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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | Yesterday we went riding with a new group of bikers. Had a fun time but I was the only Vision owner. The rest were traditional cruise styles. I had an odd mix of comments all day. I volunteered to take one of the bikers second seaters on my bike since they were not used to riding two up and their seat on their Vegas was small between two seats and two backrests.
Of course all of you know the comments that came out all day long.. "That Vision seat is so much bigger, the backrest is wider, i could ride on THAT bike all day long blah blah blah blah.
Then came the "honey, did you know that even the passenger gets a heated seat"? etc then
" honey, did you know that the hand grips are heated", "OMG, we listened to the stereo the entire trip down".... the response from the rest of the bikers was
"R E A L bikers dont have heated seats, heated grips, stereos, and GPS"
To that I responded, odd, I found it interesting that the wife of a "real biker" preferred to ride with me.......................................
just goes to show you that even in our sport, there is room for jealousy, stupidity, and foot in mouth disease......
ok, just wanted to get that off my chest. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | Just ask the "real bikers" if they would like to go to dinner... somewhere 800 miles away. I ran into it yesterday as well.
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Cruiser
Posts: 97
Okeefenokee Swamp | A real biker, as they get older,tends to prefer comfort over looking cool.I know that I have ridden more miles than I can remember on an old ridged frame harley and later a softail then a dyna and a road king. The Vision is what i call my earthly reward for going through hell all those years.Yes it was self induced hell and i enjoyed every mile.I actually did'nt know it was hell until I rode a vision.
Edited by Kornbread 2009-06-21 5:54 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Northeastern Penna. | I don't know about the rest of you, but when riding my Vision past other bikers, I think I have the
Cadillac among them, maybe shouldn't use Cadillac anymore, you get the picture.Being a new kid on the block,so to speak ,among the other models of bikes, the Vision is among the elite , in creature comforts ! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 140
| Screw a bunch of bikers. Ride with motorcyclists. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 639
Tri Cities, WA | Yeah it's bound to happen. I hear all kinds of comments about my vision. Mostly wow that bike has some wild lines to, etc. But i bet if those real bikers took a vision for spin Im sure there attitude would change quickly. just my two cents worth.
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 13
| My standard answer is "I've backed up a motorcycle more miles than you have ridden one forward. Now I choose to ride a Vision." |
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Cruiser
Posts: 247
| the local harley shop offers free lunch on sun. met a friend of mine there. while i waited for him to finish lunch he and i watched the parade out of the dealership head straight to the vison. it was really funny to watch. as i rode in one of the guys I knew made a comment like hey get that out of here. another started asking questions. as we were leaving we couldn't get out of the lot. finally i looked over and saw the owner, with whom i do not get along, heading my way with a frown. i said to my budy "man, I am going to wear out neitral before any other gears just sitting around talking." then we bailed. |
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Tourer
Posts: 377
O'Neill, Nebraska | Just got back from a 2800 mile Route 66 Trip out to Winslow, AZ; Grand Canyon and then back to San Antonio. My buddy rides a Can-Am Spyder and guess what? We had our pictures taken no less than 1 dozen times! Every single person who saw the Vision loved it. I tally the 'biker' comments to pure jealousy.
Anyway, I really don't give a d**n what the other guys think. I truly love the look of the Vision and by the way it rides great. As for taking my Vision to a HD dealership, well....what do you expect them to say about it? |
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | VaParadox - 2009-06-21 3:09 PM
Yesterday we went riding with a new group of bikers. Had a fun time but I was the only Vision owner. The rest were traditional cruise styles. I had an odd mix of comments all day. I volunteered to take one of the bikers second seaters on my bike since they were not used to riding two up and their seat on their Vegas was small between two seats and two backrests.
Of course all of you know the comments that came out all day long.. "That Vision seat is so much bigger, the backrest is wider, i could ride on THAT bike all day long blah blah blah blah.
Then came the "honey, did you know that even the passenger gets a heated seat"? etc then
" honey, did you know that the hand grips are heated", "OMG, we listened to the stereo the entire trip down".... the response from the rest of the bikers was
"R E A L bikers dont have heated seats, heated grips, stereos, and GPS"
To that I responded, odd, I found it interesting that the wife of a "real biker" preferred to ride with me.......................................
just goes to show you that even in our sport, there is room for jealousy, stupidity, and foot in mouth disease......
ok, just wanted to get that off my chest.
It's the Kool Ade some people just never out grow it. They say with age comes wisdom, we can only hope that some of these people live long enough to gain the wisdom to see the err of their ways as some people on this site already have.
I was on a group ride awhile back and one of the wives asked if she could just sit on the Vision while we were stopped and of coarse I was only to happy to accommodate her. When it came time for kick stands up she asked if she could test ride the seat, again I was only to happy to accommodate her well I had and unexpected passenger the rest of the day and her hubby was a little miffed.
She told me they have been riding HD's for 25 years and she feels beat up for two days after every ride.
"R E A L bikers don't have heated seats, heated grips, stereos, and GPS"
Am I missing something, is there some sort of motorcycle code that allows other motorcyclist to give out their unsolicited comments?
Real "RIDERS" don't put down other bikers rides because riding isn't about the bike it's about RIDING.
It's like looking at someone's wife, girlfriend, husband or boyfriend you might not choose to be with that person but you wouldn't openly make disparaging comments about them.
I have lost riding buddies because of all the attention my Vision gets form riders and non riders alike. As I stated in an earlier post I was uninvited to Sturgis this year because supposedly they want an all Harley ride, so be it.
I really don't give a rats a$$ what anyone rides I'll ride with anything short of a Moped. (I have to draw the line someplace)
While I have never started and never will start a Vision v Harley conversation I will certainly stick around and finish it.
Nearly every time I stop I have real riders including some Kool Ade Kids come over and comment positively on the bike, they will even point out a feature on the Vision that they wished they had on their bike. Real riders are always complimentary and generally nice people.
Remember that age wisdom thing, well the older I get the more I have come to realize that the riders that insist on putting down your bike are the riders that for some reason are insecure with the bike their riding and are simply trying to make themselves feel better.
I'm beginning to rant I need more caffeine, ride safe.
Blackjack
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 244
Fargo, ND | Nope!  |
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Tourer
Posts: 548
Mount Vernon, WA United States | "Real Bikers" don't give a rats patoot what other people ride, or what other people think about their ride.
after re-reading... "Real Bikers" probably also don't say "rats patoot" LOL but then again... we don't care what anyone else thinks about what we talk or write either.... (this is fun...) |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | Blackjack - 2009-06-22 7:19 AM
BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I?
LMAO! They say "revenge is a dish best served cold", but these guys going to have to borrow a microwave just to thaw it enough to be able to divide it!
If memory serves, these are the cats that trailer 600 miles to Sturgis. I cant even imagine how they're going to react when they find out that they are have to camp (200 miles away)!!!
I pity the poor desk clerk.
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Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | Blackjack - 2009-06-22 10:19 AM
BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I?
That is truly one of the funniest lines I've read in this forum. Delivered obliquely enough that it takes 3-5 seconds to catch the full consequence of that one little action.
Joke grenade..... BOOM!!!
I love it. Don't tell.
-------------------------
To address the actual thread:
We all chose to buy and ride a bike that Victory has said from the get-go is a "love it or hate it" design.
We should not be surprised or injured when we get a few "hate its" mixed in with the tsunami of "love its". On the other hand, only an emotional child is unable to separate a design they don't like from a hostile reaction. Consider the source and realize that these dolts probably still drag their feet in a parking lot and are afraid to use their front brakes, yet they think they have skills because they've been doing it for 30 years.
Funny... I'm not all that thrilled with my dealer, but no one there ever showed anything but courtesy when they saw me pull up on my Road King. I think he knows that most HD's that park in his lot have weened themselves off the KoolAid and are considering trading up to a Vic. The HD guys consider Vic's a threat because the product is plain better. They don't want a better product next to theirs.
--the trailbarge
Edited by trailbarge 2009-06-22 11:25 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | GUILTY. That's me....
I am guilty of loving watching the effect my bike has on EVERYONE - bad bikers included.
I am guilty of parking the bike where I can watch it during lunch - just to see the effect it has on folks.
I am guilty of making extra trips to the supermarket just to watch and listen to the comments
I am guilty of driving thru the 'other' Bikes dealership parking lots just to watch the heads spin
I am guilty of watching the lust and envy in cagers driving by or, me driving by them
And ya know what - I don't CARE about being guilty ! I LOVE IT ! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | Biker orthodoxy requires that the HD crowd dislike the styling of the Vision. "Real" bikers are supposed to ride ridged frame bobbers and so to capitalize on that conceit HD developed the "softtail"; an imitation of the "bobber style that the "real" bikers of today couldn't actually ride and wouldnt ever buy. As to stereos, GPS, heated seats, etc - all of these are available as options for top end HDs, so the objections are spurious and the dislike really comes down to brand loyalty and ego gratification.
I could rant for hours about the fact that we can hardly buy anything in this country anymore that does not have somebody's BRAND emblazoned across it. Even a simple dress shirt has to have a logo embroidered on the left breast, because marketers have realized that most of us are cattle and need the logo to reinforce our self image . Our fragile egos also allow them to squeeze another 30% profit out of us for the privilege of using our bodies as mobile billboards. The brand identity has often even become more important than the quality in the product.
Thats the pseudo-sociological explanation for the behavior; but in reality the problem is ENVY and it stems from the fact that our "equipment" is bigger.
Simply put "THEY HATE US FOR OUR (106 CI) FREEDOMS".  |
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | Tarpits99 - 2009-06-22 9:55 AM
Blackjack - 2009-06-22 7:19 AM
BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I?
LMAO! They say "revenge is a dish best served cold", but these guys going to have to borrow a microwave just to thaw it enough to be able to divide it!
If memory serves, these are the cats that trailer 600 miles to Sturgis. I cant even imagine how they're going to react when they find out that they are have to camp (200 miles away)!!!
I pity the poor desk clerk.
You are correct sir they are the CANDY A$$ group that trailers every year. Also you are assuming they will have tents to camp in, remember that are planning on staying in a hotel.
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | donetracey,
I am also guilty of those offenses and many others along the same line.
Ride Guilty |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | Blackjack - 2009-06-22 10:19 AM
BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I?
Now that is GREAT |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | Blackjack - 2009-06-22 4:43 PM
Tarpits99 - 2009-06-22 9:55 AM
Blackjack - 2009-06-22 7:19 AM
BTW the Harley boys that uninvited me to Sturgis, I didn't tell them that I canceled the hotel reservation. What do you think should I?
LMAO! They say "revenge is a dish best served cold", but these guys going to have to borrow a microwave just to thaw it enough to be able to divide it!
If memory serves, these are the cats that trailer 600 miles to Sturgis. I cant even imagine how they're going to react when they find out that they are have to camp (200 miles away)!!!
I pity the poor desk clerk.
You are correct sir they are the CANDY A$$ group that trailers every year. Also you are assuming they will have tents to camp in, remember that are planning on staying in a hotel.
Just too funny... can't stop laughing. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 18
| Hello...I have to say I LOVE this thread and can relate. I am an Indian Motocycle owner and I get the same grief form the Harley folks as you do...I also LOVE the Vision and am planning on getting the premium tour by the end of this year, or mid next year depending on the color offering. Either way, I fit into the "LOVE IT" catagory and one thing is certain..the Vision ALWAYS draws a crowd. More importantly I want a touring bike that is comfy and cool looking...the Vision is everything a touring bike should be...can't WAIT to be a proud owner! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | You know, i also forgot one other point to the story (me being the original poster). My better half also went on the trip riding our Honda Rune 1800cc limited production 29,000.00 The guy who made the comment about my Vision not being a bike for a "real biker",
also said to a buddy of his " i couldnt own that either...its a "honda"................. I thought my better half would blow a mental gasket now we just joke about it, which is why I wanted to get it off my chest. Thanks guys for your usual insight, humor, and ability to make me feel that I am not totally alone in my psycho perversionary thought process. Its good to know that each of you is right there along side me as well... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Don't know if this relevant to the post but the latest American Rider rag has this HD ad on the back:
Right About Now This country could use a little joyride. So here's the deal. Walk into any Harley-Davidson dealer and test ride any new bike available. No Obligation. No Bully What other motorcyle company has the guts to ask you to feel the difference? ...
of course it goes on with a bunch more words, but my point is VICTORY! I got to test ride at least two bikes when I wasn't even sure if I could buy and that was two years ago.
I guess their best defense is to PRETEND Victory doesn't exist...
BTW, hurry, the offer ends 30 June 2009.
Edited by varyder 2009-06-22 9:27 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | A little help here folks. We all talk about how comfortable our Visions are I am thinking of having a pin stripper stripe my trunk with this: Sofa King Comfortable
Say it slow; So-fa King Comfortable. What do you think? I'll bet Songfan can do something with that.
And since it unanimous I'm not telling the Harley boys about the hotel.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 725
Reno County, KS | It's funny how self proclaimed "real bikers" end up trailoring their bikes to runs. My buddy was just commenting on how he'd like something cheap like a used Sportster so we could go to Sturgis next year with a trailer. I told him if I ever decided to go to crowded a$$ Sturgis we would ride the whole way or NO way. BTW if Harley would have had a clue last year when I was shopping I would have walked out with a Screamin' Eagle Road Glide. I'm kinda glad they didn't let me test ride before I bought or I'd be stuck spending $10K extra getting it almost as comfortable as a Gold Wing, (which still sucks compared to the Vision). |
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Just kinda doing a soft "vent" out loud to get it off my chest.