Originally Posted by
Drano
I'm going to disagree slightly with you here, Matty. I don't think most people here have a problem with what has been done to the bike. I think it has more to do with how we classify riders that do this type of thing to their bike. This may seem highly assumptive on my part, but I think it goes without saying that when people choose to modify their bikes after this fashion they are usually attached to a segment of the sport bike community who have done very little to contribute to a positive image for our sport. The guy who owns this Hayabusa may very well be a stand-up person, but I know I would have a difficult time looking at his bike and not associating him with the stunting, city shut-down, gangster types who make it a pain in the ass for respectable riders who simply want to get out and enjoy their time on two wheels. For this reason I have a difficult time respecting the statement his bike makes. It represents most of the things I find reprehensible within our community, and I have no problem speaking out about it.
Now we could debate about whether those of us who carve canyons are any better or worse for the image than the stunting crowd, but there is no denying who gets the most publicity, and it's hardly ever good press. A gang of riders blocking all lanes on a freeway in order to stunt whilst ignoring and outright impeding law enforcement brings nothing but stricter sanctions down on all of us. Simultaneously they have no problem intimidating cagers who may simply be trying to get from A to B. In my book, they are a detriment to our sport and I think they should be discouraged from riding at all. I highly doubt I'm the only one here that feels that way. Like I said, this is highly assumptive. It's also a massive generalization, but stupid is as stupid does.
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