Why all the hate???

I read an article today, and while it was extolling the virtues of dependability of the vintage Honda CB line of motorcycles, it just made me sad. So unlike all my other articles I have written to this point, this is really an editorial rather than a tech or fun article.

So why is it that one group of motorcyclists dislikes another? We have all seen it, and usually it is the Japanese bike vs. Harley bike war, or Japanese bike vs. Brit bike. I guess I just don't get it, I grew up loving British bikes, learned how to ride on Japanese bikes, and my current stable includes two Japanese bikes and my first Harley. I love them all, but there is definitely a divide.

So to the article's scenario... it took place at a Brit/Harley bike gathering in Britain. In the back of a pickup truck resided a poor old beat up  Honda CB250. Unfortunately it was there so that the rally attendees could go at it beating it with sledge hammers. But even that wasn't enough, after it's thrashing, the group fired the bike up (yes it still ran). Well, at that, they pinned the throttled wide open so it could blow itself up. Well, after several minutes of that, in a final middle finger to the group, the bike ran out of gas without blowing up.

Now I will bring up that the articles author did not appear to take part. So my question is, and I hope to hear from you on this, is why would we harbor so much dislike to a genre of cycles that we would want to kill the cycles.

Now I'll freely admit that I am probably more sentimental about cars and bikes than most. My old car and truck definitely have personalities that seem to transcend meer machines. But even if you don't have those feelings, being a cyclist in general is a little more bonding. A cyclist is a cyclist because they want to be, they are all to certain degrees enthusiasts. I would say that we all probably bond with our bikes, even the bad ones. Honda made scores of CB250's over the years, and one sacrifice won't be missed in the grand scheme of things, but at one time that old CB was new, and it probably introduced someone to motorcycling. I don't know about you, but I still love the old GS450 that taught me how to ride, and my TU250 is now teaching my fiancee to ride. These machines will forever be a part of me, and I hope they are never disrespected with a sledge hammer, they deserve better.

I know this is a sappy rant, but I had to write it. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

If you are into more than just TU250's you can read this and other articles on my other blog EvilSportster.blogspot.com