I have done quite a few reviews of different machines, but what I have not yet covered is why I ride. I may have covered my memories of riding on the back of my dad's Goldwing when I was a kid, and that is part of it. Different people ride for different reasons, and very few people have identical reasons. Some people want adrenaline rushes, so they ride bikes that are light and fast. Other people want to be seen and recognized as riding, so many of them go peacocking on flashy choppers. I want to note that not all chopper riders are vain. My friend Richie, for example, put a chopper kit on his VLX 600. The bike looked cool without being overly flashy. It turned like a pig, but was perfect for freeway riding. The bike fit his riding needs.
Many riders only want to ride on weekends or days off, when they can take the time to enjoy the ride and not worry about commuting in traffic. Those weekend warriors are laughed at by many bikers, but as far as I am concerned they still put their knees in the wind, and that is great in my book. A person who wants to ride, even only on weekends, is still a person who wants to ride. The quality of the ride is more important than the quantity for these people.
Now, why do I ride? The reasons are complex and are a bit of a mixture of these and other reasons. It is exciting riding, even if it is on a large Gold Wing. My Wing does not accelerate very quickly, but it can lean into turns and hold lines with many sport bikes. The road to Tortilla Flats is well known to many bikers and I was happy when I did not scrape anything, even when coming into a curve a little too hot. My Sportster would have made sparks with the pegs or pipes on many of those curves. The Wing is heavy, but has a low center of gravity. It turns easily, so the excitement factor is there for me. I also admit that yes, I like when I am noticed on the bike. Do I want to be pointed out and cheered? Nope. If that were the case, I would have gone to Sturgis. My desire to be noticed is actually based on safety. If I am noticed, it means other people are aware of me and being aware of bikers is unfortunately uncommon.
I am not one of those weekend warriors, although I do enjoy a weekend joy ride. Quality is more important than quantity, but I also enjoy a large quantity of riding. I may be commuting, and sometimes the traffic sucks, but at least I am able to enjoy the scenery much more effectively. The scenery, environment, and experience are my primary reasons for riding. When I drive a car, I can look outside through the windows and watch the trees pass. I am inside the car, watching the world outside my car. On my bike, there is no "inside" or "outside." The ride is IN the outside. The trees are not seen through a dirty window (except if my sunglasses got dirty) nor do I need to open a window to feel the wind rush by. In my car, I drive through the world, mostly oblivious to things that are not of immediate concern. On my bike, I am in the world, aware of everything. Consciousness is not bounded on four sides, with views blocked by the frame and pillars. I have no blind spots on my bike. I turn my head and I see everything from the windshield to the trunk rack. I hear everything, from my humming engine to the old Jeep with bald tires two lanes over. I smell the air after a night of rain. The fragrance of desert flowers in bloom stays with me for miles. Yes, the occasional sewer or septic problem is there too, but that's part of the ride. The ride is passion. Opening the senses to beyond what we typically experience. I have driven convertibles, but the sense of "inside" and "outside" is still there. Once I got on my Sportster many years ago, I learned how it feels to really be a part of the world. When I sold it, the sense of loss was not so much for the bike, but for the knowledge that my perspective was now far more constrained. My drive to ride again never stopped, although there were times I doubted I would ride again any time soon. With my Wing, though, the world is open again. Will I always have a motorcycle? I don't know. Will I always want to ride? Absolutely.
My point of this blog was to get you to think about riding. Knowing what bikes are good commuters is nice, but knowing why you want to ride is far more important. The machine is to be nothing more than an extension of the person, and the person's reasons for riding will dictate how the bike is ridden. Find your reasons to ride, then get riding.
Until next time, keep the rubber on the road and your knees in the wind.
No comments:
Post a Comment