The dishonesty thing I do find annoying at times. Worse still are people who look down on you because of the looks of what you ride. The crotch-rocket crowd I find comical. By lunchtime on Friday (if it's fine) there will be 3 1000cc plus sports bikes in the shed here. 1 is owned by a guy who races 600's in some national championship, his bike is 7-8 years old has various battle scars and is really really quick. He does the usual stuff to keep his ride going but has a mate who likes getting his hands dirty more than riding. One of the others is 3 months old and has 400 miles on the clock. This guy can't ride round corners (hence his second bike in a year), is annoyingly slow and thinks both my bikes are for learners. Anytime he breaks it it goes to the dealers. Guess who wears the full leathers and black-and-deckered knee sliders! . (I once put some old sliders on the BMW outfits cylinders and tight leathers guy thought you could actually fly the chair that high!).
I have no interest in riding in circles (except very large ones), but even in the sports bike crowd I'd rate someone who could lap at 70 on a tuned up 125 over muppets who simply buy an 1100cc plastic missile. I will however offer to race anyone. But, I pick the course and the rules. "See you in Marrakesh" usually stops the **** taking and starts the excuses!
The classic/cruiser crowd had a few odd habbits too. Their big thing seems to be assuming that my aim is to copy some old blokes bike in minute detail. The Bonneville attracts crowds who want to point out the gearbox castings are "wrong". I point out they don't leak oil. Still, even in a crowd of polishers who bring their sculptures to shows on trailers you'll find the buy who can get a 30's bike to Australia and back, so I try to ignore the jokers and get on with the riding.
I'm really glad this is a riders club!
As for the maintenance thing, I think you have to learn if you ride. Doing the Elefant at the end of January and the Dragon in February and wanting to be ready for the Easter hols is no time to find a dealership has a 4 month wait to change oil. If you've found that decent mechanic who does actually realise that people use a bike as transport, you could be fine, but self sufficiency is better. I used to let BMW sort everything, which was fine until they lost the plot and refused to book services at the one before. They simply couldn't understand that I could plan a service every 6-months but would be stuffed if they got busy and made me wait over a week. Triumph in Leeds don't even keep oil filters in stock at times!
The technology thing is going to be interesting. FI and ABS etc. are actually very simply to deal with. It either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't work you do some simple tests and either find that blown fuse, blocked pipe etc. or you don't. The next test is simplicity itself, you plug in a lap top and it tells you what to change. Going to a workshop to let them plug it in to me is only the same as not grinding your own crank, not owning a frame alignment jig etc. The mystery that some people associate with electronics is garbage that comes from untrained, ill equipped technicians trying to fix what they don't understand and stuffing it up. I work with trucks and have been offered peoples daughters (OK, well not quite) for getting Mercedes Actros/new DAF's etc. back on the road. I look good only because the four guys who tried before were trying to fix a computer with an adjustable spanner!
Still, each to their own, lets just ride.
Andy
