Topic: Why do you ride?

[jabbadeznuts]

For me, it's the freedom. There's nothing else like it.



The looks I get from the ladies aren't bad either. (See, I AM handsome )

[seaweb11]

come on snip, you havn't been here yet tonight

[Rsnip988]

because its fun, "like flying on a loud cloud"

[DarkRider]

I would have to say i enjoy the feeling of being free out on the bike...no feeling like im stuck in some freakin cage like i do sometimes when im in a car....Im sorry but all those pics they show of bike wrecks...i have seen just as bad if not worse in car accidents...if im going to die that way i would prefer it on my bike where i at least have a slim chance of being free of the machine at the time instead of being trapped in a cage as its being crushed..

[Rsnip988]

I would have to say i enjoy the feeling of being free out on the bike...no feeling like im stuck in some freakin cage like i do sometimes when im in a car....Im sorry but all those pics they show of bike wrecks...i have seen just as bad if not worse in car accidents...if im going to die that way i would prefer it on my bike where i at least have a slim chance of being free of the machine at the time instead of being trapped in a cage as its being crushed..

I've been trapped in a car before, it wasnt much fun took them over 45minutes to cut me out, then again if i'd been on the bike I'm pretty sure I'd be dead, but i know what you mean

[SteveD CB500F]

I get withdrawal symptoms if I'm off my bike for more than a few days.

I can't think of a better way to get around.

No waiting in traffic (good for the commute to work)
The power (good for those sunny days)
The people (go to the Ace Cafe at any time and you'll see what I mean)

[Rsnip988]

No waiting in traffic (good for the commute to work)

Can you "split the lanes" where you are?  Its illegal here, but I've still seen people do it

[GroovieGhoulie]

Here's a piece I wrote for my blog a few months ago when I got bored:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, I ride a motorcycle. I don't do it for you or other people. I have no one I need to impress. Look at what I ride and that should be enough to convince even the most cynical types about that. An old vintage Honda is not going to garner the respect or admiration that the latest Plastic Fantastic does. Never mind that with it's woolly handling, questionable brakes and underpowered engine, it takes a better rider to extract all of its performance and not get killed in the process. But I digress...

I used to be opposed to the things, thinking they were beastly machines intended for overly-macho lunks or fools long on testosterone but short on brains. They were DANGEROUS you see and in my younger, more NERF-wrapped days, I hated them.

Then I went out and got one. Now I get it.

A motorcycle is not merely transportation, though it can be used as such. No, a motorcycle, (pardon the cliche), is a freedom machine. Freedom from life, freedom from work, from stress, from anything else that is eating at you. Riding clears your head and lets you focus on the task at hand, which is to find the limits of both yourself and the machine. You screw up while doing most hobbies, you start over whatever you were doing. You screw up on a bike and you could very well die. Or at the least suffer severe bodily injury.

It's also freedom from the vertical.  You drive a car and no matter how you turn, you stay (hopefully) upright. You walk vertically, you sit vertically, you live your life in the vertical plane, (prostitutes notwithstanding).  On a motorcycle, you bank like an airplane. It is then, in that brief moment, when you are trying the laws of physics, heeled over like an America's Cup yacht, footpegs grinding and engine howling, that it happens.

The release, the complete washing away of whatever the world threw at you. Right then it's just you and the machine, dancing together. One false move and ZANG!, over the side. Physics you see, is a harsh mistress, there's no fooling her. You can push her, you can bend her, but you can't break her.

These old bikes are not very forgiving either, not like modern machines. She's a very willing dance partner, but she won't suffer fools gladly. One misstep, one false move and she'll hurt you. But make all the right moves, touch her the way she wants to be touched and guide her, but don't force her, and she'll make everything better, blow your mind and make you forget about the rest of your life.

It makes me almost feel sorry for those poor zombies in their steel cages.  Nah, I'm not.  It's probably just as well that they stay locked in their climate-controlled rolling living rooms.

Driving a car is sort of like watching a movie. You view the world through a rectangular screen and are little more than a passive observer. You watch things as they happen. On a bike, there is nothing between you and the scene. You are IN the movie, you are involved in things that are happening, for better or worse. The sights, the smells, the sounds, all are there, assaulting your senses and demanding your attention.

I am not a passive observer. I stopped being one a long time ago. I want to be IN the action, to be a part of everything around me.

Of course, it's not for everybody. It's not as safe as a car because there is nothing more than the air around you and the clothes on your back should anything go wrong. That used to bother me until I decided that there's no point in worrying about it. Life is a fragile thing and I would rather eat it while I was hanging it all out with my hair on fire going 100 MPH than being 90 years old in some nursing home, laying in a pile of my own filth, forgotten and alone with nothing more than a head full of regrets and a heart full of bitterness and hate.

The only true sports are mountain climbing, bullfighting and auto racing. The rest are just games.

-Ernest Hemingway

I do believe the man has a point.

[SteveD CB500F]

Can you "split the lanes" where you are?  Its illegal here, but I've still seen people do it

Yes we can.  There's a large thread on this elsewhere.

[SteveD CB500F]

GG - I have a tear in my eye.

All I will add is that you get a similar thrill from driving a car fast. It's not quite as all-consuming and nowhere near as dangerous. The G-force encountered while cornering fast is as addictive as the noise and acceleration on a bike.

The downer is that there is almost nowhere (outside of a racetrack) that you can drive like that any more (at least not in the UK). Most of the time you are stuck in the "verticle" in the traffic with everyone else.

The trade-off is "warm and dry" vs "adrenaline soaked"

I know which I prefer!

[Rsnip988]

GREAT post GG

Can you "split the lanes" where you are?  Its illegal here, but I've still seen people do it

Yes we can. There's a large thread on this elsewhere.

Its in the poll section, I saw it after i asked you, didnt really want to read 5 pages of spliting lanes thread though

[Uncle Ernie]

Interesting how GG talks about freedom but also keeps bringing up the dangers.

I'm getting back on the road after having a 4 month recovery time.  A few years a go it was 9 months.  I used to think I was a pretty good rider, but maybe not.  Now, I'm filled with doubts.  Turning isn't freedom, it's scarey.  But, I have 5 motorcycles and none of them are going anywhere. 
When I was a bout 3 years old, a little fiend had a big sister who had a boyfriend who had an Indian.  It as black and oily. It was HUGE. I guess it made an imprint on my brain. When I was a little kid traveling in the back seat of our car with the parents, I'd pass away the time fantasizing I was on a motorcycle.  In Jr High School, a friend of my fatrher's gave me a ride on the back of his BMW R60/2.  I was sunk.
Basically, I think I ride because I have to.  I'm not sure I even have a choice.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Interesting how GG talks about freedom but also keeps bringing up the dangers.

But of course.  I'm a big believer in reality, whether it be good or bad.  The danger is part of the package, and it's the largest part of the package that turns the "average" person away from the sport.

People that are willing to face that danger, to live and deal with it, when more safe and comfortable options are available, are a certain breed.  Maybe they were influenced when young, like you.  Maybe they were influenced from a life-changing event.  Maybe they got into it for more pragmatic reasons, like me, then they awakened and embraced it. (I also had a life-changing event that affected my outlook on motorcycling and indeed, on life, but it came after the bike purchase, so it doesn't count for the purposes of this.  It's also beyond the scope of the thread.)

Whatever the reason, they realize the risks and dangers inherent in it, and either have made their peace with it, or they grab a hold of it and take off.

You need to understand thinga from my perspective: I was incredibly sheltered when I was young.  All of a sudden, I discover something that I always believed was DANGEROUS and sure to get me killed isn't nearly so bad, and in fact is tremendously thrilling!

It's the folks who deny the risk that are the ones that are delusional.  I'm not saying that you are, but please don't disparage my take on it.

[andy750]

I agree with both GG and Ernie. When I was 17 I was in physiotherapy for a martial arts knee injury. I saw a guy there with both legs wasted away to sticks  - he told me he had been in a motorcycle accident, and seeing him I told myself I would never ride a bike. A year later I bought my first bike (an MZ 125cc) and 5 months later went on my firs bike trip (to the most westerly point in Britain). Since then Ive rode thousands of miles in many different countries in the last 17 years, and Ive had friends crash, or die or  get put in wheelchairs for life as a result of motorcycle accidents. I have crashed twice myself.  I know only too well the dangers of motorcycles and yet, despite all this knowledge, I still ride. I do it because of how it makes me feel and becuase I can. Simple as that. 

cheers
Andy

[nickjtc]

Don't own a car, so no choice. When it's non-riding season I carpool to work or borrow the missis' car.

Simple as that.

Oh yes, and what Groovie said too.

[Uncle Ernie]

"It's the folks who deny the risk that are the ones that are delusional.  I'm not saying that you are, but please don't disparage my take on it."

Huh?  I'm not disparaging anything.  And no, I'm not delusional, I'm just plain vanilla flavoured crazy. 

[Tvag]

Why do 'I' ride? Well, to be honest I don't. I have more time working on my bike than I do riding it. I actually have ZERO, count it... ZERO, street time. 2 classes this summer 12 hours on a bike in parking lot riding between cones. But, I have read many accounts and it is quite obvious to me that I need to start slow and build my confidence and skills.

Why do I WANT to ride? That's the question for me. I want to ride because I like to experience the world as much as possible. In everything I do, I like to be in the rough stuff. I like to feel like I'm existing. I've always wanted to ride but now it's for different reasons. When I was a kid it looked cool. It still looks cool now, but it offers much more for me on different levels. Working on the bike calms me down and relaxes me. Anticipating riding gives me a great experience to look forward too. And traveling on it will provide me with some pleasure on a daily basis, the ride home from work.

Working on this bike for hours a day and reading the forum nonstop has worked me up into a frenzy. So much so I have to consciously calm myself down and focus on what I'm doing. When I finally get on the road I can tell you this, the experience will be scary, exhilarating, and fulfilling. I can't wait.

[burmashave]

Here's a piece I wrote for my blog a few months ago when I got bored...

Groovy, your post is extremely well written and positively a joy to read.  My eyes misted a bit, too.  Mebbe you should toss it off to the vintage motorcycle mags to see if they want to publish it -- if for no other reason that it expresses so well why so many of us ride. 

I am not a passive observer. I stopped being one a long time ago. I want to be IN the action, to be a part of everything around me.

I hadn't expressed it this way, but it's true for me.  I want to experience ALL of life, in the small things as well as bigger ones.  I like really spicy food.  I love going out in the extreme cold, or sweating my brains out in the blistering heat, or walking in the rain.  I still catch snowflakes in my mouth.  I don't wear shades because I like the bright sun in my eyes.  I want to be the first one to "jump into the pool."   When I drive my car (just an Integra with low profile rims and very sticky tires -- NO canister muffler nor wing), I practice my cornering as hard and as much and as hard as I can (safely for other drivers & peds) because driving a car fast in a straight line is only a challenge as far as avoiding the cops go.  In my Acura, I love the feeling of almost losing adhesion while going 60-70 in a curve, and touching the accelerator instead of the brake to keep from sliding off the pavement.  Don't give me modern ABS and computerized traction control.  And it's an abomination what they've done with new vehicles that can barely be wrenched on -- sell me a new computer chip -- woo hoo. 

On my bike, I've only got the contact patch between me and the pavement as I watch it go by.  I can see a small rock in my path and dip my bike around it.  I can twist my throttle off a start and need to hang on.  Unlike my car, there is thrill in simply riding.  When something isn't working right, I can tear it apart, and just like the old days, I can hang out (online) with other motorheads who share the same passion for wrenching instead of a visit to the repair shop.  I can ride a bike that is recognized as a classic by only a chosen few, and when they compliment my bike, it means much more because I know that they know what they are talking about.

[edit 16 Jan: rewording]

[Rushoid]

Why do I ride? Hmm.... Well, as others have said, there's the freedom, the thrill, and all of that. This is my first bike and I've not quite had it a year yet, so I haven't had a whole lot of time to really consider it. I used to love to drive. I would drive all over the place just for the sake of driving. But that was when I had old cars. Don't get me wrong, I love my newer truck, but it just isn't a driving experience. You're not in tune with the road anymore. You don't feel the bumps or the temperature or any of that in newer cars. But riding an old bike, feeling all of that, not knowing if something's gonna break, the "look at that cool, old bike" stares you get... (ok mines not too cool yet). My point is that I feel like I'm in control again - not just along for the ride.

Oh, and GG: Well said! 

[tsflstb]

Y'all have already said it well.  I ride old, small bikes in particular because it makes everything more interesting.  Getting to the store or to work is always and adventure. 

Sometimes I lust after a new sportbike, but they don't have same raw feel.  At 130 mph they come into their own, but on public roads it's like crop dusting in an F-14. 

Skinny bias ply tires and thin frames and fork tubes aren't the best for performance, but you can't beat the way an old bike communicates with the rider. 

[ProTeal55]

I ride because it is a nice break away from my 55.
Their is nothing better to go hop on my CB and just go for a ride (with no real destination)
to clear my head, enjoy the warm weather, etc..

[tramp]

the feeling i get is that its just me,my bike and the road
you have to love the road to love to ride
i get teary eyed just thinking about the next time to ride
which in mi. that a ways off

[74cb750]

I ride because it places me closer to  freedom;
from cares, troubles, and the daily grind.

Letting my hair whip by in the wind,
and trying to not swallow anything that hits me in the face
is much more challenging than riding in a cage with the
air conditioner on, and the windshield wipers going.

The thrill of going 150mph is negated by the knowledge of the reprecussions of getting caught.
Therefore I sold my GSx1100 & GSX750's and
now ride  small cb550/cb750's where going 60mph on a backroad results in more / different pleasure
and I get to keep my license when I get stopped for speeding.

Many times the wife has said, "Why don't you just take the car?" when the weather has been
other than perfect. She just doesn't completely get it yet. Pleasure can be had in
inclimate weather, non? Right now with the roads covered in ice, I don't ride.

 I will have to just go in the
garage and do some wrenching while awaiting the dawn of spring, dreaming of the warm days
to come, and the roar of the 4 into 4's tearing off into the ether....
peace,
michel

[Terry in Australia]

Why do I ride? Well, it'd be pretty farking pointless owning 10 bikes if I didn't, wouldn't it? And some of the sugar-coated, treacle dipped replies above, nearly made me "projectile vomit"!

What kinda dumbass question is that anyway? What's your next question gonna be, "What color undies are you wearing"? Ha ha, just jokes you big softies, now put those naughty guns away, and lets have a group hug, awright? Cheers, Terry.

[Einyodeler]

Because I still can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!