so many new riders and....

I have had two people within the last year that I am close to buy motorcycles. I know one has rode before and will by "okay" eventually (first HD) the other has no experience other than riding in the neighborhood.
We went on a "poker run" that turned out to be more of a joker run...went a toal of 65 miles between 11 am and 6:30..... it was for "charity" most of these so called bikers/riders were (decked out in all the gear and galore) wobbling while in the parking lot and the longest stretch of our 65 mile "trip" as they called it was 13 miles!!! I had to stay away from all the knuckle heads( not the engine ) ...I showed my buddy how to position mirrors and explained how to ride so no one crosses the other ones path..not side by side and dang near wreck me. I also explained how to pull the clutch in while sitting still and in first gear...that sent me into a concern mode... He thanked me for helping him ( he was not drinking)and I have no problem but I saw so many(with riding partners all decked out in new gear too) that had no clue what they were doing by crossing each and other unwise tactics( grant it I carry a camera velcroed on my dash and snap pictures while riding and get a little close to talk to the riders I trust to chat for a second and ride sweep alot for our bigger groups( 7-10 bikes) but these people literally could not get on and off the bike without having things happen then entering turns rodes like they were in their cars, then add booze...holy smokes!!
I understand the macho tough guy image no matter how silly the get up...but there were so many that simpy were road hazzards and will end up hurt. I started out riding when I was eight and never stopped and progressed to the big HDs of world..alot of the people were not only first time HD owners(even a hyabusa!!! but first time riders...I told my buddy if he went to a riding class I'd like to take the class with him as a refresher for me( after 32 years of riding) and to let me know when he wanted to go,hope he gets the hint and takes me up on my offer in a round about way. ( gotta watch the ego ya know) I don't wanna discourage anyone from riding ever but please do not just buy the bandanna and the pipes...the booze(done it myself too) and attitude talk is not gonna make you tuff.... I don't need my rates higher either cause bikes are a hazzard. I hope this is not viewed a critcal or cynical but please help yourself and spend some time learning or growing into riding beforehand. To all the experienced riders out there keep rubber side down and help a fella or fell-et out. Seen too many think they can touch the ground on this bike (with their feet)so they can ride it..nevermind it is 600 hundred punds and awkward.. that'll get ya hurt real quick and a HD t shirt ain't gonna save ya.Ride on- Ride long and 65 miles in seven hours plus ain't no "trip". charity or not.....and I don't care if that is an authentic EZ rider tshirt from your trailer trip to daytona ..heck the first "real biker" bar we came across none of them went in with me...they all got their stuff and went on another 8 miles of our "trip" The owners asked if their place was'nt tuff enough for' em... I said no they just do not know how to ride or park in gravel, the "regulars" laughed... some one chimed up and asked where my Jesse is a girls name T-shirt was, I said I forgot to pack for this trip..after explaining. it we laughed and then discussed the above mentioned concerns for "fellow riders and our rates for those of us with insurance.

Yep, I know what ya mean. Seems like I see a cruiser rider now days, I just automatically decide he or she doesn't know what they're doing until the prove otherwise. Used to be, back before the Japanese were building cruisers, that a guy on a hog was a "biker". He might not be an outlaw, but he was committed to the life of bikerdom. He was generally a blue collar type, worked in a plant (around here anyway) or a shop and in maintenance, not sales or operations. His jeans and shirt were usually oil stained, he had grit under his nails. You saw someone on a Harley, you knew he'd been there. No more, I'm afraid, with the cruiser craze that never seems to stop. Those guys are still around, but they get obscured by the throngs of doctors and lawyers and white collar easy rider wannabes on their shiney new $25K sleds. They have the new leather chaps and vests, the "HOG" patches on the back, the spiffy clothing and manacured nails. Nine times out of ten, they've been riding months, not years.

It all started with the cruiser craze, but it's bled over into sportbikes. The matcho cruiser guys won't settle for a Vulcan 800 or something to start on. OH NO, I wanna be macho! I want a fat boy or whatever is their ideal huge cruiser. Well, the sportbike mentality is I want a Hayabusa. SVs and EX500s are for kids. Well, you sell a guy 650 lb cruiser or a 170 horsepower sport bike, you're going to get some, shall we say, "incidents". A net friend of mine's boy had to have an F2 (think it was, maybe an F3) Honda 600cc sport bike for his first. It's a 90 horsepower or so old tech 600 that is rather heavy at mid 400 lbs I think. He got on it for his first ever ride. The motor reved, he dumped the clutch, he shot across the street on one wheel and smacked a car! I think he's riding a Virago 250 now. He realized the error of his ways on that one. Some give up, some get serious hurt. It runs the statistics up for all of us and you'll see the product of that on your insurance bill.

You can't tell these idiots anything, take an MSF course and buy a smaller bike. They simply won't listen most times. Well, I am a believer in Darwinian principles. I guess if I can't talk sense into them, Darwin will take over. One thing that gets my goat, though, is sales people in dealerships that will try to sell the bike that's their biggest commission, which, of course, is that YZF-R1 in the case of the Yamaha salesman and the new prospective sport bike rider. Oh, yes, get this one and you won't have the cost of upgrading later. You KNOW you're going to want it soon. Well, okay, that makes sense, a 185 mph motorcycle in a 70 mph world in the first place and selling it to a beginner???? If the guy is a cruiser guy at a Kawasaki shop, of course, the salesman is going to direct him straight to the new 900 lb (yes, the biggest and heaviest motorcycle extant rivalled only maybe by that Triumph triple) Vulcan 2000 cruiser. "Oh, yeah, baby, perfect beginner bike! You sell training wheels with this model?????"

I hear ya Goose. At first I didn't want to sell my XS650 (the bike you love to hate) to my younger bro, but it's been a great learning experience for him. It's not too big or too small and handles decent. It's got enough nuances that he's learning about bikes instead of a new fandangled bike with low maintenance. At first he started talking about a new bike costing a good deal of money, but now he's glad he started on that old parallel twin for the money. Learn how to ride, learn what they're about, then maybe you'll know what you want when it's time to spend more money.

that too!!!

another thing I had mentioned to my friend(s) was to buy something they could learn on and find out likes and what might be disliked before buying a top dollar ride and adding all the goodies without knowing about riding.
nothing like seeing as decked out Harley/Hya with a dent because someone dropped it in a turn while trying to park... let alone riding it 70 mph and not know some basic tips like staying out of blind spots!!!!

Yeah, I'll be working on something in the drive in front of my shop and have the bikes out for sale and occasionally some kid will stop by walking to the park/swimming pool/beach down the street or washing his car at the car was next door and he'll say, "Dude, you got any of them ninja bikes? I gots ta get me one of them ninja bikes!" Now, there's a kid to stay away from if you're a life insurance salesman.

You know, they make this "trike conversion" that you can install on your bike in 10 minutes or take off once the adapter for your model is installed. It just slides in place, isn't really a trike cause the bike's rear wheel is still there. It's like giant training wheels. LOL! I think it's called a Voyager trike. They have a website, voyager.com or something. Anyway, maybe that should be mandatory for anyone buying a bike over 300 lbs that has never ridden. Only thing, I always wondered what happens if you get either wheel of that "trike" thing on higher ground than the rear of the bike. Seems to me the rear wheel would be in the air and drive nothing. At least the guy wouldn't drop the bike trying to get it on solid ground again, though.

Now, SK, you trying to get your bro to learn how to ride or how to be a bang up motorcycle mechanic? I'd think with the XS, the latter would be the most likely.

There are times when you are glad you do not have a camera with you. Picture this...It is a fine spring day, you and the crew are at a charity event with the Dyno and as you are watching the crowd arrive you see a vision of pink go by. It was a woman (thank god for that anyway) on a large scooter with training wheels. Not bad so far you say? Well, not so fast, now color it all in pink, light pink. Pink helmet, Pink pants, Pink boots, Pink gloves, Pink scooter with a PINK seat and the training wheels were even PINK!
Sad part was that her old man actually rode in with her. I would ride with a lot of weird, strange and even some whackos but, a PINK scooter with a PINK lady? NOT!

The gal would have to be "pretty in pink" before I'd be riding with her.
I remember seeing that trike setup at Rapid with Goose. It's not for me. Bike are selling well up here .Cruisers are just nuts/flying off the floor and the Sportbikes are really moving well as well. There are lots of folks wadding these bikes too and we're getting what seems to be a larger crop of organ donors each year lately. Like anything else, education is the key..the more you know the better it is. Bigger ain't always better. I've seen some of the rides that go on with some of the cool set and if I have to do that I'm going to sell the bikes and buy a car to cruise in.

goose i agree with you about the doctors & lawyers & even the MAN riding nowadays but i remember 40 yrs ago when you got hasseled every time you went out for a putt. so they have brought some public respect toward our riding lifestyle & allowed us to enjoy our passion for the road without the hassels. I dont remember the last time i was stopped by the man & i have real loud pipes & i ride pretty fast but i know when to trottle down.I think they have made riding more enjoyable but i dont want to ride with them

True enough and it wasn't just the man back then either. I've been chased and threatened by the "good ol' boys" when I was young and riding. It was an image hard to shake.

No, the Docs and Lawyers HAVE given us a good image, that's a fact. They may have a few spills, but mostly they're parking lot deals, nothing really serious except on an unfortunate occasion. We don't really know if a wreck could be avoided, but you and I both know that it takes years of experience to know how to brake hard and know how to ride defensively to the point we can avoid things that a lesser experienced rider might get caught up in. I also think avoiding stuff like Houston freeways is a big plus for safe riding, LOL. Dang, my head hurts after 30 minutes of riding in that place and I'm quite used to doing 1 hour stints on a road racer at full tilt endurance racing. Heck, that's a bunch safer than traffic!

I think today the bad name is being made by the squids, sport bike idiots doing their stunts in traffic, school zones, where ever they think it's cool to be breaking the law. They're the new "outlaws" giving mostly sport bikes a bad name. I got stopped on my SV out on the bypass around my little town some time back. I could tell this cop was a cruiser rider. Says, "You accelerated a little hard there didn't ya?" I says, "No, I don't think so. I didn't wheelie or anything". He says, "Well, I'd say so. You didn't break the speed limit, but be carful on that crotch rocket." That's the term that tipped me off he was a cruiser rider. He had an image of "crotch rockets" that wasn't good, and knew the term. I think he was a little taken aback when I removed my helmet and he saw the grey hair. He was probably expecting a kid. I didn't appreciate the comments, but I know the image and why. Hell, if I was accelerating excessively, he'd have known it cause I wouldn't have set the front wheel down until 80mph or so. I didn't tell him that, just smiled and said yes sir. I figure I was likely racing 170 mph Yoshimura superbikes and 250GP stuff when that punk was wearin' three cornered pants.

I think you're pretty safe from harassment on a cruiser anymore, but riding around on a bone stock including pipe SV650S gets you scrutinized. Go figure. But, it's the squids that have caused it. Movies like "biker boys" don't help. Every teenaged punk in this area seems to have been impressed by a friggin' B movie. It's like the little fart can metric car thing going around after that stupid "Fast and Furious" thing. Whatever turns 'em on I guess, just wish they'd at least learn how to ride a little bit before buying an R1, becoming a statistic that runs up my insurance rates and gets every cop that sees me staring at me on my little SV.

2 fast to delirious

Yeah before you could hear them coming because of the loud radio fad and worry they would not see or hear you..now you gotta wonder is it clear or is some knucklehead gonna pass at 120mph in a nitro powered rubberband mobile.. just went and watched another fella buy a bike he ended up with a vuclan classic.. could not even ride it home...no endorsement... but hey ya gotta start somewhere....funny how cruisers are the old fellas and the rockets are now the bad boy image..that's okay "ride yer own business!!"
just use some sense!!!!

the only positive side of the people riding the crotch rockets like they were on the track is they have diverted the mans attention away from us its a real pleasure to be cruising down the interstate at 75 or 80 & have a trooper car pass you without even a look & the grey hair sure helps

And, then there's my alter ego, the mild mannered old man on the Goldwing. ROFLMAO! NObody in a squad car pays any attention to me on the Wing. It is refreshing, not to mention comfortable, LOL!

The Wingers are another subset entirely of our great sport of motorcyling. I don't quite fit in with them, either, LOL! I can't help it, I ride what I like and don't follow stereotypical "lifestyles" (I hate that word) or necessarily dress the part, never did. I love all aspects of this sport from touring to trail riding, to serious competition, to sport bikes, what ever, and I ain't afraid to try something different. I've even competed in TRIALS. Now if that ain't different, don't know what is. But, my trials experience has won me a few slow race trophies and even a little money at the bigger rallys in Texas in the past.

I only wish I could afford a Glide, a sportbike, a motocrosser, a trail bike, a trials bike, a GP road racer, mini racers....... I guess, I sorta wish I was Jay Leno. LOL I don't have the chin for it, though.

saw a class for experienced riders..

HD offers classes/courses for diffenret levels...got one coming up at a dealership that is put on by profesionals to help brush up and improve riders skills bad habits can work their way into ANY of us if we let'em I might take it to help my friend out as well before he becomes road kill.