or even explain to a cruiser rider why you like to ride hard or the twisties so much? Man I was trying to explain to my bro today why I have pilot powers on and it's cause I love the twisties and need the grip. And he's like why do you ride hard enough to need that? I'm not talking dragging knee either. Enough where I'm having a blast but not scaring myself or something. And he was completely baffled why I'd want to ride the track. Best answer to my reasons is it's fun. But it's what I love. I ended up giving up cause it was like talking to a wall lol. People who don't ride are just as difficult too. "they're crazy, they're going to kill themselves..." Does anyone have a good answer for when people ask? I can explain that it's a great release, feel free, tons of fun, forget about any crap going on in my life, etc... but people just don't understand...

 

I don't see the fun in riding in a straight line for a long time (cr00zers).

<--- absolutely loves back roads.

 

well he does too but I gotta get my lean on or else it's pointless and not fun

 

It's not always about speed. It's the feeling of the open road, with the wind and scenery going past you. It's the invigorating smell of riding when it has just rained, when everything feels so fresh and renewed. There's a oneness you share with the motorcycle, both of you being so exposed to the elements.

 

when i explain to cruisers or non riders they always end the sentence with "and to look cool and get chicks right?" and i try to explain other things about riding, but eventually i give up and just say yea sure whatever

 

Such a good question. The only people who can understand why you do it, is those who do. I'm very open minded about new things and things that can be very dangerous yet rewarding when done safely. One of my buddies has hundreds of jumps out of an airplane but I don't ever ask him why he does it because I'm pretty sure I understand. It's the same reason I ride, because it let's you feel alive. My sig comment explains how i feel about riding.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's not always about speed. It's the feeling of the open road, with the wind and scenery going past you. It's the invigorating smell of riding when it has just rained, when everything feels so fresh and renewed. There's a oneness you share with the motorcycle, both of you being so exposed to the elements.</TD></TR></TABLE>

oh I agree and that part is a lil easier to explain. Harder to explain what it's like to just rip up some backroad and what it feels like and why I'd even want to in the first place

 

its about a connection between man & machine. its about realizing that as long as you stay focused the bike can do almost anything you want it to and knowing that every little move you make, every breathe you take effects the bike as much as it effects you. its about a sense of freedom that comes only once you lock yourself into focus with the bike. everything else dissappears, money, stress, everything is gone and you are left with the exhiliration of total freedom.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DusterDC5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">every move you make, every breathe you take ill be watching you </TD></TR></TABLE>


sorry, but i just had to quote this

 

heh I like that but you and I both know a non rider would just give you the *wtf* type of look

 

For every rider there will be a different answer... for myself the freedom of movement, the adrenaline of performance, but perhaps the most important(and this is why I love street riding) I get a sharpening of survival skills brought on by reading traffic and planning movements, this translates to track driving and an overall ability in life... a path of least resistance, "Be water my friend"

 

Yup, your sig just about decribes how I feel.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EngineNoO9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">heh I like that but you and I both know a non rider would just give you the *wtf* type of look </TD></TR></TABLE>

haha true....DOH


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Home Skillet &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yup, your sig just about decribes how I feel. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeh I really like that sig too!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Seriously a picture helps, esp if it's of you on a track or your fav road.

 

I was trying to explain the world of motorcycling to a friend once and another rider walked by and I gave him a nod and he said whats up. My friend asked if I knew him and I said no, she said she didnt get it so I replied, "exactly." Its kind of hard to explain to regular people that arent adrenaline junkies.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's not always about speed. It's the feeling of the open road, with the wind and scenery going past you. It's the invigorating smell of riding when it has just rained, when everything feels so fresh and renewed. There's a oneness you share with the motorcycle, both of you being so exposed to the elements.</TD></TR></TABLE>

My friends and I call it 'Smell-o-vision'. LOL.

Seriously, when you are in a car your brain doesn't know the difference between looking out a window or looking at a TV. You are in an air conditioned box.

When you are on a bike you are part of the scenery not just traveling through it. You feel the climate and smell the surroundings of each landscape you pass through. When you get somewhere you appreciate the journey and are more grateful being at your destination.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by backlash &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A picture is worth a thousand words. Seriously a picture helps, esp if it's of you on a track or your fav road. </TD></TR></TABLE>

This one is up in my cubicle and gets me through a long day at work.

 

^^^
Nice!!

 

My best friend wrote this last fall.

In his words:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by "Phil K." &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The rising sun is best viewed at 70mph. Chicks dig scars. The thrill. The spills. The challenge. Being able to say "yeah, that's my bike". For the post-ride beer. For the post-ride bullshit. For the solitude. For the solace. For the friends. Because it's hard. Because it's not for everyone. For the looks of longing from people in cars. You would always rather be on the bike. For the speed. For the noise. For the chance, for the possibility. For the sound of pucks on the ground. For the whine of a four, the thump of a twin. You got a girlfriend. You got dumped. You got hired. You got fired. Because you don't need A/C. Or the radio. You need the wind. For the fun. For the fear. For the pain. For the first time you tonned it. For all the first times. Because everything else is irrelevant at 150mph. Being able to fill up with a tenner. For the songs you sing into your helmet. For the hands blackened with grease and grime. For the leather. For your heroes. For the people you love. To see—the road, the environment, outside the frame of a car window. For the cigarettes you smoked parked under a highway overpass waiting for the rain to subside. For waking up in DC and going to sleep in the mountains of West Virginia. For the hangouts. Being able to say "I fixed it." Because the bike will always be there for you.

Why do you ride?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

yeah I like some of the responses and can relate. Definetely seems like the typical person I encounter is summed by the quote from the beginning of Faster "They're crazy, they're going to kill themselves." Death is definetely not something I want. Hell I hate being injured. I've had surgeries in the past and been to PT more then I'd like to admit so trust me I do everything I can not to wreck and if I do, I have gear to protect myself. I like the adrenaline but part of me doesn't like to really be classified as an adrenaline junky, which btw I almost surely am. lol More of just the freedom, the unity of man and machine. What I mentioned before where all I care about is the road ahead of me and the conditions. I forget about anything else going on in the world. I remember talking to a lady who has a cruiser while waiting for my bike to get done at the shop one time, she said she could've saved thousands by getting a motorcycle earlier in her life then going to a shrink. lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ASteele2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My best friend wrote this last fall.

In his words:</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sings to himself while riding lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EngineNoO9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sings to himself while riding lol </TD></TR></TABLE>


Hahahahaha... awesome

 

riding reminds me of those days as a kid where i'd be riding around the neighborhood on my bike at around 6pm when the summer sun is starting to set, and feeling the shade from the trees and the cool dusk breeze. Things are way more complicated than that now, but riding takes me back to those days.

Also, i like the fact that it requires my complete concentration and focus. It's a challenge and a rewarding one at that--you focus on riding well and you get immediate positive feedback (or negative ).

 

I have a shirt from the socalsv board that is kinda like what Phil K. listed. Except the descriptions are very brief.



The we-todd logo is blocking
The wink
The love

and the "the" from the wave


Modified by backlash at 1:01 PM 7/25/2006

 

pic no workie