote from Stevex:

I can't think of anything more unsafe than 2 bikes riding side by side.

Some years back watched two Wichita motor officers riding side by side on a downtown street. Approaching a stop light they bumped, with one almost going down but he caught it. Guess it is suppose to look cool.
GliderJohn

[Kev m]

I think there are a lot of gray areas that are being passed over in this discussion.

What's more unsafe, riding side by side or high above the speed limit?

What's more selfish, 20 people riding tight at the speed limit on a one lane road or one guy who wants to exceed the speed limit feeling he has the right to pass them, and maybe not in a passing zone, or maybe at again a very high rate of speed?

I don't like being caught behind a row of vehicles going slower than me, but sometimes that's just life and unless they're going much lower than the speed limit (like low enough to statutorily require 4-ways) then they might be in the right both legally and morally. At the same time I'd always go out of my way to help/let someone pass, unless they're being a jerk to begin with.

[Lannis]

I think there are a lot of gray areas that are being passed over in this discussion.

And here's one more.   We keep saying "Harleys" when there's no way we looked to see what brand all the bikes were that we are weaving behind, trying to keep up enough speed to keep from falling over.

In the last "group ride" I talked about, with 20 guys all wearing the Outlaw Non-Conformist Rebel Required Standard Uniform, only half the bikes were actual Harley Davidsons.   

The rest were clones designed to LOOK LIKE Harley Davidsons at 50 - 70% of the entry cost, along with a couple Indians.

So maybe, instead of using Harley as a generic term for a slow V-twin cruiser, like we use Kleenex for blowing our nose even if it's Puffs, or Xerox for a copier even if it's a Ricoh, we should say "Cruiser" for the slow parade bikes, in recognition that very many of them are not Harleys?    That'll get us away from accusations of "Harley Hating" too, while we're at it.

People do the same for "Ninja" even though that's another story ......

Lannis

[yogidozer]

Never really bothered me what other riders do, or don't do. I'm busy enjoying myself. Try it