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Are we embarrassed to own a Non-HD?

27K views 201 replies 104 participants last post by  cbxer55 
#1 · (Edited)
Sour Harley Grapes
http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158671

I was reading the above thread and it led me to start up this related thread. While I'm using the above grapes thread as the direct reference, there are numerous threads that are similar to this as they pop up every week or two it seems.

You know, I love motorcycles...period. There are Suzuki's I like, and some I do not. There are HD's I like, and some I do not etc. My biggest thing with HD is that it really seems like it is a "seen one, seen em all" type of bike, a dime a dozen. My wife, who likes my 9 but isn't a big motorcycle chick or anything like that, made the comment the other day after we passed a big group of HD's... "I'm glad you have this bike, no other bikes look like it, whereas all of those other bikes we passed looked about the same". That's why I love my 9 over an HD, it stands out.

Now, let me go out on a limb for a moment and make an observation that I think is interesting...

You can't help but notice how all of the HD people do everything they can to show they ride an HD. They have the shirts, jackets, stickers on their pickup truck window and I'm sure some have on their HD boxers or thongs underneath it all. They own an HD and they are proud of it and want everyone to know it.

This seems contrary to our 9 community in ways. Here it seems like many want their Suzuki completely "debadged", no sign of what the bike is... "keep em guessing" etc. I know for most it's about the look, but to anyone outside of the 9 community, it may come off as being embarrassed and trying to hide what we ride. Am I saying that people on this site are embarrassed or hiding what they ride... No, I'm just making an observation of how it could appear.

I semi-debadged this past week by removing the M109r stickers on the side and previously had removed the Suzuki off the tail of the 9. I did this because of how it looked as many do. I'm proud to own a Suzuki and when I'm asked what kind of bike it is, I answer "it's a Suzuki M109r" proudly. I plan to always have something on it that shows what it is, whether it be the Suzuki "S" on the speedo housing or the Boulevard badge on the tank. If I ever repaint, I hope I'll keep Suzuki on it as well, something along the lines of how Bobbymac did his 9.
 
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#170 ·
I'm like you in that I really enjoy owning my C109R. Mine is set up with a solo seat, chrome highway bar, upgraded chrome mirrors and few other refinements. It's long, thick, low, and strong. I've been to several large motorcycle events and still haven't seen another C109R in the flesh. The M's are more numerous. The 109 isn't a dime a dozen bike and I like that fact.
My C109R isn't de-badged. I've only removed the tacky safety stickers, warning stickers that are applied at the factory. I removed and re-positioned the C109R logo's from the side covers to the front, just under the headlight and to the rear, just above the tail light assembly. I think it looks more symmetrical and adds to the look of the bike.
It seems as though a notable amount of HD owners own a HD to fit in with other riders and to maintain their patriotism. Some of them wouldn't really be able to give clear, legitimate reasons why they own a HD. For some, it's about fitting in. I have no problem telling people that it's a Suzuki C109R 1800CC 109Ci muscle cruiser. The last motorcycle event I attended, a HD guy sparked up conversation with me about his "106 Ci" motor and how much HP and torque it delivers to the rear wheel. A buddy of mine let him know that C has a fuel injected, liquid cooled, power commander, TRE, and exhaust servo eliminator and it's a 109Ci motor. It seemed to really piss of the HD guy that my HP and torque numbers were greater than his. He was trying to contain it and play it cool but you could see it all over his face. I don't go around bragging, but my buddy took the opportunity to put the HD guy in his place.
I've owned several bikes over the last 14 years. I've had sport bikes, enduro's, and cruisers. Now I have the C109R and my Suzuki sport bike. I love motorcycle and not a particular brand or style. I don't subscribe to that school of thought, being a diehard HD guy, Honda owner, Kawasaki owner, ect… Most of those people who boast about their superior Honda, Kawasaki, or Yamaha and so on DON'T EVEN REALLY KNOW WHY THEY PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE to a particular manufacturer. Mostly it's because they happen to own that particular make and model and need to be a part of a group. I prefer to be an individual.
I own a C109R because of its design, not because I'm all about Suzuki. I like the size of the motor, shaft drive, and fuel injection, liquid cooling, paired brake system and so on. Mine only has about 4,000 original miles and still in mint condition. Also, I only paid $4,700 for it from a private individual who was the sole owner of it until I purchased it from him. The above reasons are why I chose the C109R.
I don't have a Suzuki helmet, C109R or 109 dew rag, vest, jacket, or bumper sticker. That look just seems too showy to me. My vest is black and so is my jacket and helmet. I like to keep it clean and low key.
 

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#191 ·
Diggin up an old thread but this reminded me of a mate who used to ride a Harley.
He was proud to be slow in everything he did, Spoke slow, walked slow, ate slow and rode slow.
If he was in the group you got to know the other riders very well as we would stand around and chat for hours waiting for Slo Jo at various intersections and catch up points.
He was the only guy at the end of a ride that would need to scrape the bugs of the back of his helmet!
 
#178 ·
Possibly, more than likely he just can't keep up though
 
#180 ·
Not embarrassed, feel sorry for them sometimes

No I am not embarrassed to ride a non HD bike. Although I do on occasion feel (a bit) sorry for my HD riding buddies.

It has to suck to see your big dollar bike passed over and REPEATEDLY watch people drool over my lowly 9.

Almost every time we ride, someone or someones fall all over them selves to check out my 9 and ignore the HD's. My HD riding buddies have leaned to act like they do not notice.

In Late November we stopped at a Pizza place, several patrons came out and circled my 9 ignoring my buddies brand new Ultra. I admit I felt a bit sorry for him. That had to sting.

Last week we were stopped at a light, and a guy in is 70's rolled down the window of his Red Cadillac CTS and yells, "Beautiful white bike!" The Ultra is burnt orange.
 
#181 ·
yeah not embarrassed here. I have always been more attracted to metric cruisers. I am happy to have a bike that looks different and better than the other bikes. most HD's look the same. I also dont think I could get past the vibrations all the time.
 
#182 ·
Would you be embarrassed to be seen on one of these? I'd sport it!

 
#183 · (Edited)
I had the M109r for 6 yrs and the attention it got was crazy.. even with all the logos they would still ask me what it was.. But now I ride another metric and this one puts them in a loop, they would be talking to me for a while about my Harley and they would walk around if for a few minutes but I notice the confusion in their faces, then later the famous question, What kind of Harley is this... (Yamaha Raider) a what? lol

 
#184 ·
That Raider has nice lines on it, but the exhaust system looks cartoonish on it. A simple 2-into-1 system like a Sideburner would make a total package.
 
#185 ·
If I were ever embarrassed to ride any brand of bike, I would be embarrassed to ride at all. I have never ridden a bike that didn't put a smile on my face. Of course, the 9 did put the biggest smile on my face most of the time.

The thing that embarrasses me is other riders who embarrass themselves by thinking the brand they are sitting on is better than the one I am on. I'm in this hobby for me, don't worry about me, I'm fine.
 
#189 ·
My local small town shop is an HD dealership that also dabbles in Honda and Zuki service. Needless to say, that place is always crawling with HD guys and their hardware. I went in there for my break-in servicing with my stock B.O.S.S. and found several guys standing around the bike where the mechanic had it waiting for me. They were all nodding North/South and commenting on the looks. One guy asked what model HD it was (it still has the Zuki badging!) I told him it was an FHD Classic. Yeah, I love my 9. Embarrassed, never. My bike is unique in this county, and never ceases to draw admiration wherever I go.

Btw... FHD Classic = F*ck Harley Davidson...Classic!
 
#194 · (Edited)
Dog Carnivore Dog breed Mammal Fawn


My local small town shop is an HD dealership that also dabbles in Honda and Zuki service. Needless to say, that place is always crawling with HD guys and their hardware. I went in there for my break-in servicing with my stock B.O.S.S. and found several guys standing around the bike where the mechanic had it waiting for me. They were all nodding North/South and commenting on the looks. One guy asked what model HD it was (it still has the Zuki badging!) I told him it was an FHD Classic. Yeah, I love my 9. Embarrassed, never. My bike is unique in this county, and never ceases to draw admiration wherever I go.

Btw... FHD Classic = F*ck Harley Davidson...Classic!
:bigthumbsup: now that is classic.
 
#193 ·
One major reason I don't see myself ever owning an HD...is because everyone has one. That makes them boring. Sure, buy a black Street Glide. Come out of the bar and spend the next 20 minutes figuring out which one is yours. Nope. 3 different places to change oil-nope. Change cam chain tensioners every 15k-nope. Pay way, way too much for 1960s level performance (and styling)-nope.

I had a Rocket III Roadster-that was a fun bike-good combination of performance, comfort and style (like it or hate it) and "presence". I sold it and bought an Indian Roadmaster. Lots of nice features HD doesn't offer. Unfortunately some of the same negatives-overpriced, underpowered and HOT air-cooled lawnmower engine. And now the M109R. Perhaps the best of the bunch-nearly the performance of the R3R, with less weight, (arguably) more stylish, and not a leg or nut baker. With a lot more Suzuki dealers around than Triumph ones.
 
#197 · (Edited)
Ridden both Japanese and HD in my time. Rode a Road King for 5 years before getting my 109. It was a nice ride but under powered (I like the sport bike power w/o the sport bike position). I looked seriously at the VRod, Fat Bob and FXDR. Very eye catching but at the end of the day the HD were 2X the price and the 109 outperforms them. I can do a lot of enhancements to my 109 for $16g.

Not embarrassed at all to ride my 109. IMHO the 109's reliability is head and shoulders about the HD and I would rather ride than brag about my HD ride which spends most of its time in the shop! LOL
 
#198 ·
Ridden both Japanese and HD in my time. Rode a Road King for 5 years before getting my 109. It was a nice ride but under powered (I like the sport bike power w/o the sport bike position). I looked seriously at the VRod, Fat Bob and FXDR. Very eye catching but at the end of the day the HD were 2X the price and the 109 outperforms them. I can do a lot of enhancements to my 109 for $16g.

Not embarrassed at all to ride my 109. IMHO the 109's reliability is head and shoulders about the HD and I would rather ride than brag about my HD ride which spends most of its time in the shop! LOL
HD hasn't changed much I guess. When I was a kid, my Dad had one. 74 full dresser. The old AMF days. Spent more time in the shop than on the road. My M109R, only time it spends in the shop is gettin tires. Mikey likes it!
 
#199 ·
Never!!!!!

My bike get's more looks, questions, compliments and people wanting to get pictures with it when parked for a coffee/smoke break. These bikes stand out unlike majority of Harley's that are black and look the same. I do all the big charity rides with a lot that are around 100 bikes and usually start, end and sponsored by the local Harley dealership. The owners always make sure and say they are all inclusive no what you ride, other than HOG rides of course but personally I'd never own one. For the price and lack of performance and reliability I'll be riding Jap Scrap until I can't ride anymore and am not intimidated by Harley peer pressure. I find it rarely that Harley people thumb their noses up. Of course lots of ribbing that goes back and forth all in good fun.
 
#202 ·
Blurple is probably one of the nicest and most definitely rarest color Nines out there. A friend has one. He's up there at 80 years old and has ridden it in over a year. I bought his B-King in 2017. He sold his Busa the year previous. Should he decide to sell his Blurple Nine, I may be tempted to have three bikes again. Keep my nice mucho modified silver, keep the blurple near stock, as it is now. Only thing he's done is the chrome surround to the tail light and the LA Choppers xXx Big Airs, which I bought and installed for him.
 
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