I didn't start riding until '04. I was more into cars( I had 3 porsche 944s) One day my buddy and I were talking and he said he was going to take the MC Riders course. I looked at him and thought "what a great idea". I actually beat him to the course. I bought a ninja 250 to practice on, sold it a couple of months later, then bought a Suzuki 650. Then I bought a '05 xl122c. The rest is history. The 911 I always dreamed about will have to wait. I;m having MUCH more fun on my bikes!

 

Always had a spot in my heart for a Harley, but I've been married to a woman for 21 years that was adamantly against owning one. Then, one day a couple of months ago she cracked and said "let's buy a cruiser type bike so we can get out and see the country." I wasted no time and started my search on Craigslist that night. Had my bike a week later. We've gone on several rides together and I'm convinced she's not trying to kill me now. You can imagine the surprise and confusion when she "cracked" like that...

Lastly, I knew my financial limitations and knew there was no way I could afford a new bike. I set a top price I could afford and sought a bike in that range. I couldn't be happier and could care less what people think. Some may call me a RUB, but rich is the farthest thing from my financial situation. Urban biker? Maybe... I know my wife and I are spending some long awaited free time together and we're doing it on a Harley...and that's really all that matters.

 

Older is wiser maybe a massive oversimplification, but...yeah.

As a teenager I dreamed of scraping kneepucks around Daytona and always wanted to go fast, whether competing or not. By my late teens I had competed with mixed success on dirt tracks, motocross and road race venues. Wrecked the dog **** out of a few motorcycles and my body by the age of 23 and realized: 1.) I couldn't afford to race (entry fees, license fees, dues, track time, medical bills piling up...). And... 2.) Despite my somewhat juvenile dreams, I do not have "IT" and should not race motorcycles ever again (my preacher friend calls it my "coming to Jesus " moment, as in, "....it sounds like you've had a talk with Jesus, and Jesus said give it the **** up, man..." ) .

This epiphany took a few years...I was in my 20's remember? Once I was over that hurdle, I understood that I could still have a helluva good time with my face in the wind, riding at much more conservative paces. It's easier too......not having to concentrate so much on revs, gear selection, throttle position, clutch modulation or trying to predict when the back tire will break traction through a turn.....or worse, the front tire. I CAN JUST RIDE, MAN!

In the long run, HDs are cheaper too. They're generally easier to maintain, easier to modify and more reliable after those modifications. It takes a few decades, but you come around. I'll be riding my simple 45-degree American twins, with a content smile on my face while new generations of 18 to 25-somethings are lining up for non-American in-line fours, V-fours, tripple digit horsepower AND crazy hospital bills, nagging perpetual pain for the rest of their lives, blown up motors, suspended licenses, thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of wadded up magnesium, titanium, aluminum and unobtanium. The lucky ones will figure it out.....and end up in the neighborhood I'm in.

I never did put a puck to the ground at Daytona, and I'm okay with that.

Like I said..............older is wiser, see?

 

unobtanium is priceless..

 

I have been riding since I was about 14, (now 52). Started on the old mini bike with the briggs and stratton engine, centrifigle clutch and the brake was a metal "spoon" you pushed against the rear tire. After that, took a break and at about 26 bought a Honda, CB750K. Then I moved on to a 86 V65 Sabre, (man that biotsch was fast!). Wrecked on it, then got a 750 ACE. Chromed it out and made it mine and rode it for about 30000 miles. Next up was a VTX 1300 Retro that I put alot of time and myself into and after making alot of long distance trips decided I wanted a long distance bike. Was looking at the Kingpin Touring from Victory, but after building one on their site, found out it would cost more than my now, '08 FLTR anny edition........ So, even tho the HD wasn't cheap, it got me what I wanted and was, for me, a cost savings too.......ain't into the Gold wing thang. I gotta say, the experience with my Roady has me sayin' WTF took me so long to make the plunge! All the metrics I have ridden, without exception have HUGE low end torque, but the Roady handles better, is more comfortable, and is a absolute joy to ride! Plus, 54 miles to the gallon ain't half bad either!

 

I lived in Needles calif. and worked in Laughlin nevada. Once a year for a week I had to drive through all that "Biker traffic" for the Laughlin run each year. Funny, at the time I didn't realize it, but I must have deep down wanted to join them, even though I thought I hated that week each year. So then comes the shut down of the power plant I worked out. At 49 I tell the wife I'm gonna get a bike, she says yeah right. Then I get my permit. Then I get a package for my lay-off (in '07). Got enough money from paid up life to buy a v star 1100 in '07. Then came the vacation in August of this year in Florida. Rented an Electra Glide Ultra Classic for 3 day while there. Bought one ('09 Vivid black) last weekend. WooHoo!!!!!! Oh, by the way. I think it may have also been tied to that mid life crisis thing, too.....

 

Just turned 42, have had many sport bikes and I think its just time for something different, at first didnt really like cruisers style of bike but now im really into it and im very excited to get into a different type of bike.

 

what he said:

I think people own Harleys later in life for a variety of reasons. There probably are some who always wanted one, but due to finances or other priorities, never had the opportunity until later in life. My opinion is the vast majority who don't own Harleys until later in life are from two schools:
1) Those that have ridden other makes (sport bikes, sport tourers, other types), and now either want something different, or just think a Harley fits their evolved riding style. Harleys aren't fast, nor are they sexy in the sense of being sleek and modern looking. When you are a bit older, perhaps you appreciate the heritage, classical aesthetics, and maybe even the American manufacturing aspect more than when you are younger. Not to mention the "need for speed" isn't your top priority any longer. Most folks who think their bored out and enhanced Harley is fast have never been much into sport bikes or other brands....so in a relative sense maybe they are correct...compared to other Harleys.

 

Your post about the playing cards on the Schwinns brought back a lot of memories. We spent a lot of time riding our neighborhood with playing cards in our spokes. I don't know if you ever tried it but back then if you wanted a REALLY bad-*** sound you could tie balloons to the fender braces so that the spokes would rub the balloons, they didn't last as long as the cards but it was worth it for the sound. Funny thing is back then I had a black Schwinn "one-speed" with white pin-stripes and now I have a black '03 bike with light grey accents, I guess I never really grew up.

 

I guess some things never change. Back when I was a kid, the appeal of Stingray bikes puzzled me. The same with playing cards in the spokes. Now that I'm all grown up (56), it's cruiser motorcycles and the behavior of some of their riders that has me scratching my head. I admit, I don't "get it" and I'm not putting down those who do.