Riding the Best!
As you can tell, I have a soft spot inside for motorcycles. My main reasons have always been the same; freedom, ease of use, quickness, convenience, and style! Riding a bike is an image. Everybody knows that. If you have to stereotype, well then; big Harley groups with Harley gear, Asian gangs with their pocket rockets, street gangs with their tricked out super bikes, etc. Yep, those are all stereotypes. Stuff you've seen on TV. Only a part of it is true. Yes, some groups stick to certain brands and types of bike. Some prefer only U.S.A. bikes. Some prefer only foreign bikes. But all of them ride! Many riders prefer lightweight, easy to control bikes, that they can actually balance easily, or pick up by themselves if they fall (which is a no-no). Others must have the heavyweight bikes. The ones with real cruising power, and very manly. Some of these groups wouldn't be caught dead on any other type of bike but their own type. Yep, that''s the biking world. But they almost all ride for the same reasons I listed above. It's a brotherhood (and sisterhood) of riders. Many acknowledging another rider passing by with the left hand out low, or the fist, or the peace sign (a little outdated),or other versions of recognition, only given to another rider. Let me menton a few brands that are familiar:Harley Davidson - Everybody in the modern world knows Harleys. The strong, rugged, shape and design classic to the brand. Not to mention its specific motor sound. The top of the heap in the U.S. Just last week on TV, I was watching a show about a Harley factory, and the brand new styles and body designs, along with a new, and different engine. They were worried, they said, about unveiling the new body styles and the new engine, thinking they might lose a lot of loyal Harley riders by changing. But change is inevitable, and you have to keep up. What I saw in the new stuff was looking awesome cool to me. A sleek body design, with a more powerful engine that blended right in to the new look. It still looked like a Harley to me; just modernized. I wish I had one. They looked sweet to me.
Ducati - If you know motors at all, then you know about Ducati. Top of the line, built very well, and expensive as hell. I have wanted one my whole life, but I can't afford it. I rode one once in my life, and it's a feeling like no other. It's so nice, you're worried you might mess it up by riding it. Maybe it's better leave it in the garage, with the door open, so everybody can just look at it and be jealous.
Honda - A classic bike that's also well know and has been around forever. There are millions of Honda's on the road, both in the U.S. and around the world. They are easy to work on, easy to get parts for, and easy to ride.There are thousands of them right here where I am in the P.I. And I don't see them ever going out of business any time soon.
Suzuki - I have one as I mentioned. It's reliable, and easy to ride. They have been around a long time, too, but I think lately, with their newer designs and changes, they are making a growth spurt. They weren't as popular as the Honda for a long time, but they still have a strong name. It runs much better now than they used to. Almost all the ones sold here are semi-automatic.
Kawasaki - I owned a big one in the States. I had it for years. I do mean years, as it kept on running and running, and almost neer broke down. I got kidded a lot in south Texas because I was riding a "foreign bike". But they all liked it, and it's dual exhaust set up that rattled windows. Yep, mine was a little bit modified.
Numerous off-brands - Many bikes here are made in Korea, or Taiwan, or other places that are made strictly to sell quickly to people in countries that do not have access, or cannot afford a good, brand name bike. They are shipped in by the truckload. And, they are sold quickly, too. I could give you a long list of names of these bikes, but I couldn't tell you who made half of them. Many of them don't even have a visible company logo on them; just a nickname or abbreviation on the side.
Some people could call me disloyal, since I have so many different brands. But I'm not disloyal to any brand name; I'm just loyal to riding, period!
Some peopleSS
Numerous off-brand