Your opinion is still absolutely valid, katy!
It is understandable that there is this reputation as some of the Harley owners treat their rides as deities (subject of worship) rather than as machinery and will defend it to the death ignoring any of it's faults and weaknesses (and God knows mine has a few!). This is just fanatasism and isn't limited to Harley owners - look at football and religion to see where this eventually leads.
Some may not understand why Harley riders buy all the merchandising and anything branded that the very clever HD marketing department offer. Some of the stuff is good, some bad, and it is not compulsory to buy it - just personal preference.
Some riders won't acknowledge another on a different type of bike and that is a shame, but these guys are
whether they are on a bike or not.
You can read the above statements and replace the word Harley with Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha etc and they would still all be valid.
Different points of view from different perspectives, that is all.
I receive all the Harley Owner Group magazines and have a free year's subscription with the Thames Valley Chapter and see the fun they have and the good things they do. There are other non-Harley groups that do the same. I don't do ride outs myself cos I prefer to ride alone.
Again, personal choice.
When I ride my Harley I am that guy I always wanted to be when I was a kid and no blind prejudice can change that...
My personal opinion? : Some riders should shut their mouths, open their throttles and rediscover the reason why we all do this in the first place, whatever the steed....
TC out.