Probably a good weekend to avoid Tucson...

[PapaUtah]

Tucson Thunder

Amateurs and poseurs will be out in force this weekend in Tucson. Sleep will probably be optional too.

Good luck! to our friends in AZ this weekend!

"I'm very excited to be doing it. I have all my gear ready and I'm just waiting for the parade to begin," (Mayor Bob)Walkup told the Star Friday.

An effing parade???

As John Kohnke says, "Everyone who rides those (other) bikes turns and looks and thinks, 'I want to be one of those guys.' It's part of the mystique," he said, adding that there are only two types of people — "There are Harley owners and there are future Harley owners."

As hard as it might be, think again Mr. Kohnke. Think again.

:blink:

 

[VMax_03]

Tucson Thunder
Amateurs and poseurs will be out in force this weekend in Tucson. Sleep will probably be optional too.

Good luck! to our friends in AZ this weekend!

"I'm very excited to be doing it. I have all my gear ready and I'm just waiting for the parade to begin," (Mayor Bob)Walkup told the Star Friday.

An effing parade???

As John Kohnke says, "Everyone who rides those (other) bikes turns and looks and thinks, 'I want to be one of those guys.' It's part of the mystique," he said, adding that there are only two types of people — "There are Harley owners and there are future Harley owners."

As hard as it might be, think again Mr. Kohnke. Think again.

:blink:

Maybe the mayor is a friend of former SF mayor McGreevey?

Mr. Kohnke needs some slack I guess ... afterall, he's married to a woman rider named Clementine.

These folks need to get a life.

JW

 

[Figstr]

To honestly think there are only 2 types of bikers - someone has their head up their ass. There is only one Harley I like and I will never get it. Reliability means more to me than a name.

 

[Silent]

"There are Harley owners and there are future Harley owners."

I can say beyond a shadow of a doupt that I've never owned a Hardly and NEVER will. B)

 

[NoCage]

As John Kohnke says, "Everyone who rides those (other) bikes turns and looks and thinks, 'I want to be one of those guys.' It's part of the mystique," he said, adding that there are only two types of people — "There are Harley owners and there are future Harley owners."

I realize a rider is a rider, and it's not about the bike, but Harley bashing posts exists because of clowns like this Kohnke character. And, he's not the only one with that attitude. :asshat2:

 

[escapefjrtist]

This Harley verses the world does exist. Today on the way home from work, I got a "thumbs down" from an HD pretender. WTF is up with some of these guys.... :dntknw:

--G

 

[Toecutter]

Today on the way home from work, I got a "thumbs down" from an HD pretender. WTF is up with some of these guys.... :dntknw:

I think I'd a had ta chase him down and find out....or at least given him a :****: without the :biggrinsmiley:

 

[exskibum]

As John Kohnke says, "Everyone who rides those (other) bikes turns and looks and thinks, 'I want to be one of those guys.' It's part of the mystique," he said, adding that there are only two types of people -- "There are Harley owners and there are future Harley owners."

I realize a rider is a rider, and it's not about the bike, but Harley bashing posts exists because of clowns like this Kohnke character. And, he's not the only one with that attitude.

+100

Thank you for hitting that nail so squarely on the head! We all ride what we ride for a reason -- with the wide variety available today, the bikes we ride suit our preferences. A Harley is what it is (kinda like a cool but low tech '56 Ford pickup to me), and while I lusted after Harleys 35 years ago (and once owned that '56 Ford PU), I don't want one now and seriously doubt I ever will. I'm just not into the lifestyle, bad ass appearances, "mystique" or cruisers. If I were ever to consider a cruiser, my neighbor's Victory would probably be one of a couple such bikes I'd consider long before a Harley, though V-Rods intrigue me a bit.

What I hate about Harley is EXACTLY what Kohnke does such a good job of illustrating (AND the apparent need of so many to make ear-splitting noise with them).

 

[fjr]

"Only minors are required by Arizona law to wear helmets. On a recent Tucson H.O.G. ride, no one except those under age 18 wore "skid lids."

"I don't wear one unless I'm teaching," Kohnke said. "I believe I'm a little more aware of what's going on when I'm not wearing one." "

Aware? :lol:

Ironic. The only time I didn't wear a helmet was when I was under eighteen. I suppose I wouldn't fit in! :yahoo:

 

[painman]

When it comes right down to it does it really matter what someone says or does about a particular brand of bike? Personally I've got better things to do like ride my Yamaha when I feel like it and have the time or ride my Harley when I feel like it and have the time. I wave to any model or make of bike and if they don't wave back, who cares? I stop and talk to someone on another bike and don't really care what brand or make it is. The thing is I have something in common with someone who rides and if I come away from that with something positive then my day and hopefully theirs has just been made better. And that's what matters. PM. <><

 

[FlyingLow]

3,000 HDs? Boring.

Check out Sturgis sometime. Good bike and people watching, and the riding in the area ain't half bad, either.

 

[SMC]

:blink: Mr. Kohnke may feel that way, but there are whole lot of other motorcyclists who wouldn't own an H-D, simply because that's not their style, riding or image they wish to project.

As long as you enjoy motorcycling and do so not to the detriment of the rest of us brethren, more power to you.

I put Mr. Kohnke, his loud pipes (and his statement about helmets) in the same group of dingbats as the young squids popping wheelies down the highway and weaving in and out of traffic to the degree that the cagers and trucks have to take evasive action.

These nuts cause a problem for the rest of us, by creating a deep well of resentment among the driving public to the point that you will see some sort of restrictive legislation or denied access to certain areas in the future.

 

[S76]

Well this is way to passive. How long is it gonna take to turn this into a good hard core Harley bashing thread?

:lol:

 

[FJRSTAR]

Well this is way to passive. How long is it gonna take to turn this into a good hard core Harley bashing thread?
:lol:

Here, I will add my two cents...

More and more people nationwide are taking up motorcycling, but the numbers in Arizona are staggering.

More than a quarter million Arizonans have a motorcycle license or motorcycle endorsement on their driver's licenses. As of last month, 133,579 motorcycles were registered in the state, with 18,412 in Pima County — an increase of more than 60 percent for both in just five years. Sure, Arizona has great riding weather and incredible roads that slice through beautiful desert and mountain passes, but there's more at work in the sharp upswing of riders.

For part of the answer look to Clementine Kohnke...

And they are all Harley riders?

"There's nothing hotter than a lady on a Harley," she insisted. "We get looks from men at stoplights and women yell, 'You go, girl.' It's great."

And there's nothing hotter than a lady on an FJR or any other motorcycle...so what's their ******* point?

The motorcycle industry is seeing a big increase in re-entry riders — or "rezoomers," as Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council, called them. They are people who may have ridden when they were younger because it was fun and economical, but took years off to focus on career and family.

"They're coming back to it later when they have more time and money," Mount said.

And they are all Harley riders?

In 1985 the median age of motorcyclists in America was 27 — by 2003 it had jumped to 41.

And they are all Harley riders?

"The worst thing is to park your bike at an event next to the same exact bike — it's like little old ladies at a gala wearing the same dress," he added, laughing.

They all look the same to me.

"You can dump a lot of money into these bikes," he said, "and the clothes and trailers — it never ends.

Do not forget the trailer by all means!

The sound of safety

One of the first things many riders do to customize their Harley is add louder pipes to get the classic Harley growl.

"People like the rumble," Kohnke said. "It's the Harley trademark. No other bike sounds like a Harley."

But it's also a safety issue. Many riders have patches on their jackets saying "Loud pipes save lives."

Right, forget the brain, its in the pipes man, in the loud pipes!

Still, with more and more vehicles on the roads, motorcycle crash-related fatalities have been increasing since 1997. But statistics can't outweigh the freedom you get from riding a motorcycle, Kohnke said.

"If it's in your blood," he said, "an accident is not going to get it out."

Now this I can agree with finally. :yahoo: