CrashBomb
Registered
Before I get on my soapbox I'd like to make it clear that due to consuming more than my share of a bottle of good single malt Scotch this is going to be generally opinionated and leaning toward an angry rant. I refuse to pepper things I'm writing with a bunch of annoying acronyms like IMHO or FWIW, YMMV, FGHQT, AMXBTZFFROGMTYP, I'm writing it...of course it's my opinion, deal with it.
Over the last day or two I've been discussing my winter rebuild plans for my bike with my dad. On more than one occasion he's said several things to the tune of, "It's stupid to spend that much money on *that kind* of bike."
At this point I should address several points. My father is 66 years old and of course he's completely dead set in his ways. He's spent his entire life in the saddle of a motorcycle of some sort. Dirt...street...everything, he's done it all and he's owned everything from old Honda 350Fours to his current ride...which will become clear in a moment. In spite of his vast experience he knows absolutely NOTHING (with a capital NO and also a capital THING) about sportbikes.
So after hearing things like, "well...it's your money, do what you want," I finally asked him exactly why he thought that spending any established amount of money on a specific bike was a waste. His response? "You'd never get that kind of money back if you sold it. Those kinds of bikes don't hold their value. They're not like a Harley."
I don't play favorites, I ride what I like and don't give a damn what anyone else thinks. I love both of my Harleys and wouldn't trade either of them for anything. But I seem to be one of the few who can accept them for what they are...namely NOT the greatest motorcycle in the known universe and all points beyond.
When I bought my Sportsters I knew and accepted the fact that they aren't fast, they ride and handle like an upside down pick up truck, and they (at least the ones of the generation I own) are hell to keep running. I don't let these things bother me as they are simply the price you pay to play your particular game of choice. Just like my Ducati, in my mind it's just about the most beautiful motorcycle ever created, and getting to be part of of that experience is worth the cost admission whether that cost is HD's laughable performance or Ducati's hellacious six thousand mile service intervals.
Why do the die hard HD guys not understand these things? It doesn't matter how many times you explain the world beyond their eyes to them, they just call anything that's not a Harley a wussy bike and then stick their fingers in their ears and go LALALALALALALA.
To someone as intelligent and worldly as my father I would think this simple concept would be easy to grasp. As a matter of fact he's only had a Harley for about the last ten years, before that he rode everything under the sun and loved every minute of it. It's like it's taken the Harley Davidson Motor Corp. less than a decade to completely poison his mind.
And they don't hold their value better than anything else, they're just so initially overpriced that they depreciate on a totally different and longer downward curve than other bikes. On a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. (You'll realize where that quote came from in a minute, just think about it. I didn't realize it at first either but then it dawned on me.)
I don't buy bikes as an investment anyway. I buy bikes because, much like my father, motorcycle and motorcycling have been a driving force in my life and will continue to be for as long as life permits. I ride what I like and buy for personal pleasure rather than intent to profit by reselling.
I'm just sick of the attitude. This is why I ride alone.
That is all. Good night...and good luck.
Over the last day or two I've been discussing my winter rebuild plans for my bike with my dad. On more than one occasion he's said several things to the tune of, "It's stupid to spend that much money on *that kind* of bike."
At this point I should address several points. My father is 66 years old and of course he's completely dead set in his ways. He's spent his entire life in the saddle of a motorcycle of some sort. Dirt...street...everything, he's done it all and he's owned everything from old Honda 350Fours to his current ride...which will become clear in a moment. In spite of his vast experience he knows absolutely NOTHING (with a capital NO and also a capital THING) about sportbikes.
So after hearing things like, "well...it's your money, do what you want," I finally asked him exactly why he thought that spending any established amount of money on a specific bike was a waste. His response? "You'd never get that kind of money back if you sold it. Those kinds of bikes don't hold their value. They're not like a Harley."
I don't play favorites, I ride what I like and don't give a damn what anyone else thinks. I love both of my Harleys and wouldn't trade either of them for anything. But I seem to be one of the few who can accept them for what they are...namely NOT the greatest motorcycle in the known universe and all points beyond.
When I bought my Sportsters I knew and accepted the fact that they aren't fast, they ride and handle like an upside down pick up truck, and they (at least the ones of the generation I own) are hell to keep running. I don't let these things bother me as they are simply the price you pay to play your particular game of choice. Just like my Ducati, in my mind it's just about the most beautiful motorcycle ever created, and getting to be part of of that experience is worth the cost admission whether that cost is HD's laughable performance or Ducati's hellacious six thousand mile service intervals.
Why do the die hard HD guys not understand these things? It doesn't matter how many times you explain the world beyond their eyes to them, they just call anything that's not a Harley a wussy bike and then stick their fingers in their ears and go LALALALALALALA.
To someone as intelligent and worldly as my father I would think this simple concept would be easy to grasp. As a matter of fact he's only had a Harley for about the last ten years, before that he rode everything under the sun and loved every minute of it. It's like it's taken the Harley Davidson Motor Corp. less than a decade to completely poison his mind.
And they don't hold their value better than anything else, they're just so initially overpriced that they depreciate on a totally different and longer downward curve than other bikes. On a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. (You'll realize where that quote came from in a minute, just think about it. I didn't realize it at first either but then it dawned on me.)
I don't buy bikes as an investment anyway. I buy bikes because, much like my father, motorcycle and motorcycling have been a driving force in my life and will continue to be for as long as life permits. I ride what I like and buy for personal pleasure rather than intent to profit by reselling.
I'm just sick of the attitude. This is why I ride alone.
That is all. Good night...and good luck.
