“My Bike is Better Than Yours”

140 thoughts on ““My Bike is Better Than Yours””

• We were encamped in the Atlas Mtns of Morocco, I on my old Beemer, one guy on a BSA rocket and ‘the new guy’ with his sportser, and in his opinion, his being the only ‘real’ bike for distance??..Fellow comes put putting up on a moped, tent, bags, gas and water cans wired into every conceivable place, and asks if he could share our fire and site…we say sure…come on in. Sportser starts to make a snide remark about his ‘little scooter’…and asks where he’s going?…and the fellow says…Capetown, bewildered sportster asks where he started from…and scoot guy says..’oslo’….and sportser says…’man…that bike ain’t gonna make it!”…and scooter guys whispers…”shhh!…don’t tell my bike that!”…lol Never underestimate what people ride…I never have and never will…I rode that beemer from pole to pole and she never let me down….Now I ride a Ural and I love it…and the people I meet…riding is riding…..$20,000 and 20 miles does NOT make you a biker…to be sure….

• People are amazing. It must be our inborn competitive spirit. I have never been a fan of the brand observers. I own a BMW 1200 R and a Harley Fatboy. I have also owned 2 Hondas, and loved them too. People have asked me how I could ride such two opposing bikes. What on earth do they mean? Yes I love my beemer and my Harley, and they do possess different riding characteristics. I am a flexible rider. I once had 2 pinheads ask me why I didn’t buy another American bike, as they knew I own a Fatboy. I really find it difficult to answer such inane questions. I do find however, that most riders, 95% or so, are really good people and don’t really care. That goes for Harley, Beemer, Honda, Kawi or whatever rider it is. When they see on the Beemer, they think I’m a snob. Really! Actually, I love to listen to music when I ride. Nothing beats the Harley when I’m listening to Janis Joplin. Strangely, classical or Waltz music seems to really fit the Beemer. Perhaps I am an enigma. When I see riders I see the person, not really the bike. People who insist on comparing brands are just a bit immature. The whole goal of riding is to enjoy the ride, appreciate nature and be at one with your own thoughts. And, most important is to get home safely. Yea, That’s about how I see it. God Bless, and ride safely, no matter what you own.

• I wave if I’m in the mood, it’s no big deal if you don’t. Don’t fret, concentrate on riding. I dislike riding in groups, too many rules, too many personalities, too many opinions etc, me and my hubby is all the group I need. There are certainly a lot of jerks out there who think they are the be all and end all when it comes to rides.

  Recently I was at the Toronto Bike Show and I was standing in the BMW display and there were these two guys standing nearby watching me as I tried out one of the new F650GS, one of the guys came over and said that’s a really good fit, it’s a great ride for a girl, definitely a good place to start, imagine his surprise when I turned and said “So what the fuck should I do with my 1300” Condescending riders really piss me off.

  I’ve been riding since 1985, and my present ride is a 1300 V-Star Tourer, and my hubby rides a 2300 Triumph Rocket III. In the 2010 riding season here in Ontario where I live we put on over 13,000 a pretty good year for us. Yep there are a lot of jerks out there. I’m not a novice and I don’t ride like one, I ride with my whits about me, always riding defensively.

• Noticed several comments about the motorcyclist’s ‘wave’. Your next topic perhaps??

• I rode several types of motorcycle until I found what seemed to fit me…and learned that just cruising down the back roads and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside was my idea of a good time. Others love the thrill of speed or aggressive riding through hairpin turns, while others love dirt bike riding. Like we were say in the ’60’s “do your own thing”. As for brands, I have a Harley and a GoldWing…diametrically opposed to most biker ideas. I love riding them both and mood of the day or which one is easiest to get out of the corral is usually what makes me decide my ride for the day. I love the growl and aggressive nature of the Dekker, but there are times that a more somber ride is what I need and the Wing handles that quite nicely. Bikers are all proud of their ride and rightly so, as it reflects the ride they enjoy. The bad a** Harley rider; the ice cream loving Wing rider; the uppity Beemer rider… all stereotypes. I love the adventure of riding and I hope to someday try every brand of motorcycle I can as each one gives a different ride. When riding I still give the peace sign to all riders coming my way…we are indeed a brotherhood and acknowledging another brother/sister keeps that bonding alive. I would stop to help anyone of them, whether they returned the wave or not and I would hope they would do the same for me. Unlike cagers, bikers tend to watch each others back and provide a support not seen elsewhere. Whether sporting jeans and tattoos, or an Aerostich one-piece suit, we all share the passion of riding and that I hope will never change!

• I’m a new rider. I like your blog and the comments. Very useful and very inspirational. Thanks a lot.

• I’ve seen several people talking about waving. Come on people, waving is for newbees. It wasn’t so bad 35 or 40 years ago when there weren’t many bikers, but now days there are so many motorcyclists on the more popular roads that my hand would spend more time in the air than on the bars. You don’t see everyone who owns a pick-up truck waving to each other. Just because I don’t wave, it doesn’t mean I don’t care about the other cyclists, waving has just run its course and it’s time to end this habit. Stop the waving !

• I like what Ed says about being a “perpetual novice.” That keeps any rider in the right frame of mind.

• Just read thru all of these comments. I have to say, If you could’ve picked my brain, Ed Mills in October of 2009, and Michael on July 10, 2009, NAILED it! Well said, gents!
  I’m another old fart… Love my Valkyrie… Love to ride… and do try to wave! It IS about the JOY of riding! It IS about being safe! It IS FREEDOM! If I had deep pockets, I’d have a real assortment of bikes in a building near my house, so that I could see them every day, and ride them often. Basically, bikes are beautiful no matter what the vintage, or the make and model. So, ENJOY the adventure, and stay safe!

• Hello, Thanks for your great blog. I’m aware of the differences noted here, but I find I bump into more friendly discussions among bikers that I meet, even if I don’t know them.

• Heck, I don’t care what someone rides. I enjoy talking to guys about their bikes. They like their bike. I like mine. And at different times of life, I may have a preference for different motorcycles.

• Most motorcycle enthusiasts see the bike as a means to bringing people together. I love it when I see a group ride and there are several different types of bikes represented. That shows it is truly about the ride and getting together. On the other hand, there are riders who scorn bikes different from theirs and the people who ride them. Too bad for them.

• Of course my bike is better than yours. I bought it and I ride it. Seriously though while I do envy some of the rides out there I’m happy with what I have. It’s definitely all about the ride and as long as it has two wheels who gives a monkeys. We ride, that’s what counts.

  SPC

• My bike is only important to me. If someone asks, I can spend a good 15 to 20 minutes describing the things I’ve done to my bike to make it special. I love seeing all bikes, especially when they’re all spiffed up. I can talk to a complete stranger, knowing that we have something in common. There is never a consideration of “my bike is better than yours.”

• Ed Mills: Brilliantly said!

  In all honesty I am really not a road bike guy. I have relatively few miles on pavement so far. But being of roughly the same age I can identify with most of what you said. By the way, the next duck waddler you see might be me trying to get a later model too tall & probably still too heavy (in my opinion) dual purpose “enduro” type bike through an intersection. Too many years of exclusive dirt riding makes for some very strong habits which may take a bit of unlearning. You know, after the second or third time I manage to kick myself in the back of the head I’ll probably either just go back to dirt or just maybe I’ll actually learn to keep the feet on the pegs- while on pavement at least. I cannot imagine someone riding a big touring bikes, a crotch rocket, or Harley who habitually dabs a foot on turns (& who buys boot by the case as a result), so I guess I’ll be looking for an almost dirt bike instead . Looks like the dual purpose bikes have come a ways in the past 30 years…. Nothing entirely elegant or romantic, at least not until getting way back into some lovely areas no real road bike will ever see. I don’t need sheer adrenaline the way I used to. Time for enjoying some aesthetics as well, now.

  I see some wax almost poetic in expressing their affection for their machines or even better their passion for anything two wheels. Good stuff. There is ample room for many kinds & styles of riding. Glad to see the call away from the ______ brand snobbery. (Insert your favorite brand into the blank..) I must confess I suffer from a form of reverse snobbery. Only in a broad general sense; it rarely translates to a personal level unless some drunk jacka$$ decides to wake up the neighborhood at 2 A.M. anyway. There is one wildly popular rather expensive & loud sort of bike which tries to be known for rugged individualism. Seems like an oxymoron given that there are so many individualists in that crowd! Would James Dean have approved??? Like I said, MY opinion. Feel free to see it how you wish. The enjoyment in riding for me is found in what I see along the way- not in all the mystique & romance of living an image. Maybe some might find themselves feeling a little more freedom if they just go out & start enjoying the ride for it being a ride once in a while rather than being part of a crowd? No doubt the “rolling thunder” can be fun, but so can a solo ride where you can be one with yourself and at peace in your thoughts. YMMV….

• If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with….
  I rode a Suzi for years and I loved each ride. I am on a Harley now and it is a piece of eye-candy…and she’s a challenging ride…My nine grandkids love Gramma’s bike…And if one doesn’t have a place to garage one’s bike, the house will do. When I came up to NH I remember the old “Ice-Riders” two wheels and chains out on the ponds and lakes…now that was riding!!! To all of us who ride, be careful, be happy with the gifts of freedom we all have in the wind. Love to all, :Dee

• Last Spring, I got out early on my bike, just as I do every new year. I have a 1400 Boulevard and enjoy riding emmensely. There were patches of snow here and there, just spotty wet patches on the road. I stopped at a friends’ house and was bs’ing when another guy I know stopped by, in his car. I asked him why he wasn’t on his bike and he told me his bike wasn’t made to ride in conditions like that – it was too nice. He had a harley. I asked him if he ever brought it out of the house…….I bought a bike to ride. I guess some people buy them just to look at and claim the title of biker.

• I concur with your points. Just saying thanks.

• I realy like the way a bike breaks down barriers.Just ask someone about their bike and you have a new friend, old, young,sport bike, cruiser, duel sport, dirt, everyone likes to talk about their bike

• Late last summer my Son was threatening to purchase his first motorcycle. He was Hell bent on buying some old beat up 82 Yamaha from his then girlfriend’s Father. This thing had been sitting for over a decade and was in poor shape and the Father wanted too much money for it. So I offered to “split” a bike with him. I had not owned or rode a motorcycle since 1984. I recomended we invest in a Harley Davivson seeing they seemed to hold their value, and the fact that I always wanted one. We setteled on a low mileage 2001 883 Sportster Custom. He obtained his licence and I dusted off my skills.
  He purchased a over priced bright orange HD jacket, I chose a more menacing classic black leather “Brando” jacket and chaps and HD boots.
  We enjoyed the bike for two months before the snow fell. My Son moved across the country leaving me with the bike. (He bought a Gixxer!!)
  I spent the winter obsessivley customising the Sporty into a nasty bobber with apes.
  Come spring I proudly went out riding way too early, froze, but had more fun than ever after a long winter catch up education by way of the internet and all the magazines.
  Once all the other bike enthusiasts got back on the road it was time share the “Brotherly” wave. I then felt the predjudice of the Harley snobbery for the lowly “Sportster”.
  On the road, at bike shops, at swap meets and at biker bars and meets.
  How petty? How rediculous? This has disappointed me to the point of considering anything but a Harley Davidson for my next bike. Between that and the Police pulling me over at every oppertunity just because of my outlaw look. The big HD seems to be these guys whole personality and that seems to make them feel like the bad ass they always hoped to be? HD’s worst enemy is their own hype. Besides the value of a new Japanese bike or the cool retro look of a Triumph or Royal Enfeild at fraction of a Harley is quite alluring.

• I am signing up for your updates

• In the Pacific Northwest can be found many egos in high schoolites (stuck up) or unfriendly, won’t wave, won’t say hi. Mostly are riders or passengers with “HD” bikes this is so common, not everyone, yet a high percentage, not found in any other area I have traveled, strange…is it possible….. to much coffee?????
  I ride in and park my ’06 Yamaha FJR 1300 bought new with over 56K, take off my helmet, shake out my blonde/gray hair of a ’56 year old woman and broadly smile with a warm “HOWDY”, to the stares and disbelief.
  Life is to short not to be friendly and FUN minded!!!!!

• I started riding old british singles over 40 years ago. hav ridden and owned a british enfield, norton honda dream 305, 2 harleys and several other hondas. my current ride is a vt600 honda, light weight great in traffic and economical and a 72 iornhead (fe). i have never ridden anything including a vespa that i haven’t enjoyed. to me it is the ride. i have found friendly and not so friendly riders all over the country brand has no preference but there are snobs every where we go. hey dude loosen up enjoy life and RIDE

• As for the my bike is better than your bike, guys make friends by picking on each other. We will stop and help another motorcyclist, but if he is a friend be ready to be teased about it without mercy. We all know every motorcycle has advantages and disadvantages. A sports bike is fast, but not that comfortable to ride long distances a cruiser is comfortable but will not keep up with a sports bike. If it get great gas mileage it is not fast and so on.
  Just take the my bike is better than your bike as boys being boys.

  See ya on the road, be safe!

• This didn’t came right…
  “… I guess we are the rides we take….”
  I mean “we are the traveling we do”

• This was it, this summer we were going on a 5000 km ride.
  After the first stage of our tour we proudly parked both our bmw k1200 ‘s waiting for the ferry on Santander (Spain) that would take us to Plymouth (UK).
  To our amazement there was a Honda Today 50cc parked in front of us, full of leather bags attached to the frame plus many supports for GPS, phone, camera, etc.
  This guy was coming from the same place we were and was going to our destination.
  I guess we are the rides we take.

• Midlife-crisis-afflicted peer-group-conscious tough-guy posers on custom Harleys.

  Testosterone-crazed peer-group-conscious adolescents astride R1’s and Gixxers.

  Invisible-behind-the-tinted-face-shield, ballistic-nylon-clad mystery people with fat wallets doing the coast highway on sport-tourers.

  AARP-card-toting old farts with a slightly bemused “been there, done that” kind of faint smile, astride – guess what – Gold Wings.

  These are some of the stereotypes. No doubt I missed a few. Probably only a small portion of everyone who is out there, but they are the ones I seem to notice, for some reason.

  And yet most riders are probably no more stereotypical than my own example – a mixture of the AARP guy who has been riding since most bikes had pushrods and the mystery sport-tourer guy, but currently riding that Boo Radley of motorcycles, a Hayabusa.

  You know the posers. They’re easy to spot. Just watch the duck-waddle through intersections. If a rider can’t bring himself to put his feet on the pegs until he is doing 45 mph, God help him if he ever gets in a situation that can only be rectified with that scary-ass front brake. I say “he” because I’ve never seen a female rider do that, probably just because there are so few around here. A question here: why do I only see the duck-waddle thing with newbies on cruisers, and almost never with newbies on UJM’s, dual-sports or crotch rockets? Is it something to do with the low center of gravity?

  Here in Phoenix, the “biker wave” is a strangely sporadic thing. I almost always get it from the sportbike kids, who think they’re waving at someone in their age group. (Ha!) Occasionally, the cruiser folks wave. I almost never get it from the old geezers on the two-wheeled Winnebagos, though. I have no idea why that is, because they’re generally the most friendly people you can imagine. Maybe it’s because letting go of the handlebar on a six-cylinder bike that weighs as much as a small car is just a little too much adventure for most people that age! (I’m allowed to make old-fart jokes nowadays because I’m pretty close to being one myself.)

  I only recently learned how to do the ‘cool, nonchalant low wave,’ which has turned out to be a very practical thing, as it greatly shortens the momentary vulnerability one would incurs by executing the ‘big old dorky howdy-do’ type of wave. Which is not to suggest that I’m anything but a big old dork / nerd myself. Being one is made all the more fun by the expectation, when people notice someone pulling up on a ‘Busa with nice-sounding pipes, that they’re going to see a commensurately cool guy appear from under the helmet. (Ha!) Sorry, not this time, folks. On several occasions it’s been politely mentioned to me that I don’t look like a Hayabusa rider at all. Screwing around and wreaking havoc on the “image” is, for me, one of the most gratifying parts of motorcycling that doesn’t involve actual riding.

  By the way, contrary to popular mystique, the GSX1300R is a very forgiving bike. Much less prone to unscheduled wheelies than the FZ1000 it replaced and handles considerably better than the 1200 Bandit before that. It has a really friendly powerband with rail-stable, surprise-free handling on the big open roads it was designed for. A USB Power Commander, Micron cans and a very loud pair of air horns have been all the embellishment this machine needs.

  I consider myself to be a perpetual novice, having only been riding since the early seventies. At the tender age of 27, I learned that when “mastery” is obtained, a humiliating crash is soon to follow. Lots of other lessons have been learned since then, but none quite so universally useful. I hope there are many more to be had for all of us.

  Keep the flat side down, folks!

  Ed Mills

• I’m not a young guy, but I was when I bought my first bike. I’ve enjoyed riding most of my life. It has been my experience that people who ride tricked out Harley Davidson bikes tend to have little interest in those who don’t. Sports bikers seem a bit surprised when I wave from the HD Road King Classic that I bought in February. More often than not other stock HD riders give a wave. Funny thing though when I ride my 2004 Bonneville, I am either ignored by these stock HD riders or I get a look like – what is that bike? Should I acknowledge it? I wear a leather jacket that has Triumph embossed on the front and back. I wear it on either bike. I am expecting trouble will find me for this sin one day. From time to time I toss slogans around in my head that I could print on the back of my jacket. I’d like to to indicate that the risk of riding is the same on all bikes, so your rush is no greater than mine.

• It’s never WHAT you ride, its IF you ride! Whatever moves your soul, blows your hair back or butters your bread! As long as you feel the passion within you as you right that’s all that matters folks!

• Amen michael, I could,nt have said it better myself ,great read
  I didn’t write this. But when I read it a part of me leapt in response…yes, yes, YES!!! I found it to be very eloquent.

• There’s group, then There is “Group” mentality.

  Most bikers are friendly when they get together in a group…wheither it be socializing, fundraising, or going for a ride. I’ve found smaller riding groups to be more “law-abiding riders” than large groups. When you see a sign that read “speed limit 55,” that’s what it means, not 5, or 10, or 15 mph over the Speed LIMIT. Speed Limit is Not a Suggestion, it’s the law. Stop Signs require that the rider needs to put at least one foot on the ground to satisfy coming to a complete stop. Moi, I use both feet on the ground for a complete stop.

  The leader of any Group Ride should Obey All Traffic Laws and lead the group in a manner that does Not place any of the riders following him in a position of having to break the law or ride faster than their ride skills can allow them to do safely.

  Good group rides: are well planned, have routes picked (maps are good), have preplan regrouping points, have a prerided meeting, obey all traffic laws, have a buddy system in place. (cell phone, first aid kits)

  GROUP rides: I’m going to ride 5 miles over the speed limit, stay close so I won’t lose you, we’ll stop at _____ Bar at Noon for lunch; then on to meet up with _______ at _________ Bar for dinner, by the way, ya’ll try to keep up now you hear! Don’t come prepared for weather changes or emergencies.

• my buddies call it the “BUTTFACE”.you know who I,m talking about.but hey, i just picked up my 2nd xs eleven, fixed it up , and am riding it to work everyday, giving my ’85 goldwing a rest.I just enjoy it, and laugh and wave at others if i can, lifes too short.And I,d like to own a Harley too, or a victory, or a kaw 2000, but I just don,t have the cash, or the need, not after the xs 1100.

• B, I have no idea if it is from the “Zen and the Art of Motorcycling” but found it to be written as if from me…

  I have to admit that I personally wave as often as possible and realize that some will, some won’t, so what! I ride an ’04 Valkyrie Rune and we ride a ’94 GoldwIng…. she loves the relaxed casual pace we take. When I started riding in ’79, it was on a 400 Enduro then graduated to my first road bike in 81. It was a 1980 Yamaha 650 Maxim, one of the few shaft drives back then.

  I have met many interesting and very friendly people who ride and don’t care what you ride as long as you ride. I have met the weekend riders who only ride to the local bar and home to their garage every week. When I am asked to ride with the latter, I stay in the rear of the pack and observe their bad examples of good riding techniques. I have learned to ride as if I’m invisible to others. It seems new riders have no idea of their contribution to the problem by buying too big of a first machine for their lack of experience and don’t have the respect for it’s power. I guess that earns them bragging rights since they don’t really have any experience else to talk about.

  Keep your knees in the Breeze!

• Q: What attitude do you like (or dislike) most among riders?

  A: I like very much when a fellow rider talks about their actual riding experiences – where *they* have been, or what *they* have personally done on or to *their* bikes. The guy who has something built with his own hands, or has taken his non-descript two-wheeler on a massive tour is waaaay more interesting than the guy who brags about how many extra chrome pieces they have bought and had installed, or something along those lines.

• The billboard in my north Chicago neighborhood said “Scooters: 100 mpg. Simple logic told me driving 20 miles to work at O’Hare airport and driving 20 miles back home, it would pay for itself in no time. The easiest way for me to get licensed was to take the basic riding course which was taught on 250cc bikes. As soon as I mounted that “large” bike, I wished I had spent the scooter money on one of them. Today I own a Kawasaki 1500cc Vulcan. Great for cruizing to work on Interstate 90. and day long riding. I also still the own that 50cc scooter. Which one do I like best? I don’t. That’s right. I don’t like one over the other. I really love them equally and love riding them equally.

  I hate it when someone asks me why I still have the scooter thinking it’s a child’s toy. The scooter is great for running around the neighborhood, going to parades, ball games, festivals etc. It’s a matter of purpose equalling the bikes structure equalling the bike’s function creating enjoyment for me..

  Another thing I hate is the rush some riders have to become an expert rider and calling themselves an expert rider when they aren’t. These are the same people who think their so called expertise gives them the right to ride hazardly and the right to wear as little protective equipment as possible. There is a time and place for them to do their stunts, but it’s not on a shared road. The young are suseptible to a false sense of infallibility.

  I don’t call myself a beginner rider. I am past that status, but I do call myself a novice rider. Even if I have decades of riding experience under my belt, I never want to consider myself to be more than a novice rider. Keeping a novice rider’s mentality helps me be constantly vigilant, on my guard to be safe and it keeps me in a learning mode.

• New bikers are the issue, fed by ignorance of other new bikers. Sport riders are safe if they have experience, they are no more dangerous than the newbie on the dyna glide. Motorcycling is at a all time high and while I do not see that as being bad there are way too many first time buyers on too big of bikes. The new guy on a 600 sport bike and the new guy on the 883 share something in common….ignorance. Neither started on something smaller, went to class or wear any protection. They are a danger to everyone. The army may have done a study and found more deaths on sport bikes for one reason…young guys buy sport bikes. The number one make associated with injury and death is Harley Davidson. Why? They sale the most bikes. Harley is no more dangerous than the sport bike or the sport bike more dangerous than the Harley. The inexperienced rider is a danger. It is easy to be on a cruiser and condem the sport rider for going too fast or being too reckless. That is if you are a slower rider, plenty of cruiser riders push their bikes as much as any fast sport rider. I have also seen many a sport bike with all the wear down the center of the rear as they ride it tame. Any motorcycle rider that thinks the problem is the other type of bike is just as ignorant as a racist. It all depends on the person riding the bike not the bike. So wake up people! Harley Davidson, Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, cruiser, sport bike and touring all are bad in the hands of bad people. I have met some of the nicest people on motorcycles and I have also met some of the worst. Sounds like any other group of people I have met that share a common interest.

• I’m sad that people may think I’m snubbing them because I don’t wave. I’m a fairly new rider and frankly a lot of the time, I’m just a little too busy to wave! It was a long time before I would even lift my left hand off the handlebar. And now, If I’m in a turn or on the Interstate, I’m certainly not taking my mind off my driving to wave to someone so they don’t think I’m snubbing them. Some are a little over sensitive. Everyone should lighten up on the wave thing.How about a nod of the head!

• I’m in the Army, stationed at Ft. Hood, TX and I’ve just started riding. I felt I owed myself something after my latest desert vacation, so after doing the research, I bought a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. It’s a beautiful bike and my experience with it so far matches my research. It handles well and has a lot of low-end power. I’m not a speed freak, so I don’t need the fastest 0-60 time.

  What bugs me are the sports bike crowd. Let me explain: A fair number of soldiers have died after returning from Iraq/Afghanistan and many of those have been in vehicular accidents. Mostly motorcycle accidents. Mostly sportsbike accidents. (Like 100 sports bike riders to each cruiser rider. The Army did the research. And trust me, we’ve had the safety classes over and over.) While this situation has allowed riders to take the beginning and advanced motorcycle rider’s course for free, it also has brought in a draconian environment that almost seems designed to make you NOT get a motorcycle. The Army safety site has the breakdown on those accidents and for this fiscal year, it literally was 1 cruiser rider dead (and it wasn’t even his fault…some drunk ran a traffic light.) The rest (80-something) were sports bike riders and the usual reasons was they were either riding WAY too fast for the conditions or area, they were racing on the highway and lost control or they were stunting. And it’s not just raw data. In my car, I’ve seen crotch rockets zip past me like I was standing still (and I’ve got a lead foot on 4 wheels.) I’ve seen sports bikers rolling down the highway doing wheelies on a handful of occasions. And that was before Biker Boyz came out. After that movie, they just dropped to a level below stupid.

  I’m just fed up that a relatively small contingent of thrill-seekers have ruined things for all of us. It’s a ridiculous hassle just trying to ride to work on post now.

• What Michael relayed…!!!!

• I am 64 years old and have been riding since 1962. I have several bikes ranging from a 64 Honda s90, 78 Honda cb400A, 83 Honda CB1100f, 86 Yamaha FJ1200 and a 07 Harley Electra Glide classic. Now that I am retired and do a lot two up with my wife the Harley has become our primary bike. I just love bikes all brands new and old. I always wave at other bikes and stop if I see someone on the side of the road. I belong to the local and national H.O.G group and Ridingillini.com Which happens to be mostly younger sport and cruiser riders. Thes guys welcomed me into their club even with the differences in age ( I am older thatn most of their dads). Of course it does not hurt that I have a couple of older sport bikes and also have restored three of them.

• I am a 68 year old rider and I have experienced all types of bikers. Some feel that the price of the bike makes it better than one less expensive. But the most costly ride offers no more pleasure than one that costs less. I have owned 4 bikes in my riding experience and have been fortunate enough to pay for each one of them without financing them. I now ride a Yamaha VStar Classic which cost half of what a Harley would have cost. This ride will do everything a more expensive bike will do. I have been snubbed by those on Harleys and BMWs, but I still wave to every biker I meet on the road. Recently I was driving the cage and passed an older couple each riding a bike. The man was riding a large cruiser and his wife was behind him riding a small Honda Rebel. From the smile on her face it was evident she was enjoying the ride tremendously. So is my bike better than yours? Not if you truely enjoy riding. It doesn’t matter the make, cost or size. Enjoy and be careful.

• As a rider of an older Goldwing I frequently ride to work and for some “two wheel therapy”. When I meet another rider I always try to wave at other riders. I am glad that most riders wave back. It creates a ‘friendly’ atmosphere. I have also experienced those riders that …. well for lack of better words snub me, for what ever reason. I had occasion to meet a rider that had just a bit back snubbed me. His ride had quit. I being friendly stopped and offered to assist. He needed to call the shop to get and repair is brand new ride. He returned the phone and sheepishly thanked me. I offered more assistance if needed, but he said no thanks the shop was on the way. I waved and rode off.
  To those that are snubbed, take the high road. To those that snub, you never know when you may need a ‘friendly’ riders assistance.

• Great article as usual and also right on the money.
  I have 4 motorcycles currently, An MX bike, a Harley, a Streetfighter and a Supermoto.
  And I love them all. They are all different and riding them is a different but still essentially motorbike experience.

  All my current bikes have large engines, 450 cc MX, 1250 cc Vrod, 1200 Buell and 950 SM and I like the power and torque. I am in the Philippines as I write this. My wife and I have an apartment here. And I have been looking at a bike to buy here but it is likely to be something a lot smaller. Still I know I will enjoy it as I do all my other bikes. I ride everyday and it is the best part of the day regardless of which bike I am on.

• there are plenty different kinds of riders out there, but what really bugs me are people who own a bike so they have something to talk about, a reason to stand around socializing or to get together at a bar and drink, but in reality they do little or no riding. lame.

• /hey Micheal, was that from “Zen and the Art of Motorcycling”? I read it yrs ago and sounds like a passage that would be in that book…
  That being said, I believe that the best bike is the one that meets your needs and riding style. When I first got into motorcycling about five years ago I wanted nothing to do with sport bikes and anything that wasn’t a cruiser. I really liked the HD’s but unfortunately they were a bit too expensive for me at the time. I settled with a Honda Shadow Saber as my first bike. It looked pretty good and had more then enough power for a first bike – added on a V&H 2into1 Pro Pipe, Dyno Jet and K&N air filter along with a Mustang seat. Everytime I got on it , it was as if I was discovering this new feeling again for a first time, it was amazing! Sounded pretty good too with the V&H ; )
  Three years later with better riding skills, I thought it was about time to upgrade to something bigger…I had discovered Victory and had my mind set on a Vegas…started to put some cash aside…the following year I’m at my Honda dealer for a tire change and I spot this bike I never saw there before… the CBF1000. It was the first year they brought it to Canada. Picking up on my curiosity, the store manager comes over and we start talking about the bike, but of course I wasn’t that interested coz after all I was gonna buy a Vic Vegas soon. Store manager says, ok, well if you have your heart set on the Vic then a little test ride shoundt change anything then. …LoL, did he ever set me up! I took it out for a quick spin and came back with an entire new attitude towards motorcycles! The acceleration, the speed, the braking, the handling… wow, all of a sudden I came to the realization that what I “needed” wasn’t a bigger cruiser, but a more performance oriented bike. Which made total sense, since my favorite rides are in the twisty mountain roads. The Shadow is a great bike and very capable but has nothing on a bike that is designed for higher performance. I didn’t buy the Vic, but didnt buy the CBF either… but I started to research these “naked” bikes. Being a tall guy, one of the reasons I never got into sport bikes is that i don’t fit on them so well..but these naked bikes have much different ergos with more leg room…so a year later, and after checking out every brand and type, visiting dealers etc, I discovered yet again another type of bike the “adventure touring” bike…if there is a style that meets my needs – great touring platform with performance – I believe that this is the type I need. I settled on a Triumph Tiger 1050… That engine is bullet proof(not to mention sounds great!), has killer looks and can be set up to tour forever yet realizes that it’s a sport bike and makes no pretension of being an off roader of any sort. Its a sport touring bike with a big suspension is what i say, lol…anyway, all this to say that this is what i consider a “perfect bike” only because its exactly what I want and can handle my riding style….but i think that it also might of unleashed a speed demon in me lol….I really want to do track days and all of a sudden my beloved Tiger isn’t a perfect bike any more ;(
  Hmmmm, sounds like pretty darn good reason to pick up a KTM Super Duke!!!! and then I’d have two perfect bikes…
  AS for likes, I love how proud ppl are of their ride, no matter what it is. A buddy of mine has an old Honda CBsomething, thing looks like its been through WW3, dirty and ugly as hell, but man does that guy love that thing to death. Won’t wash it coz he likes the “character” the grime adds…Just to say that what looks like a piece of crap to one person can look stellar to another…. I think I’ll secretly wash it one day…lol…
  as for dislikes…well the snobery. the segregation between cruisers and sports bikes. Two very different styles of bikes and two very different styles of riding. Neither is better. Its what you like that matters. I like to ride fast. Safe but fast if that makes any sense. I don’t do any kamikazi moves like weaving between traffic at high speeds, but when i fell that its safe to do so and no one else is at risk I do like to open it up a bit. Yes there is more risk, but that’s mine to take. Some of my cruiser buddies like to do the whole slow ride thig and check out the scenery, etc..thats ok, but not how I like to ride. So when I’m in the mood for a fast ride I go solo or with guys that ride the same style. Sorry, I totally veered of course there, but just to say guys, we have diff bikes, diff styles, but were all riding a MOTORCYCLE! So cut out the attitude and make our community stronger. We’re all bikers. the End.

• Well said Michael!

  I like all makes and styles of motorcycle. They are pleasing to the eye and an engineering masterpiece. When you roll on the throttle to accelerate to highway speed the feeling of freedom settles itself into your psyche and the wind caresses your face like a long lost lover. WooHoo!

  Ride safe y’all.

• I dont know if it is the same elsewhere in the world but in New Zealand it is not uncommon for a lot of the cruiser riders and of one particular make, to totally ignore you when you pass one another on the road, where just about everyone else will return the friendly wave of comradeship, this genre of rider will make as if you dont exist, it wont stop me from waving to every bike I meet ( if safe to do so ); But I have a theory that I am convinced is correct and I rib my mates who ride cruisers that it is probably spot on and that is as follows :- These bikes are so unstable that they are unable to take a hand from the handlebars in case they fall off !!!!!. lol Sounds reasonable to me, bet this gets some comments but if it gets riders to realise were all in the same fraternity no matter what we ride so come on guys return the wave and make my day.

• ” My bike is better than yours ” If your bike does what you want, when you want or as fast or slow as you want then it is better than all the rest, regardless of make, type, power, spec or engine size. We all buy what we think is the ideal bike at the time and protect its’ reputation as the best. That said, budget has a lot to do with it, never mind ego. It matters not, as Michael says. They are all as dangerous in the wrong hands and at the wrong end of an accident, an unwary motorist or our own over inflated abilities. Ours is a wonderful experience, particularly on a sunny day. Don’t get carried away with mine’s bigger and better than yours. Enjoy the experience and do it carefully and safely. We are all on the best bike. Boring? Maybe but true

• Dangerous, speeding riders

• I didn’t write this. But when I read it a part of me leapt in response…yes, yes, YES!!! I found it to be very eloquent.

  There is cold, and there is cold on a motorcycle. Cold on a motorcycle is like being beaten with cold hammers while being kicked with cold boots, a bone bruising cold. The wind’s big hands squeeze the heat out of my body and whisk it away; caught in a cold October rain, the drops don’t even feel like water. They feel like shards of bone fallen from the skies of Hell to pock my face. I expect to arrive with my cheeks and forehead streaked with blood, but that’s just an illusion, just the misery of nerves not designed for highway speeds.
  Despite this, it’s hard to give up my motorcycle in the fall and I rush to get it on the road again in the spring; lapses of sanity like this are common among motorcyclists. When you let a motorcycle into your life you’re changed forever. The letters “MC” are stamped on your driver’s license right next to your sex and weight as if “motorcycle” was just another of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition. But when warm weather finally does come around all those cold snaps and rainstorms are paid in full because a summer is worth any price.
  A motorcycle is not just a two-wheeled car; the difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. We spend all our time sealed in boxes’ and cars are just the rolling boxes that shuffle us from home-box to work-box to store-box and back, the whole time, entombed in stale air, temperature regulated, sound insulated, and smelling of carpets.
  On a motorcycle I know I’m alive. When I ride, even the familiar seems strange and glorious. The air has weight and substance as I push through it and its touch is as intimate as water to a swimmer. I feel the cool wells of air that pool under trees and the warm spokes of sun that fall through them. I can see everything in a sweeping 360 degrees, up, down and around, wider than Pana-Vision and IMAX and unrestricted by ceiling or dashboard. Sometimes I even hear music. It’s like hearing phantom telephones in the shower or false doorbells when vacuuming; the pattern-loving brain, seeking signals in the noise, raises acoustic ghosts out of the wind’s roar. But on a motorcycle I hear whole songs: rock ‘n roll, dark orchestras, women’s voices, all hidden in the air and released by speed. At 30 miles per hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid. All the individual tree- smells and flower- smells and grass-smells flit by like chemical notes in a great plant symphony. Sometimes the smells evoke memories so strongly that it’s as though the past hangs invisible in the air around me, wanting only the most casual of rumbling time machines to unlock it. A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul. It tears smiles out of me: a minute ago I was dour, depressed, apathetic, numb, but now, on two wheels, big, ragged, windy smiles flap against the side of my face, billowing out of me like air from a decompressing plane.
  Transportation is only a secondary function. A motorcycle is a joy machine. It’s a machine of wonders, a metal bird, a motorized prosthetic. It’s light and dark and shiny and dirty and warm and cold lapping over each other; it’s a conduit of grace, it’s a catalyst for bonding the gritty and the holy. I still think of myself as a motorcycle amateur, but by now I’ve had a handful of bikes over half a dozen years and slept under my share of bridges. I wouldn’t trade one second of either the good times or the misery. Learning to ride one of the best things I’ve done.
  Cars lie to us and tell us we’re safe, powerful, and in control. The air-conditioning fans murmur empty assurances and whisper, “Sleep, sleep.” Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that’s no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride.