alan,
agree with all you said and will add one huge concern...DRINKING!! all the bike rallies/poker runs around here have stops at bars, where most will partake of a cold brew. stop 8-10 times and they've had a minimun of 8-10 beers and many will have more. i went to a bike night last tuesday at a popular sport bar (new name for a plain old bar). i was the only metric bike there besides two sport bikes. they have an outdoor patio and i sat there and had a burger and iced tea. the harley guys all had a beer in front of them and many empties on the table. seems you can't ride a harley unless you drink a beer. don't get me wrong, i've done my share of drinking in my lifetime, but just don't mix it with riding.
i live near a zoned business area and a major road going through raytown. if i'm up during the late night/early morning(which i am a lot because of my back)i hear harleys going down the road at 2-3 o'clock in the morning all the time. only place i can imagine them being is a bar!
you're also right about the "racing bikes". rudy has bought a new 1098cc ducati that pushes out 160 horses. i asked him what he was going to do with all that power and he said "nothing, just nice knowing it's there!" in rudy's behalf, he probably won't use it. the 900ss that was just totaled had a six speed tranny and he told me once he's never had it in sixth gear. he's just not one to ride fast or crazy, but just likes the prestige of owning something like that.
i try to ride as defensively as possible, but still, there's that possibility that i or somebody else will not be paying attention for a moment and that's when things "go south"
bud