O/T motorcycle catagories?

larry@stinescorner

Well-known Member
As I was painting the shed,many motorcycles ride by our winding country road.Many have riden by over the years too.As I was scraping and painting I started to think of the different styles of riders.Now ,,this is no scientific data,just an independant survey by me. There are several catagories of motorcycle riders.There are the touring type,sometimes harley davidson,or honda gold wing types,going slow and enjoying the scenery,always giving a friendly wave.There is the road racer type,usually dressed in leather,and testing the bike for handling ability.In the morning and late afternoon there are some comuters,usually a backpack and a smaller on off road type of bike,I like seeing them all,and say to each their own,The only bikers I Despise are the ones that fly by me on interstate 78 on my way home. If they are riding by themselves I still say to each their own,,,,,,but ,,,,when the rocket type bike flys by me weaving in and out of traffic,and,,,,someones little girl is trying to sit on the little space on the seat of the bike,her butt sticking up,,,she has shorts and flip flops on,,,,I Dont like it,and I Hsve seen it too many times on the way home.
 
i know what you are saying i have seen the same thing in the big cities.i was once going home on east i-70 from columbus ohio i l glanced over on the west bound side just in time to see a rider by himself stand that motorcycle straight up in the air going 60 or 70 mph.
RICK
 
Only two types of motorcycle riders ,those who have crashed and those who will crash. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my motorcycle but folks in cars will look you straight in the eye then pull out in front of you. Mrs Wisbaker put the kibosh to my motorcycle days, says "it's to dangerous" funny thing is I diffused bombs for a living when we got married. Playing with unstable explosives and diffusing improvised devices made by guys trying to kill you-okay, riding a 350cc motorcycle "to dangerous". Women who can figure them out?
 
Sure enjoy my old Yahama Virago 1100 cc. and older yet Cushman scooters for cruising country roads and commuting. One big difference between riding and a truck/car is you notice the good smells (and bad ones too I guess).
 
After my son killed a deer with his motorcycle his wife put her foot down and said "no more". He somehow kept it upright but his leg was bruised up and he slowly drove home with a bent fork. I'm glad she made him get rid of the bike. He's all we have left. Jim
 
matter of perspective I guess......
I've rode motorcycles longer than my memory will reach back to.
dangerous? sure
every cage driver trying to 'get' me? sure
every single member of the animal kingdom trying to wreck me? sure.

But if I see one of those miniature 'green' car things on the road...
get me in that? no way, too dangerous! LOL

BTW, in my younger days.....that young thing on the back was usually the one yelling in my ear:
"go Faster, make it make more noise"

also BTW, can't wear shorts and sneakers, I think it's in the Harley handbook......
Leathers help a little, but long pants jeans make no difference at all when you are sliding down the road. You still get bloody.
 
I enjoyed riding a bike, and still would, I'm sure, but I hung up the handlebars when our first child was born. As wisbaker stated, people will look straight at you and then pull out in front of you, I had that happen too many times. I was on an interstate one day running about 65 and two motorcycles passed me doing about 80 or 90. They were about three hundred yards apart and the first whizzed past and was gone. The second passed me and his bike went into a "speed wobble" which I guess is caused partly by air currents, but his bike started going from side to side just like he was doing it, except that he had no control over it. I thought the thing was going to lay down on the pavement but he managed to slow down and get it under control.
 
well i am one of the "crashed" types--my Honda Dream in 1967--am still riding but no second crash yet!
 
Doesn't matter to me what anyone rides so long as they do it safely and respectfully. I have a few Harleys out in one of the barns, and a couple of Hondas. I don't care what anyone rides.

About a week ago I was turning off of one county road onto mine. I slowed down to about 20 I figure and was just starting my left and had my signal on for at least a couple hundred feet before I started my turn. Just as I started to cross over, a rocket of some sort blew past me at well over a hundred mph. A couple of seconds later and it would have been messy. And the thing is, its clearly marked as a no passing zone because of the left "T" onto my road. I sure hope that rider realizes that he or she used up one of his or her nine lives right then and there. I was young and foolish too though.

Mark
 
I have at least 4 on this place right now. Wish I could afford the bike I want which would be a say late 60 early 70 BMW. Have had a license to ride a bike since 1972 so been on them off and on for 44 plus years. Over the years I have had at least 30 bikes and some I wish I still had
 
My son and I
a169416.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 20:46:24 09/20/14) Doesn't matter to me what anyone rides so long as they do it safely and respectfully. I have a few Harleys out in one of the barns, and a couple of Hondas. I don't care what anyone rides.

About a week ago I was turning off of one county road onto mine. I slowed down to about 20 I figure and was just starting my left and had my signal on for at least a couple hundred feet before I started my turn. [b:717a0c8ca8]Just as I started to cross over, a rocket of some sort blew past me at well over a hundred mph. A couple of seconds later and it would have been messy. [/b:717a0c8ca8] And the thing is, its clearly marked as a no passing zone because of the left "T" onto my road. I sure hope that rider realizes that he or she used up one of his or her nine lives right then and there. I was young and foolish too though.


Mark
I witnessed a similar scene 40 years ago except that it was the 2 seconds later type.
The rider hit the pavement and slid on his back across the road and dove head first into the curb, his head exploded like a melon (he wore no helmet)
 
Don't feel left out, I started at 13 on Harley 74 finally got a learners permit at 15 ( you could ride a bike by yourself then) still riding a 2007 Harley Deuce, 56years later.
 
(quoted from post at 20:46:24 09/20/14) Doesn't matter to me what anyone rides so long as they do it safely and respectfully. I have a few Harleys out in one of the barns, and a couple of Hondas. I don't care what anyone rides.

About a week ago I was turning off of one county road onto mine. I slowed down to about 20 I figure and was just starting my left and had my signal on for at least a couple hundred feet before I started my turn. Just as I started to cross over, a rocket of some sort blew past me at well over a hundred mph. A couple of seconds later and it would have been messy. And the thing is, its clearly marked as a no passing zone because of the left "T" onto my road. I sure hope that rider realizes that he or she used up one of his or her nine lives right then and there. I was young and foolish too though.

Mark
ell if you have a knucklehead out in one of the barns we need to talk. I have been riding Harleys for over 55years will never give it up. 3 bike shops and a lot of building for friends and family. and I still ride when I can
 
Friend of mine has or had a crotch rocket. His girl friend wanted a fast ride so he took her on the bike and got the bike up to well over a hundred, he started to feel her hands slipping back on his waist so he slowed down quickly and every thing was OK.

I read in the paper once of a guy maybe 19 or 20 who took a woman on a fast ride on a crotch rocket and she fell off the back of the bike. He did not have enough sense to slow down and she was killed.
 
Motorcycling is all about risk avoidance. Best way to avoid risk is to not ride. Riding with no protective gear? Dumb. Riding too fast for conditions? Also dumb. Exposing a passenger to those same risks? Inexcusable. You see it a lot, and it's fairly common for women to get killed riding on the backs of motorcycles. Mostly it's with crotch rockets; the young riders think they're indestructible and take a lot of stupid risks. But it happens with old cruiser riders as well; riding slow lowers risk but it doesn't eliminate it.

A couple of years ago they repealed the helmet law in Michigan. Prior to that, 9 out of 10 Harley riders would be wearing "beanies". Beanies are plastic caps that vaguely resemble helmets but offer no protection. They are intended solely to keep the police happy. OK, so now with the helmet law gone, 8 out of 10 Harley riders are helmet-less. One of ten will be wearing a helmet, typically the half-helmets favored by motorcycle cops (I guess they work if you hit something head-first.). But in any group of ten riders, one of them will be wearing a beanie! What's up with that? Do they actually believe a cheap plastic cap is better than riding bare-headed?
 
(quoted from post at 19:50:10 09/20/14) I enjoyed riding a bike, and still would, I'm sure, but I hung up the handlebars when our first child was born. As wisbaker stated, people will look straight at you and then pull out in front of you, I had that happen too many times. I was on an interstate one day running about 65 and two motorcycles passed me doing about 80 or 90. They were about three hundred yards apart and the first whizzed past and was gone. The second passed me and his bike went into a "speed wobble" which I guess is caused partly by air currents, but his bike started going from side to side just like he was doing it, except that he had no control over it. I thought the thing was going to lay down on the pavement but he managed to slow down and get it under control.

I was in a "high speed wobble" years ago. It is caused by poor motorcycle handling characteristics coupled with high speed. I was on a curve and had drifted into the other lane. All I could see was the grill of a big truck coming at me. I don't know how I got past that truck.
 
I rode a bike about 30 years ago, but there are so many deer in my area, that it wouldn't be a matter of "if", but a matter of "when". If I lived in town (gotta remember that my home town has a population of about 600 with only one flashing red light), I would probably ride one, but only in town. I have a near-miss with the deer a couple of times a month with my car or truck.
One of the funniest sights that I saw with a motorcycle happened about 8 or so years ago. Some group was raffling off a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. They actually had the bike in a local Wal-Mart right in the dairy section for everybody to see. I walked through there during a weekend and there were about 20-30 prospective owners there (wearing the typical HD garb) standing by it drooling and admiring the bike. They were also stinking up the place. Literally. Some of those people hadn't taken a bath for weeks. They were also scaring away the little old ladies who wanted to buy dairy products.
I'd bet my last $10 that the WM manager will never do that again.
 
"High speed wobble".

Wouldn't have been on one of the Kwacker 3cyl. 2 strokes would you? That term was sort of invented for those old Kwackers! Had a 350 and two friends had the 500 and 750's. Local mechanic made himself a rich man gussenting the weak, twisty swingarms of those old rockets.
 
Someone once said that there two kinds of bikers the ones that look like power rangers,and the ones that look like pirates
 
(quoted from post at 03:08:10 09/21/14) Motorcycling is all about risk avoidance. Best way to avoid risk is to not ride. Riding with no protective gear? Dumb. Riding too fast for conditions? Also dumb. Exposing a passenger to those same risks? Inexcusable. You see it a lot, and it's fairly common for women to get killed riding on the backs of motorcycles. Mostly it's with crotch rockets; the young riders think they're indestructible and take a lot of stupid risks. But it happens with old cruiser riders as well; riding slow lowers risk but it doesn't eliminate it.

A couple of years ago they repealed the helmet law in Michigan. Prior to that, 9 out of 10 Harley riders would be wearing "beanies". Beanies are plastic caps that vaguely resemble helmets but offer no protection. They are intended solely to keep the police happy. OK, so now with the helmet law gone, 8 out of 10 Harley riders are helmet-less. One of ten will be wearing a helmet, typically the half-helmets favored by motorcycle cops (I guess they work if you hit something head-first.). But in any group of ten riders, one of them will be wearing a beanie! What's up with that? Do they actually believe a cheap plastic cap is better than riding bare-headed?
Been riding over 55 years have been down 2 times one with a injury of a broken wrist road crew left sand on the road in a turn, I still walked away. I NEVER wore a helmet until the early 70'S and have tried to avoid wearing one, Missouri has a helmet law so when I ride I look for the fastest way out of the state.
I don't like helmets but that is my choice, I ride defensible I know thy are out to get me!
I stay away from big city's when I can and prefer the back roads better riding there and more enjoyable.
I live in a small town to dangerous to ride here too many people on their lawnmower on the streets going all over the road.
I will ride till I die an old man.
 
(quoted from post at 19:23:17 09/20/14) matter of perspective I guess......
I've rode motorcycles longer than my memory will reach back to.
dangerous? sure
every cage driver trying to 'get' me? sure
every single member of the animal kingdom trying to wreck me? sure.

But if I see one of those miniature 'green' car things on the road...
get me in that? no way, too dangerous! LOL

BTW, in my younger days.....that young thing on the back was usually the one yelling in my ear:
"go Faster, make it make more noise"

also BTW, can't wear shorts and sneakers, I think it's in the Harley handbook......
Leathers help a little, but long pants jeans make no difference at all when you are sliding down the road. You still get bloody.
I totally agree but leather gets hot so its a weather thing with me for leather except for my gloves, you seem to always put your hands down first.
But I don't own a car/truck when I need one I use my girlfriends truck, but I don't go many places anymore after buying this place, way to much to do fixing it back up.

Me and you till the wheels fall off, :lol:
 
(quoted from post at 07:51:29 09/21/14) Larry, I love to ride.
I'd have to say I'm your first example.
Tony
this is a picture that was taken in 71 near Lake Tahoe I only have pictures that go back to the late 60's, but started riding daily in 1959 and have never stopped.

mvphoto11237.jpg
 
If they want to ride sensibly, I am certainly willing to share the road. But some are very silly and seem to have forgotten what a human body looks like after being run over by a semi.

As the population ages, more folks are reverting back to tricycles.
 
(quoted from post at 08:33:18 09/21/14) If they want to ride sensibly, I am certainly willing to share the road. But some are very silly and seem to have forgotten what a human body looks like after being run over by a semi.

As the population ages, more folks are reverting back to tricycles.
Gave up driving truck (tractor trailer) when the government stepped in and fuel and everything went up except the money.
but as for the tricycles this was mine but didn't care for it so I sold it and kept my Harley Deuce.
mvphoto11239.jpg
 
There are at least three or four groups of Harley riders alone. Then some of those you think are on rice bikes are on Ducati's . Then some of those choppers you see are younger guys on XS 650 Yammies and I have even seen a chopped Gold Wing . I like it when everyone hates you better . Now the whole family is at the curb waving to the bikes . Sickening.
 
(quoted from post at 04:56:47 09/21/14) "High speed wobble".

Wouldn't have been on one of the Kwacker 3cyl. 2 strokes would you? That term was sort of invented for those old Kwackers! Had a 350 and two friends had the 500 and 750's. Local mechanic made himself a rich man gussenting the weak, twisty swingarms of those old rockets.

No, mine was a Honda 350 street scrambler. Not built for speed. it is a wonder I lived through keeping up with my buddy on his 750 Norton. another friend had a Kawi 500 widow maker as we called them here. I borrowed it once to take my eventual wife for a ride. she told me that she was experienced riding in the back of a bike and didn't need to hold onto me. that lasted about twenty seconds.
 
(quoted from post at 09:39:38 09/21/14) There are at least three or four groups of Harley riders alone. Then some of those you think are on rice bikes are on Ducati's . Then some of those choppers you see are younger guys on XS 650 Yammies and I have even seen a chopped Gold Wing . I like it when everyone hates you better . Now the whole family is at the curb waving to the bikes . Sickening.
Now days its a fad thing! I remember the days when everyone hated you, San Diego, San Bernardo, Long Beach, Venice, Oakland, San Leandro, Houston, Seattle, Reno.
HOTEL ROOM= wont let you in
RESTAURANT=wont let you In
COPS= yes ticket or get out of my town
But some of us just would not give it up, Me for one.
4 bike shops just because I love to work on them never made big money but stayed alive.
 
(quoted from post at 03:08:10 09/21/14)

Mark,
It's not the helmet....it's being told what to do.
When I was still working, I rode every day from March-April thru October-November up here.....period.
temps dropping thru the 30's with snow coming, a helmet will keep me warmer. Tell me I HAVE to wear it, first impulse is to throw it in the ditch.

Besides, farm machinery is far more dangerous. How would we like it if helmets were mandated on tractors.
or how about having to wear your seatbelt in the car....
oh wait...too late...we warned ya...

also, a helmet is just the 'illusion' of safety.
If I go down on a crowded freeway, you could encase my head in concrete.
Won't make a bit of difference. I'll still be talking to St Peter soon.........
 
NNP, neither you nor KH answered my question. Why on earth would you wear a "beanie" in a state with no helmet law?

I understand wearing a full-face helmet.
I understand wearing the half-face helmets favored by some Harley riders.
I understand wearing no helmet at all.
But why on earth would you put a silly plastic hat on your head that offers roughly the same protection as a doo-rag but without the fashion statement?

A friend of mine who is a former motorcycle road racer has the best explanation: Because their wives/girlfriends make them wear it.

As for being told what to do, I don't much care for paying for the long-term care of motorcyclists with closed-head injuries. But I do so every time I pay my auto insurance policy.
 
(quoted from post at 03:13:21 09/22/14) NNP, neither you nor KH answered my question. Why on earth would you wear a "beanie" in a state with no helmet law?

I understand wearing a full-face helmet.
I understand wearing the half-face helmets favored by some Harley riders.
I understand wearing no helmet at all.
But why on earth would you put a silly plastic hat on your head that offers roughly the same protection as a doo-rag but without the fashion statement?

A friend of mine who is a former motorcycle road racer has the best explanation: Because their wives/girlfriends make them wear it.



As for being told what to do, I don't much care for paying for the long-term care of motorcyclists with closed-head injuries. But I do so every time I pay my auto insurance policy.

Long term care of head injured motorcyclists is HUGE business. I used to service a nursing home that special end in them. They are a big company with homes all over the country.
 

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