I’ve always been a little self-conscious about my old and small motorcycle. It’s, well, old and small. A couple of my buddies recently got motorcycles and their tires (’tyres’ for all those U.K. readers) are wider than my engine is. That’s because their engines are about five to six times bigger than my 125cc engine. There are scooters and lawn mowers that are bigger than that.
The redeeming part of all this, though, is that it’s still a motorcycle. And while it’s not the instant lady bait my friends have, it is by design a good time. That’s because riding motorcycles is just fun. The word I think of often to describe the bike-rider connection is organic. All you tree hugging, free loving hippies out there will likely contest that word being associated with a machine that burns carbon based lifeforms and sends the dioxide and monoxide remains into the air.
In a car one just uses the steering wheel to navigate. On a bike, it’s a whole-body experience. After a while, it feels like the bike is reading your mind as you navigate through the streets. Those that drive non-automatic cars know a little of which I speak. It’s more engaging to use a stick than just the steering column along with the gas and brake pedals. A motorcycle trumps all those.
And my friend is right- a rider feels the wind, smells everything they pass through. Makes a car feel so insulated and lame.
Granted, a motorcycle is not the best plan for some people, some places and some time frames. But when it is, I can’t think of any better way go.