is anyone also finding a lack of interest?

silverbear said:
Bluegoatwoods said,

......But there are so many of them that nobody cares, nobody gives a second look. Then Aaniimoosh the wonder dog and I ride by on a 1950 Schwinn motor bicycle and scout troops stop en mass for a look, people wave and take pictures. It must really piss off some of the clones.
SB
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Me on my motor assisted bicycle, there the bearded old guy with the Harley duds (mostly actors) with the cookie cutter Harley. Over there, the reg'lar folks.
The reg'lar folks are looking at me!

Yes, that's right, I get way more attention on my motor assisted bicycle, not just because I am so handsome either!
 
xseler said:
When my own sister saw me on my bike, she said, "I now promote you to President of the Oklahoma City Dorks Club...."



dance1
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My mother said "Aren't you a little old for that?"
I said, "If it gives me pleasure and puts a smile on my face am I not going to do it because I am old?"
Then I mentioned how the majority of you guys on this forum are also old.

"Oh, OK" she said.

Good ole' Mom, If I want a critic, I can always count on calling her!
 
My relatives really made fun of our business the first year (2008). The next year they were bragging about it. Hmm......

They really didn't like two strokes, and still thought four strokes as dangerous. They all want to ride the electric bikes. Hmmmm.....

Oh and yeah I'm a geezer. :)
 
Crassius,
Thanks for starting this thread. There's some interesting reading and some great perspectives on our hobby by guys who live it, not just observe from the outside.
Carry on guys. Good stuff :)

Tom
 
Gas is pretty much past the $4 / gal mark where I live so that might be a big part of why I see so many of them. Plus theres a big biker culture here.
 
i see new riders around here all the time, but almost always on budget builds. most of them don't know any of the laws, but neither do the police, apparently.

craigs is always full of junk motorized bicycles for low prices, and hi dollar builds like mine are almost impossible to sell.

since my accident i haven't ridden at all and have stayed pretty local, so i'm not out on the streets getting flagged down and asked about my bike all the time like i used to.

i did notice there's a few new laws for mopeds and motorized bicycles on the books. one is any moped that goes over 30 has to be registered as a motor driven cycle. the dmv website seems to be updated so its easier to find all the motorized bicycle laws.

this probably means more riders are getting ticketed, and more bikes are being licensed.

i've seen more custom bikes showing up at long beach mc swapmeet, even one with a reversed jug. talked to the guy and he said he got the idea from me after seeing my bike at the donut shop car show.

there's bicycle shops everywhere, but none of them want to deal with motorbikes. they all know me and respect my bikes, and will refer people to me, but they so know i just buy parts and do everything myself so i don't get snubbed like the average rider.

i think the "fad" stage is wearing off around here, if it even started in the first pace
 
ebikes are the future me thinks.

They bring back the joy of bicycling that a loud stinky vibrating engine removes.

The quiet smooth glide down the road with only the sound of the freewheel clicking coming from the bike.
 
We need to start the fight against 750W if this country is all about reducing dependence on fossil fuels. 750W is a contrived hindrance to development of next gen e-bikes.
 
bairdco said:
...there's bicycle shops everywhere, but none of them want to deal with motorbikes. they all know me and respect my bikes, and will refer people to me, but they also know i just buy parts and do everything myself so i don't get snubbed like the average rider.
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It is nice to have a symbiotic relationship with your local bike shop, I guess I am just lucky that way. Lucky for the laws, traffic police indifference, weather and sheriff Joe taking away car drivers privileges by the hundreds every month with another holiday weekend enforcement already kicking off today.

In short I stay as busy as I want to be and build the way I see fit and not for chump change.
 
Pablo,
I agree with you about the wattage limit. It's 500W here in Canada and we could be like the rest of the world and have 250W and you have to pedal at the same time or it won't work.

Steve.
 
Toadmund,
Any chance your Mom knows my Mom? The last zinger I got was, Do you do anything other than work on those bikes?

I told her I was going do to the stripper bar for a few beers just so she wouldn't have any worries.

Her reply was, At your age why bother.

Steve.
 
Silberbear, you have to admit we looked pretty Bad-a$$ cruising the countryside togerther and did get thumbs-up from the Harley crowd even though they were thinking how "different/peculiar" those guys on the motorbikes are.
Dan
 
Mike B said:
ebikes are the future me thinks.

They bring back the joy of bicycling that a loud stinky vibrating engine removes.

The quiet smooth glide down the road with only the sound of the freewheel clicking coming from the bike.
Click to expand...

There's many of us who like our loud, viberating and stinky engines. I love the way my bike sounds as its automatically changing all 5 gears. Something must be right about the sound of the gears changing because I get thumbs up from pedestrians as I ride by them.
 
Even though its illegal in my province of Ontario, Canada, I've seen at least 4 people who looked like they were in their late teens riding them around my area.

Anyone here ride down dufferin street before?
 
I've been living here in Missouri for a few years now and seen someone last year putting around on a cruiser. I thought it was just the coolest thing. Anyway, I got rid of my GMC Yukon because I loathed always spending 100-120 each fill up and getting only around 200 miles in it. I figured I didn't need it anyway with everything in walking distance and I can use the exercise. Anyway, since I've been interesting in them I see a lot more around here or I just notice them more. Of course, this is a bike friendly town and there are a lot of trails etc...I personally think there's a decent interest at least here. You will constantly see 49cc scooters, bikes and motorcycles all day long.
 
silverbear said:
I am amused sometimes when I take my bike to town and see Harley after Harley ride by with fat old guys wearing the same outfits, seemingly on the same bikes with expressions that say"... doan mess wit me... I go my own way... a wild one... an outlaw lookin' fer trouble" and all of them wearing outfits that say Harley Davidson on them with the same dew rags, etc. like uniforms as similar as a bunch of UPS drivers on motorcycles. Strange. And these are not cheap machines. But there are so many of them that nobody cares, nobody gives a second look. Then Aaniimoosh the wonder dog and I ride by on a 1950 Schwinn motor bicycle and scout troops stop en mass for a look, people wave and take pictures. It must really piss off some of the clones. You want to be manly? Quit worrying about looking tough and have some fun. Who cares what people think? Dare to be a kid again!
SB
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Preach it brother- an amen.

This thread has taken off! And well it should.
 
Yup, the serious Harley people are in a league all to themselves.

Harley clothes, Harley accessories, Harley tattoos.

Amazing.
 
Mike B said:
Yup, the serious Harley people are in a league all to themselves.

Harley clothes, Harley accessories, Harley tattoos.

Amazing.
Click to expand...

I'm a Harley Rider..... and a motorized bike rider.... my league is if it has an engine and wheels I'm game...........

I'm a Harley Rider and a motorcycle guy in general not a "Biker" in the extreme sense, just a small town Texas country fella who loves all thing with an engine that I can ride.......LOL!

Map

,wee,
 
Wait... since I'm here, let's make the definition between those like you (Map), and those of which we (Silverbaer, Mike and I (should I presume to speak for other grown men)) speak.
I believe we mean to say the "spandex types", or those who get a little too into the idea of the Harley mystique.
Not the fella/ gal who has and enjoys his/ her Harley because it's awsome, but those who own em BECAUSE thay're a 'Harley'. And then comes... the shirts, and hats, and vests, and boots, and etc etc. Those folks remind me of the "Spandex Tourons" thread (I started).

Does that sound right?
 
Oh yeah, I've riding 2 wheels w or w/o motors since I was 5.

I don't own any clothes or knives or glasses, or anything with advertising on them.

And I don't have any ads engraved into my flesh either.

I'm just not that committed - :)
 
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