| Since one of the things I love best is riding, I end up | | | | that's a part of the thrill. Actually feeling your heart |
| thinking a lot about it and about why I do it and why | | | | beat and the adrenaline rush is kind of addictive. Most |
| I like it. It seems to be one of those things that | | | | parts of our lives are safe, sane, cautious and/or plain |
| mystifies a lot of people.How many times have you | | | | flat out boring. It's hard to feel alive in a cocoon.But |
| been told how dangerous it is? Bikes are unstable, | | | | even running an errand can bring you back to life - if |
| You don't have any protection. Drivers can't see you. | | | | you ride. A car is just another cage (car fanatics will |
| If you go down you can die from the road rash even | | | | disagree, but something with 4 or more wheels just |
| if you don't break anything. It goes on and on. The | | | | doesn't do the trick) and while they're great for |
| endless list of horrors. The stories about somebody | | | | carrying a ton of groceries and all the kids, they're |
| who such and so knew who spent 6 months in | | | | mostly like sofas on wheels. You know, get in your |
| traction, got turned into a vegetable, whatever.Well, | | | | cage, roll up all the windows, turn on the air or heat, |
| it's all true. There are reasons why insuring your ride | | | | jack up the 24 speaker cd system and float away. |
| is expensive. Mostly having to do with medical costs | | | | Get totally insulated from the world around you.On a |
| and theft, I expect. But this is one of those odd | | | | bike you are embedded in the world. You know |
| ways of viewing the world that people use to put | | | | you're on a machine - and you are on it not wrapped |
| down the things they aren't interested in doing.One | | | | up inside it. You are embedded in the machine, you're |
| certainty is that nobody's getting out of here alive. | | | | the bike's intelligence and your whole body is involved |
| And it can happen at any moment in any kind of | | | | in making it all work. This is very different than driving |
| situation from nearly any activity. Life is not safe. | | | | a car (racers excepted, of course). Sure you can ride |
| Living isn't about being safe. You going to give up | | | | a motorcycle and be absent which does cause a lot |
| eating because something could get stuck in your | | | | of mishaps, but usually the ride demands that you |
| throat and kill you?Still, riding is dangerous, and | | | | pay attention, that you stay in the present, in the |
| untrained reckless fools often have a short career - | | | | now of you, bike and road.Too few things demand |
| or run through a lot of bikes if they're very lucky and | | | | that kind of attention and presence. We really should |
| can afford not to learn how to ride.Even the best | | | | live every second fully present, fully awake, |
| riders can get taken out by a bad combination of | | | | completely there. But we don't. We spend too many |
| events. But so can a driver in a cage or a pedestrian. | | | | hours disconnected or plugged into a |
| Things happen. No guarantees.Unlike a new | | | | pseudo-reality.The ride teaches me again to wake up |
| motorcycle, life is not under warranty. I need to be | | | | and be there. It embeds me in the real world around |
| reminded of that from time to time and to learn, | | | | me. I sense it, hear it, feel it and flow with it. The |
| over and over, how to live with uncertainty. Riding | | | | very best rides are a spiritual experience that can be |
| brings it home.Riding a motorcycle has a number of | | | | impossible to describe or explain to anyone who |
| virtues that are sensible and common - you save on | | | | doesn't already get it. There's a meditative quality to |
| gas, you can park almost anywhere with no trouble, | | | | riding and a cleansing of the trash that accumulates in |
| they're relatively inexpensive compared to a car, | | | | our heads. For me these are the real reasons I ride. |
| even the insurance can be less than a car, they are | | | | Riding makes my life (and my head) work better.Ride |
| less expensive to maintain and repair. Nice sane | | | | to live - live to ride. It's a lot more than |
| virtues, eh?Let's just skip the downside and get to | | | | transportation.Copyright 2005 Richard KeirRichard |
| the real reasons for riding. It's dangerous and makes | | | | (Rick) is a long time biker - even longer than he's |
| you feel alive. A lot of sports are dangerous and | | | | been writing, consulting and training. |