dumbest question about your bike

[dlearl476]

The dumbest question asked about my bike was asked by me.

I asked my mechanic "So you can finish this by April 1st, right?"

Good to see you still have your sense of humor.  Me, I'd probably be in jail if I'd have been in your shoes.

IMO, the dumbest ones are "Aren't you hot in that?" and "Aren't you cold in that?"

Me: Only when I stop.

The good news is that with Ducati's, you get a variety.  With my Triumph, it's only two:
"Wow, I didn't know they were still making those," and the classic "I used to own a bonneville".  It's become such a cliche that in Triumph circles, they have a saying "If everyone who claims they used to own a Triumph had actually bought one, Triumph would have never gone out of business."

But I had some good ones, too.

When I first moved to Las Vegas, I was up for a ride and it just so happened to be the weekend of the Laughlin bike rally.  I went to see what it was all about and, bored, just as I was leaving, a guy approached and I put on the gear.  After the usual "Triumph, huh?"  He proceeds to tell me about his days racing with Bud Ekins and Steve MacQueen, and building Salt Flats Streamliners.  Tells me how he's moved on these days, to AIRPLANE RACING and invites me to stop by his shop (somewhere by Edwards AFB)  Tells me he's still got one of his twin-engined 750 Triumphs hanging from the ceiling. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

"Why don't you wash it?"




"Because I'd rather ride it"

[somegirl]

Pointing to my harlequin great dane, "Isn't that kind of big for a dalmation?"

Yes, yes it is.

  I was asked the other day if my whippets were Irish Wolfhounds.

[somegirl]

More than once, someone has looked at me with my gear, looked outside, and said, "It just started raining.  How on earth are you going to get home?"

[eyeboy]

I always liked this thread.

Yesterday I got the obligatory "did you ride here" walking with my helmet in hand and jacket on.

Day before, a I was talking to a guy who I park next to sometimes at work who rides a new Kawi Z1000 (msrp $8,899) and he said he wishes he could afford a Ducati (my msrp $7,995).  Granted, if you step up to the liter monster it's more, but still.

'nice bike, gonna get a harley?'

cannot tell you how many baseball caps ask this in parking lots.

[Ohmic]

More than once, someone has looked at me with my gear, looked outside, and said, "It just started raining.  How on earth are you going to get home?"

Yeah. I get that one also. I reply with... "My motorcycle still works in the rain"

[fwtcc]

I'm confused.  West Virginia is due east from Cincinnati.  Perhaps he was pointing west?    Maybe you failed geography?    ...or maybe Route 50 isn't the shortest way?

In any case, if that's the dumbest question you ever heard, then you need to get out more. 

Cincinnati is very far from West Virginia ON FOOT. Route 50 would be the fast way walking, but it becomes a moot point after a certain degree.  He asked the way to West Virginia, ON FOOT.  Its 296 miles to the first town in WV.  I wasn't questioning his sense of direction, just his sense.  I wonder if he made it?

  I was asked the other day if my whippets were Irish Wolfhounds.

I get "Are those whippets?" referring to my Italian Greyhounds.  That in its own right isn't stupid, they are kind of big for Italians.  When I tell them they are Italian Greyhounds and they ask if I am sure, is though.  "No, I got these fairly obscure dogs (at least in my neck of the woods), and have no idea what they are. I am glad you as a casual passer-by can tell me what type of dog I have."

Whippets for Wolfhounds is ridiculous.

[FatguyRacer]

Over heard at a bike race i was working in Wilimington

teen 1: I gotta get me a bike like that!

teen 2: You cant afford a bike like that, thats a Ducati. Those are expensive

teen 1: I'm still gonna get me one

teen 1 and 2 (to me): Nice bike Mister

Me: Thanks!

Teen 1: What's that cost? About 80 thousand?

Me: No, about 15 thousand

Teen 2: See I told you it wasnt that expensive

Teen 1: Shut up! You still cant afford it!

[johnster]

Last week, from a Harley rider:

Him: WTF is that sound?!?!

Me: It's a dry clutch, it's supposed to sound like that.

Him: My friend used to ride a Ducati, and his didn't sound like that!!

Me: Not all Ducatis have dry clutches, you know...

Him: That would drive me absolutely NUTS!!!

Me: 

[ODrides]

Outside a restaurant the other night.  This dude was saying, "Oh, that is such a beautiful bike."

"Thank you very much," I replied.  We talked a little about engine power.

Dude: "How fast does it go?"

Me: "290 miles an hour."  To which Dude doesn't blink, or laugh, just nods, clearly missing the joke.

Dude: "But tell me, does it get a lot of build-up?"

Me: "What do you mean- build-up of what?"  I was thinking, maybe he means something about the revs building up or the power building up...

Dude: "You know, with like the engine and the exhaust and everything, does it get a lot of build-up?"

Me: "I don't know how to answer that."

In hindsight he may have meant sooty build-up in the exhaust, but he sure didn't make that clear.  And since he failed to pass the "290 miles an hour" test I figured it didn't really matter.

[XTR]

The good news is that with Ducati's, you get a variety.  With my Triumph, it's only two:
"Wow, I didn't know they were still making those," and the classic "I used to own a bonneville".  It's become such a cliche that in Triumph circles, they have a saying "If everyone who claims they used to own a Triumph had actually bought one, Triumph would have never gone out of business."

+1

[XJBaylor]

I was at a dealership that carries Ducati, BMW, and Triumph a few weeks after the release of the 999 and a guy walked in and said, "Oh sweet, this must be the new Ducat One. That's right, you each ride a Ducat1.

[sbrguy]

i realized something that we ducati owners in a way are stupid bc we answer the classic question "what type of bike is that?" WRONG...

when that question is asked we immediately respond with the "manufacturer" not the "type" or "model of the bike" so we should be answering like "monster 620, monster s4rs, 748, 999, etc".

afterall if you are riding a honda cbr 600, or a yamah r1, someone asks what bike that is you say "a cbr 600 rr, an r1". .

then the follow uyp question of "who makes that?" is actually a logical question...  ie, "ducati makes it" or "honda" or "yamaha"

see basically we are answering the first question wrong, by giving the manufacturer not hte model.

so next time someone asks what type of bike it is, give the model name, then when they ask the inevitable "who makes that? or is that japanese?" then you can answer "ducati, its an italian bike" and it won't seem so stupid the questioning.

[FatguyRacer]

I take it on faith that the person asking can read my fairings. Seeing as Ducati printed it nice and neat and readable.

(see first image in montage below)

[flanman]

I've been asked by two people if my bike had a radio in it.

Also it started to rain and someone i work with looked at me and pointed outside and asked if i was on my bike today. They were concerned that it was getting rained on and wouldn't work after it got wet.
Everyone knows bikes melt in the rain