What do you personally love about the hobby of motorcycling?

**KATWYN** · 30th January 2004, 07:42

I think motorcycling is addictive. Sometimes if I haven't ridden
for a while, then I hop on and go for a strop it is the most fantastic
feeling and quite hard to describe

. Is it the freedom? Is it the
control over this powerful machine? Is it becoming one with the
elements ? (ie) going on a scenic ride on your bike puts you right
into the picture....doing the same drive in a car.....is like watching
t.v as you are seperated by a window (thats if its not a convertable,
I suppose

). Taking off on a bike..not quite as good as taking off
in a plane..but close-mind you, maybe the Britten is the closest! (watching that bike take off, on the telly anyway-not quite the same as seeing it for real I spose)

....I spose I can't say, is it "the wind in your hair" in
NZ anyway?...but is it? (on a side note, maybe us NZ motorcyclists can make helmet hair a fashion statement instead

)

**georgedubyabush** · 30th January 2004, 08:53

One of the first things I noticed when I took it up are the smells. Flowers, Food etc... but then also diesel fumes, silage, or when you know you've just passed something dead.

**James Deuce** · 30th January 2004, 09:28

Mental Relaxation. You can't think about anything other than what you are doing. I often get home physically exhausted but mentally and emotionally relaxed after a good ride.

2D Flying.

And as george said the intimacy with your environment.

**Antallica** · 30th January 2004, 09:49

I love it that we all wave as if to say, yeah man...

The satisfaction it gives me is indescribable.

I could never become another statistical cage driver.

**Hitcher** · 30th January 2004, 09:59

The sense of freedom; and connectedness with and aloofness from the environment through which I'm riding. Time, space and distance have a completely different feel when I'm riding a bike -- the journey itself transcends them all. It's an amazingly spiritual experience.

The relationship that bikers have is, I believe, a bit like "basking in the afterglow" -- you have an understanding of what the other person must have experienced/be feeling based on the intensity of your own experience.

To quote the sage: "To know yourself is to know God". I find that riding a bike helps you to grow that relationship.

**KATWYN** · 30th January 2004, 10:02

Originally Posted by Hitcher

It's an amazingly spiritual experience.

Yes ! thats it. cool others feel same way

**Draco** · 30th January 2004, 10:06

Yeah, the aromas get me too. The smell of water flowing over moss covered rocks as you ride along side a river (especially in a gorge) is AWESOME. I love feeling the drop in temperature as you ride over the top of a big hill and down in to a gully on a misty winter morning. I love the smell of fresh rain on hot tarseal. I love the way people in cars or walking in the street pause to watch you go by with a longing look in their eye, you can almost hear them thinking, "gee, that must feel good", and you almost wish they could hear the reply of "yes it does, try it some day". I could go on all day, but you guys already know what i would say.

**Jackrat** · 30th January 2004, 10:13

Apart from simply riding the thing,I get a real buzz out of working on it.
Taking things apart an fixing them gives me a real satisfaction that can't be beat.The few bikes Iv'e owned that I didn't form an attachment to were those that I didn't get to work on.My GSX,the bloody thing never needed any thing apart from regular maintanance,My SD900,I didn't understand it well enough to mess with it.
Nothing as nice as cruising the roads on a well tuned machine knowing what makes it tick an why.Watching some dude wind down the window of his car as I pass,He's green an stuck,I'm having a ball.
Stopping under a motorway bridge in the pouring rain an having a yarn with another biker doing the same thing.
Waving to the kids on the back seat while mum an dad pretened I'm not there.Pulling in front at the lights an giving the WAS first in line car driver a big grin.
Sitting on the side of the road watching the looks on the faces of all the car drivers I've just passed in the last half hour as they trundle by(They never get it)

Listening to the sound of the pipes bouncing off the cliff faces of some gorge
as we back on an off the gas.
Sitting beside some back country lake or stream,listening to the bike cool an watching the sun set,not giving a damn what the rich folks are doing because money can't buy what Iv'e got.

**duckman** · 30th January 2004, 10:14

I think for me it's the fact that I'm not like everyone else on the road. I find the car masses far to "sheeply" baaaaaaaaaa

I love it when I come up on line of cars on the open road being held up by some pilick doing 80 and I can just blast past them all laughing at their tin tops full of screeming children asking "ARE WE THERE YET ??"

Oh and I feel like a super hero when you open these puppies up and fly down a quiet back country road - Vrrrrrooooommmmmmm!!!!

Wahooooooo

**Dave** · 30th January 2004, 10:40

1. Speed
2, Individuality
3, comradery
4, petrol
5, technology

**merv** · 30th January 2004, 10:57

Its all things to do with man and machine - enjoying the ride - enjoying working on them.

I've said before I'm a tight arse I guess so I don't like paying people to do stuff for me and there is a trust thing I've seen to many people have problems because something wasn't quite done right at the shop. I'm like Jackrat I need to understand the workings of what I'm riding and enjoy the pleasure of it working right because I made sure it does. Just put a new chain on my VFR this morning after servicing the bike yesterday afternoon. Cost wise by the time I have made sure I have all the tools I need to work on the bikes I am probably spending more than getting the shop to do things, but that's not the same in my book and besides I can use the tools over and over.

The riding is something like enjoying putting your skill to good use - taking the corners right etc etc and feeling good about how smooth you are riding and stuff like that. On the dirt it is always that man against the elements thing - getting up the steep slippery slope - riding down one too without coming to grief - adrenalin on the edge - heart in mouth that you didn't come off that time.

For similar reasons I enjoy cage and 4x4 driving too - keeping it smooth but fast and tackling the terrain. So I'm not a devout biker even though it kinda is my religion.

**ching_ching** · 30th January 2004, 11:30

Yo folks,

I'm a bit of a lonewolf and to me the bike is another symbol of being a lonewolf and real individual (speed and acceleration notwithstanding). The exhiliration I get on my sickle is also something I can not describe and I'd venture to say is something completely different to any other thing I have done.

I guess me trying to describe how I feel about my sickle and riding it is like trying to describe to someone what salt tastes like. You can try to use all the words in the Collins pocket dictionary but until you try it yourself you'll just never know.

the "ching"

**Ms Piggy** · 30th January 2004, 11:49

Yes indeed I am in looooooooove with riding!!

I have only been riding since late december and I love it. I ride my bike to work every morning & usually go home the long way. In fact last night when I went riding for pratice I was thinking to myself "This is my new passion and it's gonna cost me lots but I love it!".

LB · 30th January 2004, 17:51

Originally Posted by merv

Its all things to do with man and machine - enjoying the ride - enjoying working on them.

or woman (sorry Merv, I couldn't resist!!)

Yeah, I relate to all of the above. It's not something you can describe to a non-biker. They just don't/won't understand. Their loss.