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Why do you ride?
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I was recently asked why I ride, as follows:
"I have this project for school and I was wondering if you can enlighten me as to why you ride? What is it about motorcycles or the riding experience that keeps you riding?"
I responded as follows:
That's a difficult question. I guess you call it a risk/reward sport. Obviosly there are no "fender benders" and when it rains you get wet, sweat when it's hot & freeze when it's cold. So if you think about it logically it really does not make a lot of sense. However, when you ride you are a part of the scenery. Riding down a country road in the morning with orange blossums in bloom, those smells would be missed in a car. Carving through a set of curves and feeling the bike respond under you can never be matched in a car.
I once saw an old biker wearing a t-shirt that said "If I have to explain it you wouldn't understand." I guess you must experience riding to completly understand it. Hope this helps.
Why do you ride? -JEP-
Originally posted at 4:46PM, 17 September 2007 PDT
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RIDEMYST edited this topic 57 months ago.
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I received the same question via Flickr my response was a bit more verbose, but the highlights were as follows:
Well the only tough part about this question is deciding what order to put all of the answers in. I love riding and will continue to do so as long as I am able...
Some of the logical side of this is that I live in the Northern Virginia area and commute into Washington DC. This area has restricted lanes for “High Occupancy Vehicles” (HOV). ... The difference in my 30 mile commute in this area is 45 minutes via the motorcycle and HOV versus an average of 1:45 (One hour 45 minutes). This is 2 hours a day or 10 hours a week of my life that I get back instead of sitting in traffic. (Note that DC was just noted as being tied for 2nd worse traffic delays in the nation)
Besides the time I am getting back, the next quickest/most economical way to get in would be a combination of driving my car to the metro rail and taking the metro rail the rest of the way in. Besides the time difference I also have to pay for parking and the rail fairs. This is $65.00/week for my commute. This is an annual savings of $3,380.00...
All of this information is good for a business case for where I am at now, but there is the emotional side of this as well. I love the freedom of the motorcycle. I love the ability to see, hear and feel everything around me. ...... Being part of a select group or brotherhood if you will is part of the lure of the motorcycle. Have you ever noticed that almost all bikers wave to each other when passing by? You may not know them, but they are still your brothers/sisters.
Posted 57 months ago.
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Simple answer: If you have to ask you'll never understand. Before I rode I don't think the question as to "why" ever occured to me. It looked fun, so I understood.
Originally posted 57 months ago.
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Michael Al edited this topic 57 months ago.
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I began ridding motorcycles when I was real young, like a lot of us did. I grew up in the country and at that time it was a means of recreation and transportation. Today, I live in a large metropolitan area, and feel like riding gives me a sense of detachment from the city, the people, and the traffic congestion. It is also a great way to see some beautiful scenery and meet some great people along the way. My latest trip was 14 days and some 4700 odd miles. I love to ride for so many reasons, but mostly just because I do.
Originally posted 57 months ago.
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SLV Native edited this topic 57 months ago.
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I got asked the same question and here is my response:
Oh, this could take a while. Riding a motorcycle has it's rewards on so many levels...
On a pure transportation level, it is the quickest, most efficient way to travel medium distances due to a motorcycles size, speed, acceleration and mobility. The gas mileage is so much better than an auto as well. Oh, and you always have more options for parking in a crowded place!
From a more recreational point of view, you get to experience so much more of the environment when traveling by motorcycle, the sun, the rain, the wind, the smells of flower blossoms, the smell of impending rain; these and so much more - all are experienced in a way not achievable by any other means.
From a fun perspective, on a motorcycle you are truly one with the machine and you experience - and to some degree control - the g-forces of turning, braking and acceleration that is kind of like being on a thrill ride where you control the ride.
On another level, riding a motorcycle well requires an attention level to driving that is seldom used by most people driving in a car (though probably should be!). Throttle control, braking, choosing and following a specific "line" down the road and around corners requires concentration and a skill level that must be developed and honed over time. Yet, developing these skills requires testing oneself mentally - balancing the reaching beyond one's current perceived skill level against the very real fear of going too far with potentially disastrous consequences.
I could go on and on, but to sum it all up, when I get home from a drive in my car I am seldom smiling - when I return from a motorcycle ride I ALWAYS have a smile on my face!
Posted 57 months ago.
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Yeah, Silver STreak hit it: it's the smile! I'm smiling from the point I start to put on the suit, constantly smiling while I'm walking to my wheel, vigorously smiling while I'm riding and smiling softly when I get off her and pat her back whispering good night. Nothing else counts.
Posted 57 months ago.
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Dana Pellerin [deleted] says:
Good question. For me, It's to get as close to God's creation as I can, and still go really fast! It's about feeling the temperature drop 20 degrees as I round the back side of the mountain. It's about smelling the sweetness of fresh fruit in an orchard, or the earthy pine scent of the mountains. It's about hanging on by my fingertips as the horses beneath me do their best to dump me off the back. It's about freedom.
Posted 55 months ago.
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I've been riding 42 years ,why? who knows . I guess it's who I am . I never really questioned why I ride it's as basic as breathing.
Posted 55 months ago.
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whyever not??!!!
Posted 52 months ago.
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littlesinlouwho [deleted] says:
If you have to ask, you'll never know.
Posted 52 months ago.
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Been riding close to 20 years now and never thought of why I ride, have thought alot of times why there is not more time to ride though! I enjoy the peace and sense of freedom going from point A to B expierencing the force of nature whether it is sunshine, rain or snow.
The seasons also seem to be more prominent for me to observe when they are about to change. You note small things you would normally not be bothered by because of distraction like mobile phones, music or people on public transport.
Lastly I get on my bike every time with the knowledge that it is dangerous and I am more exposed to the elements than normal.
Ride safe and most of all enjoy!
Posted 52 months ago.
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For me it's the ability to remove myself from the masses and become one with machine and nature. When riding motorcycles you get your sense of vision enlightened with a greater field of view. You see things you wouldn't wrapped in sheet metal. You get full sense of smell unlike a car. Ah.. the smell of a campfire and breakfasts cooking as you ride through a foreset near camp grounds. The smell of the salt water as you rip through the turns along the coast. The smell of rain as you ride through a shower. There is a greater sense of feeling with every gust of wind, every turn and duration of Acceleration. I could be creative and go on but truth is... Chatts response summed it up best. "Whyever Not"??
Posted 51 months ago.
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wolffmanus [deleted] says:
Why do I Ride, I am new to the group and I guess that this is a good way to say hello... I got my motorcycle License when I was 15 years old in Calif. I got married at 20 and my wife made me get a car License when I was 23 (I turn 50 May 2nd) I ride for all the same reasons above and for one other. When I am on my bike I feel a peace, a tranquil center. My Life , my soul, my fate and my Joy are all moved at the controls of my Bike. Every turn of the road, every twist of the throttle and squeeze of the break lever strokes me like fingernails on the strings of a guitar. The day I stop riding is the day I can't sit my bike anymore. Untill then If you see me passing by give me the high sign because I will be giveing the same.
Posted 50 months ago.
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Wow. This is a great topic.
My first experience with motorcycles was when I was just a kid. My dad and his buddies decided they needed a way to get away from the wives and have fun and drink a little so they all bought old, rattle-trap bikes. My dad actually bought a Kawasaki that looked good and ran great and every weekend, they'd pack their bottles and head out. Many times he took me on that bike and I was scared to death every time until the one day we were going way too slow around a sharp curve and he dumped it...and me.
After that, I knew guys who had bikes but mostly they sat in the garage and weren't ridden. They were just there so someone could say 'yeah, I have a bike'.
I met my husband 7 years ago and he turned me on to what riding is all about. Escape.
We have five kids between us and our share of life's problems like everyone else. We've both had hard lives, like most people do. But when we get on that bike, gear stowed, map in my hand...man. We know we're leaving it all behind for a few days of excitement and seeing the world the way most people will never see it. We love leaving the 'chatter' behind, the sound of every day life and riding off into that silence that contains nothing but the rumble of that bike, the wind against your ears and your own thoughts. When we went to Colorado on our last 'big' trip, I can't describe to anyone what it meant not to be trapped inside a car with a roof. We were actually THERE, able to just turn our head or look up to take in the whole panorama of the Rockies.
We nearly froze on several days of this Big Bend trip. We just happened to go when that ice and snow storm blew through Texas. Most people who don't ride wouldn't understand why we'd put ourselves through hours of being bone cold, sometimes wet, always dirty. But for someone who truly loves riding, it's not 'putting up' with anything...it's the only way to really live. When you come back in one piece, sunburnt, frost-bitten, dirty, ratty hair, you've accomplished something. You find out you're tougher than you thought you were.
Plus, no one can tell me that bikers aren't THE BEST people in the world. No matter what 'name' people ride, the majority of bikers are people who actually have principles and codes of conduct that they live by, which I greatly respect.
Just like most people on this topic, we'll ride until we physically can't do it any longer and I'm thinking that might just be the literal 'end of the road' for us....or maybe RV time? Nah...... :-)
Posted 49 months ago.
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For me it is the one thing in my life that is pure. Riding for me is focusing while reaching out with all my senses. No phones, no email, no radio commercials, no inane chatter, no distractions, just me the bike and the rode. Inside my helmet is a refuge from everything else.
I ride to commute. I ride to get places, but mostly I ride for the pure enjoyment of having a place that is separate from all other places and realities in my life.
Riding is both thrilling and contemplative. Riding is Zen and whole bunch of fun.
Posted 24 months ago.
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All the contributions to this thread give similar and very detailed reasons for riving a motorcycle. To sum up:-
Driving my car is about reaching the destination
Driving my motorcycle is about the journey
Originally posted 13 months ago.
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Andy Biggin Hill edited this topic 13 months ago.
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Seeing how 99% of my riding is solo, guess it's all about spending quality time with me.
Posted 13 months ago.
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Mine started young when my uncle would give me rides on his bike. As I got older it sort of became a itch that needed to be scratched. Now that I finally scratched that itch I feel free. I was asked that same question by a couple of people at work and here was my reply: It is like two weeks of terrible weather and you are stuck in your house. Then one day the sun comes out and everything outside shines and glows from the remnants of the storm...it's kind of like that sunny day!
Posted 7 months ago.
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Explore, Capture, Share. Riding DualSport gives me a chance to experience a true sense of freedom, discovery and belonging. The fun never seems to stop.
Posted 6 months ago.
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Live free or die!
Posted 5 months ago.
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I got into bikes because they were insanely fast compared to cars that I could afford.
I've kept with bikes because they allow me a release and a chance to escape from the world.
It's the only mode of transport that makes spending a week charging across europe like some sort of getaway driver with your mates acceptable.
It's the only mode of transport that makes me laugh like a kid full of sweets when I fire it up and go for the first blast of the year.
Also when I travel solo people talk to me, the same people would ignore you in a car.
And it's still really fast.
Posted 3 months ago.
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