sono Ducatisto! Ducati o niente! Enjoy the style and vibes, try to ride them to their true intent and potential.. grtz Koen
In similar place as philolds - ride cos I love it, even though now registered disabled with left brachial plexus injury (fooked up left arm) - no shoulder movement, arm half size of the right and can't really feel hand. But the urge to ride, the buzz that brings and just having the bike around means I keep on at it. Would say not biker as its not my "way of life" but enthusiast sort or demeans it? Bike rider then? (in nice weather lol). ....and god help me if I come off, specially now I know how much it hurts! Or me mum finds out I'm back on two wheels, although have kept it secret for two years now.
Let's throw some further definitions into this. Here in (Orstralya) it's bikie; Hells Angels, Banditos, Comancheros et al now infiltrated by Middle Eastern gangs, so much so, they wouldn't know a Pan Head from an EVO. Just armed thugs wearing track suit pants, white runners & Glock 9mm's shooting the shite out of each other right now. Biker; dedicated day-to-day motorcyclist. Enthusiast; old fuckers riding R75/5's on a club run. Or T160 (or the like) Triumphs, which means old masochist. I, Biker.
Biker - all weathers bar snow and ice. I have a car, I think it's a blue ford, under a cover for 90% of the year, not today though ! There is a motorcycle enthusiast on the floor above, I have never seen his machine, he never rides it for fear of wearing it out/falling off/getting it a bit grubby - but everybody to his own I suppse !!
Harley as a motorcycle-discuss. The Devils own joke. A Munch Mammoth would make more sense (Google it folks).
Given vast resources of both time and money is have cars bikes jet skis boats and snowmobiles. If it burns petrol I love it. Hell, if I had the money for a small vinyard in France or Spain, I'd even have a tractor, and is probably like that too!
I quite understand. There was never any question about my intention to get back on a bike - after all, what if I gave up, then injured or killed myself doing something really mundane like falling off a ladder. I'm taking some steps to make riding safer (brighter leathers and helmet, plus hid conversion for the headlight) but I'm not giving up. My parents do understand this. I've also always stressed if anything did happen on a bike that ended my life, I'd never want anyone to stop riding in response.
I don't actually hate Harleys at all; they're every bit as valid as a motorcycle as any other, what I hate is to see people getting ripped off every time they buy one. They're far too expensive for what they are. Spend fifteen grand at BMW and you get an all-singing, all-dancing superbike or tourer or adventurer with a very high build quality, intelligent reactive electronics, top notch brakes with ABS and all the bells and whistles. Give the same money to a Harley dealer and you get a frame made from conduit, a tractor engine and as many tawdry, poorly made accessories as you can stick to a motorcycle, and handling, braking and performance aren't even available in the accessory brochure. Cheap tat, massively overpriced.
I'm totally with Fig on this one. 50% of the asking price must be added on for the "American Dream" - whatever that is. I once rode a mates 1200 Sportster and still can't believe how shyte it was. My old Yam RSX100 was a whole lot more of bike than his comedy piece of crap. If that isn't bad enough though, what pisses me off about Harley's is the fancy dress that the sad twats all wear, also copied by their sado pillions. I've always thought of myself as a Biker, but I use a car when it's freezing/snowing. There's no way I'd been seen anywhere near a tassel or a denim waist-coat, but I didn't realise people associated being a Biker with shower-dodging!
i did not pass my car test till i was 30 so i rode every day , now at 53 i drive everyday but ride at the weekend and the odd sunny day if i can, but now have a 4 car garage full of bikes and the car sits outside. i am a biker i supose but im not into cut denims and matt black paint been and done that , i now prefer a sports bike with full leathers you can call me a fair weather biker if you like but i do live and breath bikes
Is it just me that sees any irony in these two posts on a Ducati owners forum? Now that we can agree on. :biggrin:
View attachment 10711 Okey dokey ... Always liked bikes and even some Italian Scooters ( not mopeds). Grandfather a biker , uncle a long haired biker with earrings, step dad was a bike rider as well. View attachment 10712 Me years ago ... Now the same just older and fatter ! Yes I wear a similar jacket still have funny hair. Still own one rat bike ( because some oikes stole it and smashed it up. It's now held together with iffy paint and all sorts Cg125 work bike. Very proud of my monsters and adore Cafe Racers and nice Dukes and Guzzis. Had living the dream husband I don't like Harley's .. I loathe the potato sound! And arrogant owners. I enjoy meeting people who ride bikes. I happily chat to another on two wheels. Whatever they look like whatever they ride ( exception of arrogant HD owners) Actually there is a worse owners group !!!!!!!!! The only time I came close to punching someone was ....... A Goldwing owner!!! 10 times worse then the HD owner. More confusing is they are riding a jap bike but often have American flags on and eagles and blare out some old toot music. We had a guy here Goldwing rider fairy lights, eagle flags, and used to play country and western blaring out ( as if the fairy lights where not offensive enough). He parked so stupidly he took up the whole Motorcycle park. I came to pull in and was confronted by this mobile sofa. I asked him nicely if he could move his bike a bit so I could park. He looked at me like I was something on his shoe. I asked him again and said other bikes need to park and he was really abusive. In the end I told him to move the f in thing you've got a reverse !!!!!!! I pointed out motorbikes don't have reverse .. Cars do ... F of and park it with the cars ! He stormed off after moving . We also stormed the Goldwing owners club do many years ago If someone's on a bike no matter what or what they look like and they talk to me il. Talk to them. There's only one bike rider I am not impressed with. That will be the guy on the sports bike in summer in shorts and flip flops riding like a knob! Cars I like my VWs aircooled. I passed my test 9 years ago only because I had no choice I own 16 years old astra dented edition. Car gets me and stuff about when needed its nothing really I have to have it. I try not to judge a book by its cover . Except wary of Goldwingers and HD peeps
Well, looks like I am going back to my biker roots next week. The car died, head gasket plus other stuff. I'm going to sell it for not much more than scrap. No replacement car lined up for me at this time, so here I go, back to all weather biking. I was biker-only for twenty-odd years, I used to look down my nose at "enthusiasts". Heh. :biggrin:
had a go on a 1200 sportster too and friend had, the worst bike i have ever riden, doesnt handle,steers like a boat,no lean, awful brakes, heavy, only i good thing was it sounded nice
