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[MichaelJohn]

Today I stopped by the local Cycle Gear store since they were having a weekend sale. I parked my bike and went in for a while but decided I could do without that fifth pair of gloves even if they were half price. When I came out of the store there were a few other bikers checking out the Zero. They were all on high-end sport bikes and they couldn't have been nicer. They were very curious about the Zero so we chatted for a while and I admired their very cool bikes as well. I finally took off with them marveling at how quiet the bike was. After a few miles I decided that I really did need five pairs of gloves so I turned around and headed back to Cycle Gear. There was one motorcycle slot left open in front of the store so I silently glided in. Another biker was just leaving in the slot next to me on a very large motorcycle. He watched me come to a stop and said with a disdainful look on his face "No noise". I replied that it was electric and he said that he could never ride a "thing" like that. He said it with such a sneer that my newly-found electric pride got the better of me. I told him that this "thing" had 106 ft lbs of torque and asked him if he wanted to race to 100. Dumb - but I'm an old bicycle racer and my competitive side came out. He laughed and said what good is all that torque (OK, he wasn't the brightest guy). He then said he could surely beat me in the twisties at which point I saw that the the whole situation was getting ridiculous so I quickly backed down and agreed with him which made him very happy. Frankly, if I couldn't destroy his Winnebago on any twisty road I should have my license revoked but I bit my tongue. He then got on his bike, started it and revved it to the moon. Then he looked at me and said "That's what a REAL motorcycle sounds like!" and he blasted off. The guy was genuinely offended by my bike. I wasn't totally surprised by his attitude. I have ridden and raced recumbent bicycles for the better part of 15 years and I have seen similar behavior in that arena. I have a low-slung, laid back carbon fiber aerodynamic recumbent bike that is way faster than a standard road bike and even faster than a time-trial bike. Its unusuall looks draw a lot of attention and for the most part people react to it the same way they react to the Zero - with great interest and curiosity. However, there is a small minority out ther that still reacts with caveman instincts. If it's different, it's a threat. In my many years of riding I have been screamed at, called innumerable names (many suggesting that I must be homosexual but in stronger terms) been closely buzzed a few times and been the target of several objects thrown from cars including a full water bottle that just missed my head and a can of Rockstar that actually landed in my lap and doused me with part of its contents. These incidents are often followed by the epithet "get a REAL bike you *%#+!" So it turns out that owning a recumbent bicycle and now an electric motorcycle has given me an interesting perspective on human behavior...just a little insight on what it's like to be a minority and it's really not pretty. There are some out there who just have a negative visceral reaction to anything that is different. The incident today with the guy on the motorcyle was minor, but the undercurrent is rather troubling. This guy was visibly upset and aggressive just because I was on a different kind of motorcycle. It really makes you stop and think. My solution is to be as Zen as possible (not always easy) and to try to kill 'em with kindness, because you can't win an argument with a caveman.

[Richard230]

Maybe your newfound "friend" is just upset about the cost of the replacement batteries for his hearing aids.   

[Doug S]

When I run across someone like that (I did just a couple of weekends ago) I just remind myself that his great-grandfather probably loved his horse, and didn't have much use for those newfangled "automobile" thingies. After all, when Dobbin gets hungry, he just eats the grass on the side of the road!

Usually. I DID break down once and show a Harley rider what my rear tire looks like, but that's another story, and not one I'm terribly proud of.

[CrashCash]

So $100 says the other bloke was on a Harley. I've stopped to help HD folks by the side of the road and been told they "didn't need help from no gaw dam jap bike ridah!"

Most of 'em are ignorant assholes, plain & simple. That's my experience from 25 years of dealing with them.

You threatened his worldview that "nuffin' kin be bettah than a HARLEH!" and his manhood by daring to ride a smaller bike.

I live in a very Bible Belt area and I've been spit on by "Christian" old men that say a motorcycle is a tool of the devil. You run into all kinds on a bike, no matter how it's powered!

[kingcharles]

What gloves did you get?

[NoiseBoy]

I raced a Harley today and after some really hard riding I managed to PASS
the guy. I was riding on one of those really, really twisting sections of a
canyon road with no straight sections to speak of and where most of the
curves have warning signs that say "15 MPH".

I knew if I was going to pass one of those monsters with those
big-cubic-inch motors, it would have to be a place like this where handling
and rider skill are more important than horsepower alone.

I saw the guy up ahead as I exited one of the turns and knew I could catch
him, but it wouldn't be easy. I concentrated on my braking and cornering.
Three corners later, I was on his fender. Catching him was one thing;
passing him would prove to be another.

Two corners later, I pulled up next to him as we sailed down the mountain. I
think he was shocked to see me next to him, as I nearly got by him before he
could recover. Next corner, same thing. I'd manage to pull up next to him as
we started to enter the corners but when we came out he'd get on the
throttle and outpower me. His horsepower was almost too much to overcome,
but this only made me more determined than ever.

My only hope was to outbrake him. I held off squeezing the lever until the
last instant. I kept my nerve while he lost his. In an instant I was by him.
Corner after corner, I could hear the roar of his engine as he struggled to
keep up.

Three more miles to go before the road straightens out and he would pass me
for good.

But now I was in the lead and he would no longer hold me back. I stretched
out my lead and by the time we reached the bottom of the canyon, he was more
than a full corner behind. I could no longer see him in my rear-view mirror.

Once the road did straighten out, it seemed like it took miles before he
passed me, but it was probably just a few hundred yards. I was no match for
that kind of horsepower, but it was done. In the tightest section of road,
where bravery and skill count for more than horsepower and deep pockets, I
had passed him. though it was not easy, I had won the race to the bottom of
the canyon and I had preserved the proud tradition of one of the best bits
of britiron.

I will always remember that moment. I don't think I've ever pedalled so hard
in my life. And some of the credit must go to Raleigh cycles, as well. They
really make a great bicycle...

[AustinSZF8.5]

Love it!

One of those where you know what's coming, but you try your best to not skip to the bottom to confirm your hunch. Like not reading the last page of the novel when you're half way through...

[MichaelJohn]

What gloves did you get?

Ha! Bilt Fusion Waterproof - soft, warm and comfy.
http://www.cyclegear.com/BILT-Fusion-Waterproof-Motorcycle-Gloves

[MichaelJohn]

So $100 says the other bloke was on a Harley. I've stopped to help HD folks by the side of the road and been told they "didn't need help from no gaw dam jap bike ridah!"

Most of 'em are ignorant assholes, plain & simple. That's my experience from 25 years of dealing with them.

You threatened his worldview that "nuffin' kin be bettah than a HARLEH!" and his manhood by daring to ride a smaller bike.

I live in a very Bible Belt area and I've been spit on by "Christian" old men that say a motorcycle is a tool of the devil. You run into all kinds on a bike, no matter how it's powered!

I was so taken aback by the guy's reaction to my bike that I failed to notice what he was riding which is very unlike me. It could very well have been a Harley since there was a dealership right next door.

My Zero might just be a tool of the devil. It lures me away from my wife, my kids, my work and won't get out of my head. Do you have your '15 SR yet?

[Doug S]

What gloves did you get?

I love it! Give the ignoramuses all the attention they deserve -- none -- and get to the important stuff.

Any colors other than black?

[CrashCash]

Do you have your '15 SR yet?

Nope, not yet... I am in the "expecting a call any day that isn't Sunday or Monday" mode, and watching the really nice days go by. It's alternating between "amazingly beautiful" and "teeth-clenching cold" every other day or so.

All I have so far is a little bitty belt tension gauge I bought.

I am going absolutely nuts to be honest. I am not good at waiting for things, but I know Zero's working flat out and my dealer's not a slacker either. I shouldn't be so snarky at my FJR either, it's not its fault.

[MotoRyder]

Never argue with idiots, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. 

[mikeisted]

Just focus on the reaction of the majority of the other bikers you mentioned.  They're a great bunch on the whole.  I mean, I used to ride ICE too!

[benswing]

When I run across someone like that (I did just a couple of weekends ago) I just remind myself that his great-grandfather probably loved his horse, and didn't have much use for those newfangled "automobile" thingies.

Ditto. 

Some people just can't handle change.  Just remember the hundreds (thousands?) of positive responses when you get a negative one. 

Ride on!

[Justin Andrews]

I will always remember that moment. I don't think I've ever pedalled so hard
in my life. And some of the credit must go to Raleigh cycles, as well. They
really make a great bicycle...

Sir, my cap... is duly doffed to you.