MURPHY's EMAIL

 

I fear your wrath...

Mr. Shields,

I would like to start by saying that I have stumbled upon your site and after spending some time reading the various posts.  I was rolling!!

I find it ironic that while I am a HD owner I see the logic behind you argument and the several points well made on your behalf. I shall now risk your ire and try to explain why I made the choice that I have made.

I have had several bikes over the years. Those bikes were of the Metric variety, I use the term “Metric” not as an insult but to eliminate the need to list all the different brand names, as I shall refer Metric to the import brands versus HD. (I acknowledge there are other US bike manufactures but I am referring to HD). I chose this particular bike for the look. If pure HP and performance were the key points that I valued than by all means I would have chosen differently. I decided on a look; call it an Icon if you will. There is no denying that fact that if you say the word “Motorcycle” 9 out of 10 people envision the classical HD as a mental picture. It goes with out saying. One could call it romantic or one could call it archaic, each person would have his or her own personal choice. For me, I chose romantic. I would ask you this question…If you loved old cars, say the classic 1957 Chevy, if it was still possible to buy one that was being currently made as it was back in 1957, would you?

While I have never been a chest pounding “DIE HARD” HD zealot, I have had an opportunity to have a piece of Motorcycle nostalgia that I grew up with. Was the price steep? Yes and no. Yes the price was steep for two wheels and a motor mounted in a frame, but if you consider how I feel while riding that piece of history, then the price was cheap.

I wish to share with you a conversation that I had with a German Polizie while working here in Germany. This guy had just bought a BMW Motorcycle, one of the twin airheads. When I asked him why the airhead and not the more powerful liquid cooled 4 cylinders his reply was this…”I wanted to feel the motor, I wanted to feel the bike alive under me” granted his English was better than my German but the point was that while the opportunity for the advanced technology was there for the taking, he chose for the older system. Take a ride on the back roads here in Europe during the summer and you will see hundreds of people who made the same choice. In a country that makes some of the best motorcycles and cars in the world you will see people stop and stare at the HD motorcycle. Think that HD are overpriced in the States? Check out these prices. Supply and demand drive the buying cycle. Most people buy items not out of need but out of want, both there in the states and elsewhere as well. This is coming from a culture that expects the most from their machines. If you have ever been to Germany and driven on the Autobahns you would see little 4 cylinder Fords and Opels blowing past all of our US made vehicles regardless of engine size.

I saw in one of your replies that you wanted a bike manufacture to push the envelope, amongst the list of items that you foresaw was supercharged engines and V8 placed into bike frames. While this is appealing to some, I would again remind you that for others the shift from form to function might take way from the very thing that makes these bikes so appealing, the look. There was a TV series back in the early 80s called “Buck Rogers, adventures in the 21st Century” or some nonsense like that….any way the point was that he rebuilt a bike, but he had to use a some futuristic engine as combustible fuel was not available. The thing just did not sound right, so it was not a “true motorcycle”.

The Dominate Buying Motive to purchase is a combination of Form and Function. I list Form before Function due to the fact that regardless of what it is that a person is buying, be it a motorcycle of a pair of shoes, Form is the most important aspect of a buyer’s decision. Ask yourself this question…would you buy a pair of shoes just based off of size? For example…You need a pair of black shoes for your duty uniform let’s say….Do you grab the first pair that you see in your size regardless of style? Or do you look for a certain style or tread pattern? How about a shirt? When you shop for a shirt to wear when you are off duty, will you buy any shirt without regard to color or print as long as it fits? I understand that there is a big jump in price between a shirt and a motorcycle but the buying principle remains the same. In fact the importance of Form over Function becomes more significant when spending that huge amount of hard earned money.

You will always have the few that will state that they buy only “American”. I am with you 100% on your point about that segment of the population. That label of 100% American made will fail the test if someone was really trying to prove or disprove that claim. With today’s global economy the way that it is, I think we would have lock down our borders and stop all foreign trade to make that claim become reality. Even the term “American Owned” might be pushing it with foreign Investment in our economy that way that it is. I think that the only label that we could say that could be used is “American Ridden” provided that the person was in fact a US Citizen.

You are dead right when you talk about the “Image guy”, and yet wrong as well. If you refer to the person who buys the HD to become someone who he/she is not, then you nailed it. But what about the person who buys the bike because it really is the Form that they want? If the bike fits what the buyer feels is his version of what a motorcycle is should he stay away because of the label? That sounds like the same argument that you use, only in reverse. If you say that you should not buy a bike because of a Brand name alone…..Key is Brand name…Then how can you say that if a bike fits the buyers exact expectation of his “Perfect Bike” that he should buy it unless it is Brand X…Again the key is Brand Name.

I wonder is it the HD Brand Name that has you feeling this way, or is it the relative few who happen to ride HDs and show their stupidity (and arguably loyalty) with the rest of the world. It could be said the same for Sports fans, or any other segment of the population for that matter.

I am glad that you have taken this upon yourself. In a world where people are to content to bury their head in the sand and just shuffle along with the rest of the flotsam and jetsam called society you stand out. You make people think and exercise their minds. To form an argument and to debate sparks creativity… It’s ironic that it is the vary thing that you claim the Lemmings are lacking, yet you are here to create the catalyst that will cause those sparks to fly.

I would like to close by saying that while I agree with you in part, I must differ in whole on your stance on HD owners. I do this simply because of the fact that as there are thousands of HD owners so too are there thousands of reasons that they chose HD. One can’t simple lump them all into one category to justify one’s own end. It does not work that way. You can no sooner do that than to say that if you made $10.00 and hour at work and bought 1 loaf of bread then if you bought two loaves you would get paid $20.00 an hour.

But I would like to say this…It is people like you that restore my faith in the American people. I have been in the Army for 18 years, Desert Storm and Shield, and two tours in Iraq. It makes me remember that people like you are why I do what I do. Continue to make these people get off their fat asses and think, question, and wonder. Bash them all…To include me...  because without things to make people mad and defend what they believe in they all become cattle. Big fat cows who just eat and shit.

vr
 

SFC Murphy, P. A.

_______________

To which I replied
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Mr. Murphy,

No need to fear my wrath as you are neither a Luddite or a simpleton. I'll go ahead and offer you a sincere thank you for your service to our country, it is appreciated and more importantly, respected.

Now, let's find some answers to your questions and have an adult conversation at an educated level, shall we?


"I would like to start by saying that I have stumbled upon your site and after spending some time reading the various posts I was rolling!!"

Thank you, sir. I try to get my basic message across by using original humor, a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind.

"I find it ironic that while I am a HD owner I see the logic behind your argument and the several points well made on your behalf. I shall now risk your ire and try to explain why I made the choice that I have made."

Would it surprise you to hear that a lot of other HD riders also agree with me. I'm not against HD riders, I'm against HD owners and there is a big difference between just owing a bike and riding a bike.

"I have had several bikes over the years. Those bikes were of the Metric variety, I use the term "Metric" not as an insult but to eliminate the need to list all the different brand names, as I shall refer Metric to the import brands versus HD. (I acknowledge there are other US bike manufactures but I am referring to HD). I chose this particular bike for the look. If pure HP and performance were the key points that I valued than by all means I would have chosen differently. I decided on a look; call it an Icon if you will. There is no denying that fact that if you say the word "Motorcycle" 9 out of 10 people envision the classical HD as a mental picture. It goes without saying. One could call it romantic or one could call it archaic, each person would have his or her own personal choice. For me, I chose romantic. I would ask you this question…If you loved old cars, say the classic 1957 Chevy, if it was still possible to buy one that was being currently made as it was back in 1957, would you?"

You're following my logic nicely.

Yes, I would buy a 1957 Chevy if it were being made today. However, if the 1957 Chevy was being made today, using 1957 build quality and technology, and the 2006 version of the 1957 Chevy cost four times as much as a brand new 2006 Corvette, then no, I would not buy the 1957 Chevy no matter how much I liked it. I would also make fun of anyone who did. I see no real difference between a 2006 Harley Davidson (sans V-Rod) and a 1956 Harley Davidson. Suspension, engine and technology-wise, they are nearly identical (which is in direct contrast to the rest of the world... My point is, why pay so much for so little?

The answer is … you're paying for a name.


"While I have never been a chest pounding "DIE HARD" HD zealot, I have had an opportunity to have a piece of Motorcycle nostalgia that I grew up with. Was the price steep? Yes and no. Yes the price was steep for two wheels and a motor mounted in a frame, but if you consider how I feel while riding that piece of history, then the price was cheap."

If you got the bike you wanted for the price you were willing to pay, then you and I have no arguments, Mr. Murphy and you have not garnered my disrespect. I know a lot of people who own Harleys because they like them. It is the posers and zealots that I am against, the kind of people who think that they can walk in a HD dealership as a balding, middle aged accountant and walk out two hours later as a grizzled, experienced and hard core outlaw biker replete in the latest outlaw biker fashion gear and riding a loud American™ dream machine.

I am of the belief that a reputation has to be earned, it can't be bought. I am against those who feel otherwise. To me, when I see someone like I mentioned above, it strikes me in much the same way it would strike you if someone who had never joined the military went to an Army surplus store, bought a bunch of BDUs and badges then started bragging that they had seen heavy action in Desert Storm with some well documented unit when you knew right away that they were lying. You would have nothing but contempt for this person, which is what I feel for people who work in a cubicle and wear a tie five days of the week but come the weekend, they adopt some tough sounding nickname and go hang out in the local bars on their HD, posing like they are social outlaws on the run from the law. I laugh at these posers, especially if I can recognize them and
know where they work when they aren't dressed up.

A reputation must be earned, Mr. Murphy, it can't be bought and too many people don't understand that these days. It's one of the things which I believe is wrong with America and one of the reasons why we are in trouble as a country.


"I wish to share with you a conversation that I had with a German Polizie while working here in Germany. This guy had just bought a BMW Motorcycle, one of the twin airheads. When I asked him why the airhead and not the more powerful liquid cooled 4 cylinders his reply was this…"I wanted to feel the motor, I wanted to feel the bike alive under me" granted his English was better than my German but the point was that while the opportunity for the advanced technology was there for the taking, he chose for the older system. Take a ride on the back roads here in Europe during the summer and you will see hundreds of people who made the same choice. In a country that makes some of the best motorcycles and cars in the world you will see people stop and stare at the HD motorcycle. Think that HD are overpriced in the States? Check out these prices. Supply and demand drive the buying cycle. Most people buy items not out of need but out of want, both there in the states and elsewhere as well. This is coming from a culture that expects the most from their machines. If you have ever been to Germany and driven on the Autobahns you would see little 4 cylinder Fords and Opels blowing past all of our US made vehicles regardless of engine size."

I am a reserve police officer here in Columbia, MS, Mr. Murphy and I get the chance to talk to many motor officers who ride HDs and other bikes. Lately the switch has been on from HDs to BMWs because they are safer and more reliable. Sure they cost more than the HD, but most officers are voting with their lives and the department money for that added benefit of ABS and fuel injection. There is an interesting ad on my site, under the "road stories" section I believe, from a European country (or maybe it was Australia), about the BMW police bike.

Go read it and have a good laugh.

The point is, Harley Davidson sells its products based on image, not performance like the other manufacturers do. If BMW made a bike to Harley's standards, they would go out of the motorcycle making business in a few months. Harley cannot build a quality machine, so they do what they have to in order to survive, they are a sheep in wolf's clothing. They sell a bike based on image, not substance. They build a bike based on sound, not performance. Harley Davidson has built a house of straw.

Our own police department is small, maybe 30 officers. Of those officers, only about four ride personal motorcycles. We have no department motorcycles though it was passed around that we could get some HDs if we wanted to. When it was asked of the four officers (myself included) who did ride and who did own personal bikes, who would be willing to ride a HD police bike, only one, a HD owning officer, stepped forward and said he would ride it. The rest of us, all import owners (I was the only sport bike owner in the import group) already knew that HD has several lawsuits facing against it in officer deaths due to poor design and the inability of the HD police bikes to handle well at speed. I won't ride a HD police bike. Ever. To me, that's more dangerous than going into a domestic violence call without wearing your body armor.

I can understand people who might want to feel the bike under them. I love the feel of my bike. I love the pull of the engine as it moves quickly into its power band. I love the rising rush of acceleration as the power builds. I love being able to flick my bike from side to side in the twisties and to haul down from high speed in a short distance. I love the feel of my bike's light weight because it allows me to feel the road more. My bike feels like an extension of my body, not some great iron and chrome tumor sprouting from my ass. It's okay to feel your bike, but to me, my bike is merely a telegraph between my body and the road under it. My bike takes the bumps and conditions of the road and translates that into information that my brain can use to make decisions, sometimes split second decisions with. I don't get that kind of information relay on something like a Harley, all I get is vibration and noise, two things which I don't find congruent to the motorcycling experience at all. Your opinion on this may and probably does differ.


"I saw in one of your replies that you wanted a bike manufacture to push the envelope, amongst the list of items that you foresaw was supercharged engines and V8 placed into bike frames. While this is appealing to some, I would again remind you that for others the shift from form to function might take way from the very thing that makes these bikes so appealing, the look. There was a TV series back in the early 80s called "Buck Rogers, adventures in the 21st Century" or some nonsense like that….any way the point was that he rebuilt a bike, but he had to use a some futuristic engine as combustible fuel was not available. The thing just did not sound right, so it was not a "true motorcycle"."

Hahaha!

Timely!

I was just about to pick up the entire old TV series "Buck Rogers in the 25th century" on DVD in the next few weeks simply out of nostalgic interest. It wasn't that good (the guy who did Battlestar Galactica did Buck Rogers and you can tell in the later episodes where he simply ran out of money and started using old film footage from the BG series in the BR series to save time and money on FX shots… sad). I don't remember the motorcycle part but now you have me intrigued, I'll have to get the series and watch it.

I do remember an episode of Babylon 5 where Garibaldi, the security officer for the space station, once showed one of the aliens a very nice, pristine Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11, purple black. He referred to it as a "classic" which I thought showed that in the future, ways of thought had changed and performance and technology were once again the determining factors for a reputation to be earned. Facta non verba, Mr. Murphy. It is the motto of my department's SWAT team. It is Latin for "deeds, not words." Honda is very much facta non verba while Harley Davidson is verba non facta.


"The Dominate Buying Motive to purchase is a combination of Form and Function. I list Form before Function due to the fact that regardless of what it is that a person is buying, be it a motorcycle of a pair of shoes, Form is the most important aspect of a buyer's decision."

Correct.

"Ask yourself this question…would you buy a pair of shoe just based off of size? For example…You need a pair of black shoes for your duty uniform let's say….Do you grab the first pair that you see in your size regardless of style? Or do you look for a certain style or tread pattern? How about a shirt? When you shop for a shirt to wear when you are off duty, will you buy any shirt without regard to color or print as long as it fits? I understand that there is a big jump in price between a shirt and a motorcycle but the buying principle remains the same. In fact the importance of Form over Function becomes more significant when spending that huge amount of hard earned money."

Correct but your logic is flawed to a certain degree.

Let's use some fuzzy math and finance here for ease of debate. If you were going to go out and buy new jump boots for your BDUs, would you pay $20 for a boot made to combat specs (and tested to combat specs) that was made in Japan or would you pay $80 for a boot that said it was a combat boot (but which had a horrible reputation in the field) but which just looked really, really good and one which was popular with other soldiers? I go for performance, Mr. Murphy. Form should follow function, form should never dictate function in my humble opinion. I think our debate is using the wrong equipment for an analogy so let's change the hardware.

Let me ask you this.

Given the current military environment of the world, if you were going into battle, would you want to face the enemy in a brand new M1A2 Abrams battle tank loaded to the hilt with technology and safety features, or would you want to ride into battle in a perfect copy of a Sherman tank? What if I told you that the Abrams cost $2 million dollars and the copy of the Sherman tank costs $8 million dollars. What if I told you that heavy emphasis had been put into producing the Sherman so that the gun was extra loud and the engine had a very "tank-like" sound that you could instantly recognize anywhere else as being a good old Sherman. Oh, sure, the Abrams' turbine engine has 1500 base horsepower but who needs that kind of power? What are you going to do with 1500 horsepower? You can’t use that kind of horsepower on parade so what are you going to do? Race your tank across the battlefield? And besides the Abrams has that whiney jet turbine sound… what do those Abrams guys think they are? Fighter pilots? No, better have the true sound of a piston slinging, black soot belching diesel under the cowling of your tank.

What if all of your friends thought it was really cool to ride around and be seen in a Sherman tank in Iraq, would that fact alone not be worth four times the cost of the Abrams? What if you could get a bunch of genuine, American flag and genuine "G.I." type clothes that made you look just like a tanker from World War 2! That would be cool! What if your grandfather used to be a Sherman tank commander!? Wouldn't it be cool if you could ride into battle in a Sherman tank just like he did?! Oh, I'm sure the Sherman would have a lot of nostalgic appeal to it and would definitely feel like a "real" tank and not some Star Wars Nintendo type video game tank like the Abrams is. The question is, why does the Sherman, if it is built to much less quality, has much less technology, and no where near as much power as the Abrams cost so much more than the Abrams does? Is it safer? Is it more powerful? Can it beat another country's tank in a fair fight? Is it a better tank?

No, and you'd be a fool (and a rather quickly dead fool) to ever take a copy of a Sherman tank into battle, especially against an OpForce using equipment even just a decade old. The reason it sells for so much is that the company that makes the copy of the Sherman cannot make a modern combat tank, they don’t have the experience or the knowledge to do so. What are they left with if they can’t compete with other tank makers? They build a “classic” and design all the clothes and lifestyle accessories to go with the Sherman and they raise the price so you think it is actually worth something. They trick you into thinking that price determines quality when it is really quality that determines price.

In an ideal world, Mr. Murphy, you couldn't give a Harley Davidson motorcycle away for free, if technology, durability and performance mattered (like they should).

The Sherman tank was good (arguably) for its time (though, like Harley, the Sherman was inferior to foreign made tanks of the time) but time marches on. Conditions change. A Harley was a good motorcycle several decades ago but the world was different back then. A Harley is an inferior product today, it cannot compete with the world because long ago, Harley Davidson decided to turn tail and run for the hills, which isn't very American in my book. When the imports invaded our shores, Harley didn't learn and adapt, they ran away and cried and they almost went out of business until the government came in and helped them with a loan and protective tariffs in the early 1980's.

Tariffs, mind you, that actually punished hard working American citizens for buying the better built import bikes when they should have been doing the patriotic thing and buying the crappier Harley Davidsons. Harley Davidson did not take the second chance at life which they got and rebuild their factory to meet modern standards, instead, they began to sell the same old bikes ("Shermans") and they made a whole lot of fashion accessories to go with it. Why, you could dress up your Harley any way you wanted to, and you could dress up yourself any way you wanted to! Competition? Who needs to compete when you can just say that you're a winner and never have to actually prove it. Never mind the fact that when you actually do try to compete, using the VR1000 bike in world competition that it results in a long string of losing streaks lasting for a entire decade and showing the world, once again, that you don't know the first thing about technology, engineering or competition but that even when you lose, you look great doing it! That's fashion! That's style! Forget that you're a loser because you look like a winner!

The world we live in is driven by fashion and form, which take precedence over function and performance. The situation I mentioned above in regards to the Abrams and the Sherman is very real, you see it every day with Honda vs. Harley Davidson. One builds a proven, winning bike packed with technology for a very affordable price, a bike you could bet your life on in the toughest of riding conditions. The other builds a bike that you can look good on and sound good on. I don't know about you, but I think my life is priceless and if I have a better chance of going home at night to my beautiful wife and my adorable daughter on a $7000 Honda than I do on a $24,000 Harley, then I'm going to be riding the Honda (and putting the other $17,000 I saved towards something more important, like my family). The point is, why does a Harley cost so much? It isn't that you're paying for technology or engineering or world class … anything. You're paying for a name and you're paying to be popular.

So, if it was up to you, would you rather go into battle (or ride on the street) in something that had proven performance and could save your life and cost $4 million dollars or would you rather go into battle (or ride on the street) in something that was a really cool copy of outdated technology and sounded oh so right but which cost $8 million dollars and wouldn't last one round against modern battle tanks?

Your and my choice may differ but I'll tell you right now, if I was facing the Iraqi army, fashion be damned! I'm going to be popping the top off of those T-72s at maximum range with some one and twenty mike mike DS rounds and whizzing around the battlefield at speed with all 1500 horsepower of my screaming turbine engine, that's what I'm going to do.


"You will always have the few that will state that they buy only "American". I am with you 100% on your point about that segment of the population. That label of 100% American made will fail the test if someone was really trying to prove or disprove that claim. With today's global economy the way that it is, I think we would have lock down our borders and stop all foreign trade to make that claim become reality. Even the term "American Owned" might be pushing it with foreign Investment in our economy that way that it is. I think that the only label that we could say that could be used is "American Ridden" provided that the person was in fact a US Citizen."

I agree. I get so mad at the faux patriots who think that they are (somehow) a better American than I am just because they own a Harley. I hate, and I mean spitting mad hate, the idiots who think that freedom is something that has a trademark symbol on the end of it, that think that the freedom we enjoy as American citizens, paid for by the sweat, blood, tears and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice of soldier / citizens such as yourself, can somehow be packaged up in a little box and sold either out of a vending machine or across the counter at a dealership. The people who ride around bragging about how great an American they are just because they ride a Harley do nothing but cheapen the efforts of people like you, Mr. Murphy.

Freedom isn't something you can buy with a credit card, like a reputation, it has to be earned and just like a reputation, there are no shortcuts to getting there.

Maybe if more people thought the way that I do, when people like you came home from a foreign land, there would be clapping and respect given for your duty and your honor, instead of protests and hatred. Sewing an American flag onto your leather vest in no way puts you in the same category as wearing that flag on your BDUs in a combat zone. America is a great country. I am very proud of my country. I think we have done, we are doing and we will continue to do very great things in the world. I also think it is people like you who are the image of what an American should be like, not some yuppie on a brand new Harley wearing clothes that haven't even been worn enough to lose their newness.

In the next update, you will find my reply to a retard who signs his email as "An American Harley rider." I countersigned my reply as "A Honda riding American."


I believe, like I said before, that we as Americans enjoy a great amount of freedom (thanks to soldiers like you and no one else). With freedom comes great responsibility and included in that responsibility is the right and the need to vote for what we support. I believe that we can either vote for or against something and that a "vote" is not just some piece of paper cast at a ballot box during an election. As Americans, we vote every single day, many times a day. Do I eat at Burger King or McDonald's? Do I watch "Friends" or "60 Minutes"? We vote with our hearts and our minds and also with our pocket books. Buying a Harley is something that I consider to be a vote. I do not approve of Harley Davidson, what they have become or how they conduct their selves, therefore, when I buy a Honda, from another fellow American who owns the local Honda shop, I am voting with my hard earned dollar against Harley Davidson. I am telling Harley that what they make does not interest me and if they were to make a bike like the CBR600RR, I would be the first in line to buy it, if it cost the same as the Honda CBR600RR and it was of comparable function, form, technology and engineering. I'd even be willing to pay more for an American made version of the CBR, if it was a better, faster, more powerful bike than the Honda CBR.

I voted with my money, Mr. Murphy and I sent a strong message to Harley Davidson when I did so. I told them that I did not want what they were making and if they wanted my money, that they would have to start making what I wanted to buy. Too many people look at me as a "communist" or even a foreign terrorist just because I ride a Honda. I look at myself not only as a responsible American but as a concerned American and an active one as well. I see a very big problem and I'm going to do what I can, as an American, to fix that problem by telling other people about it and by setting an example. I believe that is not only my right as an American citizen, but that is also my responsibility as an American.

"You are dead right when you talk about the "Image guy", and yet wrong as well. If you refer to the person who buys the HD to become someone who he/she is not, then you nailed it. But what about the person who buys the bike because it really is the Form that they want? If the bike fits what the buyer feels is his version of what a motorcycle is should he stay away because of the label? That sounds like the same argument that you use, only in reverse. If you say that you should not buy a bike because of a Brand name alone…..Key is Brand name…Then how can you say that if a bike fits the buyers exact expectation of his "Perfect Bike" that he should buy it unless it is Brand X…Again the key is Brand Name."

I spoke of being an American and the freedoms and responsibilities that come with that blessing. Unfortunately, the current outlook of most Americans is that they have the right to be as stupid as they want to be and if you hurt their feelings or tell them that they are being stupid, they're going to grab a lawyer and sue you for everything you own. My own thought is you should buy the bike that you want.

Period.

If you want to buy a Harley Davidson, Mr. Murphy, you are perfectly free to do so. If, however, you start to berate me for my choice in motorcycles, if you start to use completely unfounded and fairy tale type logic to justify your purchase, then we will argue. I'm all for freedom of choice. I'm against flock behavior. Buying a Harley is your right and your freedom. I would hope that you make this choice knowing that there are better built, less expensive and more powerful bikes out there but if you do research your decision and you do buy a Harley, then I have no quarrel with you. Hell, I own and work on a 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350, a redneck's wet dream if ever there was one (short of the IROC-Z). It's not the fastest car in the world (though in its day and age it was one of the fastest production cars) and it isn't the best looking but I'm interested in it and I only paid $1200 for it. The chance to restore it to stock and have a nice example of a car no longer built is of interest to me. Of course, I'm not going to go around and put an American flag on my car and start beating up Honda Civic drivers because I think they are communists for driving an import.

Besides the CBR, I own a piece of junk. Yes, I own a total piece of crap junk. The seats are torn, the paint is gone, the rear spoiler is rusted out, the trunk won't lock, the radio won't play, the fan motor grinds, the air conditioner doesn't blow cold, the carpet is torn and faded, the headliner is drooping and about to fall down and when it runs, it runs badly. It smokes and growls and gets about 8 miles to the gallon because it set up in the woods for three years and I had to rescue it by hooking a chain around the rear bumper and using a four wheel drive Chevy pickup truck to pull the Formula out of its final resting place in the vain attempt to use my meager skills to bring it back to life. It's a fun adventure and I don't take it seriously at all which is probably why it is so fun. Yes, I could afford a new car, in fact, I sold my beautiful mint supercharged '99 Grand Prix GTP just so I was left with only the piece of junk Formula and the CBR to work with and if I ever get tired of riding my CBR in the rain and cold and sleet, then I had better get off of my ass and fix the Formula up nice otherwise I'm in trouble.

I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes you go with your heart and you don't listen to your brain and your wallet suffers for it but if you enjoy it and it doesn't hurt anyone but you, then I guess that's okay. The point is, make an informed decision on your own, research your purchase and buy with your brain, not your penis. Don't buy a car or truck or bike because other people think it is cool, buy it because YOU think it is cool. Just realize the limitations of what you are buying and don't subscribe to some make believe fantasy that just isn't true. I own a piece of junk car. Even when it is restored, it's only going to be a 245 horsepower Firebird capable of mid 14 second quarter miles and a top speed of about 150mph. It isn't going to be the greatest, fastest, most powerful car in the world but then I'm not going to go around and brag about it like it was either. I'm also not going to chastise other Americans who own Mitsubishi Eclipses or Toyota Supras for being "un-American." To each their own, but you have to understand your limitations.

Import bikes intrigue me, domestic bikes do not. Domestic cars intrigue me, foreign cars not so much. I can understand the sound and feel you talk about because when I get in my Formula and drive it around, that throaty rumble from an American fuel injected small block V8 is hard to not smile at and enjoy. The fact is, that my Formula also has 245 horsepower to back up that throaty rumble. It would be a different story if I had a four banger under the hood making 50 horsepower but yet had the mufflers and pipes on it to make it sound like it had a V8.

Ride or drive what you want, it doesn't make you any more or less of an American, and you have to know your limitations.

"I wonder is it the HD Brand Name that has you feeling this way, or is it the relative few who happen to ride HDs and show their stupidity (and arguably loyalty) with the rest of the world. It could be said the same for Sports fans, or any other segment of the population for that matter."

HD has never been an innovator, Mr. Murphy, it has always been the imitator. The only reason Harley is number one, so to speak, today is because every other American motorcycle company between it and first place went out of business. Harley became number one because every other company vanished, not through any hard work or effort on HD's part. Indian was a much better, much more aggressive, much more competition oriented company that Harley Davidson ever was. Look at Harley's history, all the way back to its beginning and you will find instance after instance where Harley copied somebody else for something that gave them a better position than they were currently in.

The Sportster was a copy of fast British bikes of the time (so much so that the original Sportster had the shifter on the right, just like the British bikes it copied while all other Harleys had the shifter on the left side). Indian produced their first V-twin in 1903, Harley didn't produce their V-twin until many years later (I guess it took those hillbillies that long to take apart an Indian V-twin and learn how to copy it…).

When Harley was faced with intense competition in the form of British and Japanese bikes invading our shores, Harley could have bucked up, rolled up its sleeves and said "Not on my watch!" I would have respected that immensely! Did they do that? Did they adapt and overcome, as Americans always have? No! They ran away, they dropped out of what little competition they were involved in (not involved in a winning manner, mind you, but involved nonetheless) and ran for the hills.

During the 1960's and 1970's, as foreign bikes gained a definitive beachhead here in America and expanded their invasion of the market, Harley just sulked and cried and boo-hooed about the mean old imports and they go so bad off that AMF had to buy them up to keep them from going out of business. The fact is, AMF couldn't even save Harley so far gone were they, and when Willie G. and his 12 disciples bought Harley out from AMF in the early 1980's, it was realized that Harley could not compete with the rest of the world for build quality, engineering or technology, so Willie G. and the boys reinvented Harley Davidson from a motorcycle manufacturer to a fashion empire and they began to sell their products not based on reputation or performance, but on image and sound, on flash and appeal. The fact that they succeeded is as humorous as it is said and shows a great deal about what is wrong with America today. Harley Davidson could have been great, instead they chose to run and hide and beg for mercy. I don't think that Harley Davidson represents anything at all about what it means to be a traditional American but I do believe that they represent, in full, what it means like to be a modern American, or at least what the other people of the world perceive Americans to be like today; dumb, outdated, fat, slow, loud, flashy, and expensive. If you broke a Harley down into what it actually represents, you would never own one.

It sickens me that the company plays on the patriotic image so much because, to me, Harley Davidson in no way represents what it means to be an American. Hell, we went to the Moon not once but several times. America can build planes like the SR-71 Blackbird which still holds world speed records fifty years later! America has sent probes beyond the edge of the solar system. We kicked the ass of one of the world's largest armies in Iraq! And you want to tell me that something as ridiculous as a Harley Davidson represents what it means to be American? I almost consider those to be fighting words. Almost.

Harley Davidson is an embarrassment to me, and a great shame to my beloved country. That is why I detest Harley Davidson. Not everyone that rides a Harley is an idiot, I'm not foolish enough to make that assumption, but Harleys are built by and for idiots and the gullible, therefore you are judged by the company that you keep.


"I am glad that you have taken this upon yourself. In a world where people are to content to burry their head in the sand and just shuffle along with the rest of the flotsam and jetsam called society you stand out. You make people think and exercise their minds. To form an argument and to debate sparks creativity…..It's ironic that it is the vary thing that you claim the Lemmings are lacking, yet you are here to create the catalyst that will cause those sparks to fly."

Exactly. I like to think of myself as jumpstarting people's brains by kicking them in the ass. We, as a nation, have become too dependent on fashion and sound. We have become a nation that would rather buy a reputation or an image than earn one the hard way. We're lazy, dumb and a bunch of whiners. We're not a nation of John Waynes anymore, we've become a nation of Jane Fondas.

We not individuals, we're not strong enough to stand up on our own anymore so we pose and we join groups and we get self help classes and we whine and moan and try to place blame on everyone but ourselves. We don't think, Mr. Murphy, we act, on impulse and if we do the wrong thing, it isn't our fault, it is anybody's fault but our own because we have become a nation of victims. I enjoy a good debate and I love to find someone who can speak their mind, using original thoughts, instead of cut and pasted clichés out of some corporate ad or fashion catalog.

I may hurt people's feelings along the way but the last time I checked, that wasn't against the law and no one ever gave you a guarantee that your feelings wouldn't be hurt. I miss the old America, the America I grew up in, not this wimpy pansy ass pose as you go America where everyone wants to be like someone else and no one is happy to be who they are naturally.

You and I, Mr. Murphy, are the vulgar Americans. We are the old, dirty, educated Americans who just don't get it, who aren't willing to roll over and accept things as they are. We're wrong for bucking and fighting the status quo or for having a difference of opinion. We're bad Americans and I'm glad of it, sir. The sad thing is, we're apparently a dying breed. I just wish there were more bad Americans out there. I'm trying to do my part but it's a Sisyphusian struggle to be sure. Still, Americans have always come out on top, over all adversity and against the greatest of odds.

I long for the days when Americans didn't describe their selves with a hypen and the word "American" behind some other country or nation. I long for the day when there were less "me" oriented people and more "us" oriented people, when America was a nation, not a fragmented collection of peoples all whining about how much they do get or how much they don't get. I still have faith in my country and hope that this time won't be any different in the end. As a wise man once said, "this, too, shall pass."

I hope I live to see it, God granted.

That is my fervent wish.

"I would like to close by saying that while I agree with you in part, I must differ in whole on your stance on HD owners. I do this simply because of the fact that as there are thousands of HD owners so too are there thousands of reasons that they chose HD. One can't simple lump them all into one category to justify one's own end. It does not work that way. You can no sooner do that than to say that if you made $10.00 and hour at work and bought 1 loaf of bread then if you bought two loaves you would get paid $20.00 an hour."

You have to understand, Mr. Murphy, that Harley Davidson panders to the lowest common denominator in society. I can lump Harley Davidson into a group because Harley Davidson stands for what I believe is wrong with America. You can either support that or not. If you choose to support it, then our paths have diverged. We may not be bitter enemies, but we do have a difference of opinion.

Your analogy is again somewhat flawed.

What I'm saying is, if you had ten dollars in your pocket, would you be smarter if you bought Brand A bread for $1.00 or Brand B bread in the American flag wrapper for $4.00. What if you found out that Brand A was more nutritious and better for you but was baked in Canada. Would you still buy it? What if Brand B bread was less nutritious but lots of people ate it because, well, lots of people ate it and the store had big flashy signs advertising it and lots of commercials of famous people making sandwiches and enjoying Brand B bread on beaches, on top of mountains, etc. What if Brand B bread was made by one single, 100 year old bakery in Milwaukee? Would you be willing to spend $4.00 to support a factory that hasn't changed in 100 years or improved their product any, or would you be willing to pay $1.00 for a loaf of better bread, baked elsewhere, and relish in the fact that you still had $9 more dollars in your pocket for other grocery or life needs?

I'd buy the bread for a buck, hands down, every day, and not feel less patriotic about it nor would I lose any sleep over it. I guess that's because bread is bread to me, Mr. Murphy, just like a motorcycle is a motorcycle to me. I love my CBR and God am I glad that it costs far less and does far more than a Harley! I live in an imperfect world but fortunately, that world is skewed in favor of my pocket book! You can get from point A to point B on a CBR just as good as you can on a Harley Davidson, but the cost per mile really goes down on a CBR. If we lived in a perfect world, as I would like to, it would be the Harleys that sold for $7000 and the Honda CBR that sold for $30,000 just like in the automotive market it is the Ford Escort that sells for $12,000 and the Chevy Corvette that sells for nearly $60,000. No one would ever buy a Ford Escort for $60,000 yet the very same kind of people would buy a $30,000 Harley when they could get a much better built Honda for less than a third of that.

We have talked about image vs. performance and a host of other ideas in our debate. My question to you is, when you make a peanut butter sandwich with Brand A bread and one with Brand B bread, the taste may be a little different between the two but isn't your stomach going to get just as full in the end? And when you look at your full stomach and you sit there in your favorite chair enjoying life, is it better that you spent $4.00 to get the same feeling that you would if you had only spent $1.00?

And, not to be gross, but as one of my fellow SWAT team members once told me, when we were deciding on where to eat and what kind of burger to get, he said basically: "Well, I'm hungry and I don't care. McDonald's will build a turd just as good as Burger King."

Different choices, different costs, same result.

So, if they both come out the same, regardless of the cost you put in, if you get from point A to point B in the same amount of time on a $7,000 CBR as you do a $24,000 V-Rod, does it really matter what you ride? Is it worth an extra $17,000 just to say you own a V-Rod when the $7,000 CBR will spank it into the weeds with little or no effort? I guess I'm a realist. I don't spend money for flash or fluff. I don't pay extra for a name. A pair of $20 Levis from Walmart lasts the same as a pair of $80 Tommy Hilfiger jeans from some boutique in the mall and if they last the same amount of time, then I'm ahead of the game by four pairs of Levis to one pair of Tommy Hilfiger. Besides, if people judge me by what I wear and if I'm in fashion or not, if they look down on me because their jeans cost more than mine did and they have a name on their jeans that means something currently in the fashion scene, then those aren't the kind of people I plan on hanging around in life with anyway. I go for value over image, performance over sound, function over form, but that's just me. I'm more of a John Wayne kind of American, no bullshit and trust me, HD is built on BS, which is why I don't subscribe to them or their products.

"But I would like to say this…It is people like you that restore my faith in the American people. I have been in the Army for 18 years, Desert Storm and Shield, and two tours in Iraq. It makes me remember that people like you are why I do what I do. Continue to make these people get off their fat asses and think, question, and wonder. Bash them all…To include me..because with out things to make people mad and defend what they believe in they all become cattle. Big fat cows who just eat and shit."

Amen, brother!

You have my undying thanks and gratitude for the sacrifices that you have personally experienced, as well as those around you (and you can extend my thanks and gratitude to anyone in your outfit as well). I respect you and your kind, as well as people of your mindset because it is people like you, not people like Willie G. Davidson, who have made this country great and strong.

Never stop thinking, Mr. Murphy.

Never stop questioning.

If everyone else is doing it, it's probably not only currently fashionable, it's probably dumb. I abhor flock behavior and the sheep that form a large part of the population of our great nation. Free thought and a willingness to question anything presented at face value are lost actions, I truly believe.

The debate now returns to your court. With your permission, I would like to post this reply on my site, not under the "flame" section but rather under the "road stories" section so that people can see that perhaps original thought is not dead in America. I will protect your identity (and in no way share or post your email address) if you prefer but I think we have talked about some important issues here and those are issues that need to be shared. If you decide to reply, I look forward to talking and debating with you further. Finding a smart person to have a conversation with is not only a rarity in my life, it is also a very distinct joy.

God bless you and yours, Patrick, especially when you ride and especially when you serve our great country! You and those you serve with have my deepest respect as well as my fervent prayers not only for your success in your duty and missions, but also for your safe and quick return home.



____________________

And Mr. Murphy replied:
____________________

Mr. Shields,

Let me start by saying thank you for the quick reply.  After reading the response I can only humbly acknowledge the logic of your counter points.  At the end of the day I can honestly say that like your Firebird, I too have more money than sense.  I would have to say that at times it is the heart the overrides the mind.  Our redemption lies in our ability to earn wages that permit our indulgences.

You have to wonder how long those sitting in HD Corporate HQ will continue to do business as they have?  I must state that I went into this knowing full well that I was not getting the fastest, nor the most advanced motorcycle.  Hell the damn official HD website shows all the details on when each type of motor came out.  Lots of ten and 15 year runs with the same design.  Like Darwinism, you either go forward or you slide back to the primordial slime pit from whence you came.

You must also concede that Americans have been known to be pig headed and at times down right stupid.  Perhaps stupid is not the correct word to use, lets use naive.  There are lots of things that we do that we now that we should not.  But you could say that we do them anyway just because we think it is our God given right as Americans.

"Let me ask you this.  Given the current military environment of the world, if you were going into battle, would you want to face the enemy in a brand new M1A2 Abrams battle tank loaded to the hilt with technology and safety features, or would you want to ride into battle in a perfect copy of a Sherman tank?  What if I told you that the Abrams cost $2 million dollars and the copy of the Sherman tank costs $8 million dollars.  What if I told you that heavy emphasis had been put into producing the Sherman so that the gun was extra loud and the engine had a very "tank-like" sound that you could instantly recognize anywhere else as being a good old Sherman.  Oh, sure, the Abrams' turbine engine has 1500 base horsepower but who needs that kind of power?  What are you going to do with 1500 horsepower?  Race your tank across the battlefield?  And besides the Abrams has that whiney jet turbine sound… what do those Abrams guys think they are?  Fighter pilots?  No, better have the tru
e sound of a piston slinging, black soot belching diesel under your tank."


God....That's good....I really want to point out that the M1A2 Heavy is out dated and was never designed to take us into the 21st Century but you still spanked my ass with it as an example!!! :)

Well shit...What can I say...Except that " A fool and his money are soon parted".  But I went into it with full knowledge of what I was doing...Hey, but look at the bright side... HD Finally fixed those nasty oil leaks right...

" I long for the day when there were less "me" oriented people and more "us" oriented people, when America was a nation, not a fragmented collection of peoples all whining about how much they do or don't get.  I still have faith in my country and hope that this time won't be any different in the end.  As a wise man once said, "this, too, shall pass."  I hope I live to see it, God granted.  That is my fervent wish."

I see it all the time my friend...It sickens me to see what values parents are passing to the children.  This is becoming a culture of "It's not my fault".  Yet again we "Ugly Americans" roll up our sleeves and go to work ... Just too stupid to quit and too hard headed to give up.

I will continue to frequent you web page and make another attempt to spar with you.  Not to mention I love checking out those mindless morons who you slaughter.  You are brutal, it's a fucking riot.

Take care man...From a Brother in green to a Brother in blue

Pat

PS...I would feel honored if you were to post my vain attempt to match wits with you.  Go ahead and release my Email address as well.  What the hell, I could use some excitement...or excrement ... what ever

 

_____________________________________________

And a few days later Mr. Murphy sent me another very, very good email:
_____________________________________________

 

Mr. Shields,

Once again I find myself forced to defend those who can’t or won’t defend themselves. The “Call to Arms” has been sounded to defend of those who lack the ability to protect themselves from their own ignorance. Worse yet, to knowingly enter the lion’s den covered in the blood of foolishness.

Yes I will say it proudly, I own a Harley….There it is out in the open for all to jeer and ridicule. My struggle is not with you, nor is it with my fellow Harley Riders. The battle is with Harley Owners. The chest pounding, nearsighted, black T-shirt wearing, chain drive wallet toting bad mouthing genre that claim to be card carrying red blooded “Americans” who say that they would rather push their “American Made” scooters than ride a “RICE BURNERS”.
I am amazed that there is such a Cult of narrow minded people in my country. Yes, I called it my country. After 18 years wearing Army Green and “real world deployments” (Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Provide Comfort, Somalia, Haiti, and OIF I and II) plus 3 times in the Balkans I have earned the right to call it my country. I have sent friends home in body bags, I have done things in the “Defense of my country” that will cause me nightmares until I leave this world.

Why do I and others serving like me do these things time after time. The answer is simple: To give “Americans” the rights and freedoms granted by the Constitution of the United States of America. I stand ready to defend those rights not only for myself, but for the individual who wants to buy a RICE BURNER or even God forbid, a BRATWURST BURNER.

I have to ask one simple question, a question that burns in the hearts and minds of many, WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER WHAT YOU RIDE???

If the only thing I was judge on was the type of bike I rode then we would be in a world of shit. The Army teaches us all something from day one. We all bleed red. Is someone a second class citizen because he doesn’t ride the same brand of bike that you do? Should I wait to pull you ass out of a burning HMMWV until you show me the registration paperwork for your motorcycle and check the VIN to make sure it’s not a “WANNABE-HARLEY”. Hell no, I go into harms way and pull you out while my squad is putting down some heavy suppressing fire and get the two of us the fuck out of Dodge.

Motorcycles are like women (If I offend any females then I apologize but as a male it makes the point, for the record my wife is a female and a damn fine one) we all have different tastes. If I had the same taste in women as you did then I would have married your wife. Or better yet, motorcycles are like farts, yours stinks but mine smell like roses.
Stupidity and ignorance are not one and the same. Ignorance implies that you lack the knowledge and or facts to make the right decision. Stupidly, on the other hand, is while you have all the facts and knowledge to make the correct decision you ignore the correct answer and choose poorly. Stupidity and arrogance are abound with the HARLEY Owners. The mindset of “If you ride any but a HD then you are subhuman…inconsequential at best and a piece of shit at worst”. So what happens next? You end up judging people based off of what they ride as opposed to who they are. The phrase “Some of my closest friends ride rice burners” suggests that in spite of the bike they are still OK.

BULLSHIT PEOPLE!!!!!

Forget what they ride, just ride with them. The last time I checked a motorcycle had two wheels and a motor, that’s it. There is no reason to make any more out of it than that. Keep it simple.

I have been reading much as of late. The Internet has more forums concerning motorcycles than you can shake a stick at. Why is it that there are so many sites dedicated to Metric Bashing from HD Owners? For the most part it is the same old Bull Shit. Every now and then you get the person whom I call the Harley Rider. His answer is something like this “I don’t care what you ride, just as long as you enjoy it”.

Lets face it, I did not buy the fastest, most nimble, most advanced motorcycle in the world. Got it, know it and accept it. If that is what I was looking for I would have gone BMW (remember motorcycles are like farts). I chose a bike that was perfect for me. If you decided to get a Honda then I am damn happy for your choice, now lets go ride!!

During these past 18 years I have surrounded by some of the finest men and women it has been my pleasure to be associated with. We have learned to be respectful of others. Hell we have “Consideration of Others” training mandated twice a year. Can you imagine my shock to see people getting into e-mail fist fights over something a trivial as what brand of motorcycle they have. Shit, why stop there, lets jump on the “I Rather burn my Ford then drive a VOLVO” band wagon.

Hey Harley Owners, I got a great idea, why don’t you stop posing and start riding. I can bet that you can’t talk trash to another bike owner when you are going down the road at 60 MPH (Remember…Loud pipes save lives).

If you think owning a HD bike makes you a bad ass, well I've got news for ya….You're wrong. If you want to be a bad ass then do this. Put on a uniform, pick up a rifle and jump in a M1025 and roll with me and the crew down IED alley. Come on a corridor and search of SADAR CITY. I’ll see how much of a bad ass you are when the bombs go off and the bullets start to fly. Bad ass is when you get not one but two HUMMERS blown out from under you ass and you still get into the third. There are over 150,000 bad asses here, care to guess how many own a HARLEY?

Bikes and leather don’t make you cool. Cool is a state of mind. Physical and mental toughness simply can’t be purchased at a store or dealership. Those are traits that come with experience. We all have the right to make the decisions that we do. I, and my comrades in arms, go into harms ways to protect those rights. SO DON’T PISS ME OFF BY MOCKING WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO!!!!!

We have willingly given up some of our rights to protect not just your right to own your Harley; we have given so much so the other guy can own his Kawi as well. You cheapen the sacrifices that many have made with your narrow-minded attitude. While you may have never asked us to do what we do, you all damn sure need someone to do it. If not you, then who?

So at the end of the day I ask you….with all that is going on in the world, is it really that big of a deal if someone decided to buy an Import? If you think it is then I simply shake my head and walk away. You, the ignorant pampas ass, are no better than those whom I despise the most: Cowards. You are too afraid to open your mind to the possibility that sometimes there is more than one right answer.

I will close by saying this….

This is MY country, right or wrong. I only hope that there are enough open minded “Americans” who still remember that this country stands for FREEDOM, and that means the freedom to buy what ever you want in the pursuit of happiness.
 

vr
 

SFC Murphy, P. A.

 

God bless you and those you serve with, sir!  Get the job done and then come home safe!  My thanks, my appreciation, my respect and my prayers are with you and those you serve with.  Thank you for your service to your country and for protecting that which we love the most; our freedom!  -Christopher T. Shields

 

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