Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Har(d)ley Men

I recently sold a dual-sport motorcycle (Blue Yonder) to a 62 year old gentleman from Hendersonville, TN. We got to talking about riding during the course of making the transaction and he mentioned he 'now' has four motorcycles. And I thought I was bad about accumulating toys.

Anyhow, we get to talking about the riding spots we have in common and decided to try to get together when one or the other's riding group was passing near one of our homes. The old guy rides primarily an FJR1300 (this is a GrandSport Touring bike - that means it will run 130mph all day with grace and no apparent effort) so I warned him that the guys I ride with (the aliens) ride cruisers and I didn't want him to be bored. He said he sometimes rides w/ cruisers also and doesn't mind pokin' around some. This turned the discussion toward the Har(d)ley brand of motorcycle.

My thinking on these bikes is that it is the two wheeled equivalent of Ford Motor Company still producing shiny new Model 'A's and charging exhorbitant prices for them. His observation was this:

'I feel sorry for those guys when I see them on the road. You know they can't be comfortable; most Har(d)ley riders I talk to just don't know any better. They haven't ever ridden anything else.'

That about says it all.

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