Why is it that a person suddenly thinks he/she is tough when they get a Harley Davidson motorcycle?
GenO asked:
I know and see people all the time that change into this Badass tough guy/gal when they get a Harley.
What is the psychology behind the ownership?
I know and see people all the time that change into this Badass tough guy/gal when they get a Harley.
What is the psychology behind the ownership?
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
cause you got to be tough to push one of those down the road
they are heavy and they break down a lot
July 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Years back it was a rebellious thing to do. There were bikers like the HELLS ANGELS , BANDEDOS ECT. and they were some bad dudes. People you dont want to mess with. So when some banker or lawyer get a nice Harley it makes them feel big and bad.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
actually the reliability is pretty damn good, unless it’s really cool(old)… the bike owners are usually proud as hell, because the bikes are real. save up some greenbacks and check one out. I get so sick of seeing plastichrome on the clones. Don’t worry about how tough somebody else might be.
July 28th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Are you jelous Geno? I can see where this comes from being named after a small sh*tty cheap pizza. Been riding Harley’s 21 years and probably been gettin’ busy with your ladies BEFORE you for that length of time.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
they think of themselves as latter day hells angels but in reality they are showing off how much money they earn,and this in the UK.They only don leathers a the weekend,sad really.One redeeming factor is the Harley produced BUELL.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Because they’re all about image - many new hardly buyers are buying into the brand image, and really know very little about motorcycles - if they did they’d buy almost anything else.
and, before a load of hardly riders get upset by this - I know there are some riders who like the American iron, and can ride - it is a matter of taste - if you like overweight slow bikes with no cornering clearance, weak brakes limp suspension and a windsock riding position, well, that’s your right!
August 1st, 2008 at 3:39 am
What’s the psychology about worrying about what everybody else is doing.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:25 am
Harley-Davidson has an excellent marketing/sales department. They sell an image and people buy into it.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:26 am
We all buy into an image, us rocket riders think we’re riding gods, Harley owners think theyre the roughest toughest…. and Geno thinks he’s pizza delivery boy
August 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Stop hatin; get on the city bus, I’m sure you’ll find someone on that bus that feels they’re a badass, and will be more than happy to prove it if you want them to.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Its not just the Harleys ,its any kind of bike and its because we are badass tough guys/gals. /peace
August 11th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I imagine its a psychological yearn to be tough or their perception of ‘cool’. Make no mistake, people do buy images: houses, cars, bikes, whatever , to keep up with the Jones’s. It’s the ‘look at me’ syndrome, like the guys with loud cars or radios.
I was born into the biker mentality, riding, repairing & customizing & have seen lots of die hard ‘rice’ guys sell their bikes, get a harley & tattoos, it dosen’t bug me, people change their mind all the time, just check the attitude at the door; and stop raggin’ on biker clubs; theres lots of good people in them & yeah, some are not to be fuccked with.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:59 am
donknow bout dat, been riding since 16 years old got my colors at age 19 and I can kick your ass any day of da week and twice on Sundays.A.F.F.A.81 DATS RIGHT RED AND WHITE!!!
August 14th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
its not the bike its the inner person in yourself. strength and confindence. mix the bike with your inner feelings and personality and you have what people like you call badass or tough guy/gal. it plays the same i would guess for you gay guys…. your in the closet most of your life and then you get a new weiner in your life or wherever you want to put it and suddenly your a full blown out of the closet butt pirate.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
True story
I drive an old Toyota pickup some Harley guy flipped me off. So I know this guy is from town so I follow him home park in front of his house and Politely ask him what he wanted? He runs into the house so fast the heel came off his Harley Boot and calls the cops. The cops stop and I tell them he waved to me so I stopped to ask him what he wanted first time i ever laughed with a cop
August 18th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I could be the 100,000 instant “bros” they get with the free HOG membership.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
you just wish you were as tough as chopperriderfister.
His moma sent him to school and financed his hardley for him. He has 713 miles on the bike 702 of those as a fisters passenger.
Isn’t it obvious where the toughness comes from
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU ARE STERO-
TYPING PEOPLE ON HARLEY’S. PEOPLE THINK THEY’RE BAD WHEN THEY GET ON A CROTCH ROCKET TOO GEE MAYBE IT COULD BE THE POWER BETWEEN THEIR LEGS.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
please leave the posers alone.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
say, if u drive a beemer or a merc, you’d get the feeling of tidyness, proffesionalism, sporty, luxury…
but once you sit on a hd bike, you soon get that powerful, arrogant, or the you-can-break-anything-that-gets-in your way feeling…i get so excited just by hearing hd exhaust sound..they’re great and classic bikes!
August 26th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
OMG!
What an idiot.
August 29th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Just wanted to comment, on your ?. I am a proud owner of a Harley, a real motorcycle. I don’t think I am a badass because of the scooter. I just like to enjoy the freedom a motorcycle offers. Its peeps like y0u, who give riders a bad rap. Its an attitude one has if they own a motorcycle or not. its a personality thing. LOL Spunkiewolf
August 31st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hmmm, this is a fair question I guess. Bikers in general have a bad reputation. Harley owners get the larger portion of that bad rap. All bikers buy what they can afford or are willing to invest over time. All bikers end up buying their dream machine, or at least try to. As for the Bad-Ass rap, the shoe fits all catagories. I’ve been plowed off the road by idiots who are riding crotch rockets doing wheel stands for blocks. I laugh when I see the colored lights and siren go after one during a
mid-day rush hour. The world is full of Bad-Ass idiots, and all of them were most likely that way long before they bought a Harley. As for all the Harley haters out there, I’d like to escort you all to the Sturgis biker rally one day . They’d recognize every sissy ass I brought with me. I’ve read a few posts from Harley haters, and it is obvious your climb up the social evolution ladder isn’t much beyond the first couple rungs. Such bitterness from people so quick to judge without concrete evidence. My ride is an 07 Harley Dyna Low Rider.
I wave at all bikers while on the road, any make or model. I’d cruise with any of them if they thought I was worth riding with. I wear leather, chains and patches etc. have children & grandchildren. The Harley group I ride with is thousands strong and most are simple family folk like myself. Some are definitely bad-ass dudes that can bench press their bikes. When I ride with them I am proud, safe, content, and recognized by them as one who likes to ride as they do, no questions asked.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:51 am
I think it’s more in the eye of the beholder. Many of us who ride Harleys do indeed enjoy the instant camaraderie of being members of the local HOG chapter - for me it provided an opportunity to mix with others who enjoy riding, who accept me for what and who I am even though we come from some incredibly diverse backgrounds, philosophies, income levels, political leanings and tastes - and who encourage me to enjoy the road with them whenever I can (which is not often enough!). I also like all the great riding advice I get from all these much more experienced riders! I, too, wear leathers when I ride, more for a comfort reason than anything else (it gets cold in the wind and I like the potential road-rash protection). If some uninformed person sees me walk into the grocery store in my leathers and thinks I’m trying to be a bad-ass, maybe they should assume instead that I’m trying to buy my dinner. If you want to know why I bought a Harley instead of a Japanese bike, it’s because Harleys have such a great reputation, they retain their value over the years (same reason my other car is a Honda Civic) and, in the case of the motorcycle - well, I wanted a Harley. That’s reason enough. People shouldn’t jump to negative judgements based on their own prejudices. I was in show business long enough to know that the outward appearance - the costume and props - don’t necessarily give insight into the person beneath. On the other hand, sometimes it’s just fun to join the group and ‘wear the uniform’ for the circle you are hanging with that day. It doesn’t mean I’m automatically going to start a rumble, any more than my gear that I wear when I’m out on my horse means that I’m going to rustle me some cattle.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:36 am
If you have to ask, we can’t explain. Just take the bus.