Community Forums

Tinkerer · 12-08-2009, 06:52 PM

I just tonight realized this forum was here under lifestyles. Way cool.

My wife and I camped and rode bikes for 30 some years. Rallies are cool but as we get older the ground gets harder. We gave up the tent, and for awhile and bought another TT. Four years later I bought another bike and found that we weren't going on any long trips and the TT wasn't getting much use. We couldn't use both as it was. We sold the TT and bought a used MH this year and took a long needed trip. GA, NC,TN, VA, KY back to MI with the bike in a friends trailer.

Before we left I wondered how the RV community would take us pulling in with a trailer and a bike. I hadn't remembered seeing bikes as a toad while camping in the past. Turns out everyone we meet was great. One place we were in near Atlanta had only one site with a pull through. Between a bunch of DP that made my want-list tear up. These people where great as well. I told one of them of my concern. Funny thing is he said he wished he had done the bike thing when he was younger. He said my toad looked allot more fun than his.

One campground we called to make reservations said that they didn't have a spot to put me in with the trailer but that we could drop the trailer in a open area off to the side. I said that would work, I'd just have to unloaded the bike before we unhooked. The nice lady asked me what kind of bike I had and when I replied it was a Harley, She said she was sorry, but that she wanted me to try another RV park down the road. She explained to me that most of the people they have there are between 40 and 60 years of age and Harleys were not allowed. I told her that it was just my wife and I and I am 50 and that we were very quite people. No go so I didn't push the issue. Someone at sometime set a bad example there.

We can't change the past. We will always influence the future.

That was the only camp that I heard that. Anyone else have any comments on their experiences as biker/campers?
Favorite campgrounds with great riding and sites?

CorsairIIAT · 12-08-2009, 07:26 PM

Where I am fulltiming right now there are a couple of Harleys. Once the Big "D" is final I plan on buying a Road King.

I also rode a Honda Silverwing all thru the 80's camping the Serria Nevadas. New wife didn't like the bike so it got sold. In the late 90's 20 years of running around steel flight deck of Aircraft Carriers took the toll on my hips. The tent and ground had to go. Bought my 1st 5ver in 99.

tmar10 · 12-08-2009, 09:00 PM

Tinkerer,

I hate to say I have found numerous campgrounds with restrictions on all motorcycles but primarily Harley's. They have informed me of the potential safety and noise issues caused by Harleys in the campground. They can justify anything in their own minds and I still have the capacity to vote with my dollars and complain through passing on their names.

As I get older and have the luxury of sending the grandchildren home with their parents, the sound of a Harley rolling by is more comforting than the screaming kids next door. Sorry.

GOLDWINGER2 · 12-08-2009, 09:15 PM

We take the goldwing out a lot, never had a problem. The harley riders always tell me to be careful and ride safe. I guess wingers can get loose too.
J

justimagination · 12-08-2009, 09:53 PM

Oceanlakes in Myrtle Beach SC is a nice campground with beach access, but you will have to leave you bike @ the front entrance parking lot. You can take it to your campsite, but you will have to push it ir tow it to the front entrance, then you can ride away. Good luck,
David G.

tmar10 · 12-09-2009, 05:54 AM

The Myrtle Beach KOA is the only campground I know that allows its customers to ride their bikes to the site. All of the other campgrounds I contacted in the MB area have the same policy as Ocean Lakes.

I have no desire to leave my bikes in the campground's parking lot. Too many people willing to load them up for parts.

a k · 12-09-2009, 10:41 AM

CorsairIIAT

If you had a Honda and want to go to a Harley, if you haven't already, suggest you try riding a Heritage Softail and compare it to the Road King before you pull the trigger. My old back would kill me . Finally went to Heritage Classic with handle bar risers and now it's like riding a Lazy-Boy.

Just my opinion though.
A K

nplenzick · 12-09-2009, 06:43 PM

I'm in the motorcycle business, I'm also a rider that owns a MH that I use for that business. I can tell you first hand the absolute number 1 complaint by the non riding public is noise. Nothing else even comes close. This past summer there was a group of people in the county that I live who wanted to ban motorcycles completely because of it. I'm not talking about the normal noise from a bike but the obnoxious straight pipe sound. The sound that rattles the windows in a house. It's the number one reason that some campgrounds don't allow motorcycles. For whatever reason the HD type of bike seems to be the most prevalent to this.
I've raced cars for a number of years and the noise that I have experienced at various bike weeks is ridiculous. Can't even hear your own bike. There are various State and Federal agencies in the process of making some pretty tough noise laws, not only punishing the rider but the manufacture of after market pipes. We're talking big fines here, and as suggested in some cities bike confiscation.
A few years ago my wife and I pulled up to a restaurant with outside dining along our beautiful Delaware River here in Bucks County, Pa. on a perfect spring day. As we were having our lunch along with others two riders started their bikes with straight pipes, after revving and blipping the throttle for a few minutes they left. You should have heard the rest of the people in that restaurant, it really made us riders look pretty bad.

wa8yxm · 12-10-2009, 09:41 AM

Well.. Let me put it this way

There are Bikes, and there are Bikes

And there are Campgrounds and there are Campgrounds

Now.. A nice, properly baffled Harley is a joy to see, hear and ride

A nice Honda Goldwing, likewise "un-modified" is also a joy

Some of those 2-cycle rice burners with no baffles ..... Well... Let's just say I don't feel at all kind towards those jerks.

The campground where I"m at just now seems to have no problem with motorcycles (At least the good kind, I've not seen a 2-cycle job here yet)

At least one campground I used to stay at years ago.. They refused all motorcycles.. Even the nice big, touring bikes like the Goldwings

(THey felt it was easier to ban them all than just to ban the ear splitters)

Oh, and there are Motorcyle owners, and motorcycle owners too.

THe good kind keeps the motorcyle in factory or better condition, muffler intact, and they do not race the engine and/or tear up and down the roads like idiots.

The bad king pulls the baffles from the muffler so the bike is louder and well. they don't ride like idiots.. they ARE idiots.

I have seen some very lovely video footage (Shot from a 'copter) of a idiot on a very nice Harley (You have to understand it was not his bike.. he'd taken it w/o owner's permission. yes, Felony vehicle theft taken it) As the police close in he runs into a city car at basically walking speed and the officer is so shocked he gets away for a half mile or so.. Then at around 45 MPH he tries the same thing with one of Michigan's nice Royal Blue State Police cars....

Well. what works at 4.5 mph don't always do so good at 45.

So now he's lying on the ground getting first aid, Bike is on the tow truck headed back to it's owner and Mr Idiot is headed for the hotel gray bar for an extended stay.

Hey. Sucks to be him.

I got to see both the raw footage and the edited brodacast footage on that one.. Was kind of interesting.

Jim Gehlen · 12-10-2009, 10:28 AM

Normandy Farms in Foxboro, MA is not motorcycle friendly at all. We were given the choice of leaving the bikes on the back of the truck or in the parking lot at the gate. They were not to be allowed into the camground on their own power.

As we had some business in Mansfield, we unloaded the bikes at the gate and walked from the site to the gate.

Needless to say, we will not return to Normandy Farms.

If anyone does not like the sound of motorcycles, they best not go to in or around Sturgis, SD in August.

tmar10 · 12-10-2009, 11:54 AM

Riding on two wheels has been a part of my life for over 40 years and I plan to ride for another 40, God and body willing. I quit going to the rallies when all of the others started showing up to worship the chrome gods. I have progressed from carrying a bedroll on the bike to hauling my bike from place to place with the motor home. If the campground does not want me there just let me know before I travel 300 miles. Include the restrictions on their web site and the TL Directory.

Many riders have crossed my path over the decades and some are beaten, battered or even dead from the ride, so videos are not required for me to understand the dangers that may exist down the road. I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of ditches, pavement, deer and motor vehicles on motorcycle riders and count my blessings every day when I ride.

I look at the bikes, as I do my fur-bearing children. They all have names and travel with us; if you don't accept one of them, we all leave.

nplenzick · 12-10-2009, 01:37 PM

All replies I couldn't agree more with but unfortunately it's that one bad apple. In the case of loud pipes there are just too many bad apples. I found it interesting that one of the above poster was at a campground that wouldn't allow Harley's. I would like to see them just not allow all loud motorcycles. Places like Sturgis, Daytona, and the like make a large amount of money with bike rallies, however just this past year Mrtyle Beach is doing everything in their power to stop them.
There is another type of rally that's catching on and that's the BMW type. These are smaller family oriented rallies that are attended by true ridding enthusiasts. These type of rallies such as the BMWMOA, BMWRA, GWRRA, Kawasaki Concours club, Honda riders club and more are great fun. They created a very good impression with the general public and are look forward to by the non riding public ever year.
I think the bottom line is that one needs to have a certain amount of respect for another individual, I know it's tough especially when one gets cut off by some four wheeler talking on a cell phone, never the less we need to respect the non ridding public. You know the old saying what goes around comes around.

tmar10 · 12-10-2009, 04:09 PM

There are quite times and noise rules at most of the campgrounds we have used. If you have a barking dog or a drunk neighbor after 11 pm, it is dealt with quickly by asking the offending party to pack their bags. Are they going to regulate the dual exhaust on the tow vehicles and the DPs as they come and go...I doubt it.

Myrtle Beach was taken off my list many years ago.

nplenzick · 12-10-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmar10

There are quite times and noise rules at most of the campgrounds we have used. If you have a barking dog or a drunk neighbor after 11 pm, it is dealt with quickly by asking the offending party to pack their bags. Are they going to regulate the dual exhaust on the tow vehicles and the DPs as they come and go...I doubt it.

Myrtle Beach was taken off my list many years ago.

I agree with you and I have tried to convey that to a campground north of me that doesn't allow motorcycles. It's just easier for the owner of such just to ban all of them. What us as riders need to realize is we're all lumped together, it doesn't matter whether its a sport bike, Harley, Goldwing, whatever we are all the same to the non riding public.
Myrtle Beach was never on my list since I don't sell T shirts, non DOT helmets, and fake DOT stickers