Have the Sport Bike Riders become the Bad Guys?

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by R.W., Mar 1, 2008.

  1. R.W.

    R.W. New Member

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    What do you guys think, have the sport bike rider become more hated than the Harley rider in the general public's eyes?


    Bad Ass Biker then:
    [​IMG]

    And Bad Ass Biker now:
    [​IMG]
     
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  2. rngdng

    rngdng New Member

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    I'd say Yes. In many cases, sport-bike riders are more obnoxious than Harley riders, AND know even less about their bikes. Not every case, mind you, but many cases.


    Lane
     
  3. tbones86

    tbones86 New Member

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    Kinda what I was eluding to w/ rant about the show Superbikes the other day. Of course when you consider the HD lifestyle really kicked into high gear after WWII the average biker starting out was in his 20's. Now the average HD owner is mid 40's on up & majority of the sportbike crowd are in their 20's now. Similar attitudes, different style, different generation
     
  4. Joey_Dude

    Joey_Dude Member

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    Stereotypically speaking I would have to agree with that. Pretty much every sportbike owner I know has had some kind of a run-in with the law. A friend who has a SV1000S went to jail for a day since he was going 139 on a highway.

    Plus another friend with a Triumph Daytona gave me some tips on running from cops (didn't solicit the advice!)

    Not to say that sportbike owners are evil people I'd have to say they just like going fast and having fun. And sometimes the police don't have a sense of humor. :moonie:
     
  5. SCraig

    SCraig New Member

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    I hate to stereotype a group, but I tend to do it a lot. I've said I don't care for the attitudes of most Harley riders but then I've recently started to meet a few who are really nice guys and just enjoy riding as much as I do.

    Sportbike riders, I think, tend to fall into two extreme categories (and here I go with the stereotype again). Those being the riders who just like powerful machines yet seldom use that power. They are usually competent riders who obey most of the traffic laws, stay out of trouble, maybe do a track day here and there, and just like to have that power available. These are easy to tell because they are the ones wearing protective gear (but normally not leathers). The other extreme is the group who sees themselves as the next Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner, etc. (depending on brand preference). These are also easy to tell because they wear flip-flops, t-shirts, and disappear when the temperature gets below 70.

    And I admit that that isn't fair. There are a lot of great guys on sportbikes and there are a lot of jerks, just like there are a lot of great guys on VFR's and probably a lot of jerks. The problem with public perception is that it is always based on the worst extreme. They see the Harley riders with the loud pipes but never notice the ones that are quiet. The see the sportbike guys doing mach 2 and never notice those obeying the traffic laws. It isn't fair but it's a fact of life.
     
  6. V-FouRce

    V-FouRce New Member

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    You might as well be asking if the democrats or republicans have a worse rap than the other. Not to get political, just a synonymisitic example of the different "sides" to motorcycling. There are always going to be the Good, Bad and the Fugly. I dont practice squidly behavior, so let the masses think what they will, Im not contributing to the Fugly side of MCing.
     
  7. eleman

    eleman New Member

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    I just wrote a paper on how the media protrays motorcycle riders and this arguement was part of it. I don't think it is a case of one worse than the other. I did make the case that they are getting lumped together.
    I quoted an article that said this guy was going down the expressway when he "heard the telltale whine of their 'devil-bikes' coming behind him". I was laughing out loud when I read that. He went on to talk about how they passed him an both sides and started doing wheelies.
    I think there are more and more people buying bikes and that as they are exposed to riders, they learn that their prejudices are unfounded for the most part, but there is always going to be those that go out of their way to be obnoxious.
     
  8. nozzle

    nozzle New Member

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    youth can afford the UJM, so the youth buy and mod them.

    Same reason the import tuner market emerged... youth could afford a used civic, but the camaro/mustang was lots more... now the fart-mufflers and pumping bass have replaced the glass-packs and smokie burnouts of my youth.

    It will be interesting to see a retro sportbike trend before I die. :)
     
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  9. two4one

    two4one New Member

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    Ask any resident in Myrtle Beach who the troublemakers are.

    Week 1 - One of the biggest bike rally's in the nation causes traffic jams but little else.

    Week 2 - Sportike rally which is notorious for problems to the extent that local businesses will actually shut down during the week. It's a much smaller crowed yet causes three times the problems.

    There are other issues involved with this including racial overtones but the basic premise applies.
     
  10. Bubba Zanetti

    Bubba Zanetti Member

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    Yeah, I think us sportbike lovers have a worse rap than the crusier crowd.

    SCraig sumed it up pretty nicely.

    I can say even as an MSF Coach, the knucleheads who come through the class who want sportbikes are often times the hardest students to reach with regards to wearing gear and safety issues on the range.

    Some we reach, some we don't.

    BZ
     
  11. camcclellan

    camcclellan New Member

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    I do not intend to be racist, but as you mention there are very specific problems with the second bike week. These problems are typically not caused by the motorcycles themselves, but because of almost gang-like activity between some of these people. BUT...

    Many similar problems crop up during the Harley/Cruiser rally. The only difference is that many of the larger HD gangs that frequent this rally tend to 'police' their own behavior a little more.

    Go ask the owner of the Gazebo Inn which is worse, and they will tell you that both bike weeks are equally bad. Several years ago during the HD rally they had a problem with bikers defecating in their starwells as well as vandalism, and during the second bike week they had public urination problems as well as similar vandalism.

    The thing is, when you consider rallies like this, most of the people who go to either of these events are good people who stay out of trouble. It is not the 98 percent of riders who use helmets that make the news there, but the 2 percent who wreck and splatter their head on HWY 17 like a ripe mellon.

    It is not the tens of thousands during the second rally who might be a little loud but are still respectful of others when they frequent local restaraunts that make it on the statistics, but the 50 or so that have to be bodily hauled out of clubs and bars because of trying to knife each other.

    Something that might be interesting to compare, if anyone can come up with the figures, is the total amount of people who are added to the population of Myrtle Beach with each of these events, and how the crime rate compares if you take that into account.

    For example, if the population of the area is 250,000 and another 250,000 show up, is the crime rate during the rally close to that of a city of 500,000, or is it better/worse.
     
  12. NeverlosT

    NeverlosT New Member

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    You are probably right, sportbikes are the new PITA around town. It has been tough being younger and growing up riding with just a few riding buddies, most of whom LOVE doing 140 on freeways and wheelies all over. I was not that hot at wheelies, but dig going fast, and it is HARD to be the voice of reason when you are having enough of a hard time as an adolescent convincing YOURSELF that this isnt a good idea let alone the rest..
    but it is true, I have had to try to change my persona on the bike, not just because it gives us all a bad rap, but also because if I get snagged at 140 on a freeway, I can kiss my license, bike, and government job goodbye. Now I save the speed for the track, but I do still love to hit an onramp/offramp with some juice to lean off, or accelerate like a mother from time to time.

    I have found that the more I learn on the bike, and the more I ride, the less I respect the "cool" gangs I would see all over back in the day. Now I see them more as these doofuses who dont know jack about their bikes, or how to really ride, they just like dropping money on dealer-provided mods and posing with the thing.

    I rode with a friend of a friend last summer who had a Triumph Daytona 675, a sweet bike, but the kid didnt know how to lean off, couldnt keep the front wheel on the ground, but couldnt control a wheelie, and was a menace always zipping all over. I rode with him once and only once. I can still remember watching him in my mirror as he wheelied, then came down with the front wheel at a 20 degree angle and almost ate it right off the bike.

    Those are the guys killing our reputation..

    But it still makes me smile when a rider coming the other way on a freeway stands it up in a wheelie and gives me the thumbs up (not in traffic of course). It just looks badass. Call me juvenile... ;)

    As I have stated before, I am something of a closet squid, trying to keep it under control, getting better, and learning more and more as I go. Be patient with a recovering calamari!
     
  13. X-RC46

    X-RC46 New Member

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    Unfortunately in LA there are several sport bike “clubs” which have evolved from street gangs. With them came a prison yard mentality and a general lack of respect for LEOs, other Riders, and the community itself. Never thought I’d say it but I’ve been left hanging soo many times it’s rare that I’ll even initiate the wave anymore.
     
  14. Keager

    Keager Member

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    on the VFR FB page, there was a person that was detained for 13 hours by Nashville, TN police because "he fit the description" even though he was never found to be in that area.
     
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  15. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Wow, talk about a resurrection, this thread is over 11 years old! But yes, Sportbike Riders seem to have taken over the "A-hole" biker role to some extent. The wanna-be racer mentality they perform on the street and when lane splitting seems to have given the public a negative view of motorcyclist. It also doesn't help when these "stunter" crews close down freeways to do their stuff. It seems that the offenders feel that they have entitlement to do their antics. I blame the "Here's your gold star for showing up Johnny" treatment that seems to have bred a generation of selfish brats that don't feel the rules apply to them or that they have to be accountable for anything they do. /end rant
     
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  16. mofo

    mofo New Member

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    Out of the riders in my social circle (we are not a club, just a bunch of friends getting together) most ride Harleys and cruisers and are the coolest people I've ever met. Sportbike riders on the other hand, tend to show off, brake the law, speed, stunt and have the " let's fuck shit up" attitude.
    Sport bike riders go for a quick, fifty miles ride through the canyons and call it an "epic ride"
     
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  17. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    Who said they were hated besides you? Why do you post up on hate as a new member? Sounds like another "hate crime", LOL!!
     
  18. motorhead1977

    motorhead1977 New Member

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    The bad behavior of a few has always made the media, even more so now as it provides "good video" for the entertainment shows that call themselves the "NEWS". Just my $.02
     
  19. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Yes, sport bike riders can be a pain.
    Yes, Harley riders can be a pain.
    Yes, ricer drivers can be a pain.
    Yes, big horsepower car drivers can be a pain.
    Yes, econobox drivers can be a pain.

    Just depends on what the media is focusing on this month.
     
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  20. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Everybody needs a cause and everybody needs a nemesis. If it's one thing people in the USA are gifted at doing, it's minding other people's business. The boogeyman has an infinite number of forms.
     
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