Noticed Harley Owners Like Your Norton?

I have

Guys on Harleys constantly come over and visit with me, asking me questions about my Norton.

This sure never happened when I rode my Hondas and Ducatis.

They seem to identify with the long stroke air cooled twin cylinder thing.

I like this a lot, like visiting with other bikers of all kinds, but my Norton just seems to open a lot more doors!

i was out riding my pops dominator 88 the other day when i drove past a pack of harley riders. i got dirty looks as i waved until they got a good side profile look, then they grinned and waved like idiots. :lol: a couple of them followed me to the pumps to gawk.

it never fails, anytime i take a norton out somebody somewhere has to get their two cents in :lol:

A lot of HD people had old Brit Iron in past and in general old Brit Iron is only thing the picky ones will accept or invite to ride along or attend Harley only rallys letting BI bikes/bikers inside but blocking metrics.

I think it's also the big Primary cover that they see first and then realize it's not a harley but a foreign cousin from across the pond.
Either way they seem to like it.

Pretty cool isn't it? Ride by on your sandcast CB750 and they scowl at you like a commie crud. Same guy rides by on his Britbike, he's OK. Lame assed poseurs, judging people the same way they proclaim they don't want to be judged. Been that way a long while. When I had my '74 Super Glide, Limey riders were OK, rice riders looked down upon. OTOH, they gimme the ugly scowl when I'm on my Hinckley Triumph Tiger 1050, because to them, any bike that doesn't look like a '57 Chevy must be a "rice rocket" :lol:

my harley is almost as cool as my norton



but my bonnie makes da wimmins giggle. the harley guys like it, too but most of them are too fat to fit into the hack.

Sure would like to know where you got those ammo bags.
I saw your bike in another post. Love it.

got them from a military surplus website

twenty bucks each.

sorry, but i don't remember the source.
goggle '''''mil surp ammo canvas bags'.
good luck
goo

Here is some insight into the "HD riders like Brit bikes" thing:

WWII pitted the U.S. & Britain together against the Japanese.

The feelings generated in that war die hard.

It's that simple.

grandpaul said:

Here is some insight into the "HD riders like Brit bikes" thing:

WWII pitted the U.S. & Britain together against the Japanese.

The feelings generated in that war die hard.

It's that simple.

Click to expand...

Maybe so, GP....but I seriously doubt that's what the average Harley rider is thinking or feeling when he sees one of our bikes. Sheesh, you'd have to be in your 80's to identify with those feelings.

Most of them simply have been riding for a long long time....and owned Triumphs, BSA's, Nortons, etc. in the past and decide we're cool because we're keeping old bikes on the road.

cmessenk said:

grandpaul said:

Here is some insight into the "HD riders like Brit bikes" thing:

WWII pitted the U.S. & Britain together against the Japanese.

The feelings generated in that war die hard.

It's that simple.

Click to expand...

Sheesh, you'd have to be in your 80's to identify with those feelings.

Click to expand...

Hilarious!!!!

Wish I had a dollar for every time a Harley rider asked what year Triumph my '66 Atlas is

cmessenk said:

Maybe so, GP....but I seriously doubt that's what the average Harley rider is thinking or feeling when he sees one of our bikes. Sheesh, you'd have to be in your 80's to identify with those feelings. Most of them simply have been riding for a long long time....and owned Triumphs, BSA's, Nortons, etc. in the past and decide we're cool because we're keeping old bikes on the road.

Click to expand...

The thing is, if your Dad was anything like my Dad, and MANY other people who would indeed be in thier 80s, you would have been "encouraged" to buy American or British, and "discouraged" from buying Japanese, when the time came to buy a bike or car. My Dad bought American over Asian (vehicles, TVs, whatever) unless there was no other option, then he mostly did without.

Whoever thinks these notions are silly, hilarious, unbelieveable, or whatever, doesn't have a relative who suffered under the Japanese in WWII. i have/had more than one, and I assure you, they never laughed about it.

Next time some HD rider takes an interest in your Britbike, WHY DON'T YOU ASK THEM why they like it?

Don't be scared, they're just HD riders.

I don't think that I've ever talked to a Harley owner...and I don't think that I intend to start. :shock: I really don't see that I have anything in common with the owners of bikes designed not to go round corners.

I have a group of friends who all ( own ) Harleys, I showed up for a big group ride once on my BSA 441 Shooting Star with a friend on his Triumph 650 and got laughed at. They all said things like you can't keep up etc etc. My pal & I had to stop in the canyons three times to let them catch up and when we got to the coast they all complained the road was to twisty!! Notice I said they (own) bikes because they all spend time polishing & adding chrome but only ride about two miles to the bar & back on Sundays! I love old Harleys & would love to have one for relaxed cruising but not like most of the guys here in So California poser land.

All sorts of rider and bikes life styles but can garantee a bit lifted Harley with big cubes is a terror to hang with in tights and out of, as well as freeways. So is a GoldWing. Still its a feel good about our obsolete bikes when waiting for the sneer'rs to catch up. By and large most bikers are desirable folks to hang with compared to other labeled segments of people.

My Norton P!! and much later 1st Combat induced me to the rarer scope of Harley 'owners' the one the wear or no long wear "Colors" or could if they cared too. They all seem to love to ride in oncoming lane around the ton, so I kinda do too. Halft the reason for ape hangers is they are illegal at shoulder height so a fluant to police to do something about it.

So what's this imply for the quality of Brit Iron owners if Harley crowd has general affinity for us too?

All sorts of rider and bikes life styles but can garantee a bit lifted Harley with big cubes is a terror to hang with in tights and out of, as well as freeways. So is a GoldWing. Still its a feel good about our obsolete bikes when waiting for the sneer'rs to catch up. By and large most bikers are desirable folks to hang with compared to other labeled segments of people.

My Norton P!! and much later 1st Combat induced me to the rarer scope of Harley 'owners' the one the wear or no long wear "Colors" or could if they cared too. They all seem to love to ride in oncoming lane around the ton, so I kinda do too. Halft the reason for ape hangers is they are illegal at shoulder height so a fluant to police to do something about it.

So what's this imply for the quality of Brit Iron owners if Harley crowd has general affinity for us too? Harleys are are closest kissing cousins in a number of ways to compare genetic expression.

I really don't run into much snobbery (Like/Dislike) among the riders I meet.

Most just either look at my Norton with a bewildered look on their face,
or come up and tell me that they used to have one just like it.

For the Harley crowd it seems to be more of a "lemming" mentality.
If one guy says something, then they all tend to say the same thing.

On the rare occasion I do get the "attitude" (Jap Crap), it when I'm on my Honda Valkyrie.
Then I just challenge them to a race and the subject is quickly changed.

Funny, but I've probably gotten the biggest snubbings from BMW riders.

My view is that there is a big world out there, ride what you want.
I don't have much time to worry about it, i'm too busy riding.

I got sneered and snobbed by riders of all brands, but especially the 600-1000cc sport riders of the V twin and inline4 type both asian and european. It didn't take very long though to be obvious which make and model rider could and was having more fun. Reactions then varied to dumbfounded head cocking like confused dog, dancing level hi five slapping elation to scowling angry tail tucking off. The sound quality and seating position tends to set the acceptance zone. When Peel had the fork brace bar on I could ride feet/boot soles forward and with the megaphone on lugging range I confused the heck out of HD packs and parades and solo riders. Generally would creek up behind till everyone saw my boots and posture, then when road allowed would get through most of them like a cruiser then put feet on resets, hunch forward, snick a gear or two lower and instant be on 2S cam and leave em listening to another kind of real motorcycle sound. Aslo was fun to leave a HD gathering spot, low throttle short shifting at 3000 up to 4th in similar cadence to the cruisers, then soon as out of sight 100-200yd snick to 2nd and come back on pipes over 5000 rpm and rip to red line and up gears from there, conditons allowing of course.
I always imagine them mostly ignoring me until thier ears make their eyebrows raise.