I use to ride a cheap *** jap bike. Couple of'em. Busted them rubber turn signals too.

 

Hell, I probably started it. You know what they say about the first thing to go is your memory. Damn winter. I could be riding and not have to take all this abuse.

 

a lot of us have. I had a '65 Honda Dream 305cc chopper as well as few beater Triumphs along the way ....
and when my kids were 5&4 and I couldn't afford bike payments, I sold my Heritage. $4K profit paid for $1600 BMW, $1200 side car and left me enough cash to start flipping bikes till I could afford to keep another one.

 

Bwahahaha!!

 

I am no biker. I do ride my Harley 20-60K a year.
While I have seen The biker world change some people lives it does not effect mine.
I am a Husband,Father, Grandfather and retired soldier that really enjoys riding alone or in a group don't madder much, I wear a helmet never had anyone tell me I can't,don't drink but could if I wanted to, No tats never saw any sense in them . I I aint rich nor urban but I pay cash for my rides and mods because I married a women that knew how to manage money nothing more to it than that.
Soon as this snow is gone I going riding.

 

 

hell, ya.

I've always rode what I could afford, and I've always had something to ride. In the mid to late 70's, it was mostly Honda, including a 305 scrambler, then a hardtail chop I built in my apartment up from a cb750 motor that I traded for an Ibanez Les Paul copy. In the early 80s, when I had a good paying job, it was a Suzuki, then a shovel, then a Bonneville. In the late 80s, after a divorce and move halfway across the country, the only thing I could afford was a cast-off Yamaha 650 that a co-worker gave to me to get it out of his garage. I stripped it down and rode it for a couple of years. That was during the time that Harley was enjoying a huge surge in popularity, and a lot of guys that had never ridden in their lives were buying up fatboys and Heritage softails. And asking me to help change their exhaust and carbs, all the stuff they hadn't learned to do. I've never worried about what anybody else thinks about what I ride.

Never went into debt for one, never made a payment on a bike, and work on them myself. When I first started riding, I worked on them because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to maintain my ride. Now I work on them because I'd rather work on it myself. I like my twinkie just fine, but kinda been thinking I might need to build up a ironhead bobber.

 

Back in my sportbike days, I used to laugh at all the guys that bought crotch rockets and sit out in town posing. I was all about carving up some twisties, and couldn't understand why they even bought motorcycles. Fastforward till today, and I see the same kind of posers on Harleys. The kind that would tease me about ridding a bitch bike(Sportster), yet they haven't put any miles on theirs. Yes, I wore full one piece suit back then and now I wear some Harley $hit,and I am trailering to bike week, if that makes me a Poser,RUB then I am. My daughter even says Im not a "BIKER", but Ive had a motorcycle from six(XR75) till 39 3/4(Road King). These days, I say ride as much as you can, and quit worrying about what floats someone elses boat. Bring on the spring.

 

I agree with the statements made here - seems everyone has a good head on their shoulders, and especially about taking someone else's life in your hands as an inexperienced rider on a touring bike. It's a huge risk.

I guess I should have said I'm new to Harley's, not riding. I grew up on a farm, been doing riding of one sort or another (ski doo, tractor, mini-bike, moped, horses etc) forever. I've been riding dirt bikes and enduros etc since I was 14 (a VERY long time ago) so I'm not new to riding completely. My first bike was a Can Am 175 enduro back when they were popular. I stripped it down and never wore a helmet. I wear one now and carry a first aid kit. It's hard to admit sometimes but I'm a grandfather and just celebrated my oldest son's 30th birthday this weekend.

I took my time on this bike and have put almost 20k on it so far in one season. My wife only climbed on with me after the first 5k or so. I take zero risks and am always mindful that her life is in my hands.

It's an 800lb bike and that needs to be respected for sure, but not feared. I do my own maintenance work but for mods I will work with the local HD chopper shop. I'm trying to learn everything I can and these forums and you folks have been invaluable as part of this - thank you for that btw.

 

Who gives a damn! All the real bikers of the 60s and 70s are dead or in old folks homes, because the generations beyond them have major entitlement issues. Really want to know where you stand? How many of you have had your hair highlighted at some point in you life!