To ride or not to ride...with cruisers

[Smitch]

Okay, more ponderings on superficial motoculture from Smitch:

If you had a friend who foolishly sold his sportsbike, but now is borrowing another friends kawasaki cruiser and wants to ride with you, do you putter along side him, or arrange a rendezvous point and see him when he gets there!

[bonez]

Most of work and family that i ride with all have cruiser of some kind but no harley's. They don't seem to let it bother them that i can leave them behind.

[J_Slyter]

I just did a ride in early May with some buddies (4 of us total) to New Mexico. 2 of them were on Harleys (I was on my BMW that trip). It wasn't far into the twisties before I lost site of them in my rearview, but they always caught up at the next rest stop or scenic overlook.

We had some great Mexican food, great scenery, great conversations, rode some fun roads, and had fun ribbing each other's ride. All in all a fantastic long weekend which I look forward to every year.

I enjoy riding with my fast friends too. "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't". (Almond Joy vs Mounds for those of you too young to remember those commercials)

[Scottish]

From what I hear you'll prolly have your hands full trying to keep up with him..... Seriously though, when I ride with others I tend to slow down anyway, to prevent the kind of thing that happened to Corey. Besides sometimes a slow ride gives you time to appreciate scenery and such that you may not normally notice.

[Smitch]

I think the hardest part will just be seeing him sit on that thing.  He's a sportbiker at heart, just a STUPID one for selling his scoot.

Did anybody see the letter in July's Cycle World from some idiot saying, "Why would I buy a 1098R when I could spend $20k on a Harley, put $10k into it and smoke a 1098R."

I'd love to see that. They should invite that fool to try, and they can do a write up when he fails miserably!  Oh wait, it would have to be a British mag to actually do something that cool...

[Scottish]

HAhahahaa.... there isn't enough money to make that happen. Even Buell with HD backing can only give the 848 a run and that's with the 1125, even then it wasn't as fast at the track. What a dink, if it's performance you want HD is not the way to go. What's the saying again..... you can take the girl out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the girl.

[merkle]

My uncle has a Vulcan and occassionally we will go for rides together. I just slow down and enjoy the scenery. I will normally let him lead that way I don't leave him unintentionally.

[mac020]

So I ride a Harley and a Duc, and a BMW and a etc.... What difference does that make? I can keep up with most RIDERS. But will always ride my own pace sometimes fast others times not-so-much.  When the testosterone/adrenilin start to take over that's when it becomes dangerous as most of you may have noticed here lately! One reasion I really don't like a group rides much!

Just because I ride a Harley doesn't make me a bad person does it? I sure feel that way sometimes! Heck Marlon Brando rode a Triumph in The Wild One! I don't care what you ride, I care more about how you ride and that you ride! And that races should be saved for the track.

If you are faster than your partners, Just stop every now and let them ketchup.

[Scottish]

So I ride a Harley and a Duc, and a BMW and a etc.... What difference does that make? I can keep up with most RIDERS. But will always ride my own pace sometimes fast others times not-so-much.  When the testosterone/adrenilin start to take over that's when it becomes dangerous as most of you may have noticed here lately! One reasion I really don't like a group rides much!

Just because I ride a Harley doesn't make me a bad person does it? I sure feel that way sometimes! Heck Marlon Brando rode a Triumph in The Wild One! I don't care what you ride, I care more about how you ride and that you ride! And that races should be saved for the track.

If you are faster than your partners, Just stop every now and let them ketchup.

Don't get to butthurt. That's pretty much what everyone said. I will rib you for being slow on one, it doesn't mean you're not welcome to ride. As well you'll hear a lot more smack talking from HD riders towards us than the other way around. Different strokes for different folks, now pull the hurt out and get on with it. 

[mac020]

ok.

[Smitch]

Sportsbikes and cruisers are strange bedfellows, in my opinion and in most people's opinion.  That's all I meant. It's like low riders and Lamborghini's going out to drive together.  Can you do it?  Yeah, and they actually did it on a show called Supercars on the Speed channel, but they did it tongue in cheek for that very reason, because they're different types of machines built for different types of driving that appeal to different types of people.

We all get a little butthurt everynow and then (except Wannaducbad!), but half the fun of motorcycles is ribbing people who are in to different kinds of bikes.  Everybody does it:  Triumphs aren't house broken (leak oil), Ducati's are pretentious and rediculously expensive,  Jap bikes are all Kawayamazuki's, etc.

Dude walked in to the shop I work in yesterday with a shirt that said "This is your brain" (with the BMW logo) "This is your brain on drugs" (with the Harley logo).  He said he's had Harley guys laugh at it(good natured) and other's threaten him (butthurt).

[ducducgooseme]

If you are riding with friends and just relaxed about the pace, who cares what they ride?  If you want a spirited ride, then no, I wouldnt as you will be pretty bored.

That being said, I dont care what my friends ride as long as they have gear.    I wont do a group ride with people without helmets and gear...the stress of having to do cpr is too much for me.

[Gringo 999]

Okay, more ponderings on superficial motoculture from Smitch:

If you had a friend who foolishly sold his sportsbike, but now is borrowing another friends kawasaki cruiser and wants to ride with you, do you putter along side him, or arrange a rendezvous point and see him when he gets there!

Smitch, Dude.

So many good lines I have to pass up here.   

Yeah, though I much prefer to ride with real riders on Ducs, Beemers or rice burners for that matter, I do, occasionally ride with HDs, tourers and other sloooooower bikes.  I usually do well with hanging back on the straights or in town, but you know me, the curves are just too much fun!  And the other guys putter along to catch up.  That said, I would still give your buddy a ration of @#$% for selling his sportbike (what was he thinking?) to borrow a Kawi cruiser.  Was it Ninja Turtle green?

[Smitch]

Thanks for the back up Pres (I think!).

I got your Nubile, I MEAN, Ninja Turtles right here...