|
Funny you should ask. My '79 Shovel has an "H" in the serial number, which means that it was "MADE" in Milwaukee, sporting a Pan's Hydroglide front end that I liked better than the orginal. One day me and some buddies are out on the scooters, my Shovel, a buddy on his 883 Sporty Piglett, another on a Pan, and some other buddies on their made in the USA (Ohio) Honda V-twins. So, we ride into secret hideout No. 2 (a tavern the wives or girlfriends don't know about, or to call looking for...whomever), and there's all these new shiney Evo Big-Twin Harleys and there owners with their brand spankin' new and polished Harley belts, belt buckles, boots, and probably g-string undies too (I'd bet). So, we get off the scooters and go to walk in and they start scoffing out loud at the buddies made in the USA Hondas, so I ask "Say what?", and get an earful about the supposed rice burner wanna be V-twins. Hmmmmm ???? Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut, but I just couldn't let that go, and pointed out that my buddy's Piglett (883 Sporty) was made in the USA, our buddies Hondas were made in the USA, then looked around and announced that I and our other buddy's Pan were the only Big-Twin Harleys out in that whole stinkin parking lot that were made in the USA. And to prove it, I walked one of the big mouth wanna be bikers over and showed him the "H" in our serial numbers (Milwaukee), then walked him over to the scooter that he proclaimed as his, and showed him the "J" in his serial number that stood for manufactured in the land of the rising sun (Japan). Then I had to point out that my buddies made in the USA cost 1/3rd of those rice burners that he in his buddies and their old ladies were riding, just so they could have the word "Harley" emblazoned on them, their belt buckles, under garments, and baby's diapers. All would've been ok if they hadn't been a$$holes, but they wanted to be a$$holes, and were, and I had no problem showing them as much. Manufactured in Japan, painted in Pittsburg, assembled in Milwaukee. That was a couple of few years ago, and some are now made in Brazil as well. You won't find the word Harley anywhere on my scooter, its stroker only starts by kicker, and I aint gotta prove nothing to anyone with it, especially some designer wanna be biker that probably wears a pink thong under his new leathers. Pick yourself up a copy of "Walnek's Cycle Trader", or vistit it online, and piece meal yourself one...could be a WLA, UL, even a Indian Chief. Costs far less, and you'll respect it more and have more pride in it that way...just like an old tractor. Personally, I could give a rats a$$ what anyone rides, so long as they enjoy themselves, and watch out for them automobiles, the drivers don't watch out for scooter riders. It's your money, your scooter, do what you want and can, if you so choose. I will give them Evos that they don't break as much as mine, nor do they drip oil...but if mine didn't drip oil (mark its territory), how would my buddies know that I thought enough of them to stop over to visit when they aint home? Mark
|
