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