r/BoomersBeingFools • u/CyanShadow42 • 1d ago

What is it with boomers and Harleys?

Some background: I am a lifelong motorcyclist, who likes to do lots of different kinds of riding, so I have a few different bikes. I'm also a bad influence and people who spend much time around me usually end up riding too, so my wife now rides and has a bike of her own. Between us we've got 5 bikes in the garage, all different types, and none of them Harleys because all of them together don't add up to the price of a new Harley and if I wanted that kind of bike I'd rather buy a Royal Enfield for all the 1940's tech without the $25,000 sticker on the gas tank.

The other day my MIL, the boomiest baby boomer to ever boom, upon seeing our garage, comments that she's "never seen so many motorcycles" with disgust almost dripping from the words. I point out that in her own neighborhood, I've seen a few garages with several Harleys that look almost identical except for color and a few accessories and suddenly having multiple bikes seems okay in her mind. I wish that was the only case of boomers being like "motorcycles bad but Harleys good" I've experienced, but it's just one of the more obvious and recent instances. Make it make sense please.

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u/DW171 1d ago

The best part is when they have $25k in accessories, without understanding that it adds almost zero to the resale value of the bike. "No low-balls! I know what I got!" But at least they think they look tough when they ride 3 miles to cosplay down at their local bar on Sunday.

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u/CyanShadow42 1d ago

Too bad it doesn't make them tough enough to handle a little cold, I commute year round on my bike in Colorado and I don't really see any Harleys from about October to April. To be fair I rarely see any other riders December through February but if I do they're usually doing the adv dad thing like me.

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u/Linvaderdespace 1d ago

You’re crazy man; I love you, but you’re crazy.

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u/CyanShadow42 1d ago

I mean, if there's snow or ice on the roads, I'll take the car. Other than that, I'm happier at -20F on the bike than I'll ever be stuck in a car.