My experience has been quite the opposite. It's the Harley crowd that always seems to have a chip on it's shoulder. Only seldom does a Harley rider wave when passing me; other riders always do. It's the Harley crowd that seems to insist on a dichotomy bewteen they and all other riders. This has alwas struck me as a defensive reaction. True, the recent Japanese bikes are so well designed that you can pretty much dial in the amount of risk you want to take, and this does lead some to ride beyond their ability. And it's true again that the bent over cafe' racer position is uncomfortable for long rides, and Japanese designers (cars and motorcycles) do tend to grossly overstyle their product. But since I bought my Kaw used I can always sell it for what I paid for it, and if I just want to enjoy the view I've got a classic Honda CB 750 for that.
It's a matter of life imitating art. I don't imagine that I have a bad bike. I have a beautiful machine that I can control precisely from my toes and the tips of my fingers.
My experience has been quite the opposite. It's the Harley crowd that always seems to have a chip on it's shoulder. Only seldom does a Harley rider wave when passing me; other riders always do. It's the Harley crowd that seems to insist on a dichotomy bewteen they and all other riders.This seems to be somewhat of a regional thing. I rode in SoCal (predominately Hondas) for over thirty years, and your description is accurate for that area. Then I moved to Colorado (four corners area), and the Harley riders here wave just as often as the GoldWingers. There are also MORE Harleys than any other machine here.
They don't mistake me for one of their own, either -- I'm on a silver Honda ST1100 wearing a white helment and an Aerostich suit. :)