Hd riders always wear hd shirts

bone

Registered
can somebody clear this up for me, why do harley riders always need to wear a HD T-shirt from some other state, or a leather vest over a HD T-shirt (when its 105 degrees in the shade)?
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???

the leather vest has me completely confused. what protection does it offer and when its 100+ degrees, why do you wanna wear that? its a friggin vest!

do these people have to try to look the HD part? i was behind a HD in my cage today and a sport bike rider came by then 5 seconds later a HD came by and the guy waved to him. pretty sure he was trying to look the part.

it's really crazy, i just ride and be my own person. some have to look the part just to ride.

bone
 
And they have to stop at every HD shop enroute to anywhere. I see that action every weekend. I drive past and HD shop and 90% of the bikes on the road when I pass by there turn in to the shop. To get more T-shirts I would expect.

I told a buddy of mine about it and when we passed by I told him to watch the HD riders, they will all turn in. Sure enought they did, we got a good chuckle out of it.
 
I guess they are into their bikes, sorta like were into ours. When Im on a road trip, and see a Suzuki shop, I turn off to browse around from time to time. I guess the Harley guys could say all those guys on the sprot-bikes are dressed like Power Rangers...just a different culture of bikers...none any better or worse than the other.
 
I guess they are into their bikes, sorta like were into ours. When Im on a road trip, and see a Suzuki shop, I turn off to browse around from time to time. I guess the Harley guys could say all those guys on the sprot-bikes are dressed like Power Rangers...just a different culture of bikers...none any better or worse than the other.
+1 I agree.
 
Stopping at a dealer in another state to get a shirt or pin is a way of keeping a map of where you've been on your bike without having to have an actual map on your wall with push pins in it. And in my case with my shovelhead, my shirts prove to my bro's that the old girl can still get there, I may need a few parts, or side of the road fixes using sticks, rocks, and pine cones, but the destination is the same......freedom. Its like riding a comfortable oil dripping, vibratin', iron, lazy-boy. I feel just as free on my Shovel as I do on my Busa, the road and the breeze is the same. I play the part when on my HD (I have to those are the rules) but I bend those rules and make exception with a big smile for my Uncle Ben's Busa as my Bro's call her... Rubber side down and headlights forward brothers
 
Today I saw a Harley rider riding with a Harley shirt on... kinda stupid. I think I'll buy a Harley shirt and wear it while riding my Busa... and maybe I'll even buy one of those mini helmets, too! But I have a buzzed head and no tatooes so I'd still be a long way away from actually looking "the part"...
 
Power rangers thats funny. My guys at the Firehouse say I look like the Terminator with all my gear. If I could just carry a Shotgun like Arnold does in the movie LOL.
 
I work and sometimes ride with a guy that has a 06 Heritage Softail and he has shirts from dealers in 4 states. Harley is to blame. When he bought his new bike they sent him an atlas that shows the location of every dealer nationwide. I think its their way to get you to spend more money!!
 
When I bought my first Harley back in 1996, I had to stop at every shop I came across to buy a T-shirt. I travel for a living so I got to see a whole lot of different Harley shops! I must have over 50 different HD Tees now. I stopped buying them a couple of years ago and now when I am on the Harley, I refuse to wear one. It seems that anytime you are on a ride, you see people wearing nothing but the Harley gear. There are so many new riders that are buying Harleys as their first bikes, it is unbelievable. And yes, I have one of those vests as well. I have had it for at least 7 years and have only worn it 2-3 times. It does provide a level of warmth but that is about it. It is more for the "look" than anything else. They wear the vests mainly to display their "colors". People like the Hells Angels or even the Bikers for Jesus wear the vests with their org name on the back. Now that you brought this topic up, I think I will start putting some of my Harley stuff on eBay! I never wear it even when I am on my HD.

PS. My 5 year old loves the Power Rangers...LOL
 
You have to give HD credit though - they have an absolutely incredible marketing department. They've managed to sell a lifestyle, not just a product. You might be Joe Winklestein, mild mannered dentist by day, but once you put on the HD gear and get on your HD motorcycle you're instantly transformed into a big, bad, mofo. It's a good way to escape your normal life for a while.

As far as riding attire goes, that really seems to vary based on type of bike. I've noticed 5 main categories so far:
1. Harley/cruiser riders - T-shirts and/or leather vests, blue jeans & boots. No helmet, or at most a beanie
2. Goldwing riders - 3/4 helmet with the big foam microphone, no protective gear
3. BMW riders - Full aerostitch suit with full-face helmet. Period. Also about the only other guys I ever see mid-winter.
4. Sportbike riders - Leather jacket and full face helmet, both color-matched to bike.
5. Squids - Oakleys, T-shirt (optional), shorts & tennis shoes (possibly sandals)
 
You have to give HD credit though - they have an absolutely incredible marketing department. They've managed to sell a lifestyle, not just a product. You might be Joe Winklestein, mild mannered dentist by day, but once you put on the HD gear and get on your HD motorcycle you're instantly transformed into a big, bad, mofo. It's a good way to escape your normal life for a while.

As far as riding attire goes, that really seems to vary based on type of bike. I've noticed 5 main categories so far:
1. Harley/cruiser riders - T-shirts and/or leather vests, blue jeans & boots. No helmet, or at most a beanie
2. Goldwing riders - 3/4 helmet with the big foam microphone, no protective gear
3. BMW riders - Full aerostitch suit with full-face helmet. Period. Also about the only other guys I ever see mid-winter.
4. Sportbike riders - Leather jacket and full face helmet, both color-matched to bike.
5. Squids - Oakleys, T-shirt (optional), shorts & tennis shoes (possibly sandals)
Yep, pretty much nailed it...

I'm married to a Harley rider, my Dad's a Harley rider, most of my friends that ride are on Harleys...for all the needling we give one another for our respective choice in motorcycles, I respect that he loves his bike just as much as I love mine. I think he just enjoys showing his affection for the company, for the bike, and getting a t-shirt from Hawaii that says Harley is just something cool that makes him happy...

Why question what makes others tick?
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You can't be down on Harly though. When I use to travel on mine, I would stop in at the dealerships and take a little break. Most of them were nice shops that have a lounge area that you can grab some coffee, sit on the couch, and rest your backside. Never seen a Suzuki shop be as comfortable.
 
Doesn't anyone else wear a .Org t-shirt when they ride? I wear one specifically if I am going to go into a stealership - free advertizing! Also, I almost always stop into a new stealership - check out what they have - see if there is anything in there that I absolutely have to buy!
I think the vest kind of harkens to HD "colors" - identifying them as part of the life style... not many 1% though..
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You can't be down on Harly though. When I use to travel on mine, I would stop in at the dealerships and take a little break. Most of them were nice shops that have a lounge area that you can grab some coffee, sit on the couch, and rest your backside. Never seen a Suzuki shop be as comfortable.
I agree with that one...I'm in the HD shops way more often than any Busa rider should be, but they're always good for a break in a ride, good talk, even get some love from the HD fans for what I'm riding every blue moon...

Wish I had some pics of me riding with my HD jacket on while on the Busa...oh wait...
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Doesn't anyone else wear a .Org t-shirt when they ride?  I wear one specifically if I am going to go into a stealership -  free advertizing!  Also, I almost always stop into a new stealership - check out what they have - see if there is anything in there that I absolutely have to buy!
I think the vest kind of harkens to HD "colors" - identifying them as part of the life style... not many 1% though..  
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I wear my org long sleeve shirt when it's cooler and the black East Coast Hayabusa Riders shirt that Postal gave me in the summer...that shirt's been everywhere!
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You can't be down on Harly though. When I use to travel on mine, I would stop in at the dealerships and take a little break. Most of them were nice shops that have a lounge area that you can grab some coffee, sit on the couch, and rest your backside. Never seen a Suzuki shop be as comfortable.
I agree with that one...I'm in the HD shops way more often than any Busa rider should be, but they're always good for a break in a ride, good talk, even get some love from the HD fans for what I'm riding every blue moon...

Wish I had some pics of me riding with my HD jacket on while on the Busa...oh wait...
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Ok, I am sold now. I am going to start wearing my HD stuff on my Busa! Will be interesting to see the looks and hear the comments!



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Owning a Harley is only about one thing: Image. As qarnaj said above, their incredible marketing machine is succeeding wildly.

Oh, people may say they ride Harley's for other reasons but it's just the usual justifications people make after they've bought something for emotional reasons. Since it's very tough to get other people to understand those emotional reasons, they have to make up some other crap to try to convince them that the decision was actually based on something intelligent.

I leave that last comment to you for your own evaluation!
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The Busa's and other sportbikes, however, are starting to become image-oriented. How many times do you see posers at bike nights? Barely able to ride the bike over and let people look at it sometimes. How many appearance only mods are available to sportbikes? Yeah, image is getting to be more and more important for all bikes.

--Wag--
 
If there was a busa shop I'd be there every chance.

You have to admit that most sport bike riders are more worried about catching their stupid human tricks on camera (big D
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) than hanging out in a parking lot to talk about the bike.

I collect the stickers and T-shirts for my mom and dad becuase they are proud to wear a Las Vegas shirt to the local shop.

Maybe we should start .org individual state collectables (stickers or T's)
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and start showing people there is more to a busa than just a burn out and top speed.



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