What no one tells you about riding a motorbike

I know no person who hasn’t dreamed about riding a motorbike at least once. Not everyone starts moving towards the path of learning how to ride and getting a license, but those who commit to it, start discovering some new things about themselves.

It’s addictive as hell

Once you’ve start riding a motorcycle you notice that day after day you keep doing it more and more. You start riding on weekends, commuting to work even if you could use public transportation, cycle or simply walk to your office. You start finding excuses to ride more often and take longer trips. Why go to your destination by the shortest path if you can circle around and take some nice twisty backroads? Why go to this town on a comfortable train with wifi with a suitcase if you can ride there? Going to pick up some groceries? Why walk or go there by car if you can get a cargo net and strap down the bag to your pillion (passenger) seat? Sure it’s not that comfy, but hey — we are supposed to challenge ourselves, right? You start thinking about motorcycles more and more and even when you are not riding, you keep finding yourself browsing articles and reading books about riding techniques, gear and other people’s experience.

There is no turning back and you cannot imagine how you were living your life before. And how can someone live without riding.

You become a vampire

You start biting people. Not literally, of course. You inspire others even if you don’t think about yourself as an inspiring type. You cannot stop talking about motorbikes. Sometimes people even ask you to tell something and you will be glad to share. You bite them. You unwillingly plant the idea of riding in their minds. Somehow people around you start dreaming about motorbikes even more, channeling their inner child. They talk to you more and more, theorizing about riding themselves. You inspire them to start riding even if you don’t want to. Vampires may not want to drink blood, thought that’s what they do.

It hits your budget

Like any addiction, motorbiking costs you money. Lots of money. People who are used to cars cannot understand how a lifecycle of having a motorbike can cost you more than having a car.

First you buy a bike and a set of gear (helmet, boots, protective pants, jacket, gloves, back protection). Then you go for the frame sliders and bar ends to protect you bike in case of falling over, then you decide to get a taller windshield to go faster on a motorway with less wind fatigue. Then you get a second set of gear for your lovely girlfriend (who have been bitten by you by that time). Oh, you gonna need some storage space for longer journeys — let’s get some panniers, but not just any panniers, you want the ones that don’t spoil the looks of your sportbike when you remove them, so you get the ones with removable frames. Okay, it’s going to rain this weekend? Will I let it to spoil my trip? No way, gonna get some rain equipment. Getting colder? Gonna need another sets of gear for cold weather for you and your pillion and some thermal underwear…

Somehow your wardrobe now accommodates more motorcycle equipment than everyday clothes. And you are okay with it.
You’ll need more bikes

At some point you outgrow your bike and start thinking about getting a more powerful one. And then a more sporty one. And the one with more upward seating position for comfortable commuting. Off-roading seems fun, too. Well, you can use another bike for touring with your loved one. You find yourself thinking that getting several bikes might be in fact a great idea.
You become a happier person

Like everything in life, motorcycling has it’s downsides and everything is not perfect. You cannot carry a mattress from Ikea; commuting in cold and rainy weather can be a pain, you have to carry your gear around and sweat in your high boots.

But then you get your on a highway, twist your wrist and BRRRA-A-A-A-A-A-AP!!! — and you keep smiling like an idiot.

It’s not always about adrenaline, you don’t have to go fast to find pleasure in riding. The fact that you are riding, that you are closer to nature without a cage restricting you just makes you feel better somehow.

Motorcycles are machines of joy. And that’s why people ride.