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Why we ride motorcycles ?

6K views 56 replies 30 participants last post by  HomerDodd 
#1 · (Edited)
I have owned motorcycles continually since 1967 (Yamaha Twin Jet). I bought, repaired, sold motorcycles to pay University tuition: about 100 bikes in total. I kept a few. No, I am not a biker but I enjoy motorcycles.

Tonight we hosted a social event and the question came up: based on my financial standing, age, etc. why do I ride motorcycles? Tough question. I remember, when I was 12, reading a Cycle World magazine article about Triumph Bonnevilles. I was hooked but why?

I have heard motorcycles are "freedom" but not actually. I am quite free in a car. I don't really "meet the nicest people on a Honda" either. Some people say they ride to relieve stress from their job. If motorcycling is stress relief, quit your job because motorcycles are stress. I guess some people ride to join a club or have a shared experience but I don't enjoy group rides.

Why DO we ride? My immediate answer was: I don't know. I enjoy it but why?

A few guests wanted to see the bikes so we ended up visiting the garage where I did finally get an answer to the question: why do we ride? Standing off to one side, my GF was asked if she rode. Her answer: "No, I dont need the risk!"

So in the end I think maybe we ride because we need: the risk.

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#39 ·
Heh. One jump my friend and I would do with our 100s (my ’71 G4TR and his ‘81 XL) was over a big rock in the woods. I never thought it was that dangerous but, after catching about 4’ of air at 60kph, you had to brake hard after landing… or else dump over a 6’ drop onto the rocks of the ocean shore! So aside from “Who can get higher?” it was, “Who can come closest to stopping at the edge?” 😄
 
#40 ·
Doing those bicycle jumps was lots of fun. My biggest success was a race on my 3 speed motocross bicycle. We had to race around the block that was about 1 mile long. To finish the race you had to jump the ramp. I was way in the lead, I put that bike in high gear and was pedaling as hard as I could. I nearly cleared the complete concrete section of road in the neighborhood. My worst crash. I was jumping a dirt hill hauling as fast as I could go. I hit the hill getting some good air and my pants hung in the chain. I was heading straight down at the ground, landed on my collar bone and barely rolled before the bicycle came down where I was laying. I had to ride home with my handlebar turned sideways on the seat since I couldn't move my arm. It only bruised my collar bone muscle but I couldn't lift my arm for about a month.
 
#43 ·
Like most here I rode bicycles and then got a mini-bike, actually it was for my younger brother and I which caused a bunch of problems. I think I liked it more than he did. We were living on two acres with the closest neighbor a mile away. We rode that mini-bike all over the place and wrecked it many times. After about a year or so the mini-bike gave up the ghost, and when we asked for another one, and a bigger one, Mom put her foot down and said if I wanted to ride on two wheels I could ride my bicycle.

Several years later Yamaha came out with a 100cc street and trail motorcycle that was very affordable. I had my Dad talked into it but Mom said no.

I would at times ride friends dirt bikes and as far as I know my Mother never knew about it. I really liked riding motorcycles, although I can’t put my finger on any particular reason.

A few years later a friend and I were talking about bikes and I said I was thinking about getting a dirt bike. He asked me had I ridden a street bike. I said that I was not sure about going that fast on a paved road. After some time he convinced me to go ride with him. He put me on a 750 Magna and he got in his other bike. We worked our way out to the state hiway and down the road we went. He was leading and thankfully he was taking it easy on the speed, I was scared sh!tless! We went about five miles and he pulled into this little gas station and got something to drink and talk for a few minutes. I calmed down and he suggested we head back. He told me to lead and away we went. That little bit of a ride and the stop to relax must have been all I needed because I was really enjoying the ride, the wind in my face and such, I was thinking that I should get a street bike instead of a dirt bike. It was at this time I was getting close to our turn, I looked down at the speedometer to check to make sure I was gonna hit the downshifts correctly and noticed I was doing 85 MPH!!! I froze and the only thing that moved was my wrist to slow down, the fear returned briefly. When we got back to his house he said to me “you must really like the street riding”. I said yes but had to admit the speed was from not paying attention and just enjoying the ride.

A few months later I had a new to me GS450L Suzuki, I rode that bike whenever I could, it was like an addiction. I even rode it from Atlanta to Orlando in January for my cousins memorial run. Needless to say some of the other riders were impressed that I rode a bike that small that far.

Then in the mid 90’s I got a new Suzuki Intruder 800. Now I felt like I was riding in style!!! The saleswoman asked me if I knew how to ride a motorcycle, I answered yes and asked her why she asked me that. She said that it was becoming more prevalent that people were coming in and buying bigger bikes that have never rode before, they even had a few wreck leaving the dealership. I assured her I could ride. The road the dealership was on was a very busy four lane road, I was making a left turn, after a few minutes of waiting for an opening one appeared but not a large one. So instinct took over, I rolled on the throttle, let out the clutch quickly and the bike leaped forward like a flash! I came back to reality and realized the bike I was on was almost twice as powerful as what I was use to. I did not wreck but it must have been a sight to see. That was a great bike and I rode it every chance I got. In fact it was my only transportation for a few years. I finally sold it after moving to Tennessee because they get more of the white stuff than the Atlanta area does and I needed something a little safer to drive in the snow.

Fifteen years later my fiancé brought up that we should get us a bike. I thought she meant one bike and ride two up so I started my research. When I showed her what I had come up with she said she meant we should both have our own bike. To which I said ok and we started looking at the Honda’s. She got a 2014 Aero and I got a 2013 Phantom, both brand new in the crate. I have only put 30k miles on it in the six years I have had it, have ridden a lot to work, a lot of rides in the country, and rode to Deals Gap to ride the Dragon. I really like riding this bike but recently I have been thinking about a Gold Wing Trike is in my future.

So,,,to answer the question “why do I ride?”,,,my best answer is “I just like riding”.

Eric


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#44 ·
Like most here I rode bicycles and then got a mini-bike, actually it was for my younger brother and I which caused a bunch of problems. I think I liked it more than he did. We were living on two acres with the closest neighbor a mile away. We rode that mini-bike all over the place and wrecked it many times. After about a year or so the mini-bike gave up the ghost, and when we asked for another one, and a bigger one, Mom put her foot down and said if I wanted to ride on two wheels I could ride my bicycle.

Several years later Yamaha came out with a 100cc street and trail motorcycle that was very affordable. I had my Dad talked into it but Mom said no.

I would at times ride friends dirt bikes and as far as I know my Mother never knew about it. I really liked riding motorcycles, although I can’t put my finger on any particular reason.

A few years later a friend and I were talking about bikes and I said I was thinking about getting a dirt bike. He asked me had I ridden a street bike. I said that I was not sure about going that fast on a paved road. After some time he convinced me to go ride with him. He put me on a 750 Magna and he got in his other bike. We worked our way out to the state hiway and down the road we went. He was leading and thankfully he was taking it easy on the speed, I was scared sh!tless! We went about five miles and he pulled into this little gas station and got something to drink and talk for a few minutes. I calmed down and he suggested we head back. He told me to lead and away we went. That little bit of a ride and the stop to relax must have been all I needed because I was really enjoying the ride, the wind in my face and such, I was thinking that I should get a street bike instead of a dirt bike. It was at this time I was getting close to our turn, I looked down at the speedometer to check to make sure I was gonna hit the downshifts correctly and noticed I was doing 85 MPH!!! I froze and the only thing that moved was my wrist to slow down, the fear returned briefly. When we got back to his house he said to me “you must really like the street riding”. I said yes but had to admit the speed was from not paying attention and just enjoying the ride.

A few months later I had a new to me GS450L Suzuki, I rode that bike whenever I could, it was like an addiction. I even rode it from Atlanta to Orlando in January for my cousins memorial run. Needless to say some of the other riders were impressed that I rode a bike that small that far.

Then in the mid 90’s I got a new Suzuki Intruder 800. Now I felt like I was riding in style!!! The saleswoman asked me if I knew how to ride a motorcycle, I answered yes and asked her why she asked me that. She said that it was becoming more prevalent that people were coming in and buying bigger bikes that have never rode before, they even had a few wreck leaving the dealership. I assured her I could ride. The road the dealership was on was a very busy four lane road, I was making a left turn, after a few minutes of waiting for an opening one appeared but not a large one. So instinct took over, I rolled on the throttle, let out the clutch quickly and the bike leaped forward like a flash! I came back to reality and realized the bike I was on was almost twice as powerful as what I was use to. I did not wreck but it must have been a sight to see. That was a great bike and I rode it every chance I got. In fact it was my only transportation for a few years. I finally sold it after moving to Tennessee because they get more of the white stuff than the Atlanta area does and I needed something a little safer to drive in the snow.

Fifteen years later my fiancé brought up that we should get us a bike. I thought she meant one bike and ride two up so I started my research. When I showed her what I had come up with she said she meant we should both have our own bike. To which I said ok and we started looking at the Honda’s. She got a 2014 Aero and I got a 2013 Phantom, both brand new in the crate. I have only put 30k miles on it in the six years I have had it, have ridden a lot to work, a lot of rides in the country, and rode to Deals Gap to ride the Dragon. I really like riding this bike but recently I have been thinking about a Gold Wing Trike is in my future.

So,,,to answer the question “why do I ride?”,,,my best answer is “I just like riding”.

Eric


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How many miles did she put on her bike?
 
#49 ·
These are all great stories. My brother and I started in 78 on z50a then moved up to older ct70s that my dad bought needing work. One had been put together with the timing off and had bent the valves. My dad taught me all the basics of motors with that one. We rode them all over the yard and hay fields. Even jumping leftover gravel piles. Crashed and got hurt a number of times but no broken bones. A few years later I got my license with my dad's 100 Kawasaki enduro. Through university and then eventually my own family other things got in the way of me getting back to riding. My dad eventually bought a used pw50 for my first son, his first grandchild, and he learnt to ride the same fields that I had. I had wanted to get a bike and get back to riding and go riding with my dad. I eventually got an xt225 but alas too late for my dad's heath to ride together. One reason that I wanted to get back to riding was to ride with and teach my kids, especially the boys, about bikes with small bikes and before they were invincible teens. They have worked through pw80, ttr125, tw200 and my xt225. My wife and I enjoyed 2up riding and weekend trips with my 225 but this past year I restored my late father's 85vt500 and have enjoyed it. My wife is even interested in getting her own licence but hasn't yet. I ride for fun and recreation. I can explore the local forest roads and get there on my bike.
 
#50 ·
@eggabeewa tell your wife to go for it!

Many women who come up to me asking questions when I am on my bike say they shy away from motorcycles because is is a male dominated activity, they are discouraged because they are women and “can’t handle a bike”or they get on the back with a dude who goes so fast it scares the crap out of them.

The ones that do finally get their own bikes absolutely love it and wonder why they didn’t do earlier.

There are way more woman riders now then when I started, and not just cruisers, sport bikes too. I have had some blazing fast female coaches at track days. The motorcycle industry has also embraced female riders and offers plenty of gear for us, I was so tired of wearing mens gear lol.
 
#54 ·
@eggabeewa tell your wife to go for it!

Many women who come up to me asking questions when I am on my bike say they shy away from motorcycles because is is a male dominated activity, they are discouraged because they are women and “can’t handle a bike”or they get on the back with a dude who goes so fast it scares the crap out of them.

The ones that do finally get their own bikes absolutely love it and wonder why they didn’t do earlier.

There are way more woman riders now then when I started, and not just cruisers, sport bikes too. I have had some blazing fast female coaches at track days. The motorcycle industry has also embraced female riders and offers plenty of gear for us, I was so tired of wearing mens gear lol.
I met a dude a couple of years ago that holds motorcycle clinics, both street and off-road. He had both mixed and female only clinics. Being a smart-a... I had to ask why female only? Made some kind of snide remark about not being "inclusive" and such. He articulated something that I knew, but didn't realize. More and more females are getting interested in riding. Dudes have a tendency to prove to everyone in a clinic that they are already a subject matter expert, even though they've never ridden before. Females are easier on the equipment and seldom have any problem with asking questions. He found it was a much better learning environment for females to learn with just other females. There were also enough females new to riding to keep his female only classes full.

Years ago I posted on here about a trip I took from Northern Nevada down to Las Vegas with a couple of friends on bikes. One thing that caught my attention then, and I've still never forgotten: As the three of us were screaming down the road on our motorcycles, when we would pass a family in their SUV's or mini-vans, it was always the little girls who stuck their heads up and waved to us. It was the girls who thought riding on two wheels was cool.
 
#51 · (Edited)
I ain`t read the replies yet, I am not influenced by them in my reply here...

I started out riding farms and groves in Florida, that`s what set the "craving" to ride motorcycles...
When I became old enough I started riding on the street...
After high school I bought my first and only NEW Bike, which continued to be my Favorite Mode of transportation...
Several years My bike has been my only mode...
Yes I call it a Bike, does that make me a "Biker"?
I do claim "Biker" being as I am a member of ABATE = American Bikers Active Towards Education = ABATE of Georgia is our legislative watchdog at our state capitol...
Ann & I are also active with MRF = Motorcycle Riders Foundation = MRF is our watchdogs at the federal level in Washington....

Why do I ride???
Because I enjoy it,
Dennis

The scenery, the cool of the "bottoms", the smells around me, the feel of the road under me, to name some of the joys...

Lean Left, Lean Right, Nothing better!!!

 
#55 ·
I have always loved watching bikes go flying down the road. Growing up a neighbor had a Gold Wing and I thought he was God's cousin's they way he looked so stately on his bike. Once i finished my education, and got married got my first bike a Kawasaki 900 but sold it after our 2nd was born. Now they are all out of the house (but not my pocket) I purchased a 750 from a friend at church. Took safety class and been riding last 2 years. Looking to move up to a touring bike with low seat height in the near future. For me, there is nothing like wind therapy to clear the cob webs. Friends of mine have garaged their bikes for the winter, but I plan to ride every opportunity I can.
 
#56 · (Edited by Moderator)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycling

Of the many benefits of riding a motorcycle, "therapy" is the one I embrace the most. The safe operation of a motorcycle requires the rider be "in the moment."

Mindfulness to a never-ending stream of input, assessment and action.

Preparation of the machine for safe operation and the rider physically and mentally for the task at hand is the first step. This builds trust and confidence in both man and machine.

Motorcycling is a high-risk endeavor yet the risk level may be managed. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol nor when angry or distraught.

Use of proper riding gear lowers the exposure to risk.

Once body, mind and machine are well prepared the magic kicks in. The rider constantly scans the environment, particularly 2-4-20 seconds ahead taking mental notes of weather, road conditions, stationary objects, and traffic. Intersections and driveways are high risk because an inattentive driver may move into your path of travel. When stopping, always position the scoot with an escape route and watch your mirrors for the inattentive driver who could rear end you! Corners and curves require their own evaluation, choosing a safe speed and path of travel. The data input is rapid and endless, the evaluations seamless and the choice of action instantaneous.

This single focus on a safe ride leaves no room for worrying about bills, work, or personal challenges. The rider must be devoted to the ride 100%.

And yes, the rider still gets to enjoy the scenery, the smell of wildflowers or a fresh mountain lake. The sensation of conquering a series of twisties, S curves and sweeping corners is satisfying.

The sensation seems heighten when riding in tandem with one who shares a compatible riding style and knows each other riding style well. Movements are instinctive synchronized, effortless, seamless, and non-verbal. Distance between sleds, speed - up and down, lane positioning, path of travel and road hazards alerts are always kept at a safe level.

At the end of the journey the mind is swept clean of everyday clutter of worries, and one is ready to step back into life's pursuits with a clear head and positive attitude. And when riding in tandem, it's always great to reflect on that day's journey, sights, sounds, smells. landmarks, moments worth sharing over a cold one as the sun sets to rest and give way to the moonlight. Time to dismount and to synch the body with the rested mind. The critters come out at dusk and dawn, deer crossings and such are too high a risk to be on the road. Tomorrow we get to ride, all day, and experience nature's wonders. Peace out.
 
#57 · (Edited)
I rode my first motorcycle at 13. A Honda Trail 70, under qualified supervision. I was hooked. Saved my paper route money ($35 per month in 1973), for a year to buy my own bike ( a used Trail 70, of course). Have owned Honda 400, 550 and 750 Fours, '79 CBX, CX500 & 650 Turbo's; loved them all, reliable to the end, as I am a Honda loyalist. I am 61 and still ride to this day, street and dirt bikes. My current mount is a 1983 CX650 Turbo, an absolute Jeckyl and Hyde when the boost hits. When I was 24 yea's old in the Navy, I rode the 2,700 miles from San Diego to Norfolk in June on my faithful '78 CB750F SS; the best time of my life. On the open road, no distracted drivers, beautiful scenery and at peace with the road and wind. Riding can be stressful around town, but has a sailboat parallel on the highway: wind in your face is good, wind in your boat sail is good, both serve to calm. I intend to ride until I can no longer stand.................
 
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