Why I ride

[Blackbird]

I was completely bored at work on the day before I knocked off for Xmas leave so I slipped into holiday mode a bit early! I'd been wondering for a long time what it is that keeps my passion alive for motorcycles over several decades, whereas other interests have come and gone, so I tried to analyse the "WHY". The attachment isn't a literary masterpiece, but it might stir some thoughts up with respect to why others ride.

Have a safe and happy 2006.

Regards,

Geoff

[nudemetalz]

You've hit the nail on the head there, BB. I liked the way you had expessed your reasoning, and it ain't a lot different to why I like motorcycling too....

Cheers

[skelstar]

That was a great peice of 'prose' BB. I really enjoyed reading that this morning. Thanks.

It obviously made me think about what I love about riding. One thing that strikes me is that I ride my bike every day (bar 6 days since starting)...and I wake up every morning with the first thought of when/how I am going to be riding (usually shortly after I wake up). Im already thinking about leaning into the first corner before my feet touch the ground. I NEVER had those kinda thoughts when I was driving my car.

[Sniper]

That was a good read this morning Geoff, thanks :niceone:

[zadok]

Great read Geoff. I like the pdf format,; very effective.

[Zed]

I was completely bored at work on the day before I knocked off for Xmas leave so I slipped into holiday mode a bit early! I'd been wondering for a long time what it is that keeps my passion alive for motorcycles over several decades, whereas other interests have come and gone, so I tried to analyse the "WHY". The attachment isn't a literary masterpiece, but it might stir some thoughts up with respect to why others ride.

Have a safe and happy 2006.

Regards,

GeoffVery good Geoff, I've only been riding for 20 yrs and can definately relate to much of what you wrote. Thoughts well expressed mate!

Happy new year to you too! :niceone:





"...is little doubt that riding a bike makes you a better driver overall."






"Not merely passing, but utterly
annihilating their aspirations is way cool!"

[DMNTD]

You've been blinged! Mate that was superb and covered most things that do it for me and no doubt most others.
Welldone sir:clap:

[Colapop]

I don't know how to write what's in my head and heart at times but reading that makes me not need to. I know I've got that biker feeling and memories that make me feel good inside,
Thanks Geoff

[robnz]

that was great geoff. i could not agree more. Some of my friends and my brother have been for a ride on the back of my back. first time ever for them on a bike. first comment they make when they get off is. the freedom. not having this metal shell around you to dull the senses

[Goblin]

Great write up Geoff:yes:

I like the mental process of gearing up, pants, boots, jacket....then once the helmet is fastened and gloves are on I feel like a different person, I suddenly have more confidence and seem far more aware of everything around me. I live for it and cant get enough of it:love:

[emaN]

Tokoroa weekdays, Coromandel weekends huh?

well, looks like we should meet up again at Okoroire on one of your weekdays!
could try and get some other 'locals' there too...r4q2,slickD,hdt,weestrom etc...

[Blackbird]

Tokoroa weekdays, Coromandel weekends huh?

well, looks like we should meet up again at Okoroire on one of your weekdays!
could try and get some other 'locals' there too...r4q2,slickD,hdt,weestrom etc...

Hi Jon - compliments of the season! It's doubly tough as Jennie is still at the beach! I did part of the Loop yesterday with Hammer, Nak1d and a couple of others and then carried on south while they went back to Auckland. I have a week's work at the mill to finish then I can head back up there:shifty:

Cheers

Geoff

[Unit]

After 19 years since I first hoped on a bike, my passion has only grown. Even through a period of being with someone who had a fearful dislike of bikes (it's always easiest to fear the unknown and cover that fear with, "you'll kill yourself on those bloody things") and going without a bike in my life, the first thing I found myself doing post separation was aquiring another motorcycle as a priority. The next most important issue in my life was to make sure my next partner shared that passion with me, or at least encouraged me to retain it for myself. Im fortunate to have that these days, and for my partner and I to go riding together on our idividual steads is something that we will not tire of easily. I believe riding makes me a better person somehow, certainly more consider of others. Its almost like being a part of a secret handshake club, the knowing looks between riders, the alike stories of having not told our mothers in younger days we owned a motorbike, and so on. And as I get older and the body suffers from past excesses in other sports (back operation this year for example), its wonderful to still be physically able to take part in a serious sport, one that you only have to compete with yourself in, one that brings me into contact with people I otherwise would not have had the pleasure to meet. I enjoyed reading your write up very much.:not:

[Colapop]

You didn't say it was Blue anywhere in there.....

As you get older? Pah, you're only as old as you feel - personally I like to feel 18 year olds!

[Pixie]

Regarding the "Zen state"
I read an article in Bike Magazine recently where they tried to explain why some people like to travel fast.
They went deeply into the neuro-physiology and psychology of speeding and used two guys as test subjects.One a car driver who had owned fast cars but never felt any pleasure speeding or felt at ease on the road.
The other guy was a biker who loved all aspects of travelling fast.

The thing that grabbed my interest was the explanation of two visual modes the human brain uses.
Fovial vision -fovial meaning "hunter" is very focused,almost tunnel vision.In this state the viewer is under stress and is not capable of reacting to anything except that which he is intent upon.This was the state the car driver was in when ever he was in his vehicle and obviously a dangerous mode for a driver to be in.i.e The kind that stare at the road ahead but are oblivious to any thing but the rear of the car they are following.

The other state was Peripheral Vision -In this state the subject is aware of all that is around him and is ready to react if necessary.
This was the state the Biker was in when he rode.
The interesting thing was the neuro-physiologist stated it was impossible to be stressed while in the peripheral vision mode.

This sounds to me very much like the state practitioners of transcendental meditation try to achieve.
And I would bet that most bikers would be in this mode,when riding.

Also it equates to the difference between a placid herd animal and those crazy carnivores.

[buellbabe]

Is it a particular type of person who has a lifelong attachment to bikes? Do bikes help to
shape a persons’ character? Perhaps it’s a combination of both.

Hmmmm.... alot of food for thought there.
I ran into an old mate the other day, she had to sell her iron steed but replaced it with a flesh&blood one..... a pure-bred Arabian....
Anyways she asked me if I still enjoyed riding? Well after I picked my jaw up off the floor and replied OF COURSE, i got to thinking about the WHY. I have to agree with all the points raised by BlackBird and yet my total addiction is so OTT that i can't help but wonder if there is a particular Gene or combination of gene's that we bikers share!:niceone: :headbang:

[skelstar]

I read an article in Bike Magazine recently where they tried to explain why some people like to travel fast.
I thought that issue of Bike was a fantastic one.
I think that the previous issue they had given tips on how to pass in dodgy places etc ('tips that instructors dont tell you'). They had a letter in the 'letter to the editor' that berated them for it, and then they had another article along similar lines: 'how to not get caught by the cops'...or something like that.
Sorry: hijacking.

[Blackbird]

Regarding the "Zen state"
I read an article in Bike Magazine recently where they tried to explain why some people like to travel fast.............
.

Excellent bit of info thanks Paul - that's absolutely fascinating and I must do some reading on it.

Cheers

Geoff

[justsomeguy]

Hi there,

It was great meeting you at the Scenic Lookout the other weekend while a few of us were doing the loop. Now after reading your article I'm even more proud to have shook your hand.

:clap::clap::clap:

[digsaw]

:eek5: Yes have been asked many times in fifty years of motorcycling "JUST WAAT IS IT ABOUT MOTORCYCLES THAT KEEPS YOU RIDING THEN" well its hard to explain but i all ways reply , REMEMBER THE FIRST GIRL THAT CAUGHT YOUR EYE, yep that was my first bike. REMEMBER THE FIRST KISS, yep that was the first ride, REMEMBER THE ANTICAPATION OF THE NEXT DATE, yep thats the next time you get to ride again, THEN ITS YOUR FIRST RELATIONSHIP,YOUR FIRST TRUE LOVE, yep its all about waat you see as a perfect bike and one you wish to keep forever.
THEN THERE IS SEX AND LOVE, Well i cant realy give an answer,but i gess its all about anticapation of the next time,cause its all ways different and it gets better with age,just like a good wine. :spudbooge :apint:

[ZTHOU]

Great Writing and thought processes Geoff.so true.Other consideration is that your other half supports you in your journey.You are soo lucky.

[Blackbird]

Hi there,

It was great meeting you at the Scenic Lookout the other weekend while a few of us were doing the loop.

Thanks for the kind words JSG – nice meeting you at the Lookout too, even if the meeting was a bit too brief. Here’s a photo taken at the same spot a few weeks back with Hammer and Dave Easey from KB. The other shots were in Tairua and Kopu. Three bikes the same colour look pretty good together.

Cheers

Geoff

[rfc85]

very good write up Geoff, i spend as much time up coromandel as i can,bro has a batch just over the hill north of the town itself,you around there somewhere ?

[Zed]

Three bikes the same colour look pretty good together.Watch out, the Bluebirds are taking over the world!!! [smilie=8,4,15]


Nice shots BB. :cool:

[Blackbird]

..... I can't help but wonder if there is a particular Gene or combination of gene's that we bikers share!:niceone: :headbang:

I've just revisited this old thread and was pondering Buelbabe's comment. If there is a gene or predisposition that makes a person addicted to motorcycling, it's probably the same thing that makes people passionate about flying or sailing. I know there are quite a few people on KB who fly and/or sail. I've only flown a glider once but sailed competitively and all 3 seem to require pretty much the same mental and physical skill set to get the best out of them. They also give the same pleasure levels when done properly. Food for thought:niceone:

[Motu]

I read Richard Bach's books,and thought his descriptions of flying were exactly the same as riding a motorcycle.I come from a sailing family,I grew up around boats,but was never interested in them.Bikes just clicked.

[Blackbird]

I read Richard Bach's books,and thought his descriptions of flying were exactly the same as riding a motorcycle.I come from a sailing family,I grew up around boats,but was never interested in them.Bikes just clicked.

You've nailed it exactly:Punk: I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull and that struck a familiar chord but it was his Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah which really drove it home - fantastic. Interestingly, I've never much been excited by cruising sailing; it was racing that required the same skill set and satisfaction as riding. Well, maybe not quite the same satisfaction as riding as I still ride but don't sail anymore. (Possibly due to fitness levels as much as anything :innocent:)

[Motu]

The Reluctant Messiah struck a chord with me being a mechanic - to read a book written from that perspective had never been done before....authors and their heros are not quite so hands on.I got my Bantam from a cousin who got me interested in bikes....he later got to sail around the world a few times on famous boats,go to San Diego,stuff like that.

[Bender]

Motorcycles were my life when I was younger but I gave it away after a crash in a Woodhill enduro left me with a dusted left knee. Why I didn't stay involved I don't know but have recently bought another bike and I am loving it.

The sentiments expressed in that PDF had me nodding in agreement and the number of positive comments on here underline that motorcycling is a brotherhood a collective of commonly held sentiments..

[Blackbird]

The Reluctant Messiah struck a chord with me being a mechanic - to read a book written from that perspective had never been done before....authors and their heros are not quite so hands on.I got my Bantam from a cousin who got me interested in bikes....he later got to sail around the world a few times on famous boats,go to San Diego,stuff like that.

That book crosses into the metaphysical and as riding a bike well, particularly on a long haul, or flying or sailing can give a person a similar feeling; it's hardly surprising that we both rate it so highly. Wonder if the current generation knows what the hell we're talking about <_<.

I found that Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance did the reverse. Well-written but I found it profoundly depressing. A person's journey through mental hell and almost nothing to do with motorcycling.

[Motu]

I don't know if I even finished the Zen book,it was just total crap.But Illusions just encompasses my whole concept of life.Like bugs on the windscreen - in your recent thread on cutting corners you got all sorts of shit from the nay sayers.....they are the types that always get bugs on their screen.However,if you don't expect bugs to hit your screen,they don't.But to try and tell someone stuff like that is impossible.That's why I like bikes,they are very zen.....but only people like Richard Bach can write it down.The other dude couldn't.

[Ixion]

You guys done too many shrooms back in the day. Me, I ride cos its the only way to make the voices stop. They can't come along on a bike, cos they ainb't got helmets.

[Kickaha]

You've nailed it exactly:Punk: I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull and that struck a familiar chord but it was his Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah which really drove it home - fantastic.

There's No Such Place As Far Away did it for me


I don't know if I even finished the Zen book,it was just total crap.

Fuck knows why so many people wank on about that book I thought it was total crap to

[Blackbird]

There's No Such Place As Far Away did it for me

Fuck knows why so many people wank on about that book I thought it was total crap to

Cheers Warwick, I'll try and grab a copy.

Yeah, Robert Pirsig is the literary equivalent of Leonard Cohen without the ability to hold a decent tune :shifty:

[Edbear]

I've just revisited this old thread and was pondering Buelbabe's comment. If there is a gene or predisposition that makes a person addicted to motorcycling, it's probably the same thing that makes people passionate about flying or sailing. I know there are quite a few people on KB who fly and/or sail. I've only flown a glider once but sailed competitively and all 3 seem to require pretty much the same mental and physical skill set to get the best out of them. They also give the same pleasure levels when done properly. Food for thought:niceone:

Hard to believe it was 3 years ago!

Interesting about individual predispositions. I have been interested in mechanical things ever since I can remember. If it had an engine I was fascinated by it. Both my mother and father were pretty good bush mechanics, in those days you had to fix stuff with the old "No.8 wire" method and I learnt mechanics watching and helping my father fix stuff, like the lawnmower.

I can't remember exactly how old I was when Mum got her BSA Bantam 125, but I was awestruck with the shiny black beast with the shiny chrome muffler! She let me learn to ride it when I was 12, and I loved that bike! (I know where it is now, but the owner won't ever part with it).

I love cars, bikes, boats, planes and although I can't fly a plane, I love to ride, drive and sail. I like speed and I like cruising.

My wife, both daughters and my step-son have no interest in things mechanical, and I wonder sometimes if I'd had a natural son, whether he would have inherited my interest.

My eldest daughter is a very good driver, my youngest daughter is a bit nervous. My wife is a speed-freak, whether in a car, on a bike or a boat. Our son is an okay driver but not really "into" driving. Likes my bike but not really wanting one himself.

Would be an interesting study to see if there is anything genetic which predisposes one to certain interests.

[bogan]

I don't know if I even finished the Zen book,it was just total crap.

I didnt think it was too bad, a little depressing, and it was more a what is quality than motorbikes. Think ill have to give this Reluctant Messiah one a go, and There's No Such Place As Far Away.
Its interesting what makes us ride, something addictive, and a synergy of man and machine that you dont get with anything else, well nothing ive tried anyway.
Also the experience is far different between road and dirt bikes i find, road seems a more civilised where dirt is a more primal way of losing yourself in the moment.

[Blackbird]

Would be an interesting study to see if there is anything genetic which predisposes one to certain interests.

Yep, it would be interesting Ed. In my case, I think it was the "nurture" side of the "nature vs.nurture proposition". My Dad was the only close rellie with a passing interest in bikes. I certainly got my love of aircraft from Dad as he was a scientist with the Royal Aeronautical Establishment in the UK and he used to drag me off to air shows. However, both sets of grandparents and my parents too seemed to have an insatiable curiosity about things in general and I'm guessing that interest in a wide range of things rubbed off on me to a large extent. I've tried to pass that on to our kids and whatever passion develops from it is fine by us. Funnily enough and like you, our daughter is the complete petrolhead of the family although our eldest son loves bikes and sailing. Our younger son has minimal interest in anything automotive.

[caseye]

Hey BB, you wrote this some time ago, but it's as relevant to day as it was then.
My dad is 5 foot nothing, was a Bren gunner in the army, you know makes sense to give the shortest fella in the squad the biggest bit of kit and those heavy boses of ammo.
But he's never liked guns.
I do!
he's never liked boats either, but he has medals for saving lives in the Wairarapa surf beaches, the bugger will still swim out behind the breakers at times, just to be there?(as close as it gets to being as one with something, I reckon)
I love boats, especially the fast big ones.
He hates bikes and the one time he came on the back of mine he was in his late 40's, I picked him up from his building site and took him home for lunch.
When we got there he asked me to take him to the local pub, I did.
We had a liquid lunch as he settled his nerves.
He told me later that day that'd he'd ever gone so fast(exagerating, I only got her up to about 140K's, no one around and quite safe so i thought) In all his life and he never wanted to again.
I've been riding for a damn long time now and though I don't do the stupid suff nearly as much as I used to , I still like to pick up the old girls skirts and fang her a long for a bit every now and then.As always just me an the road, no traffic either way.
But thanks for the thoughts, though not identical, I beleive most of us who have and do ride for any length of time come to appreciate most of what you have written, cheers.

[Edbear]

Yep, it would be interesting Ed. In my case, I think it was the "nurture" side of the "nature vs.nurture proposition". My Dad was the only close rellie with a passing interest in bikes. I certainly got my love of aircraft from Dad as he was a scientist with the Royal Aeronautical Establishment in the UK and he used to drag me off to air shows. However, both sets of grandparents and my parents too seemed to have an insatiable curiosity about things in general and I'm guessing that interest in a wide range of things rubbed off on me to a large extent. I've tried to pass that on to our kids and whatever passion develops from it is fine by us. Funnily enough and like you, our daughter is the complete petrolhead of the family although our eldest son loves bikes and sailing. Our younger son has minimal interest in anything automotive.

I think my interest in science and my curiosity about stuff comes from my mother's side. Lord Earnest Rutherford is, (was), a cousin for example.

Dad's side were agricultural, farmers, blacksmiths and farriers.

So despite trying to get my son into mechanics he wasn't very interested. He's grown up to be a metal-polisher and welder, though, so go figure! He can weld pretty much anything and was a very good polisher until he concentrated on welding.

[sondela]

You guys done too many shrooms back in the day. Me, I ride cos its the only way to make the voices stop. They can't come along on a bike, cos they ainb't got helmets.

Hah! mine would come along helmets or no helmets, but they don't, cause they can't keep up!!! :D

[Kickaha]

Cheers Warwick, I'll try and grab a copy.



Think ill have to give this Reluctant Messiah one a go, and There's No Such Place As Far Away.


There's No Such Place As Far Away is a far simpler book than his others but I like the message that it has

[Thani-B]

Enjoyable read. I cant really say why I got into riding. My parents both rode before I was born, but my bike was the first my mother had been on in over 20 years and my father disapproves of me riding. Im the only one in my family that does now, my sister might be following my footsteps soon though. Its just something I always wanted to do, and hopefully, will keep on doing for the rest of my life. I just like it. Its a part of me now.

[Motu]

Richard Bach's earlier books were about flying,the soul searching stuff came later.They were still inspiring books - if you struggle to put your riding experience into words (most of us) then these books will say what your heart feels.

[NordieBoy]

The Reluctant Messiah struck a chord with me being a mechanic - to read a book written from that perspective had never been done before....authors and their heros are not quite so hands on.I got my Bantam from a cousin who got me interested in bikes....he later got to sail around the world a few times on famous boats,go to San Diego,stuff like that.

Neville Shute - Slide Rule.

Good stuff about working on the British airships.

[NordieBoy]

I don't know if I even finished the Zen book,it was just total crap.But Illusions just encompasses my whole concept of life.Like bugs on the windscreen - in your recent thread on cutting corners you got all sorts of shit from the nay sayers.....they are the types that always get bugs on their screen.However,if you don't expect bugs to hit your screen,they don't.But to try and tell someone stuff like that is impossible.That's why I like bikes,they are very zen.....but only people like Richard Bach can write it down.The other dude couldn't.

Oh yeah.

Riding with an openface helmet and after an hour you lift your hand to scratch your nose. The bee hits your hand.

20 mins later the same thing happens.

I stopped scratching my nose after that.

Still got all the Richard Bach books.

[Maki]

I ride for a variety of reasons.

1. There is only room for 1 car in our garage so when we needed an extra mode of transport we decided to get a bike because it fits in too.

2. To get to work and back home again.

3. To go out on group rides and enjoy social interaction with other like minded people.

4. An appreciation of good engineering. I can't afford a car that is as well engineered as my bike.

5. To be able to pwn boy racers. I know, it's stupid but its in my nature...

6. Most importantly I ride as a meditative device. Riding with full concentration should allow you to turn off what is known as your normal internal dialogue. Any thoughts regarding payment of bills, replies to emails, issues at work, schedules, household chores and any other kind of crap should be banished. The table of your mind should be cleared and by doing so you achieve a greater oneness with the universe than you can normally get. Riding a scenic twisty route, concentrating 100% on the road surface, surroundings, traffic, gearshifts, braking, throttle, etc. will leave no room on your table for the crud of daily life so it will all disappear. I used to get the same effect out of downhill skiing when I lived in part of the world where that activity is more convenient than it is here. Now I get the same kind of meditation from biking. It really does set you free.

So, in a nutshell I ride for practical reasons, appreciation of a fine machine and for meditation.