Funny interactions with motorcycle riders?

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue May 22, 2012 12:18 pm

Some Harley riders think it's exclusively theirs.

Silly Harley riders.

black sunshine · Post by **black sunshine** » Tue May 22, 2012 3:36 pm

i've been getting the wave back about 90% of the time lately. doesn't matter what kind of bike they're on . . . actually, with so many new people on scoots nowadays, they're LESS likely to give the wave than bikers!

Capt_Don · Post by **Capt_Don** » Wed May 23, 2012 5:29 am

I got a friendly honk from a three wheeler cruising down Big Ben tonight, honked back!

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:02 am

Well, I had a good interaction today. Wasn't funny, but close enough.

I was riding west on Colorado Blvd heading into Eagle Rock and a large group of sport bike riders were parked at a gas station at the intersection with Figueroa Ave. One pulled out and made a left heading west (my direction) on Colorado, my light turned green, and the race was on!

haha no. But he was cruising along at around 35-40mph and I just flew right past him. Then he passed me and I let him lead. Then he let me pass at a light, and i got the feeling he was checking out the scooter (i was riding my Agility). We both end up next to each other at the next light and for the first time EVER i roll up on my little scooter right next to a 1000cc sportbike with nothing ahead of us but daylight. So I looked over and said 'nice bike' He said "thanks" and said he enjoyed riding it, great day for it, etc. I asked about top speed, he said 160 or something like that and the light turned. He did not blow me out of the water on the green, either. That was nice.

Then at the next light he pulled up to make a left turn, turned and said "nice sharing a ride with you today" and i told him likewise and to ride safe and he agreed to.

That was it and it was good

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:55 pm

I was on a MC driving down our street and met my wife going the opposite direction on the scoot. She gave me "the wave" ... I ignored her and looked away.

When I arrived home she called me a curse word .... and she (almost) never swears.

Rob

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:07 am

Sigh. This scene was pretty much like a commercial. For what, I don't know. Nutrisystems, maybe. Grecian formula. Whatever.

A slightly paunchy middle aged guy on a putt putt little red scooter pulls up to a stoplight next to a sleek, white sportbike. He looks over to see that astride this beast of a machine is a long and lean fashion model wearing knee-high lace up boots, jeans, a well-fit black Dainese leather jacket, Rev'It gloves and full helmet. She turns her head—in slow motion—and glances down at him. He's just staring back blankly, but he can tell that in her helmet, she's kind of grinning slightly when she turns away to look straight ahead. The light turns green, and she's gone.

(Yes, I am very attentive when it comes to other riders' gear, ha. Not just the sportbike riding models.)

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:58 am

Well, I had one recently that struck me funny. I was riding on California Blvd near Cal Tech and a small VStar pulls out in front of me. The rider is small, wearing a backpack, and is riding somewhat slowly on the right hand side of the two lane road. Sort of like a moped, but def "in the street." He was well ahead of me and unaware of my presence. So he wasn't considering me. I approached quickly at 40mph (an indication of how slowly he was riding in a 40mph zone) but kept my distance for a bit as he drifted further to the curb.

Finally I caught up with him at a light and being he was still to the right of the lane, I pulled up next to him in the center of the lane. I looked at his bike and out of courtesy said "nice bike." He looked at the Blackjack up and down, gave a little smirk and chuckle, the light turned green, and i smoked his slow ass on a little scooter. Watched him in my rear view mirror, riding the shoulder. And his bike was working just fine.

Most other "interactions" I have had recently have been pretty positive. Nod's, acknowledgement from other riders on the road. Street and sport bike riders seem the most responsive it seems. The old Harley guys...or those kind of cruiser riders in general...can be almost laughable sometimes, however. Talk about being invisible on the road. They don't even glance.

Actually one did recently as he passed closely to me on Fairfax. He was with a female passenger. She looked and kept looking. He looked and quickly looked away as he laughed. As to not let my scooter taint his fat and old manly man image.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:56 am

I pulled up to an R1 at a light and began to rev my throttle to get his attention.

He looked over as I continued to jump the Buddy. He flipped his visor up and so did I. He said he'd race me to the next light for a Starbucks. I said you're on! We flipped our visors down and lowered our heads and rev'd up. The light flashed green and we let it rip!

I was ahead and then he was ahead, it was back and forth and back and forth - up to 45mph! Lucky for him I had to turn left before the next light or I would've smoked his arse!

He waved and I saluted back. It was fun.

He never blew me out of the water. Nice guy.

amy · Post by **amy** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:18 pm

At the Blue vs. Grey Rally in Nashville a couple of weeks ago, we did a group ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway (lots of scoots) and as we got back to civilization a Harley guy and his b*tch got stuck in the middle of our group ride.

lol I don't know if he enjoyed it or was anxious to get out of it, but I think his passenger liked us.

Stitch · Post by **Stitch** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:50 pm

I just did a looong ride on a pink buddy 125 (I'm 5'11", 265lb) and the reactions are hit or miss. Real riders are usually pretty cool, poser/biker types are usually the doucebags you would expect them to be. A little good natured ribbing is to be expected, so is scooters drag racing bigger bikes between lights. Don't get mad if not everyone waves, sometimes they didn't see you, or they are shifting, or focused on something else, or they have very small genitalia and are overcompensating. No worries, do your own thing, let them do theirs.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:54 am

Stitch wrote:I just did a looong ride on a pink buddy 125 (I'm 5'11", 265lb) and the reactions are hit or miss. Real riders are usually pretty cool, poser/biker types are usually the doucebags you would expect them to be. A little good natured ribbing is to be expected, so is scooters drag racing bigger bikes between lights. Don't get mad if not everyone waves, sometimes they didn't see you, or they are shifting, or focused on something else, or they have very small genitalia and are overcompensating. No worries, do your own thing, let them do theirs.

I got a lot of attention when I'd ride the pink Buddy. Most of it was pretty funny and nice. The serious motorcycle guys would just ignore it.

A friend sent my wife an IM one day saying she'd seen a guy riding a pink scooter and thought, "Damn, he must be pretty confident and secure in his masculinity." Then the scooter got closer and she noticed it was me.

Ah, I love that story!

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:59 am

Not an interaction exactly, but…

There's a stretch of rather busy road in a heavily trafficked and populated area that, for some reason, entices the asshats to do wheelies. Once a week or so I see some jackass on a sportbike doing wheelies out in front of traffic. Not sure who they're trying to impress. The In-n-Out employees, maybe. (Locals, this is Lankershim between Burbank and Oxnard in NoHo.)

A couple days ago, saw a rather squirrely guy on a white Ducati 848. Nice bike. He's wearing shorts, a muscle tee, sneakers, full helmet. Unsurprisingly adorned with "tribal" tattoos. Oregon plates. Every time a light would turn green, he would pull out in front of the cars and start jerking up on the bars. Up and down, up and down, yet he couldn't get it to wheelie! (He hasn't figured out throttling and popping the clutch, I guess.) It was pretty funny and a little pathetic.

Southerner · Post by **Southerner** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:28 am

I never understood the purpose of that on a streetbike. They handle much better with both wheels on the ground, I find.

There really isn't much of that sort of sportbike hooliganism down here.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:50 am

ericalm wrote:A couple days ago, saw a rather squirrely guy on a white Ducati 848. Nice bike. He's wearing shorts, a muscle tee, sneakers, full helmet. Unsurprisingly adorned with "tribal" tattoos. Oregon plates. Every time a light would turn green, he would pull out in front of the cars and start jerking up on the bars. Up and down, up and down, yet he couldn't get it to wheelie! (He hasn't figured out throttling and popping the clutch, I guess.) It was pretty funny and a little pathetic.

If he's that inexperienced, the first time he figures out to pop the clutch, he's going to find himself on his arse separated from his expensive Italian steed.

Demo_Nic · Post by **Demo_Nic** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:54 am

He's also going to find his skin separated from his arse. ;p

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 6:28 am

haha demo that is funneh

i had an interesting interaction with an mc rider i would like to share for myself. not gonna make an entire thread for it, though. so this one will have to do

i was leaving a bar after talking to a guy in there that rides ELECTRIC scooters. i respect all two wheeled riders and we had a nice convo. but when i walked out back to leave and got close to the BJ a voice came calling from behind.

"don't go too fast on that thing"

he said it with humor, and i turned to see a gentleman sitting smoking a cig with a Harley Sportster nearby. i walked over, we talked a good 45min.

he is a 45 year rider, started in '67, never been licensed, never been in an accident. i told him i was thinking of a bigger scooter...BUT, the Sportster "Iron" has caught my attention. he encouraged me to learn how to operate a motorcycle, said it was simple, and msf could learn me the basics.

so, will i take the plunge? well, i am taking msf soon so i will learn how to operate a shifty. good. first step, done

i really don't feel the need for a "bike." but ONE. and maybe thats how a lot of people start? i like the Harley Sportster Iron, and this dude said it is easy to ride and maintain and reliable.

he gave me 3 pieces of riding advice:

1. SEE everything, we are invisible, never assume
2. Always wear boots
3. Practice riding on empty streets in the wet and rain to hone riding skills and communicate intimately with your bike

we talked about more stuff, but it was a very encouraging convo for me. and, he liked the scooter, too

nice

thats it.

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 1:04 pm

I started out thinking I was only going to ride a scooter, but things changed with the more and further I rode from home; after several changes to both scoots and motorcycles I now have a nice combo...my 2009 Buddy 125 for most short commutes and some recreational riding and my 2009 Yamaha V Star 650 Classic (which is often among the smaller bikes for group rides) for most recreational rides and some commuting; it also gives me the ability to delve into 2 different social groups that often will not interact with each other (learned the hard way on several occasions from both sides of the road); as long as you respect the capabilities and shortcomings of both platforms you can have a nice balanced combo to have fun with and rely on for alternative transportation to 4-wheeled vehicles

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:16 pm

Since I've been going to Boulder (some 35 miles away) at least once a week now, I've had much different interactions.

1) many are surprised that the Buddy does just fine on those 55mph stretches, unless the wind is actively trying to push me back down the hill.

2) I encounter a LOT more 2-wheels of all kinds, including bicycles.

Most of the 'commuter' people that aren't out for just fun give me the down low or will say hi at a light. This goes double on Kym, which looks more like a motorcycle anyway.

Some people are deeply offended that a little green scooter will go flying right by them if they're not up to speed. a lot of the super loud "my mother didn't pay attention to me" garage-queen types give me a hearty chuckle. I giggle at the fact that they spent so much $$ to ride poorly on a chromed out mid life crisis mobile, which will surely be sold for half price once they 'settle down'.

bucky119 · Post by **bucky119** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:52 am

I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I would share a few experiences I've had with the buddy since I've owned it (going on 2 months now and loving every ride).

I had one very interesting day this past Sunday, went out for a ride since the weather was wonderful, first stop light I get to I hear, "are you a boy or girl?" from this over-sized Chevy truck next to me, I flip up my visor and ask, "a boy, you?" He looked over at his friend and chuckled then the light turned green and I went on with my ride.

Literally the next stop light (about half a mile down the hill) I'm sitting in my lane, all of a sudden a kid about 17 years old, backwards hat, sunglasses, tank-top with shorts and sandals on his modded ruckus pulls up. I look over at him, he asks me the usual questions (cc's, mileage, top speed, etc.) said he was having a hard time catching up to me, wanted to see what I was riding, not to long after the light goes green and we speed off (well I do, he just made a lot of noise not going anywhere) I end up losing him, and continue riding for a good hour or so.

Before ending the trip I stopped at the gas station, pulled in and noticed a group of about 4 or 5 people standing in front of the store. Business as usual, I fill up and leave, they noticed it only took me a couple minutes, so as I was pulling out I look back and see one of them running to the pump, not believing what she saw she called everyone else over to look, I smirked and headed home.

Moments after getting home I was getting the scooter put away and I hear this roar coming down the road, I stopped what I was doing and seconds later 4 ruckus's are going by, the guy leading the pack is the same one I chatted with earlier, he looked over and waved as they went by.

Pretty interesting day.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:07 pm

I was stopped waiting for a left-turn arrow yesterday on my way home, and coming towards me was some big honkin' Harley. As he approaches, the under-geared rider yells "hey, I like your bike, man!".

I couldn't tell if he was serious.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:53 pm

I ran into so many motorcycles on my way to Amerivespa (900 miles each way)

Some of the best interactions were being overtaken by a pack of goldwings that actually rode in formation around me for a few miles, some guy on an enduro bike coming the opposite way flailing his fist in the air madly at me and a whole bunch of motorcyclists passing me while on the uphills in west virginia (I was doing 45 with 3rd gear and WOT) only for me to catch up and pass them on the downhill

we took different directions at the bottom of that mountain but not before I got cheered on big time.

kitty · Post by **kitty** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:35 am

JHScoot wrote: so, will i take the plunge? well, i am taking msf soon so i will learn how to operate a shifty. good. first step, done

You didn't have to take the class or do a road test for a license? Honestly, it's really nothing to learn to shift. If you can drive a manual car, it's basically like getting in one you're not used to.

I'm still stalling a little from a stop. My uncle (former Harley rider) was here tonight so I took Stella out, he took her up the street, big goofy grin on his face. He was a bit unsure, keeps razzing me calling it a moped, but he gave me some pointers too. Once I got going I didn't stall the rest of my ride tonight.

black sunshine · Post by **black sunshine** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:38 pm

i got the wave - FULL ON WAVE - from a motorcycle cop today

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 3:01 pm

black sunshine wrote:i got the wave - FULL ON WAVE - from a motorcycle cop today

He was signaling for you to pull over.

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:30 pm

When my GF and I go riding, we light-heartedly and almost secretly call ourselves "Team Black" as a parody of Honda, Kawasaki, etc. being Team Red, Team Green, etc. She rides our black Buddy 125 scooter and I ride our black Honda CBR250R motorcycle (we even both have black full face helmets, black armored jackets, and black leather riding gloves), so we have a lot of experience with this. We go to both scooter and motorcycle events, riding together this way. Surprisingly enough, the curiosity is about her bike 2/3 of the time. Here's some attention we've gotten when riding together lately...

- We recently went to a local bike night and she was the only scooter there. When she pulled up in the parking lot, a group of bikers went "awwww" and smiled.

- A couple on matching Kawasaki Ninja 250R's approached us to ask us about our fuel economy. They were amazed at my 70mph and blown away by her 90mpg.

- We've been out riding together many times as Team Black and had people throw out the peace sign and/or nod to us.

- I've been to Scooter Club meetings with her and received a lot of curiosity about my CBR250R from the guys who are into scooters because of the economy.

- We've been at a stoplight together, had a truck pull up beside us, and roll down the window to ask about her scooter. They asked "is that the 125?" She nodded, and they gave her a thumbs up as she cracked the throttle when the light turned green.

Motorcycle VS scooter contrasting is commonplace in our household, with her and I fiercely defending our choice of 2-wheel transport. We both have a great deal of appreciation for each other's bike though. She rides 2-up with me over longer interstate cruises just for the hour long hug, and I take her 125 out for top speed/performance runs on stretches of highway sometimes. Good times had by all.

JAEGER · Post by **JAEGER** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:56 pm

Motorcycles and scooters are tools designed with particular purposes in mind; motorcycles are generally (but not always) designed with higher speeds and longer distances in mind, whereas scooters are (generally) designed for lower speeds, more agility, and more cargo, all of which are extremely useful in urban environments.

I used to think scooters were crap until I got to ride a couple and realized there's a lot to be said for having a step-through. When I was looking for a lightweight commuter bike (to compliment my full-sized bike) I did consider getting a DRZ400SM or something of the like, but realized given my current situation (living within a 5-mile radius 99% the time including my commute) the scooter made more sense.

My Triumph is simply too big, heavy, and fast to effectively use in my day-to-day life. When I had a 20-mile one-way commute it was great, but the past few years I've barely ridden because the bike wasn't even warmed up by the time I got the office. Furthermore, simple things like going to the grocery store were a pain due to the lack of integral cargo.

Besides -- and I'll probably catch hell for this but oh well -- I'm much more comfortable squidding on the scooter than I am on the bike. When it's hot I prefer shorts and sandals, and going to change into armor and boots every time I get on the bike is prohibitive. With the scooter I'm less worried about burns, crushes, or suffering from "poor impulse control" on the throttle.

Scooters are tools built for a particular environment. The fact that someone is up on 2 and exposed to the rest of the crap that we all deal with -- motorcycle or step-through scooter alike -- is what counts. I'll wave to anyone up on 2 just to be friendly, we're all in this together.

--Jaeger

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 5:12 pm

JAEGER wrote: I'll wave to anyone up on 2 just to be friendly, we're all in this together.

You got that, man. Good on ya'! "Feel the Love" haha

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:12 pm

Best riff I was able to return was from a gangbanger wannabe in a Crown Vic, just as a light was changing.

He said, "Hey man, do a wheelie!"

I was on the P, and I'd recently rebuilt the clutch with fresh springs and the Malossi plate kit, so it was relatively easy to oblige him. Rode it about 20-25 feet with with the front aloft.

Once I put the front tire back down, I flipped open my helmet and yelled back, "Your turn."

amy · Post by **amy** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:20 pm

Rusty Shackleford wrote:
- We recently went to a local bike night and she was the only scooter there. When she pulled up in the parking lot, a group of bikers went "awwww" and smiled.

That's so cute.

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:07 pm

amy wrote:That's so cute.

It totally was. We're like some sort of 2-member, non-threatening, small-displacement, bike club.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:21 pm

az_slynch wrote:Best riff I was able to return was from a gangbanger wannabe in a Crown Vic, just as a light was changing.

He said, "Hey man, do a wheelie!"

I was on the P, and I'd recently rebuilt the clutch with fresh springs and the Malossi plate kit, so it was relatively easy to oblige him. Rode it about 20-25 feet with with the front aloft.

Once I put the front tire back down, I flipped open my helmet and yelled back, "Your turn."

I really need to add a Facebook-style "Like" button.

Papa Bear · Post by **Papa Bear** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:16 pm

I have a buddy with a full dress Harley, 800# of chrome and fringes (looks like a rolling whorehouse). Stereo, gps, ... I told him to just get a convertible.

He asked me how big my engine is (125) and how long it takes to go 0-30. I told him I would race him 0-30 for $100. He hasn't taken the bet.

Skippy · Post by **Skippy** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:13 pm

I've only been riding a few months but notice that motorcyclists always turn their heads and stare when I ride by. It's rare to see a scooter in my area so it definitely gets noticed. Plus, I'm female, so they probably think it's more acceptable to have me on it. If anything, I look at it as we're all two wheeling the streets so there's a level of respect.

On the other hand, I saw a commercial on TV the other night that had a brief dis of scooter riding. It showed a person on a scooter as the "bad experience" to have and then someone riding a motorcycle as the "good experience". Cheap shot.

Stilts · Post by **Stilts** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:25 pm

A Harley rider pulled up to me and my Stella at a stop light recently and asked, "What kind of mileage do you get on that?"

"Last fill up was damn near 90mpg," I replied.

"*#@#@!!! I'm lucky if I get 35," he exclaimed. "In fact, this damn light's about to go on and I just filled it up a few days ago! We'll all be riding what you're on soon enough!"

We laughed in agreement, he gave me a nod, and then pulled away.

I find that the older Harley guys around my neck of the woods are more apt to give the wave than sportbikers and/or younger Harley riders. I got quite a few when I was out and about the weekend before last riding some country roads near the water out in Essex/Dundalk.

Witch · Post by **Witch** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:36 am

I had a pretty amusing interaction with 2 motorcycles on the freeway last year.

Both of them were obviously riding together, and yet pulled up in both lanes on either side of me (there were only 3 lanes where we were at). They paced me for a little while, both alternately looking at me, then the road, then me, then the road. The one to my left gave me a really confused look, as if to say, "WTF are you doing here?!" and then sped off. The one to the right gave me one last glance, smiled broadly under his face mask, and gave me a big thumbs up and head nod before he sped off as well.

I've had many similar encounters on the freeways around here since, though never with more than one rider at a time.

TomCat · Post by **TomCat** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 7:17 pm

So far my experience is that 9 out of 10 times the rider going the other way gives the low-down biker wave, no matter what they are riding.
We are all two wheel brothers & sisters at the end of the day.

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Sun May 12, 2013 1:15 pm

This is my thought on harley people in my area. If you look at there house they live in I bet it is about to fall down. So let them laughter.

Modern Buddy

Funny interactions with motorcycle riders?

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Re: Interactions