So, I'm in outside sales and I walk in to see one of my new customers. In an effort to start up a conversation, I told him I just picked an old motorcycle. Heres how the conversation went....... Me - "So, I just picked up an old motorcycle I've been messing with......" Him - "Cool. What did you get? Shovelhead? Knucklehead?" Me - " Nah, Nah, its an old Honda. Ft500 Ascot. 1982. Thumper." Him - "Only bike worth owning is a Harley......" HERE WE GO...... Me - "Oh, you ride? Whatcha got?" Him - "I dont own a bike." Me - "You dont?" Him - "Nope, but I do know enough to know that the only bike worth owning is a Harley." WTF??? Okay, we're done here.......
. Difficult to know what to say when you suddenly find that you are talking to a complete Knucklehead. Could try : "Sure, Harley is the only bike worth owning, if you want to impress other Harley owners." And if courageous enough, you could add (with a shrug) : "But if you don't really care about their opinions, then you'll find a lot more bikes to choose from." Though even that's getting uncomfortably close to The Customer Is Wrong. Obviously this guy owns some major bad Karma from the past . . . otherwise he would have been born with a brain from higher up the Evolution Tree. Charitably, you can hope his next re-incarnation turns out better. .
Here's my response, and I've owned and ridden Hardly Movingson's for 25 years, including a 52 Pan and an 06 Ultra... . Him - "Only bike worth owning is a Harley......" ...Yeah, Well, I'm not into antiques.....
oh wait there is,its called modern technology.its because of those acient aircooled lumps of steel called harleys that everyone who doesnt ride thinks that every bike needs to be over 1000 cc . there are tons of bikes with half the displacement of most harleys that are way way faster.whenever people ask why I dont ride a harley I show them a picture of my bike in the 7 degrees snow that I rode to work in .and say when a harley can do this and gravel and get 65 mpg. I will buy one.
you have to feel sorry for the guy he may never know what it feels like to ride the way we know it....
It's really simple. Harley Davidsons are an icon here in the USA and worldwide. HD is easily the most popular name in the motorcycle industry especially to non-riders. Really no reason to be offended.
I have a feeling no matter what conversation you would of had with that guy most likely would have went the same way. Should have brought up the election.
There's no magic pill for stupid.. Harleys are made in China would have been my come back... I took a tour of the Harley museum and their t-shirts and clothing were stamped made in China, I laughed my ass off when I seen that.
you could have told him all bikes no matter what the branding are made in the same Harley factory in japan ever since the secret bike testing facility in area 51 was closed down by the government due to aliens trying steel our two wheeled technology....at least that would be close to the truth
Has happened many times Oh you ride? So what kind of bike you ride? KTM Does Harley Davidson make it?
These people are given way too much bandwidth dedicated to them on this site. They are dumbasses in long history of dumbasses and they will undoubtedly raise their crotch fruit to be dumbasses as well. We need another plague. Yeah, my dumbass would probably be the first one to get sick, but it's the principle that matters here
The brilliance of HD marketing- selling outdated, 'Millwakee butt jewlery', made in China chrome and barbie tassels to wannabe 'bad' guys (and now 'dolls') for premium prices. You have to hand it to them, they are good! When I am asked if I ride a HD - a good belly laugh and a shake of the head gets a wide-eye look of embarrasment in return.
I ride a Wide Glide, a Bonneville, and right now my only off- roader is a WR450, the one thing I really don't like about the Harley is those tools that put other bikes down. I just say, "you're not one of those guys that only has one bike are you?"
Wow, any chance you would be my public spokes person? That was right on the money and put way better than anything that I can come up with!
To give credit where credit is due- I have freinds who are HD owners and riders - some of the really best bike riders there are. I mean, they ride harder and faster than most sport bike wannabe's and really long distances too. It is fun riding with them as they ride their machines to the limit. It is the cult thing I laugh at. Nearest bike shop to me is a HD dealership. Last WE I had to get the KLR TXDoT inspected. On the one side of the shop was a Bandidos member, a VP patch, 1% 'er etc etc and on the other side was a Los Familie (sp?) and another but different gang member, all tattooed and all trying to look cooler than the next waiting for their $400 oil changes and 'tune-ups'. Strutting like turkeys in their ass-less chaps, patched vests and DOT doo-rags. And they pay a lot of money for that stuff! Entertaining.
