Posted on 08/26/2008 6:20:42 AM PDT by BraveMan
Chris Bishop has bittersweet memories of the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration.
The 46-year-old advertising professional remembers cruising to a street party in 2003 on his 1984 Honda Aero and squeezing the scooter into a row of parking spaces overflowing with muscular Softails and Fat Boys.
"I went down to Water Street and parked it down there, and everybody was smiling, and everyone wanted to hop on the back," Bishop said. "It's motorbike culture. You could be cooler if you had (a Harley), but you're still cool."
So much for the sweet. Now for the bitter.
"I don't think I'd do it again," Bishop said. The following morning, outside his apartment, Bishop found his scooter turned upside down. Two Harleys that had been parked nearby were gone.
The 105th anniversary is days away, and thousands of Harley riders are expected to rumble into the city. These easy riders will have to share the road with a few more Vespas and Honda Sprees than five years ago. Wisconsin ranked fourth in the nation for new scooter sales in 2007, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit national trade association.
Do cute little scooters have anything to fear when hundreds of macho Harleys hit the streets?
Not likely - despite the rough rider image, plenty of Harley riders are nice, middle age people who embrace a culture that feeds on touches such as communal tables for sharing travel stories and friendships gleaned from membership in the Harley Owners Group.
The worst scooter riders may have to worry about is a little scorn and a lot of smirking. Some Harley owners consider scooters a gateway bike.
"They're a good start," said Lisa LaPierre-Cote, giggling over a beer on the patio outside the Harley-Davidson Museum. LaPierre-Cote drives a 1996 Softail Classic back home in Augusta, Maine.
"It's their little tricycle, and they're on to bigger and better things," said Judith Clark, a former Milwaukee resident who now calls Stoney Creek, N.C., home. She rides a 1995 Sportster 1200.
The two modes of transportation are wildly different. Scooters have squeaky little horns; Harleys pride themselves on the beefy potato-potato-potato sound of their engines. Scooters can get up to 100 miles per gallon; a 2008 Softail Classic gets a little over 41 mpg on the highway.
Aesthetically, scooters, especially pink ones, conjure cuddly visions of Hello Kitty! compared with the longstanding Harley hellion image made immortal in "Easy Rider" and "Hell's Angels on Wheels." Consider also that scooters come in mint green, electric blue and Pepto-Bismol pink.
Scooter riders often wear helmets that match the color of their bike; many Harley riders are known to appreciate the wind in their hair.
You get the picture.
"I've found for the most part that motorcyclists are just happy to see somebody else on two wheels, that two-wheel culture," said Tamara Smith-Kroupa. "I'm just this girl on a scooter; they're like, 'cool.' "
Smith-Kroupa, 41, drives a silver 2003 Yamaha Vino. She has a motorcycle license because, technically, the 125cc size of the engine classifies it as a motorcycle. But it's no Harley.
"It's not badass, that's for sure," said Smith-Kroupa, who often cruises with her husband, Mat (they switch off driving and riding duties). "We'll take our scooter to the festivals and park in the Harley/motorcycle lot. We'll proudly ride in there on this tiny little scooter."
Like many scooter owners, Smith-Kroupa bought hers to make navigating the city easier. The commute to her design job is about 1 1/2 miles from Brewers Hill to the Third Ward. She also has a Mini Cooper; her husband has a Mercury Mountaineer and several motorcycles, but the scooter has advantages beyond its calculated 70 miles per gallon.
"There are times we'll go out for dinner, and you won't be able to find a parking space," Smith-Kroupa said. "We have literally taken the car home and gotten the scooter and then found a place to park."
At Moto-Scoot, a scooter store at 1652 N. Water St., you can buy a "jacket as cool in the coffee shop as they are on your bike." On a recent visit, a yellow scooter parked outside the shop had a stuffed bear attached to it with bungee cords - an affectation often used by Harley riders.
It was a nice try.
"I think they like the fact that what they're riding makes more sense than anything out there," said owner Bill Weslow about scooter owners. On the other hand, he calls Harley riders "different than anybody else."
Then there are those who have both. Mark Charlton, 50, of Cedarburg has a dozen motorcycles, including a Harley. He also has a Honda Spree.
"You don't really want to have your buddies seeing you on it, but they're great," said Charlton, a life member of the American Motorcyclist Association and a HOG member. He likens his motorbike collection to a shoe wardrobe: "One for riding in the dirt; one for being fancy; and one for going fast."
Bob Matte of West Allis was taping a "For Sale" sign to his 1979 blue Sportster when he was asked if Harleys and scooters can share the road in peace.
"For the most part, Harley riders will accept you the way you are," said Matte, who also has a 1997 Ultra Classic at home.
Most of them, anyway. LaPierre-Cote will give the trademark Harley wave - one hand down low with two fingers slightly splayed - to other Harley riders, but not scooter riders.
"I don't think I'd make fun of them, but I wouldn't wave," she said.
Kate Fons of Milwaukee doesn't care if you wave at her tooling along on her "adorable" white and lime green 2005 Metropolitan or not. The 39-year-old physical therapist has one thing she's sure a Harley doesn't. She attached a wicker dog basket to the back of her scooter.
I immediately thought of Poser when I read this . . .
There is a bar like this one in every town in Wisconsin.
With a Church right across the street.
“a bar like this in every town in Wisconsin”
Every town? Parts of Milwaukee and West Allis have one on every corner. I’ve been to Steeny’s and wouldnt recommend it. Also, if any of you big bad bikers are going to be in town this weekend, Steenys is in the same neighborhood as the areas gay bars. Be careful.
‘swhy I always liked traveling in WI. Great food, beer and people.
It should be a wild time. I live right by the local Harley Dealership. They have blocked the street off for 5 blocks for the big party. I’m sure my husband will spend lots of time there watching the bikini bike wash.
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Naw, he was just grimacing from all the vibration.
When my husband and I lived on Revere Beach we’d take his 1960 Lambretta LI150 out to Kelly’s and park next to all the Harley guys. A lot of them loved it because they were vets and it reminded them of time spent posted in Italy or other places overseas. Some of them even got into bikes via Lammys and Vespas over here in the 60’s and 70’s. I’d guess it’s the young dudes with something to prove who’d be all puffy about their masculinity tied to a big bad bike, the old guys are usually cool though.
Also, I’m not too sure about that crazy sidecar, but the Lammy is BAD ASS! :P
Two weeks ago I took the Bagger from Milwaukee to Longview Texas. I had some startup work there and decided to ride down for the adventure. 2339 miles round trip . . .
As I crossed Arkansas the temperature was a brutal 107 degrees. The wind was so hot it hurt. I’d never seen so many semis with blown tires in one day before.
After all the comments I’d read about air cooled Harleys not being able to take the heat, I’ll admit I chuckled to myself at the Goldwing riders pulled off to the shoulder because their liquid cooled bikes were overheating.
'Cept I went across New Mexico and my air-cooled bike was towing a trailer. ;-)
Apparently there is not a Mods (scooters) versus Rockers (motorbikes) mentality that Britain experienced back in the sixties. My wife who grew up in a large English town said the two groups were bitter rivals and fought many battles. Brighton was the scene of a number of them. There’s some movie made in the seventies that depicts the situation.
“Quadrophenia” is the name of the movie.
Nah, I’d say they’re the same as everywhere else. The only place I don’t seem to get along with riders of Japanese bikes is here on FR, where for some reason, all most of the riders of Japanese bikes talk about are Harley’s. And I wave at everyone no matter what they’re riding.
Yep, true story: A few years ago a friend and were riding to Roswell when the heat was compounded by nearby forest fires. I've never felt such heat since. Now who do you think overheated? My air cooled Sportster or his Liquid cooled Goldwing? Luckily I'm not the kind of guy who rubbed it in that he had to ride bitch the last 20 miles. :)
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