Doug, you make a valid point. Kudos for bringing up the subject. When I ride to rallys or Ice Creameries (mini-rallys, here in New England), I never get anything but a friendly wave and thumbs up from the other bikers out there, regardless of what they rode in on. Sometimes you might overhear some cocky kid bad-mouthing someone else's ride but I attribute that to immaturity and posing to impress to the "babes". Hopefully in time, they'll grow out it.
Now here on YA, its a different story. Hard to gauge someones age by their answers. But muturity doesn't always wear a age tag. There seems to be alot of button pushing going on in this forum, and I for one, find it very annoying. I attribute it to the "anonymity of the internet". Here in cyberspace you can pretend to be whomever you want to be. The 95lb brownnoser, who would never dare utter a contentious remark in public, suddenly becomes Cap't America in here. ... a know everything braggard, with balls the size the grapefruit!
By enlarge, I find civility still practiced in the real world amongst fellow bike riders, no matter what they ride. But in here... well, lets hope the that the children and nutless posers soon find something else to entertain them in cyberspace... like RUdESCAPE.