[RPM]

Shake it off and rub some dirt in it, like coach would say. These guys are just showing you how uninformed they really are.

Insensitive remarks like that is just a part of the riding experience, unfortunately. I have been riding for about 35 years now and still hear the same old crap. I take road trips every year on my Honda Valkyrie and folks want to know why I don't get a Harley, it's American.
Well, do a little research and you will find that the Valkyrie is more American than the Harley! Actually, the only American road bike, that I am aware of, is the Victory. My horizontal 6 cylinder bike was built in Maryville, OH and has "made in the USA" stamp on the engine block. The Harley is built with parts from all over the world: shocks are Showa (a Honda company), wheels from Germany and Italy, wiring from Taiwan or China (yes, China), leather from Europe (they don't have barbed wire to scar the surface) and the list goes on and on.

At least, you know where your bike was from, 100% of it. When the gas here gets close to $4.00 this summer, you will have guys asking you where you got it! You are a part of the beginning of a huge faction of bikers about to explode in this country just as the Japs did in the 60s. The old saying still applies, you must know your history or you are doomed to repeat it. These bikes are a ways away from performance machines, but for the intended purpose they are built for, they pay for themselves in a very short time.

Have fun, ride safe and try to enlighten all the idiots you come across with the best of your abilities.