Why Do We Ride?

[jpalamar]

I started to read some of the posts of those quitting riding: some were for financial reasons, some for what might be a concern for safety, others just lost/never re-gained the joy of yesteryear. It of course prompted some thoughts on my part (duhh, then why this thread) and asked myself the same questions.

 

Here are a bit of my thoughts, wonder what yours are? First and foremost BMW motorcycles light my fire. The technology, form, function, and just plain looks are very appealing to me. I can literally sit and look at my cycle(s) with a good cup of coffee and a cigar. If I'm at home in my 'toy' garage I will do that, often with a can of Plexus and a microfiber rag. A certain joy, at least for me. The aforementioned is even better when I actually went somewhere...overnighter, week tour, whatever. Add to that the exhilaration of a 'spirited ride' with a good friend (or alone) and the whole event even better.

 

But, sometimes life can pull you down. Too much traffic, bitter/angry cagers, inclement weather! These negatives can detract, at least for me, and at times I wistfully think, "Is there something else?" Well, I've been in boating, fishing (serious offshore as I live in FL), PWC's (Personal Water Crafts e.g. Jet Ski) and I still keep coming back to cycling. And, I might add if you read my profile I've only been in it since 2003 and am 67.

 

Ride on...

[Quinn]

The recent spat of posts has also got me intraspecting. I bought my first bike to be different and rebelious and get in-your-face attention. I found out it was fun just riding, just by myself. Still, I imagined those looks of envy from cagers whenever I rode. What can I say, I was 19 and a rebel without a clue.

 

Marriage, kids, lifechanges and I pretty much quit riding. I drove a company car so I didn't commute and it was too much trouble to get the bike out of the garage or I needed to carry something in the truck or I was bringing someone with me. One excuse after another; and by the time I got the bike out years later, I'd lost any enthusiasm and all my reflexes. So I sold the bike (at my wife's urging) and moved on to backpacking, sailboating, and a host of other hobbies and interests. Didn't miss the motorcycle for years.

 

Then another chapter openned in my life and I started remembering how much I enjoyed riding. I remembered all the camping trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway and how much fun it was just doing errands and Sunday rides in the country. By the time I'd read about different bikes and how things had changed, I'd worked myself up into a buying frenzy and ended up with an '04 RT as the "logical choice."

 

I actually wasn't sure I'd be able to get back into riding. I'd spent all this money, angered my wife beyond belief, and wasn't sure I could still do this. Well, it turns out that I can; whew! It is different this time around. More attention to skills, more planning and preperation before I get on the bike, more awareness, and less expectations from others. A year and some later, I still look forward to getting the bike out of the same garage that was too much trouble to deal with before. Even if it's just a quick ride down to the hardware store for a new latch, I can find the time to get suited up. I still get the "grin" and there's a silly little voice in the back of my head that says, "Hey, look at me! I'm riding a motorcycle! All by myself!" If the cagers don't envy me, they should.

 

Of course, I do realize that all this could change with the next chapter. I still have no interest in getting back on a sailboat or hiking the AT.

[Albert]

I hate riding, I just do it to pick up chicks.

 

Note: My appologies. Obligitory dumb-ass remark inserted, please continue with intelligent posts.

[Bullett]

I ride because I enjoy it. The riding bug bit me when I brought my childhood motorcycle, the R26, to Utah from Texas where it had been languishing in my Dad's hangar. I spent a lot of time on this bike as a kid, and my Dad, my brother and I fixed it up to be street legal when I turned 15. I brought the bike here for the memories of riding with my Dad and having a piece of family history.

 

Anyway, once I purchased a new battery, plug, condensor, plug wire and fired up the R26, I rode it up the street on its rotten tires. The R26, unlike my Suzuki C50, was FUN to ride. Light and maneuverable . . . and a little funky.

 

I rediscovered the joy of riding that day.

[UberXY]

Beats walking.

[Rich06FJR1300]

yes, i noticed this as well. I had an 8 year gap between starting again on motorcycles after a bmw dealer opened up in ledgewood, NJ. I was out of it for quite awhile until then and got the bug once my brother turned me onto a few brochures on the beemers. Now about 5 years later, at a new job that requires a lot of overtime and vacation time is limited to the later months (they pro-rate you on hours per month for the first few years you work here) I find myself wondering should i still be doing this (motorcycling i mean, work is necessary unfortunately). But i do get every other friday off (but i mostly use that for overtime HAHA!) so in essence it just takes away the time for riding but hope to change that in the coming months.

[Bud]

I hope it keeps me young.

 

Just kidding of course. I ride because I enjoy it. It is just that simple.

 

A long time friend (over 44 years) and I ride some together.

We have ridden in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana as well as closer to home. He rides a VTX 1300. Very different style of bike and he is not interested in making miles in a day. 300 miles would be a very long day for him. But, we enjoy each other's company, so I slow down and smell more flowers when we ride together.

 

Thinking of riding to Nova Scotia late this summer to the Salty Fog Rally.

 

I don't enjoy riding with large groups. I did learn a lot following Jamie and Les two up in WV. Following someone who has good lines improves your riding.

 

I miss the quick acceleration of my K bike and the smoothness of the motor.

[notacop]

Deep, Too deep!

Started on a Honda 50 in the 60's, stolen rides on friends bikes. Bought my first bike, a Yamaha in 65. Haven't found a wreck too over whelming or an injury too disabling to make me want to stop.

Really like rallies or campouts where a group of us can gather and pump BS all over each other in one-up-manship.

When not on the bike, like in the car, I find I really hate traffic. On the bike I can move more effectively through traffic.

That and I have so few social skills...

[Wyn]

The recent spat of posts has also got me intraspecting. I bought my first bike to be different and rebelious and get in-your-face attention. I found out it was fun just riding, just by myself. Still, I imagined those looks of envy from cagers whenever I rode. What can I say, I was 19 and a rebel without a clue.

 

Marriage, kids, lifechanges and I pretty much quit riding. I drove a company car so I didn't commute and it was too much trouble to get the bike out of the garage or I needed to carry something in the truck or I was bringing someone with me. One excuse after another; and by the time I got the bike out years later, I'd lost any enthusiasm and all my reflexes. So I sold the bike (at my wife's urging) and moved on to backpacking, sailboating, and a host of other hobbies and interests. Didn't miss the motorcycle for years.

 

Then another chapter openned in my life and I started remembering how much I enjoyed riding. I remembered all the camping trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway and how much fun it was just doing errands and Sunday rides in the country. By the time I'd read about different bikes and how things had changed, I'd worked myself up into a buying frenzy and ended up with an '04 RT as the "logical choice."

 

I actually wasn't sure I'd be able to get back into riding. I'd spent all this money, angered my wife beyond belief, and wasn't sure I could still do this. Well, it turns out that I can; whew! It is different this time around. More attention to skills, more planning and preperation before I get on the bike, more awareness, and less expectations from others. A year and some later, I still look forward to getting the bike out of the same garage that was too much trouble to deal with before. Even if it's just a quick ride down to the hardware store for a new latch, I can find the time to get suited up. I still get the "grin" and there's a silly little voice in the back of my head that says, "Hey, look at me! I'm riding a motorcycle! All by myself!" If the cagers don't envy me, they should.

 

Of course, I do realize that all this could change with the next chapter. I still have no interest in getting back on a sailboat or hiking the AT.

 

Man, ditto Bob. Almost the same, I started a bit earlier. Also no bike during the wife years. Gee, now that I have one maybe that's why she left. Bye Bye!!

 

Charlie Upchurch used to come to vist my parents on his Vespa. I was about 8/10 years old and he would take me for a ride. WOW, COOL, I want to do this.

 

My dad bought me a minibike and I used to tool around the neighborhood on it. Then came a Honda CB125 and on and on.

 

I still can't quite get my hand on it. Who would want to expose themselves to the elements, auto traffic, what if it breaks down, etc.. My buddy used to say, "Get a convertible, same thing." Na, you haven't ridden enough.

 

I'd ride that 125 down to Cape Cod wound out at 55 the speedo flapping from low end to high. 3/4 helmet, no glasses, plastic bags of stuff tied on the back flapping in the wind. I'd camp out and ride back the next day. Man, nobody knew, nobody understood.

 

Then one day I was at a Howard Johnsons and these two guys parked next to me on Harleys. I was coming out and thought they were going to beat the crap out of me. Not, they asked me where I had ridden from and if I was camping. They thought I was pretty cool coming that far on that tiny bike, camping out and the like. One of em said your a biker, it's in your blood now. Someday you'll have a big bike and will be crossing the country. Still remember that like it was yesterday. Wonder where they are.

 

Riding to me is therapeutic, lots of thinkin goin on. Don't like thinkin for a reason, just like thinkin. Enough!

[zbassman]

Because I'm too lazy to ride a bicycle!

 

Seriously, there are many reasons I ride:

 

I like the feeling of movement

I like the speed

I like that it requires focus to ride well. While riding I have to be in the moment, focused on the ride. So, the rest of the world melts away. I can forget work, forget home and family, forget politics, forget anything and everything that might worry me because I am totally focused on the ride.

 

I even like riding in traffic most of the time. I like the feeling that my safety, whether I get home in one piece or not, is largely in my hands.

 

I like the hint of danger that comes with riding.

 

I like that feeling I get when I'm out on a two lane black top in the Texas Hill Country and I come through a nice long sweeping curve, hit the apex about right and crack open the throttle to start getting the bike upright. Those few times when I do it right its just a thrilling, exciting feeling.

 

Plus motorcycles are just freaking cool machines.

[Kitsap]

I like to do what feels good and is yet still legal, it's just that simple.

[eddd]

I enjoy being part of my surroundings rather than just traveling through them. I don't even want to be looking through the windscreen.

[kinchy]

It's therapy boys. Can't play tennis or racquetball anymore, did the classic sports car renovation thing as well as tricking out contemporary turbo cars. Don't like golf (suck at it) playing bridge or the consequences associated with chasing women and getting caught. Riding provides an alternative that can be solitary or socially expansive. You can travel far or you can go a few miles for chilly dogs and fries. It's always an adventure when you put a little life between your legs. For those that decide it's time to walk away so be it and lets hope they find an alternative to fill the space.

[rkd]

To get to work, and to do errands. If I could do it by boat, even better, but I can't.

[jpalamar]

...or the consequences associated with chasing women and getting caught. It's always an adventure when you put a little life between your legs.

 

Don't you hate people who edit your replies. Yours was a great one!

[RPG]

I haven't been without a motorcycle since I was 13 years old. Just turned 49 so that's a long time I guess. BMW's do it for me as well. I can sit in the garage with a beer and just marvel at the design and functionality. And a spirited ride through some southern Michigan twisties only re-inforces my feelings.

 

But, people move on for a varitey of reasons and the thought of crashing/dying certainly is enough to make some wander off. But for me, its in my blood, who I am.

 

Much as I 'must' water ski each weekend through a Slalom course (when the water somehow gets above 80 in Michigan!), motorcyles are simply part of who I am and can't imagine life without them.

 

But I don't look down on anyone who sees differently.

 

RPG

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Why do I ride?

 

I wrote and posted the following material back in '03. It's still pretty accurate.

 

===============================================

There are so many facets of riding that I enjoy.

 

I love the ritual of prepping for a ride, almost like a religious ceremony. Putting all my gear on, rolling the bike out of the garage and bringing it to life, putting on helmet, gloves, gently warming up the machine.

 

I love burning it up in the twisties with some of the best riders on the board. It's a rush. Don't suppose I have to explain it any more than that! Unfortunately those only happen on a trip, since there aren't many twisties in this state.

 

I love recreational cruises through the countryside around Ann Arbor. Not many twisties like in the mountains, but plenty of pleasing scenery and the occasional kink or twist in the road that gives your limbs something to do. Generally 90 or 100 miles.

 

I love riding to the Sunday morning club breakfasts with my riding buddy Shawn; 45 miles to his house, another 30-70 round trip to breakfast, and another 45-70 home, depending on the route. Early morning, no traffic yet, deliciously cool air, and a bunch of bikes to look at when I get there.

 

I love racking up highway miles on a trip. The "on a mission" mindset keeps things interesting - whether my mission is to get to a gathering or to return home - along with the sense of accomplishment at having moved a huge distance. A solid day is 600 miles. The right gear makes it doable. That includes bike with weather protection, warm/cool clothing, a full-face helmet (keeps 80MPH blast off of your face/ears) and hearing protection. Last summer on the way back from Gunny I did 840 miles in one day. It was tough, but not devastating; I may do it again on the way back from Torrey next month.

 

I love dealing with adverse conditions. not always while enduring it, but after time passes it gels in my mind as something positive. Hail and snow on Independence Pass and Monarch Pass that left me shivering on a Gunny day trip last summer come to mind. Three years ago on a trip to California we descended from Flagstaff, AZ into Sedona, and into an unholy heat wave. The heat didn't end until we climbed over a pass from NV to CA on the way to Yosemite. In between we toured Hoover Dam and overnited at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. This was before I had anything like a phoenix jacket: I was wearing Draggin Jeans, black boots, black gloves, and a black JR Ballistic touring jacket, and a dark grey full-face Shoei, and the sun was BRUTAL. After the dam tour my GF and I hosed ourselves head to toe from a spigot and headed out on the road. we had mostly dried out long before the 20 miles to Vegas was done, and the sun had heated the standing water in my left boot to painfully hot temperatures. We ended up creeping with stop-n-go traffic for a couple of miles down the Vegas strip; a bank thermometer showed 115F in the shade, and we definitely were not in the shade. It was bloody uncomfortable at the time, but now there's some point of pride and sense of accomplishment at having had the fortitude to overcome those conditions. Sorta like climbing a mountain, I guess, which I've also done with the same mental results: not entirely pleasant at the time, but years later you think "wow, I did that."

===========================================

[zbassman]

Why do I ride?

<snip>I love dealing with adverse conditions. not always while enduring it, but after time passes it gels in my mind as something positive. </snip>

 

Isn't it funny how that works. I lived in St. Paul MN for several years in my teens/twenties. I rode a '72 Honda CB450 for many of those years and it was my only transportation aside from buses. Often I'd ride in the dead of winter when buses would be inconvenient. So long as there wasn't snow or ice on the rodes and the temps weren't down in to negative numbers I would bundle up and ride. Often it was a miserable ride. I remember going to a party in Minneapolis one late December night. It was cold, probably in the teens when I left the house. The ride over to Mpls was so cold snot and tears were freezing on my face. It was a miserable ride. But I look back on it now and brag about it.

 

Of course now I'm old and soft and truly hate the cold (and can afford a car). I'd never ride like that today. But I look back on those times as an adventure.

[HairyCannonball]

I ride because it is fun. Since I bought my first motorcycle an R60/5 31 years ago when I was 14, I have never once lost interest in riding. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain I would feel If I couldn't ride anymore.

[1960apache]

I ride because I absolutely hate riding in a Cage!!!!! Sometimes I come up with some lame excuses just to go for a short ride! (Me)"Honey, were a little low on milk", (Wife)"You just went to the store for milk" (Me)"Yeah, but it wasnt chocolate milk) I hate to reveal it, but I actually have a new Softail Deluxe (nostalgic with whitewalls etc) that is really only much good for such events, but I love just taking my time, no hurry, I hardly go much over 40mph. The RT is for long day rides on deserted California mountain roads and passes (108, 4, 49, 70, 88) if you have never been on those roads, you have not seen Heaven yet!!! The KS is mostly for when I feel like a houligan and feel like I am 19 again, and have the urge to toast a few unweary R-1 sportbike type riders. If I could operate my laptop, take a pee, and eat while riding, there would never be any reason to get off a bike other than maybe sleep now and then. 1 hour off the bikes feels like a year in purgatory!! Does this make it clear how much some of us like, need, want to ride??? Yes I also worry about, crazy road rage cagers, being creamed by an 18 wheeler, shot by a gang banger because they hate bikes, and about a million other reasons that could keep me off the bike! I will stop riding when they pry my cold, dead fingers off the handlebars!!!!!!! Honey, I think we need more Cheerios!!!!!!!

[Les is more]

I think, somewhere deep down, it reminds me of flying along on my Schwinn 3 speed through a summer rain storm and smelling the rain on the hot concrete--or seeing how long I could out pace the city bus as it pulled away from the stop or how much I liked the sound the tires made at top speed on the curving streets. I like the way it occupies and stretches my mind and attention span. I like the constantly developing skills required and I love that I can experience all of those feelings while I'm on my way to meet up with others who understand exactly how I feel.

[Wooster]

...

I like the feeling of movement

I like the speed ...

 

I like the hint of danger that comes with riding. ...

 

Plus motorcycles are just freaking cool machines.

 

Gee zbassman,

 

You read my mind (except for "enjoy riding in traffic", no thanks and well, "focus" is another area where we differ). For me motorcycling is at its best with no intermediate thoughts, no where's the apex, or what gear am I in or where's the power band. The motorcycle and its mechanisms disappear and I alone am moving across the earth up and down and all around: A self-propelled roller-coaster.

 

Wooster hippie riding (hmm, no self-incrimination but if taking a trip has multiple meanings, well, that's hippie riding)

[OoPEZoO]

Personally, I ride for myself. I can't pinpoint it.......there is just something about that moment that happens a few times a year when everything comes together. For me its.....

 

-The sun breaking through the clouds after hammering through a nasty rain/hail storm (Rt14 coming out of the Big Horn Ntl Forest in WY)

-Topping the crest of a mountain only to see a breathtaking view on the other side (climbing Rt308 into Red Lodge, MT)

-Hitting the groove when the sweeping corners of a mountain pass all come together in perfect rhythm (chasing James (jbr7t) through the mountains of VA/WV on our way to the UNrally last summer)

-Seeing the sun rise over the river hills surrounding the Susquehanna Valley on my return trip to PA after the UNrally

 

The list can go on, but I hope you all have your own mental images that are tattooed in your brains

 

I don't know about anyone else, but those are the moments that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up and make all the rest of the BS worth it.

 

It also doesn't hurt to see the look on my co-workers faces when I roll in from the parking lot in sub freezing temperatures. They think I'm nuts......I think they should all start wearing skirts to work

[xbubblehead]

 

 

It took me 37 years to finally get my first bike because of a near fatal motorcycle accident a family member had. But as a child I have always wanted to ride, dreaming of being Evel Knievel jumping over things – it’s probably better that I waited til now.

 

Being a bit different than the regular crowd, excitement, and escapism are part of it for me. I found that taking the trips through small towns and going off "the beaten path" seems to center me of what is important in life. I get to experience more on a bike trip than I ever could driving in a cage with the ac on and windows up.

 

The newness of a “lifetime want“ being fulfilled. Or maby it is like Uber XY said, “it beats walking”

[kcscout]

Because when I take off my helmet, I'm smiling.

[Whip]

Beats walking.

 

 

 

Since I no longer own a cage...........

 

 

 

BTW.................it was 37 and rainin on the way home from the shop today.....and I loved every minute of it.

 

 

Whip

[Francois_Dumas]

To forget my daily worries and do something I REALLY like doing....... it also provides a sense of freedom, a short break away from the gazillion rules and regulations that feel so restricting nowadays.

 

Oh, and did I mention that being on a motorcycle is a great excuse to STOP and make pictures ?

[kinchy]

John

Have at it. Spring is almost upon us

[Knifemaker]

I do not have a clue why I ride...

I do not know how my brain tells my lungs to keep breathing.

 

But I know they MUST have something in common...

 

Cuz, they ALL keep me LIVING....

[zbassman]

Because when I take off my helmet, I'm smiling.

 

Bingo! Folks we have a winner! Succinct and right to the point. Whatever our individual lists may be it does seem to boil down to this commonality; it makes us smile.

 

Well done.

[TyTass]

Wow Les ... that strikes a common chord for me too.

 

I absolutely adored bicycling when I was a kid/teen. My absolute favorite Christmas gift was a 10-speed when I was 13. It was very special to me because I saw it at once as cool machine, it was a trill to ride, and immediately became a means of freedom and independence. Perhaps what I appreciated most was that being raised by a single Mom back then ... well, my Mom didn't have much money ... so I apprciated its magnitude.

 

Though I started riding dirt bikes only a few years later and enjoyed that, I still loved the 10-speed for the sensations associated with swiftly gliding down the road in near total silence, taking in ALL the sights and sounds … most of which are impossible to experience in a car. And although being able to drive at 16 was also freeing, there was nothing thrilling about the machines I owned. And quite frankly, to me cars became a functional item ... no romance involved whatsoever.

 

Now it occurs to me that my first street-worthy motorcycle was an attempt to get back what I lost when driving a car. I wanted the freedom and independence ON THE ROAD ... I wanted to again be close enough to the road and the scenery to experience them all and not just watching everything roll by as though watching the TV.

 

After 17-year hiatus from motorcycling (for many reasons associated with time and money) I'm happy beyond description to be back at it again ... but now completely aware of the why. Yes, like the experiences you and others have pointed out, I am elated to once again experience the environment I ride through rather than pass by, the exhilaration of acceleration, the sensation of g's in a tight turn, the visceral communication between me and the bike, etc.

 

But in the end, it is my awareness of how all these aspects culminate into a symphony of actions … and thoughts … and sensations that make each riding experience one of the greatest sources of joy in my life.

[Lynn]

Because when I take off my helmet, I'm smiling.

 

That is it! I knew there was a reason-and one that I can't possibly explain to someone who doesn't enjoy it. Not any more than I really understand why people enjoy taking a nice walk and using it to chase a little white ball with sticks-I can accept that they enjoy it, but I will probably never understand it.

 

It is the same reason I can my own jams and jellies, make my own beer, listen to heavy metal and read sci-fi. No amount of explanation will make sense to someone who doesn't get it...and no explanation is needed for those who do.

[notacop]

Sounds like you are not the only Peter Eagan copycat. A beer and a cigar and sit in the garage and imagine the miles going bye...

[Nodakgus]

No amount of explanation will make sense to someone who doesn't get it...and no explanation is needed for those who do.

 

Agreed. Two other categories that can be used to split people groups.

[sardineone]

I ride because I'm hopelessly addicted to speed and I haven't found a patch to kick the habit.

 

RPG I used to waterski, but I STILL ride!

[Laura]

WHY DO I RIDE? Well, nothing else makes me feel like motorcycling does. I feel youthful, competent, powerful and downright smiling giggly silly. It's something my husband and I have been sharing since our first date 37 years ago. Having your best riding buddy as your spouse is priceless.

 

I used to regret the years we left motorcycling. We were concentrating on life and our careers. But, had we not concentrated on our careers at that time we would not have been able to retire when we did and make the changes we have made.

[bross]

Saw this on another site, but hit a chord, seeing as how I have only been out once this year, before we got more snow. I can't imagine NOT riding, and in fact Jodie and I have gotten tired of the 6 months of winter without riding so are moving this summer so we can enjoy almost year round riding.