Hubby and I recently purchased a ural sidecar. I sent pics to friends of mine that own Harleys. They laughed. Said it "wasn't a ride". I was totally insulted. Why the discrimination from Harley riders? Have they forgotten what riding is all about? Has anyone every run into this?
Chauvinism or Marque Pride is alive and well in the bike world as in most other pursuits.
Honda vs Harley, BMW vs everybody, Ducati vs any other sports bike.
Many would not like to think that their own personal choice is not the epitome of the industry and everyone else should concur with their idea of perfection.
Some would like to think that Blondes are the only choice for a girlfriend or bride for instance.
I won't EVEN go into religous tenets. (Another great example of who is right and who is wrong.)
The best thing is to blow off the nay-sayers; or better yet, have them follow you through a freshly plowed field or a creek bed or two instead of the superslab and see what the comments are then.
Lonnie (I ride 'em all & wave at everybody).
Northwest Sidecars
What do you expect from people willing to pay exorbitant prices for an underpowered/unreliable ride?
Originally written by sandflea on 12/15/2007 4:34 PM
Hubby and I recently purchased a ural sidecar. I sent pics to friends of mine that own Harleys. They laughed. Said it "wasn't a ride". I was totally insulted. Why the discrimination from Harley riders? Have they forgotten what riding is all about? Has anyone every run into this?
Too bad that some folks just don't understnad that it isn't what you ride but that you are riding. Probably 'riding' is more than some can quite comprehend as far as that goes. There are a ton of posers out there today. Let em pose and polish while you ride and smile.
So, ANYHOW.....don't let em get to you. If you like your ride just ride it and have fun. You will find that real friends will be happy for you because you are happy and that is the kind of friendships that count.
There are a lot out there who will make dumb comments about sidecars. Let em talk ...smile and go on about your business.
As far as brand rivalries go I know you know it ain't nothing new Lonnie.
Harley vs Indian was not really that many years ago 🙂
Discrimination of any type is an expression of ignorance. Are they really your "Friends"?
Frankly I am tired oif hearing the word 'discrimination'. If someone wants to knock what someone else has that ain't discrimination it is just being a jerk.
This was the one comment I was afraid to hear. I certainly thought so. Guess this is why it bothered me......:(
I hate to see this disintegrate into Metric vs H-D vs European.
I can say through experience that the "Posers" have most of the attitude towards sidecaring. The guys with $$$ choppers, new ink, and a 3 day beard....and less miles in a year than I run off in a week.
Old School types will always give you a thumbs up.
Old School types will always give you a thumbs up.
AMEN AND THUMBS UP DITCH....LOL
i ride harleys
so what- anybody who wears out tires i consider just fine - dont care what they ride.
its the guys who change tires and chrome goodies three or four times without wearing out a tire - or the guys that take a really good exhaust system off a bike to put on one that is louder or "cool" but puts out 1/3 less power - those folks i avoid
but being a jerk - thats just bad form all around
i always remember - my first sidecar was a home made plywood box on a morris minor spindle and brake with a home welded square tube frame and a 3 pt adjuster for lean on a 79 sportster... i rode it to death and it was paid for.. so no im not going to give folks crap.
i "prefer" a factory arrangement where if something breaks i can take it in - they fix it on there dime - give it a good wash and have me come get it. then i was 20 broke and had time - now im 48 have cash and no time.. so....
later
to
I was getting a rear tire changed out, I think at St. Paul H-D, this past summer. When the service manager pulled up my record he looked at me funny, then looked back at his computer screen....then looked back at me and said: "You buy tires more often than most guys buy whitewall bleach". That made me feel good.
Another time at Gatto H-D in Pittsburgh, getting a tire changed again (lol).... some A-hole with a very broken Texas Chopper was putting down my rig, talking some crap about "turning a bike into a car"....I just sat and listened while I read the paper. One of the older mechanics, having heard enough, finally looked up and said while nodding at my rig: "That there is some plain Old School sh!t"....then nodded at the A-holes very expensive scooter and said: "while that is just some plain old sh!t".
Mixed Nuts...wrote this a while back..it is long.
Did anyone ever notice how ones who ride different machines seem to fit into a certain mold? Years ago someone wrote an article on this and I felt it was quite amusing but it did hold a lot of truth.
Think of it…Harley riders with many dollars worth of leather on and a thirty dollar helmet. They seem to wear the leather on and off the bike too. Then there are the sport bike (crotchrocket) types who ride with shorts, tank tops , sneakers and a four hundred dollar helmet. At a rally you may see the BMW types who come in an Aerostitich suit or the Ducati riders who will show up in full leathers dyed red. The Goldwingers are known for wearing matching jackets and helmets with the ever present headset mic projecting in front of their mouth…they talk softly when on the bike so as not to blast the ears off their color coordinated passenger. There are others for sure if we dwell on this but that is not my point to make.
Sidecarists are, for sure , a mixed breed. Years back at the Cook Forest USCA National (’93 I think) I was really taken off guard by the comment of my solo bike friend who came along. He was totally amazed that so many variations of rider ‘types’ would be at this rally. He was more amazed that sidecarist tend to talk more about their sidecars than the power unit that they are pulling them with. Kind of neat situation isn’t it?
At one time I had a great love for mixed nuts. In the containers that the mixed nuts came in it was always a real treat to pick out the cashews. These were the cream of the crop in my book. The other nuts were okay but for me the goal was to pick out as many cashews as possible....yumm. A cashew man I was....if it wasn't a cashew it was second rate.
One day while in a store I was walking toward the 'nut section' when in the distance I noticed something that was unfamilar to me. As I drew closer the site began to come into focus clearer and clearer...... could it be?.....is this for real? This could not be taken lightly. I stood in awe as my mind raced with wild anticipation. The beating of my heart threatened to explode though my chest as I ever so slowly reached forth a shaking hand toward the object. I knew it was neither a mirage nor a dream as my hand touched the cool glass container that was plainly labeled CASHEWS ! Yes...oh YES!! Cashews and only cashews....No more mixed nuts....No more picking though the walnuts and peanuts and brazil nuts and all of the other stuff . This was it...an honest to goodness jar of just cashews.....Life was indeed good....the days of mixed nuts were over. Today was the beginning of a new life for me. Me and my cashews...alone at last. No more mixed nuts !!
Upon returning home with my newly found treasure I flopped on the couch feeling as though nothing in this world could ever take the present satisfaction from me.
Pure ambrosia..pure delight...it was only my cashews and me..alone at last.
After a couple of hours of sleep that night I awoke with a bad case of heartburn. The symptoms could not be ignored as the discomfort deep in my chest grew worse and worse. Minutes became hours. The battle within me raged on and on with no relief in sight as I drifted in and out of consciousness. My body cried for sleep but it was not being realized due to the discomfort within. Finally in my state of delirium sleep mercifully overpowered me.
The light of the sun was breaking through the eastern sky as I slowly awoke.
It was a new day as half opened eyes slowly adjusted to the light within my darkened room. The worst was over although as I saw the empty cans of cashews flashbacks of the night before attempted to take control of my senses. I looked away from them quickly and these feeling seemed to subside. Yes..It was a new day. Thoughts of the night before were not clear but in a strange way were also so very real. The experience was a only a haze but still was attempting to control me.
Days passed and the memory of that fateful night ever so slowly faded into a surreal memory.
BBB (bike brand bashing) always reminds me of comedian Ron White's mantra: "You can't fix stupid".
Here's another: "Never argue with an idiot, he'll beat you with his experience every time".
rotten ralph and ditch, you've made me feel better already.....:)
