Destined to be alone...

[T99Ford]

This past Saturday, I was invited to ride with a local chapter of a minor motorcycle club. I showed up at the appointed meeting place to a gathering of about 100 bikes...all Harleys. I rolled in, under everyone's watchful eye, and waited for the gilling to begin. But they were well mannered, and even got a few positive comments regarding the flashy paint on my SG. Then I had to make a phone call. When I finished my call, I found I was the only on left in the parking lot (not intentional...hmmm) Well, I got on the interstate, and caught the group in about 5 minutes. I was only barely speeding, too, which is rare for me. I fell into line, and rode for about a mile in the convoy, until I got a headache from the constant rumble emitted by the Dyna ahead of me. So, the XS and I again left the group, and rolled on. A guy on a H. Softail tried to follow, but by this point I was fed up. I simply was unable to keep at the SG reined in to 70 MPH any longer. I guess bike clubs are not for me...

[DiverRay]

That happens to a LOT of us. I ride alone, or with Special Ed, more than anything else. The two of use try to get a Sunday ride in at least twice a month. I rode with a group back in 1978 when I had my first XS1100. We did a "weekend" trip once a month from May through September. It was fun, in that it WASN'T all the time.

[John]

Kat and I rode with a few h-d's when we attended the Pathfinder Memorial a few years ago, and after just a few miles we had to get away from them because of the noise and smell. The noise was unbearable and obnoxious, and one or both was running so rich that we had tears in our eyes. We really enjoy riding in groups, but we don't enjoy suffering from loud, poorly tuned bikes.
If that's what it takes to impress one's peers, to hell with them. I'll take a quiet, well tuned XS or any import bike any day.

[Ivan]

I'll probably never get to be in a club. I am a pretty nice guy on the surface, but get annoyed easily. H-D jockeys tend to annoy me and I start saying things that are offensive.

Just yeasterday I was in O'reallys andd a guy was puying plugs for his HD. The plug was a tad black, and I politely suggested he could burn it clean with a propane torch. He said he didnt have a torch. I couldn't contain my self. "you have a $15,000 roadblock, you're putting $12 a pop irridium plugs in, and you won't buy an $8 torch? You are slow enough that your Harley can keep up with you. I guess thats a good thing."

Yeah, I ride alone...

[drooker56]

I come from a family of harley riders and get constant but good natured rib bing about my "rice burner". Funny that no one will race me though, isn't it. I don't mind the noise because somone before me cut off my 4-2's so short you can't clamp a pipe on them so I took off the pipe and now I am louder than the HD's anyway.

Louder, faster, hell of a lot cheaper, and when I am done putting her back together she will be prettier than most of them.

[madmax-im]

Not to mention to those HD riders that our XSs' and XJs' have already outlasted their bikes...and just where do you think their bikes will be in 30 yrs?

[Ivan]

Not to mention to those HD riders that our XSs' and XJs' have already outlasted their bikes...and just where do you think their bikes will be in 30 yrs?

Sitting in some garagee with less than 15,000 miles on them. Was that a rhetorical question?

[madmax-im]

Sitting in some garagee with less than 15,000 miles on them. Was that a rhetorical question?

OFC it was a rhetorical question...LOL...BTW my 27 year old Maxim is ridden every year...just not alot...I think it has 22000 total miles

[T99Ford]

I have some very good friends that ride Harleys. They are purists, in fact. But I think it is more than just the Harleys, it is big cruisers in general that I have a hard time rding with. It seems that people on cruisers are generally riding well below the speed limit, looking around, watching nature, and enjoying the weather. While this is great on a bike, it is only great until that stacked up line of cars gets fed up and you instantly become a huge traffic hazard when they all try to pass in anger. It just seems that cruiser groups play this scenario out alot, not realizing how dangerous it is. And, since I try and ride in the back of groups (if I am in the front I have a hard time maintaining a speed that the group can follow) I usually receive the brunt of the bad traffic. Which causes me to get pi**ed off. this is usually where I exit to the left and meet my cruiser group in the next town. Because of this I seem to have problem riding with others in these groups. If the people I am riding with want to pay attention to what they are doing, and maintain a speed the agrees with all the traffic on the road, well and good. But it just seems that most cruiser riders are not into that This is not to endorse speeding, but I think that when you are on a bike, your one small advantage over other traffic is your ability to adjust speed and manuever more quickly. But to do this you have to be paying attention and riding with traffic.

[bikerphil]

I got stuck behind some Harleys last week at Deals Gap. It really pisses you off when you travel many miles to ride on an awesome road and you're slowed way down by a bunch of Knuckleheads. Anyway, the trip was awesome.

[Ivan]

I got stuck behind some Harleys last week at Deals Gap. It really pisses you off when you travel many miles to ride on an awesome road and you're slowed way down by a bunch of Knuckleheads. Anyway, the trip was awesome.

Or Panheads, or Shovelheads or Evos...

OFC it was a rhetorical question...LOL...BTW my 27 year old Maxim is ridden every year...just not alot...I think it has 22000 total miles

Woah... I put that much on mine since I bought it....last July. I ride to work every chance I get, which is a 100 mile round trip, so I cheat a bit.

[wa407mpp]

I will not fly in formation with anyone. I have eight guys I will ride with and even then we would be so spread out so far most people wouldn't realize we were even riding together.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Ivan...

I'll probably never get to be in a club. I am a pretty nice guy on the surface, but get annoyed easily. H-D jockeys tend to annoy me and I start saying things that are offensive.

Just yeasterday I was in O'reallys andd a guy was puying plugs for his HD. The plug was a tad black, and I politely suggested he could burn it clean with a propane torch. He said he didnt have a torch. I couldn't contain my self. "you have a $15,000 roadblock, you're putting $12 a pop irridium plugs in, and you won't buy an $8 torch? You are slow enough that your Harley can keep up with you. I guess thats a good thing."

Yeah, I ride alone...

Though you & I have never had the pleasure of meeting yet, I believe we do have some mutual acquaintances. Just wanted to say hello, and that "I like your style". HEHEHE Stay cool.

[DenyP]

In mid-Minnesota, even the Hardly riders are better then ridin alone i think. Thus saying a rider who has rode alone all his life. Geese that sounds sad don't it! Anything in this state goin on, let me know!

Deny

[tw1980]

I ride alone as well. I have one friend with a seca that I ride with on occasion.But only because he likes a semi aggressive pace.I'm sorry but the HD's to me are loud stinky and slow.If someone enjoys them that is their choice but not mine and I resent being treated like an inferior being because I ride a Japanese motor cycle.I believe the XS11 is one of the finest motorcycles ever made and I'll line it up at a road course,drag strip or any other track against a new $ 20,000 HD.Sorry if I hurt someones feelings with an HD but I'm somewhat passionate about these bikes. Terry