Why do you ride?
I lifted this thread off the Valkyrie Riders Message Board, I just couldn’t see it scrolling away and putting it here on F6Rider will let it live on. I have to thank our members first for asking the question, then all the excellent replies that followed, here is a sampling of some: editor
I have had this conversation with my wife many times before. She just can't understand Why I would pack two weeks of stuff into a small bag and my saddle bags and take off in bad weather just to ride my bike for 2200 miles. I can't really tell her why it makes perfect sense to me. Here are some of the reasons I love to ride my bike.
My bike is me in many ways. It is a reflection of how I feel about life. I like the freedom of the wind in my face at 90+ mph. I like the power I feel when I twist the throttle. I like the looks of people in cages wishing they were me at the time. I like the little kids giving me a thumbs up when I pass by them in their car. I like the danger of being out in the open with very little protection. I like going into a curve and hitting the throttle coming out of it. I like riding side by side with one of my Bro's. I like takings off at a stoplight with one of my Bro's and banging the gears.
I like to sit and talk to other bikers about their rides. I like to talk to strangers about my ride. I like the fact that even if I'm having a bad day that a long trip on my bike will make me forget all about it. I like to work on my bike and get to know it better. I feel that this is all part of the love affair with motorcycling.
Riding takes my mind of life's problems, I always feel great after a ride, even a short one.
I love the smell of the outdoors, and the view of the world. I love taking my wife for a cruise, we can be together and enjoy our solitude. You have a feel for the road on a bike you can never get in a cage. On a bike you can become part of the machine, every little input or adjustment you make while riding affects the ride.
I love passing HD's. ( someone was
gonna say it, might as well be me!)
I ride because it is my passion. When you travel in a car (pickup for me..) You ride through the world, and the object is to get there. When you ride you ride in the world and the object is going there. Why do I ride in bad weather?, because I'm a tad nuts and because I love everything the Good Lord brings.
Why do I ride?, because in my truck when I pass a pig farm, I see pigs, On my Bike I smell pigs. And when I ride at night I sense all the things about the world I live in that I miss in a car. Do folks who ride in cars even know that if you climb out of valley the temperature changes by several degrees?, I didn't till I started to ride. I will I sit around for hours with other riders and talk about riding? Because we share a common bond.
Let me tell you a little true story that happen to me one rainy day riding up 95 from Florida to Maryland. I pulled into a rest stop in Ga. on a rainy after noon on my Bike and parked next to an old pickup with a brand new softtail in the back. There was a guy next to it with full biker uniform on, You know greasy cloths, scraggly beard, etc. And he was drinking a beer.
So I said, "man what you doing with your 'stuff' in the back of a truck on this beautiful rainy day?!" He looked at me and said "Dude I am way bummed, I'm taking this bike to NJ to a bro and I would love to dump the truck and ride." and then he offered me a beer. I told him no, I was an alcoholic and didn't drink anymore. He walked away and I guessed he was put off by my answer. A couple off minutes later he came back with a Coke and said " Hey man I got you a Coke, that's cool that you stopped drinking" We stood in the rain and talked bikes for 20 minutes and had a great time.
When I left he said if I was ever in Orlando ask for "Crazy" at any HD shop and we would have a good time. That’s why I ride.
You get out of the package (air cond/heater controlled life).
You feel the air.
You smell the world.
You see what others don't.
You feel the cool of the valley, the warmth of the sun.
You see it on the WIDE screen.
You notice the light and shadow.
You slice through the outdoors and you're part of it.
Your steed adds to the feeling.
Your sound in the tunnel.
Your thunder on the road.
Your shining chrome.
Your splash of color.
Could go on and on.
I commute 20 mins. because I can. I go different ways because I want to.
I am blessed with a wife that will come home from work, change, and hop
on the bike to go to dinner/church/shopping/any reason.
We share God's beautiful earth together.
We laugh at people in cages that don't get to share the same dead skunk
experience that we do.
The wind noise drowns out those pesky
voices in my head. Actually, it's a
spiritual trip! A motorcycle ride is the only time in this ol' busy world that
I'm afforded the opportunity for a
moment of reflection or introspection. And when that passes, the blissful state
of just BEING and at peace and at one with all around me - much similar to a
round of T'ai Chi (but more verve). Ride with great verve and humility.
I kind of take my SO for granted.
She has no problem packing, jumping on bike, and riding 2 wks on vacation. Can't
imagine what it would be like to have go without her or take a long ride solo.
Just came back from Hoot and rode Blue Ridge Parkway. In a car you merely see it
but on a bike you see it, feel it, smell it, hear it. Of all the vacations we
took in last 20 yrs, the bike vacations were the most memorable. Even the rainy,
cold, nasty ones. The trip takes on a whole different slant. Strangers are
always more interested in fact that your on a bike and are more inclined to ask
about your journey. Where you from and where you going?
Great responses! You guy's are better poets than I am, every one hit the nail on the head. I guess I didn't realize that so many of you guys shared the same experience, I call it Zen. For me it just lets all the Bad Stuff that we all put up with in our lives to melt away. I can't imagine living without it, and you simply can't explain it to someone who hasn't been there. Ride on brothers!