I say the hell with it. People will think what they want. Just as much as some of the best people I know are descriminated against for riding a harley, there are also many harley riders who discriminate against anyone who rides anything other then a harley. People judge you by the skin of your color, your religion, the clothes on your back, and so on. It's nothing more then ignorance and/or envy that drives people to stereotype. Personally I do not care too much for people that judge and stereotype and I certainly don't care to "enlighten" them! But hey, what do I know anyway

 

Ambassador HD wants me to be?? NOT. You're describing RUBS, something I am not. If only Dr, Lawyers and businessmen drove HD then I would not. As for excons and scumbags, are you referring that all of us that don't fit into your description are either excons or scumbags? I think maybe you need to find a few good friends, maybe a excon or a scumbag. Be yourself and quit trying to be something you're not. Oh yeah, ride safe.

 

Well, I'm neither an ex-con or scumbag, or a lawyer or doctor. I'm just your average computer geek (nerd, whatever) that wanted a Harley after I wondered into my local dealer. I had been looking at Gold Wings but one look at the Ultra Classic was all it took. Plus, none of the salesmen at Buddy Stubbs tried to sell me anything. They just answered all my silly questions and let me look.

Once I decided that HD was for me, I started buying HD stuff. My leathers are not HD (wanted to save a little money ), but a lot of my riding gear is.

Big deal, I know I'm going to have fun and hope everyone that I ride with will too. My brother owns a Yamaha, but once he sees my ride I wonder how long we will have that bike.

I've met several Harley guys just be attending events and even the roughest of them seem to be great guys. Do I expect every HD rider I meet to be great guys? No, but they will have to prove it to me first that they aren't. Same goes for riders of other brands.

I had a good introduction a little over 10 years ago when I had a Suzuki Intruder. All the Harley riders would wave, most of the other brands would as well. So I'd wave back at every one of them. And I plan to continue that practice.

 

Ambassador? Hell no! Actually I've been kind of a ***** all my life and I wanted a bike to be an ***hole!

Leave me alone with my image of who I am.

Bye.

PS: Merry Friggin Christmas.

 

Thanks, Bill
Sorry for the slow response, the PC died on me a few days ago. If computers were only as reliable as Harley's

 

It is all dependent on your district size, as you probably guessed A.B.A.T.E goes by districts not chapters. I live out in the sticks and our district probably covers around 500 square miles, this is a guess. We are pretty scattered all over western Nebraska and eastern Colorado.

We average during the summer time 4 meetings and 2 events and 3 long rides 1 hog roast, 2 poker runs. The meetings are held monthly.

Usually the meetings are nice rides themselves since we try and have them in different towns so everyone can attend at least one meeting and not have distance be a problem. Like our last meeting was in McCook about a 115 miles. I started out by myself but our numbers grew as we got to the final destination. We have points already setup for meeting and joining the group as we ride along. Then after the meeting we go for short 50 mile rides at the rode captains whim.

Then we plan longer fun rides this year was a Lincoln Nebraska Motorcycle show ride that was about 4 or 5 hours one way. One year it was a run up through the mountains in Colorado through the Rocky Mountain national park. Those usualy get pretty interesting especialy when the road captain gets lost. Of course, there is always the ride to sturgis.

Every year a District holds one hog roast. Those get pretty wild out here since it is usualy held on some farm out in the middle of nowhere. Everyone is invided but there is a cover charge and A.B.A.T.E. members get discounts. Usualy it covers all the beer and food you can stomach. Plus there are some prizes given with the biker games. This is probably our greatest event since we get all sorts of bikers all around the area. This is a partial charitable and fund raiser for the district. There are always rides to other districts to attend these as well as our own

Then there are the poker runs, we usualy have 2 per year. These are primarily fund raising runs for charity. Like this years Med Tedi run. We made sure every child in the hospital had a Toy. What charity varies from year to year. This year we also bought some phone cards for the troops as well.

We try to attend as many fairs and parades in the area much as we can. This year we held a bike show and rode in the parade at a tri county fair in Chase county.

So as you can see already the political aspect of A.B.A.T.E is just a part of it. We do about as much as we can as far as polotics goes. If we raise enough money we employ a lobbyest to speak on or behalf. Mostly we just write emails and letters to our local government expressing our concerns. Sometimes a ride to the state capital is in order.

We do not discriminate in any way. We have all sorts of bikers from all over riding different brands of bikes from different clubs. Passengers as well as those who ride are members as well and we even have some members that do not ride for whatever reason.

There is one yearly fee for membership or if you want there is a lifetime membership. You can get involved as much as you want.

 

I can remember the day when you did'nt want to be seen at a Harley dealer,they were always full of convicts and scumbags.Hey come to think of it when AMF owned Harley convicts and scumbags were the only ones who would buy a harley.....now Harley makes billions selling clothes and bikes that look just like we used to have....who owes who? I've been to jail and I have some ink,so what! I still wave to ANYONE that rides ANYTHING. I don't need to live up to anyones standards,I yam what I yam. Shut up and ride.

 

The moped/scooter riders are the scumbags and snobs.....can't get them to wave for nothing
I think the general public understands Harley riders since most people at least know someone that rides a Harley. Most are weekend warriors, much like going to a country night club with all the urban cowboys. Or just because you have a mullet haircut and drive a 1972 Ford pickup with a Rebel flag in the back window doesn't mean your a redneck..........errrrr....bad example

 

Whats wrong with a mullet? #1 hair cut here in Georgia

 

Yea! What he said!