Back when....???
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8,852
Likes: 2,493
From: Decatur, Alabama
These days there are too many guys trading in their bike after a couple of years. I never will understand that.
Back in the day, more guys worked on their own bike.
When you used to go to the bike shop, it smelled of oil and exhaust and was generally kind of dirty, especially the parts counter. The only "apparel" you could buy was maybe a T shirt. Now, the bike shop is a fashion boutique.
A few mentioned this already: Too many people worried about what to wear and what others are going to think about them for wearing it.
I do think there was a lot less tolerance for jap bikes years ago than there is now. If you were to show up at a rally with a Honda, it would probably get knocked over, set on fire, or simply smashed. Heck, I was riding a Sporty and was catching crap for it from the guys with the "big bikes". (They weren't called baggers then).
Back in the day, more guys worked on their own bike.
When you used to go to the bike shop, it smelled of oil and exhaust and was generally kind of dirty, especially the parts counter. The only "apparel" you could buy was maybe a T shirt. Now, the bike shop is a fashion boutique.
A few mentioned this already: Too many people worried about what to wear and what others are going to think about them for wearing it.
I do think there was a lot less tolerance for jap bikes years ago than there is now. If you were to show up at a rally with a Honda, it would probably get knocked over, set on fire, or simply smashed. Heck, I was riding a Sporty and was catching crap for it from the guys with the "big bikes". (They weren't called baggers then).
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,783
Likes: 10
From: Oh
Back in 63' I started out on a panhead basket case I put together that fell apart every time I rode it. Of course I was a snot nose kid that didn't know anything about bikes, let alone Harleys. The thing that stands out for me is how other bikers that saw me on that panhead and heard my story on how I put it together myself, they kinda took me into their brood and helped me keep it running. They laughed at me alot but, I knew I was becoming part of something that I didn't understand at the time.
Back then little respect was given to anyone that didn't wrench on their own bike. There were a lot less Harleys around and anyone that had one knew who else in town had one, so you already had that "part of the club mentality". For me I was known as that crazy kid that fell down alot and was always wrenching on his bike. These guys that took me under their wing taught me more than what it was to ride a motorcycle. They showed me a life style that lives with me to this day.
Todays riders IMO live the life style on weekends and then go back to whatever lives they have during the week. It is easy to pick out those rightous weekend warriors in a crowd with their creased jeans, polished bikes and all the leather to look the part. It is when you start to talk to some of them, you realize some of these guys don't have a clue about what was around before they became "bikers". And so I will end with this, riding a Harley should come with knowing the history of Harleys and their riders from the past, because they are why you are enjoying your ride today and believe or not, we owe them something.
Back then little respect was given to anyone that didn't wrench on their own bike. There were a lot less Harleys around and anyone that had one knew who else in town had one, so you already had that "part of the club mentality". For me I was known as that crazy kid that fell down alot and was always wrenching on his bike. These guys that took me under their wing taught me more than what it was to ride a motorcycle. They showed me a life style that lives with me to this day.
Todays riders IMO live the life style on weekends and then go back to whatever lives they have during the week. It is easy to pick out those rightous weekend warriors in a crowd with their creased jeans, polished bikes and all the leather to look the part. It is when you start to talk to some of them, you realize some of these guys don't have a clue about what was around before they became "bikers". And so I will end with this, riding a Harley should come with knowing the history of Harleys and their riders from the past, because they are why you are enjoying your ride today and believe or not, we owe them something.
Last edited by smokindave; Jan 21, 2010 at 06:43 AM.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,389
Likes: 26
From: Windham,Maine
Was always having too much fun then and now to really notice.Loved,and still do,hard excelleration,competition,whatever else it takes to keep the blood flowing.Have to say this,the motors,brakes,all things that make bikes more reliable and fun to ride today make the bikes back then pale in comparison.Today do not ride under any influence.Bikes are just too powerful!
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 970
Likes: 1
That reminds me, remember we had those things you attached to your tank that would hold a map, and at every gas station you had to take the map out, re-fold it so it showed where you were, and put it back in the plastic holder thingy. Or don't...and just ride and not know where the hell you were.
I'm lovin' this thread. But I'm a sucker for "the good ole days" conversations, any time. Here's a pic of my "first chopper." A Honda 450. I bought it in boxes, completely disassembled, when I was 16 years old, and put it all together myself. Had my dad paint it in his shop. Rode it to Myrtle Beach in 1972 or 73. Ran into some 1%'ers who didn't beat me up. Broke a chain and had some bikers pick me up on the side of the road, give me a ride to the nearest town, where I found a garage...garage owner drove me to a bike shop in another town, and I was able to get a new master link. Drove me back to the bike with some tools, and I filed off the broken link, put on the new master link, and was on my way in a couple of hours. All dirty and greasy. Still got laid.
all awesome post. i remember when you stopped on the side of the road the next bike along would stop to see if everything was ok, not just wave and motor on. long story short back in 79 i ran out of gas on my KZ 1000 north of bangor me and a H.A. stopped. came back about 30 min later in a vw bug with gas. those where the days.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 8,642
Likes: 6
From: Forest Lake, Mn
Other than a Red Yamaha RD350 that I co-owned with my younger brother for about a New York minute, (A ticket just waiting to happen) I bought my own first real street bike back in 1976 at the age of 21. It was a Black 1973 Norton 850 Commando. I still have that bike too! I rode with other friends, Dave that had a Triumph and others that had Harleys and one guy, Tom, had a 1000cc BMW and another guy, Bill, (we call him Fisheye) had a Honda CB750. Riding just to ride and enjoying the feeling of being on the open road. Hanging out with my friends and talking about Babes and Bikes and music. Nobody seemed to care what you looked like or what you rode. As the motorcycles of the day did not seem to be as reliable as todays bikes seem to be, wrenching on them was more out of necessity than anything else. I didnt make much money back in those days so I had to be able to keep that ol Norton running to go back and forth to work on. I can say that if I did have access to money, I would still have worked on my own bike. It is a kind of pride of ownership kind of thing and maybe a little bit of bragging rights too! Motorcycle riders were really not as welcome as other people were it seemed to me back then. I remember being told that there were no vacancies a few times when asking for a room at a hotel just because they heard me pull in on my bike. That sucks! The LEOs that I ran into seemed to be much less friendly than the LEOs that I have encountered today. I remember a time that I was pulled over by a LEO while on my Harley. I was wearing a black leather jacket at the time. The first thing he did was throw the cuffs on me before he did anything else. I ran into that same LEO a few days later while I was on my BMW and I was wearing a brown leather jacket. This time he was courteous and he treated me with respect, but I was the same guy, just on a different bike. (It must have been the black jacket) Owning a Harley was not a fad thing to do back then, to me, it was just another motorcycle choice you could make. It seems, to me, to be that it is more of a status thing nowadays to own a Harley, not that that is a bad thing. It is just an observation. To me, there are WAY MORE women owning and riding their own motorcycles now than back then and that is a GREAT thing. I attribute this to the better reliability of the newer Harleys. Thinner handlebars, no kickstarting and a lower seat height have helped this to come about and I think that this is a good thing too! Public acceptability has also helped to open the doors to a wider range of motorcyclist too! It seems to me that more and more celebrities have jumped on the Harley bandwagon in a much more noticeable way. (Although Keanu Reeves seems to be a Norton man and the Ducati also seems to be one of the bikes of choice for the rich and famous. Hanging plastic grocery bags off of my arms while I rode home are still fond memories from my past but todays riders still do it too! I rode a full face helmet in California WAY before it became mandatory and my friends rode without anything but nobody cracked wise to me about it. It was my choice to do as I liked. I do not need the government to TELL ME WHAT TO DO!
I remember using maps to get to where we were going. I like GPS better. It is not perfect but I like it.
I remember trying to find a public telephone that WORKED (and that I had the change to use it) (Hey Mister, can I have change for a dollar to make a telephone call? No! We dont make change. You have to BUY something first) [7-11 SUCKS] when I needed to call someone to come get me after one of my bikes failed. I like cell phones MUCH better. (AAA too!)
I remember when there were NO ANSWERING MACHINES! Someone either answered the phone or not. Leaving a message on a machine does not tell you if you are going to be picked up by your friend or not when you need them to come get you when your bike breaks down.
I remember kick starting my motorcycle even though it had an electric starter. 35 years later, I dont mind having an electric starter so much now.
I remember having to plan to bring along a pick up truck or two, just in case a bike broke down along the way because it was more likely that it would happen than not. Now, I went across the USA, from CA to VA and back again and never even thought about a case truck. I like reliability much better.
I really do not remember knowing ANY females owning or riding their own motorcycles. I really like it better now. Hell, the other day a LEO pulled up on a motorcycle next to me on my motorcycle and IT WAS A WOMAN! She told me that she was one of only two other female bike police officers. Now that is very cool! All in all, I like it much better now, but thats just me.
I remember using maps to get to where we were going. I like GPS better. It is not perfect but I like it.
I remember trying to find a public telephone that WORKED (and that I had the change to use it) (Hey Mister, can I have change for a dollar to make a telephone call? No! We dont make change. You have to BUY something first) [7-11 SUCKS] when I needed to call someone to come get me after one of my bikes failed. I like cell phones MUCH better. (AAA too!)
I remember when there were NO ANSWERING MACHINES! Someone either answered the phone or not. Leaving a message on a machine does not tell you if you are going to be picked up by your friend or not when you need them to come get you when your bike breaks down.
I remember kick starting my motorcycle even though it had an electric starter. 35 years later, I dont mind having an electric starter so much now.
I remember having to plan to bring along a pick up truck or two, just in case a bike broke down along the way because it was more likely that it would happen than not. Now, I went across the USA, from CA to VA and back again and never even thought about a case truck. I like reliability much better.
I really do not remember knowing ANY females owning or riding their own motorcycles. I really like it better now. Hell, the other day a LEO pulled up on a motorcycle next to me on my motorcycle and IT WAS A WOMAN! She told me that she was one of only two other female bike police officers. Now that is very cool! All in all, I like it much better now, but thats just me.
Back in 63' I started out on a panhead basket case I put together that fell apart every time I rode it. Of course I was a snot nose kid that didn't know anything about bikes, let alone Harleys. The thing that stands out for me is how other bikers that saw me on that panhead and heard my story on how I put it together myself, they kinda took me into their brood and helped me keep it running. They laughed at me alot but, I knew I was becoming part of something that I didn't understand at the time.
Back then little respect was given to anyone that didn't wrench on their own bike. There were a lot less Harleys around and anyone that had one knew who else in town had one, so you already had that "part of the club mentality". For me I was known as that crazy kid that fell down alot and was always wrenching on his bike. These guys that took me under their wing taught me more than what it was to ride a motorcycle. They showed me a life style that lives with me to this day.
Todays riders IMO live the life style on weekends and then go back to whatever lives they have during the week. It is easy to pick out those rightous weekend warriors in a crowd with their creased jeans, polished bikes and all the leather to look the part. It is when you start to talk to some of them, you realize some of these guys don't have a clue about what was around before they became "bikers". And so I will end with this, riding a Harley should come with knowing the history of Harleys and their riders from the past, because they are why you are enjoying your ride today and believe or not, we owe them something.
Back then little respect was given to anyone that didn't wrench on their own bike. There were a lot less Harleys around and anyone that had one knew who else in town had one, so you already had that "part of the club mentality". For me I was known as that crazy kid that fell down alot and was always wrenching on his bike. These guys that took me under their wing taught me more than what it was to ride a motorcycle. They showed me a life style that lives with me to this day.
Todays riders IMO live the life style on weekends and then go back to whatever lives they have during the week. It is easy to pick out those rightous weekend warriors in a crowd with their creased jeans, polished bikes and all the leather to look the part. It is when you start to talk to some of them, you realize some of these guys don't have a clue about what was around before they became "bikers". And so I will end with this, riding a Harley should come with knowing the history of Harleys and their riders from the past, because they are why you are enjoying your ride today and believe or not, we owe them something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vcREVub1iM
Read ALL the posts. So in summation:
TOO MANY BIKES,
TOO FEW BIKERS !!!!!!
.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,526
Likes: 601
From: Raleigh NC
as far as everything stated above (including my previous post)
I remember riding up to Clarksville VA, one sunny day... when the thought occurred to me..... if I was doing this ride "back in the day" it would be a long ride (130 miles round trip) instead of "ho hum... just a short jaunt"
I rode to Killington VT with 14 friends, I left town with over 100,000 miles on my odo, and NEVER gave it a thought. There were HDs Kawasaks, Suzukis,Triumphs in the bunch... and not one single worry for the entire trip.
I love to remember the "good old days", when I think back... I remember the GOOD, of them... not the bad. Personally... I like modern bikes better... the only real down side to my current bike... is I'm 59, instead of 24... and THAT makes all the diffference in the world (to me)
I remember riding up to Clarksville VA, one sunny day... when the thought occurred to me..... if I was doing this ride "back in the day" it would be a long ride (130 miles round trip) instead of "ho hum... just a short jaunt"
I rode to Killington VT with 14 friends, I left town with over 100,000 miles on my odo, and NEVER gave it a thought. There were HDs Kawasaks, Suzukis,Triumphs in the bunch... and not one single worry for the entire trip.
I love to remember the "good old days", when I think back... I remember the GOOD, of them... not the bad. Personally... I like modern bikes better... the only real down side to my current bike... is I'm 59, instead of 24... and THAT makes all the diffference in the world (to me)
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
I lived in a small town of about 1100 people back when I bought my first Harley. I was a sophmore in highschool, and the only guy in town with a Harley. There were a few Cushman scooters and such, but that was it. There was an older guy that lived on a farm about 8 miles away that had a newer Harley that I ran into once in awhile. To me things have not changed that much. I rode my old 1942 "45" about the same way I ride my 99 Softail Custom. Alone most of the time. I do ride with my son and grand son sometimes, and a few friends once in a while, but mostly by myself. I enjoy getting out and riding the back roads just like I did then. I think sometimes that the reason I like riding my Harley so much, is because I always wanted an open cockpit biplane, LOL. We did not have helmets in 1955 as I remember, except for the guys that raced. I had drag pipes on my 45, but they were exhaust flex pipe from the hardware store. I have drag pipes on my Softy also. Still, things have not changed that much for me. I still enjoy the magic from my ride, and still wear my old beat up biker jacket that I bought at Sears in 55. I am 69 and and hope to get in a few more years on the rode. I enjoy riding and wrenching just as much now as I did 54 years ago.