Why Do You Ride?

[BuddingGeezer]

I have become tired of Ranting, brand bashing and people who have never met being concerned about what bike they ride.

I had a BMW, I liked it. I now have a Honda, I like it and suppose I would like any sport touring bike. What will I have next????????

I came across this in another forum and thought I would share. I could not have said it any better.

WHY DO YOU RIDE?
I am often asked the WHY DO YOU RIDE (in all kinds of weather)?

Well, I found this on the Valkyrie site Terminal Valkocity site.

I think it sums it up the best I have ever seen and in a very eliquent way.

I hope it hits home with you too!

A motorcycle is not just a two-wheeled car.

The difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. We spend all our time sealed in boxes, and cars are just the rolling boxes that shuffle us from home-box to work-box to store-box and back, the whole time, entombed in stale air, temperature regulated, sound insulated, and smelling of carpets.

On a motorcycle, I know I am alive. When I ride, even the familiar seems strange and glorious. The air has weight and substance as I push through it, and its touch is as intimate as water to a swimmer. I feel the cool wells of air that pool under trees and the warm spokes of sun that fall through them.

I can see everything in a sweeping 360 degrees, up, down and around, wider than Pan-A-Vision and IMAX and unrestricted by ceiling or dashboard. Sometimes I even hear music. It's like hearing phantom telephones in the shower or false doorbells when vacuuming; the pattern-loving brain, seeking signals in the noise, raises acoustic ghosts out of the wind's roar. But on a motorcycle, I hear whole songs: rock 'n roll, dark orchestras, women's voices, all hidden in the air and released by speed. At 30 miles per hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid. All the individual tree-smells and flower-smells and grass-smells flit by like chemical notes in a great plant symphony. Sometimes the smells evoke memories so strongly that it's as though the past hangs invisible in the air around me, wanting only the most casual of rumbling time machines to unlock it. A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul. It tears smiles out of me: a minute ago I was dour, depressed, apathetic, numb, but now, on two wheels, big, ragged, windy smiles flap against the side of my face, billowing out of me like air from a decompressing plane.

Transportation is only a secondary function. A motorcycle is a joy machine. It's a machine of wonders, a metal bird, a motorized prosthetic. It's light and dark and shiny and dirty and warm and cold lapping over each other; it's a conduit of grace, it's a catalyst for bonding the gritty and the holy. I still think of myself as a motorcycle amateur, but by now I've had a handful of bikes over half a dozen years and slept under my share of bridges. I wouldn't trade one second of either the good times or the misery. Learning to ride is one of the best things I've done.

Cars lie to us and tell us we're safe, powerful, and in control. The air-conditioning fans murmur empty assurances and whisper, "Sleep, sleep." Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride.

Author unknown...




Ralph Sims

[jdmetzger]

I like this line:

"Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride."

For years before I owned a motorcycle, I always thought that "sure they're probably fun, but too dangerous". I also thought "I'd have one, but I can't trust other drivers". One day I changed my mind and started looking for one. When people make comments about them being too dangerous, I always mention (after talking about safety gear and training) that I don't see NOT doing something because of what COULD happen. I could die from a car crash or plane crash, but it doesn't stop me from driving or flying. I could die in a shower slip and fall, but I still shower (everyone thanks me). I could die from an aneurysm, undetected heart flaw, or asthma attack. I could die from a bear attack, but it doesn't keep me from camping and traveling in bear territory.

The point is, as stated in your post: "we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride." :thumb

[Oznay]

Because I can.

[MCMXCIVRS]

To explore and experience the world in an exciting and challenging fashion.

And to preserve my sanity.

[SCQTT]

All the free beer and hot chicks that get thrown at me........


Oops............wait, strike that, I ride BMWs

[hlothery]

Great post, Ralph.....and the author did eloquently state what I am sure many of us feel. My wife, who rides with me since I started riding again, was new to motorcycles. She was nervous at first, but has really warmed up to it. It was a joy to reexperience the discoveries of sound, smell, and temperature I had taken for granted, as she discovered them for the first time. We describe riding in a car (which I also find very enjoyable, BTW) as like looking at a painting. Riding a motorcycle, OTOH, is like being in the painting.

Bottom line.....because I love to.

[MotorradMike]

Why do I ride?
Because I love the rush, the constant surveillance of the immediate area, the knowledge that I really NEED to negotiate the next corner without error, cold water dripping down the back of my neck and seeping into my boots, the reduced visibility when rain soaks my visor.
I really love the tightening knot in the pit of my stomach when my bike quits miles from nowhere and I coast to the side of the road with the silence rushing in until the last pebble is crushed beneath the front tire.
OMG, nothing feels quite like that - now I have to depend on ME to make this thing work again.
I've never been stuck yet but...

And everything Ralph posted!
I do agree with Josh's favourite line too. Probably should slow down.

[BuddingGeezer]

I started the post, and I could never write anything so elequent, I believe we all understand the feeling.

His sentence" riding a motorcycle makes me feel alive." hit me square in the gut.

No matter the bike or make, BMW, Honda, Harley or the others the feel alive feeling is not diminished.

The smells of dead skunk and road kill is overpowering, but so is the smell of a thunderstorm, the smell of food cooking. Watching the clouds for approaching storms, the adrenaline hit to the gut of entering a corner too hot.

Most sport tourers will go from 0-60 in around four seconds. Sport bikes under 3 seconds. Short of signing up for 8 years and a carrier launch in an F14, where can a poor boy like me feel that kind of acceleration? I certainly can't afford the few automobiles that can run with my bike.

No matter the ride, I do feel alive. At my age I can see my mortality.

Ralph Sims

[crazydrummerdude]

Because I can.

+1.

[Mark II]

I like this line:

"Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride."

For years before I owned a motorcycle, I always thought that "sure they're probably fun, but too dangerous". I also thought "I'd have one, but I can't trust other drivers". One day I changed my mind and started looking for one. When people make comments about them being too dangerous, I always mention (after talking about safety gear and training) that I don't see NOT doing something because of what COULD happen. I could die from a car crash or plane crash, but it doesn't stop me from driving or flying. I could die in a shower slip and fall, but I still shower (everyone thanks me). I could die from an aneurysm, undetected heart flaw, or asthma attack. I could die from a bear attack, but it doesn't keep me from camping and traveling in bear territory.

The point is, as stated in your post: "we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride." :thumb

I agree. In fact, having been riding for most of my life I recognize that riding is probably not the most dangerous thing I enjoy doing, but it still ranks up there and acknowledging that fact keeps my brain active. Driving a car, while it can be fun at times, can put me to sleep over long distances. On a bike there are always things that need immediate attention.

[Luckies]

If you have to ask .... :hide

[sudani]

I ride because I'm no longer on the pillon seat, which I always enjoyed. :(
But the switch to riding a bike has been a challenge and fun! :thumb :laugh

[Rpbump]

Because I can, like to, etc, etc, etc. It all relates to one of my favorite slogans,
"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul".
Ride Safe :usa :thumb

[henzilla]

Hard to beat that letter B-Geezer posted...
I love to taste the ride, as the author said "At 30 miles per hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid"...even if it's a big splat on the visor by a stinkbug or that cow pattie I misjudged..it's real! And, I am having the time of my life,however long that may be!

[KGT1200]

I get so high when I ride; mile after mile after mile

Riding rocks my world

[nhbmw]

I started the post, and I could never write anything so elequent, I believe we all understand the feeling.

His sentence" riding a motorcycle makes me feel alive." hit me square in the gut.

No matter the bike or make, BMW, Honda, Harley or the others the feel alive feeling is not diminished.

The smells of dead skunk and road kill is overpowering, but so is the smell of a thunderstorm, the smell of food cooking. Watching the clouds for approaching storms, the adrenaline hit to the gut of entering a corner too hot.

Most sport tourers will go from 0-60 in around four seconds. Sport bikes under 3 seconds. Short of signing up for 8 years and a carrier launch in an F14, where can a poor boy like me feel that kind of acceleration? I certainly can't afford the few automobiles that can run with my bike.

No matter the ride, I do feel alive. At my age I can see my mortality.

Ralph Sims

Ralph,

I think we all can see our mortality if we look hard enough, but when it's 40 years away it tends to be out of focus. My view, with the passage of time, is quite a bit sharper. But I'm a better rider for those years.

Riding's a constant input of sensations. Sight and seat of the pants make the ride safer, but smell brings me close to the surroundings. It's the sense I can enjoy while still paying attention to the road: resinous, cool New Hampshire hemlock forests; cow manure, the promise of the next crop; the smell of the earth in April when the frost leaves the ground.

In short, it's never too late to have a happy childhood!

Art W.

[RandyB]

It's the only way I can get you to buy lunch. Wait. It's my turn isn't it? Check your PM.

[Braddog]

I started the post, and I could never write anything so elequent, I believe we all understand the feeling.

His sentence" riding a motorcycle makes me feel alive." hit me square in the gut.

No matter the bike or make, BMW, Honda, Harley or the others the feel alive feeling is not diminished.

The smells of dead skunk and road kill is overpowering, but so is the smell of a thunderstorm, the smell of food cooking. Watching the clouds for approaching storms, the adrenaline hit to the gut of entering a corner too hot.

Most sport tourers will go from 0-60 in around four seconds. Sport bikes under 3 seconds. Short of signing up for 8 years and a carrier launch in an F14, where can a poor boy like me feel that kind of acceleration? I certainly can't afford the few automobiles that can run with my bike.

No matter the ride, I do feel alive. At my age I can see my mortality.

Ralph Sims

I totally agree, those are great points!

I started riding at 13, quit at 21, re-entered the world of motorcycling at 40. It was amazing at exactly how much my brain "recalled" from those earlier years of riding. I learned to ride when I had no fear, and a very minimal concept of my own mortality. I re-entered as someone who was fatter, slower, but much smarter.

I believe that, had I not ridden and put 10's of thousands of miles on as a teenager, that my "adult" riding experiences would've been severely diminished. My wife didn't get her scooter until she was 40. She never rode a motorcycle in her youth. She rode around one cooler day, and stated that, "She didn't like the cold breeze in her face." Damn, I LIVE to feel the cold breeze on my face, especially if it's really not all that cold.

[jeremell]

Episodic transcendence.

[Motor31]

I used to have 3 reasons to ride.

I want to
I enjoy the exercise of skill
I got paid to ride

Now I'm down to 2 reasons but I still ride. If it drops to one or none then I'll quite.

[thompsonr]

I ride because I enjoy all aspects of motorcycling. The thrill of riding, the openness to the elements, the commemoratory of fellow motorcyclist. Motorcycling is the only activity that I know of where you can pull into a gas station, Café or some such public place meet another motorcyclist and strike up a conversation as if you had known them for years.

It was because of Motorcycle riding that I finally got to know my father who was an avid motorcyclist. We had nothing in common before I started riding, but motorcycles changed all of that. We spent time together went to rallies and just generally talked something that didn’t happen before. My Father past away a few years ago. Today when I ride I always think of him.

[wezul]

Because I like the wind.
I like the smells.
I like the sights.
I like the danger.
I like new places.
But mostly, I like the people.

[Zygmund]

:bikes :buds :bliss

[r11rs94]

Episodic transcendence.



What he said. :dunno No really what did he say.:scratch

[iRene]

Because I can.

With apologies to both Descartes and Oznay "I ride, therefore I am."

[DarrylRi]

I've been trying to stay out, but... resistance is futile...

"Only motorcyclists understand why dogs hang their heads out the window."

[Munchy]

"The key is slipped into the ignition at the top of the steering head. Then the rider swings a leg over the seat and sits but keeps the weight on the balls of the feet" "In the neat dance that accomplishes many operation on a motorcycle --one movement to countered by another fro, an equilibrium of give and take--the squeezed clutch lever is slowly let out while the other hand turns the trottle grip down...."

The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles
by Melissa Holbrook Pierson

[kantuckid]

So now were being compared to dogs? It gets worse all the time!This thread is obviously in the doghouse... P.S. Do the Harley dogs wave? I mean the ones with the 3 foot long Harley decal in the rear window of their truck.

[The_Veg]

So now were being compared to dogs?

If reincarnation is real, I'd like to come back as a typical well-fed, lazy suburban house-dog. Now THAT is a nice life!

[pffog]

1. I think I have some nomad blood somewhere in my lineage.

2. I think I have a disease that requires my cochlea, saccule and utricle to be stimulated on a regular basis, so the Staintune and throttle satisfy the first and carving corners on 2 wheels and skis seems to be a cure for the later pair.

[mpgolightly]

" I refuse to tip toe through life, only to arrive at death safely"- unknown author.

"I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, and I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker. And in short I was afraid." - T.S. Elliot :bikes

[cayuse60]

Because I still can

[535is]

If reincarnation is real, I'd like to come back as a typical well-fed, lazy suburban house-dog. Now THAT is a nice life!
Well, except for that 'neutering' thing ... :whistle

[Motor31]

Well, except for that 'neutering' thing ... :whistle

And that would be different for him, how?

:scratch :dunno :nyah :bolt


JK, was too good to pass up. :p :stick

[cipher]

Because I have to. I've had to since I was 14 years old, now 58. I'll have to until I die. It is part of what keeps me alive.

[lamble]

For the authenticity of the journey. For the fact that I can't cheat and that the integrity of me and my bike transcends the mundane, every time I ride.

[petepeterson]

:scratch Can you reword the question to where it makes sense????

[BubbaZanetti]

because its easier than trying to lane split with a car.

[themayer]

FWIW the article at the beginning of this thread was posted at aerostich.com and attributed to "Dave Karlotski". Just wanted to give the author his due, now I'll go back to lurking.

[BONEY]

Why Do You Ride?


Some people see a therapist. I ride a motorcycle.

[Rollifahrer]

Solitude and anonymity and, ironically, the geat people I meet who seek the same.