Lake of Life

Life and... a lake?

Life is weird, man. Seriously. It's like living on the edge of a lake and each event that happens is like a stone being dropped in the water.  Calm can be found, but it never seems to last very long. Most things are like small pebbles, leaving little ripples that fade quickly. Others though, feel like boulders, smashing into the surface with such force that the waves crash into the bank, causing permanent and lasting damage.

Some stones are the ones that we throw in, others seem to fall right from the sky. We control a lot of them, but some are completely out of our control. Those always seem to be the biggest of them- those life altering, long lasting, painful events. Things like, losing someone close to you. Or watching someone you love throw their life away making stupid decisions, or maybe just choosing to be miserable in order to make someone else happy. Sometimes we make poor financial decisions, or we lose ourselves in our own stubborn selfishness, and we end up missing out on great opportunities for happiness.

A Grand Design and the Rule of Threes

I'd like to think that the whole lake analogy is actually part of some grand design that I happened to stumble on and that by recognizing it, I can somehow figure out how to keep those lake waters of my own life as calm as possible. But let's be honest, recognizing the similarities just makes it harder to control. I mean, let's think about this for a second- for the past twenty years I've worked in, let's call it, a customer service field. I've seen, first-hand, the affects of the full moon on the public at-large. In my observations during these past two decades, I've seen people become more and more obnoxious during the ole waxing gibbous (as it's known by smarter people than me). It seems that during the week before a full moon, people just embrace being rude, driving more aggressively, losing control of their emotions and acting on impulse. This all may sound crazy to some, but I consider myself to be a casual observer of our society and I take notice of things like this. I'm not special, not by any means, I just happened to start noticing the patterns a long time ago, then spent the next several years taking mental notes of it. But even though I make a point to recognize the signs of the impending lunar cycle, I often find myself falling victim to its affects... until I catch myself that is. Of course, by that time, I've usually already done something stupid.

 

And what about the rule of three? You know, if something happens, it usually happens in threes- accidents, illnesses or even deaths. I've seen proof of that too, but I won't get into those details just yet. These are weird observations, I know, but bear with me for just a little longer. My point is, that even though we may recognize the patterns, we often don't (or can't) avoid what happens next.

We can't control everything

No matter how hard we try, we can't control everything. So, if our lives are like the waters of a lake, and the events that happen to us are like rocks of varying sizes being tossed in, how can we mitigate the damage from the biggest stones? How do we deal with the lasting affects of those big waves coming in, hitting us over and over? 

I don't know. We just do. When someone we love dies, that's a big stone. We will usually get those first few waves, the biggest of them, right at first. But then, after some time has passed and we think our hearts are finally healing, when we are sure that the waves of that event have all finally passed, we are hit with another wave of emotion when we are least expecting it and we have to face that pain all over again. But with each wave, the severity seems to lessen, and the hurt seems to not last as long. And this cycle continues, over and over, until we are finally okay. 

The big one is coming

So, how do we deal with it? With time, patience and preparation. Time heals all wounds, as most of us have been told. As we hurt, we heal. We begin the process of rebuilding what has been damaged and we build it stronger so that it can hold up, hopefully a little better, for the next big wave that is coming. 

It's also important to remember that we can control some things though- things like, how many of those stones we throw into our own calm waters; how we prepare for the big stones when they hit; and, understanding that, no matter what we do, those big ones are going to hit eventually. 

Preparation

Trying to prepare for life's unexpected events seems like it could be one of the most perfectly paradoxical conundrums we face. After all, how does one go about expecting the unexpected... it is by definition... not expected! But, I assure you, by taking small steps in preparation for big events, you can actually mitigate the confusion and frustration when the proverbial shit hits the fan. 

For example, several years ago, my wife and I started thinking about the "what ifs" of our own lives. So, in an effort to be more responsible parents, we made some grown-up decisions and started having those difficult conversations. During those talks, we figured out that we needed more insurance, we needed wills and we needed to establish our final wishes. I know it seems terribly dark and morbid, but having those hard talks when we did, allowed us to have the peace of mind of knowing that we won't have to deal with that stuff when the time comes. After all, it's a helluva lot easier to make those decisions together when your minds are clear and your hearts aren't hurting, than it is when you're heartbroken and can't think clearly. A little bit of preparation can go a long way... I've seen that first-hand, too. 

Prevention

We can also control how many stones we throw in our own calm waters. We need to recognize that if things are calm, we don't have to kick the top off of the anthill. We can let it be calm and actually enjoy those moments of peace and happiness. We can take the time to enjoy the calm, the peace, the laughter and the good times. Breaking out of the analogy for a minute and speaking literally- stop stirring up shit in your life. Don't talk about people behind their backs, be happy for other people when they succeed and help them when they need a hand. Don't start drama. Don't get involved in someone else's drama. Find joy in the moment and don't take the things that are most precious to you for granted. Be bold and be confident. Be bold enough to start your own business or be content working for someone else, but either way, be happy with your decision to do either. Be confident enough in yourself to make a big decision and be flexible enough that if you don't like what you chose, to choose something else.

We can't control what happens, but we can control how we deal with it, when it does. 

Find happiness now

It's also important to find happiness now. Don't wait until tomorrow, next week or next year. Find something that brings you joy and peace, and find it now. Remember also, that while it's important to be able to share that thing, whatever it may be, with those you love, it's just as (or even more) important that you are able to enjoy it when you're all alone, too. 

For me, as many of my friends and family know, I've found happiness in motorcycling. Not just riding them, but working on them, researching and learning about them and writing about them. I know that may sound superficial to some people, but it's a fun hobby for me. Sure, I enjoy other things, too... but for now, right now at this time in my life, I'm exploiting my love of motorcycles for all it's worth while I still can. I share my passion with my friends and family (even those that don't ride), but I also enjoy slipping out to the garage and turning wrenches in solitude and going on solo motorcycle camping trips in the mountains, too. 

I encourage each of you to find something that brings you happiness. Whether it's motorcycling, bicycling, fishing, hunting, hiking, or just watching the world go by. Find something that makes you happy and that you can do alone and with your loved ones and start doing it now. As my wife wisely noted recently- don't wait to eat off the fine china or drink out of the heirloom crystal, do it now while you can still enjoy it. Buy the motorcycle, that new putter or that dress you've been eyeing. Open that special bottle of bourbon or wine that you've been saving for some "special occasion" and let yourself enjoy it now, because TODAY IS THAT SPECIAL OCCASION... you woke up and you were blessed with another day of life and there are a lot of people who didn't get that same gift.  

Don't wait until the next big stone drops into your lake before you start enjoying your life. 

Do you want to see your bike featured as the MotoWriter's Bike of the Month? Email me in your high-res photos and your personal motorcycle story to me and, if I pick your bike, not only will you get some pretty rad bragging rights, but you'll also receive a small bit of swag to show off your support of the MotoWriter! Thanks for all your support!

What was your first motorcycle?

Do you remember your first motorcycle?

I'm afraid that I might be a little too analytical to answer my own question in a simple way, as I tend to overthink things way too much. For example, the first motorcycle that I actually owned, as in- the bike was legally registered in my name- was a 1990 Kawasaki EX500. My very first motorbike, however, was a very used Otasco mini-bike. It had no suspension, a horizontal shaft, pull start Tecumseh engine with a whopping 3.5 horsepower, an extremely worn out centrifugal clutch and a completely exposed chain. Ah yes, by today's standards it was a veritable death trap! My dad bought it for me from my big brother's junior high friend and I tore up the streets and trails on that little bike. In all honesty, I was probably a little too big for it, but I didn't care- I was having the time of my life. 

Motorcycles just make everything better. 

Terminator was a cool movie... but it got even cooler when the cybernetic killer from the future threw his leg over that Honda 750 Four and started chasing down the heroes while wielding a machine gun. When Beatrix Kiddo (aka Uma Thurman) donned that skin tight yellow riding suit and straddled that Kawasaki ZZR250, it certainly didn't hurt ticket sales... although that one may have had more to do with who was riding, rather than what she was riding. Regardless though... she wouldn't have been wearing that motorcycle suit if she wasn't riding a motorcycle in the movie. 

I'd be willing to bet that you know, or have known someone that you were never really interested in talking to until you found out they rode a motorcycle, then they suddenly became more interesting. Funeral escorts seem more dignified when they are being escorted by police motorcycles, Mardi Gras parades are often kicked off by police motorcycles rolling through the parade route first. Kids of all ages love seeing them riding and most people who cringe at the sight of a police officer will be the first to run up and take a picture with a Motor cop. I think the reason is because almost everyone can relate, in some way, to a person on a motorcycle. Motorcycles make people cooler and more approachable.

What bike inspired you, or your passion for riding?

The bike that did it for me was a 1980 Suzuki GN400X that my brother got from a friend of his. The bike was brought over to our house in boxes and I was immediately enthralled by it. I asked my brother what he was going to do with it and when he said that he wasn't going to do anything with it, I jumped on the opportunity to put the puzzle back together. I was maybe 13 or 14, had no knowledge of motorcycles, no service manuals to guide me and no Google to ask because the internet didn't even exist yet. But with a lot of determination, a little patience, a lot of trial and error and a fair share of blind luck, I was able to piece and part that thing back together. 

I still remember the feeling I got when I kicked that bike over and it actually fired up, and I'll never forget my very first ride on it. I loved riding dirt bikes, but there was just something different about the feeling I got when I twisted the throttle on that old Suzuki for the first time. Something just clicked and it was as if a piece of my own puzzle had just popped into place. At that very moment, a seed was planted that would take several years to sprout. When it finally broke through to the light though, what started as a tiny little seed would later grow into a towering passion that would come to define so many aspects of my life. I don't think I could have ever imagined that while I was sitting in our driveway on that old Suzuki, with it's single cylinder 400cc engine thumping for the first time in years, that the memory of that moment would become so influential in my life.

Why we ride.

Every person has their own reason, or reasons, why they choose to brave the dangers and ignore the warnings from their mothers, friends and co-workers about the dangers of motorcycle riding. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend the documentary film, Why We Ride. Even if you  don't ride... actually, specifically if you don't ride...  you should watch it. It might give you some insight about those people in your life that do ride motorcycles and why riding is so important to us. 

Riding my motorcycle is therapeutic. It gives me an opportunity to clear my mind and compartmentalize all of those things that are rattling around inside my head so that I can prioritize what's important and dump what's not. My wife has told me that she can see a difference in my overall mood when I've been off the bike for too long. There are so many times in my life that I've been able to find solace behind a set of handlebars and inner peace in the steady rumble of a motorcycle engine. I've also had a lot of fun on a motorcycle. I've enjoyed the camaraderie of riding with groups of friends, the dignity of riding in escorts and the exhilaration of riding through the mountains with my bike leaning so far over that sparks were flying. I've had adventures, explored new places and yes, I've even had a few close calls.

Your story.

What's your life story going to look like? If someone were to make a Hollywood movie about your life, with your favorite actor playing you, what would it be about and how interesting would it be? I'm not suggesting that any of us live our lives like a Tinseltown flick, but when you are drawing your last breaths and looking back over your life, will your life have been an action-adventure, a comedy, a drama or a tragedy?

I'm not sure that my life story would be a blockbuster- instead, I imagine it being a low-budget, over produced, action film with cheesy dad jokes, bad wardrobes and a completely random soundtrack. But I think it would be a fun movie to watch, with a lot of love, a little tragedy and a whole lot of great supporting characters to carry it through to the end credits. 

Fill your life with memories that you fondly remember and give your family and friends a good story to tell after your gone. You don't have to have a lot, to live a lot. After all, you never can tell, sometimes those low-budget, B-rated, movies become cult classics that end up being loved and remembered for generations. 

STOP ASKING WHY!

WHY!?!?

How often do you hear someone ask "why"? Of all of the inquisitives, "why" has to be the most frustrating. Let me explain...

Who, what, when, where and how are all pretty basic. These words often seek facts or some other, relative and tangible answer. For example:

• "Who is The MotoWriter?" Easy, that's me; 

• "What was my first Harley-Davidson? Another easy one- a 2009 Road King Classic. 

• "When did I learn that I had a knack for writing?" A little tougher, but somewhere around 1999-2000.

• "Where do I ride, most often?" Most of my riding is done on the backroads of the tri-state area of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

• "How do I come up with new ideas? I draw my inspiration from the world around me- my family, my friends... even my socafriends. 

But the "why" questions- WHY do I write? WHY do I ride? WHY do I write about motorcycle stuff? WHY do I make these silly videos?- all of the "why" questions seek the more abstract answers and, as any parent of a toddler knows, the series of "why" questions are never ending.

Why ask why?

WHY do you even bother asking WHY in the first place? What is it you hope to learn from it? If you're a cop or a psychologist, I get the reasoning for asking why someone did something... after all, learning what their motive is could potentially help explain, at least in part, their actions and maybe even reveal some justification for it. I suppose that could be the case for anyone really, but let's face it, we mostly just ask why because we love to torture ourselves with the absence of a justifiable motive or any sense of reasoning for what happened. For example, "why didn't I listen to the advice that person gave me", "why did my dog run away", "why did I let that person take advantage of my kindness" or this big one- "why did that person have to die?" None of these questions have any reasonable, tangible answer... none that we want to hear, anyway. So, WHY even bother asking the question in the first place?

Have some faith

At some point, we have to trust in God and realize that we are only in control of our own actions. The world is not here to serve our whims, but rather, it is a place that we have been given an opportunity to explore, to live in, to build our lives and our families in, to ride our motorcycles through, and yes, even die in. At best, we have 75 good years on this earth. I can't tell you how long I have left, but I can tell you that I sure as hell don't want to know. I'd rather have death sneak up on me (preferably a lot later in life) and take me into the darkness suddenly and without warning, than to know that I have a certain amount of time left. Having faith can be difficult, keeping it can be even more so, especially when you question things that are out of your control.

What if...

This is another one that is frustrating when asked negatively, but that will be for another day and another post. Sometimes though, we can "what if" a situation for a more positive outlook. For example, "what if the reason why my buddy's bike broke down when it did, was so that we could avoid a serious crash, just up the road?" Asking "what if" could actually be a lot more comforting than asking "why" if it's asked the right way.

So, I'll ask you guys this- what if you stopped asking why something, that was out of your control, happened? What if you just accepted that life is unpredictable and unscripted? What if we all started accepting each other for who we are and what we believe and stopped trying to force each other to conform to our beliefs? What if we start living our lives like we give a damn about what we are doing to the future generations? What if we all start taking personal responsibility for our mistakes and start learning from them, instead of casting aspersions on everyone else, as if our failures are somehow someone else's fault? 

What if we all learned to just start being nicer to each other? I don't know about you guys, but that would be pretty damned great to me.

Cruisin' The Coast, 2020!

The 24th Anniversary 

2020 marks the 24th anniversary of the event dubbed "America's Largest Block Party." Cruisin' The Coast is a week-long event that draws thousands of antique and classic cars, motorcycles, rat rods, street rods and one-off customs from all over the country and abroad. Car enthusiasts come to the Mississippi Coast in droves, just to enjoy cruising their prized possessions along US Highway 90 from Ocean Springs to Bay St. Louis during the first week of October. Every city along the coastline has special events to host the cruisers, all starting with Gulfport's "View The Cruise" kickoff block party. The City of Gulfport blocks off the entire downtown central business district so that the cruisers can bring their cars in and show them off. The event is free to the public and it does not disappoint. This year, me and the missus rode the MotoWriter Road King Special down to the event, grabbed a cup of delicious coffee from Coast Roast Coffee & Tea and set out walking to check it out.

Fueled by Caffeine

Armed with my trusty GoPro Hero 6, inspired by the lovely Mrs. MotoWriter, and fueled by a deliciously caffeinated beverage from my favorite roaster, we took to the streets to check out this years' offerings- and we were not disappointed. I ended up getting some great video shots from the event and we even ran into several friends while we were out kicking the bricks. Check out my latest YouTube video for that footage.

Hurricanes Delta and Gamma

Apparently, while Gulfport was busy setting up for View The Cruise and the rest of the Coast cities were getting their venues ready, the Tropics were churning up a little lagniappe for 2020- two more hurricanes. We've had so many storms this year, that we've used up all the names and are now 7 deep into the Greek alphabet... 2020 has definitely given us plenty to talk about. Fortunately, Gamma ran its course and fizzled out down around the Yucatan Peninsula. Unfortunately, however, Delta strengthened and started heading toward us. By mid-week, we had a legitimate concern that we were going to take a direct hit, so a lot of the cruisers had packed up and headed out of town. We got lucky again, though, and the hurricane weakened a bit before making landfall to the West of us, in a small town West of New Orleans. As I mentioned in my last post, "Hurricanes", living on the Gulf Coast is awesome... with the exception of the occasional life-threatening, property-destroying, home-ravaging hurricanes. But, for the steadfast cruisers and spectators, their fortitude paid off and they were able to enjoy the entire week of Cruisin' The Coast events with nothing more than a brief and occasional rainshower.

Cruisin' and Riding

As for me and my missus, we were able to enjoy the City of Gulfport's event on the first Sunday, then after a week of grinding away at my regular job, I was able to get on the MotoWriter Street Bob and shoot some more video for y'all on the Saturday before it all wrapped up. All in all, it was a good week. Even with all the craziness of 2020, there were still over 6,700 cars registered for the event. 

Even though I no longer have my classic car, I still get giddy at the thought of Cruisin' The Coast. There's just something special about seeing your cities and towns over run by these beautiful old relics of the past, thundering down the highway in their former, and current, glories. The live music, the crowds of families and friends, and the smell of too-rich carburetors, burned rubber and bar-be-ques, wafting in the salty Southern air just takes me back to a better time in life. If you ever have the opportunity to do it, I highly recommend visiting South Mississippi for Cruisin' The Coast. In the meantime, check out the video I made, by clicking here. While you're there, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so that you don't miss out on any of your favorite MotoWriter content.

Infatuation

Why are motorcyclists so infatuated with riding?

The very idea of riding a motorcycle can be terrifying for some, but for others, it's as essential to life as breathing. Why is it then, that such a stark contrast of emotions can be derived from such a simple machine?

What is a motorcycle?

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a motorcycle as: an automotive vehicle with two in-line wheels. Well, there you have it- how very technically accurate of them. It's not an incorrect definition; after all, motorcycles do have a motor and two wheels that are in-line with each other, but for so many of us, motorcycles are much, much more than this simple, and somewhat, diminutive definition would suggest.

Stress reliever and therapist

As I've previously mentioned in my blog and in my videos, my motorcycle is my stress relief- my therapist, if you will. After a long, stressful day at work, I look forward to getting on my motorcycle for what I like to call my "mototherapy." There's just something relaxing about coming home from work after a long, crappy day at the office and getting in the saddle. There are few things more relaxing than feeling the wind on my face, seeing the sun setting behind the tall, lanky southern pines and ancient oak trees and hearing the cicadas, crickets and tree frogs chirping and buzzing the final moments of daylight away. Just being on the bike while the sun slowly melts into the horizon, turning the trees into black silhouettes starkly contrasted by the fading orange, pink and blue sky, creating a hauntingly beautiful skyline, makes it feel like you're on the canvas of a masterpiece while it's being created. I know that may sound silly to some, but my fellow motorcycle riders know exactly what I'm talking about. 

The answer is in the question

Riding a motorcycle isn't something that you just do, it's something that you are a part of. You drive a car, but you ride a motorcycle. In a car, you are surrounded by layers of metal, fabric, foam and glass... much of which is completely unused on a daily basis. On a motorcycle though, you are on it- you are a part of it. You are the component that keeps it from falling over on it's side while at a stop. You must use both hands and both feet to operate it. The speed of the machine is directly proportional to the amount of movement you put in your wrist and the steering and control of the bike is directly and immediately influenced by even the slightest shift of your body. Riding a motorcycle isn't something that you simply do, but rather, it is a completely immersive activity. Being a motorcyclist isn't something that you do, it is something that you become. 

An emotional response

Motorcycles evoke emotions from, almost, everyone. Whether its excitement, anxiety, fear or elation, when someone sees a motorcycle ride by, they feel it. Small kids sitting in the rear seats of their mom and dad's beige SUV's and baby blue minivans, will sit and stare at a biker stopped for traffic. Kids and grown-ups alike tend to have an uncontrollable urge to wave at motorcycles as they ride by. Many of us can even remember a time in our childhood, when we saw (or heard) a motorcycle cruise past our house, or pass up the family truckster while we were taking a road trip to see grandma and grandpa. Even those among us that don't ride have some kind of motorcycle story to tell. 

Speaking of motorcycles

Every rider has his or her own story of how they learned to ride and, if you give them enough time, they'll be more than happy to tell you what got them into it. We can't help it, we love to share our passion for riding with other people. When someone gets inspired to try it out for themselves... we can barely contain our excitement for them. We want to share our successes and failures, tips and riding advice with them. We genuinely want them to be good, safe riders. When someone crashes their bike, we rally around them, supporting them and helping them heal... many times not even knowing them personally. We help them fix their motorcycle, or find a new one if it can't be repaired.

In the motorcycling community, we believe in helping each other out. It's common knowledge that if you see a fellow biker on the side of the road, you stop and check on him or her. Lending a hand and offering help isn't something that we have to be told to do, it's just something that we do, because we know it's the right thing to do.

Leather clad angels on two wheels

Motorcyclists are some of the most gracious, charitable and genuinely helpful people in our communities. The motorcycling community as a whole is responsible for donating millions of dollars a year to some of the most honorable and worthy causes in our communities. From raising money and collecting clothing for the local family that lost their house in a fire, to donating toys for underprivileged kids, to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to the American Cancer Society or Saint Jude's Children's Hospital, it's easy to see that not all angels have wings and a halo, some of them wear leather vests and helmets. 

When a police officer, firefighter or service member dies, there is usually some kind of procession of motorcyclists there to honor and respect the fallen hero. Often, you will see a mix of both police motor officers and civilian riders, slowly rolling together to honor the dead. Sometimes, the riders will park their bikes along the roadway, heads bowed and hands over their hearts, or arms stiffly raised to their brow in respectful salute, to show grace and pay their respect to the family of the fallen. 

One bad apple

Many people associate all motorcyclists with the "gangs" they see on television shows and news reports. There are, literally, millions of dollars to be made on selling these stories to the masses. Shows like Sons of Anarchy and America Undercover are proof of that. The ironic part is that most of these storied clubs refer to themselves as "one percenters", meaning that they, themselves, acknowledge that they only make up about one percent of the motorcycling community. That means that out of 100 motorcycle riders you come across, only one of them will potentially be a self-admitted "outlaw." That means that the other 99 are good, honest, law abiding citizens that just happen to ride motorcycles. Another ironic detail that many folks don't want to admit, is that even the guys wearing those ominous looking patches on their backs, will often stop to offer assistance to a fellow motorcycle rider that's broken down or crashed. We rarely see that kind of camaraderie among other groups of people, with old car enthusiasts being one of the very few exceptions. 

As kids, we are taught (or at least we should be) not to judge an entire group of people based on the actions of a few, so why do we allow all motorcyclists to be judged and condemned because of the actions of a few bad apples? Why do we propagate the fear of horrible crashes, bloody highways and instant death as a result of riding motorcycles to our kids? How many times have you heard "motorcycles are dangerous, I know a guy that knew a guy, whose best friend was killed in a horrible motorcycle crash"? That seems to be such a common comment. Of course, a little research into the story might often implicate the operator of said motorcycle of some poor decision making and reckless operation of his machine... both of which would have more than likely led that poor schmuck to the same fate had he been behind the wheel of a Buick, instead of being perched atop a Kawasaki.

Teach the kids to respect the ride

Instead of teaching the, inevitable, next generation of riders to be afraid of their machines, why not teach them to embrace them? I refer to them as the "inevitable next generation of riders" simply because most kids (and many adults who refuse to grow old) will always seek to quench their thirst for excitement with the satisfying libation that is riding. 

Instead of teaching the next generation to fear the power of the machine, we should teach them how to harness it. Instead of telling them they will die, we should be teaching them how not to. Proper gear, good techniques and plenty of practice are all great points to cover. Many people may not realize this, but a little known fact is that good, well practiced and experienced motorcycle riders are actually much better car drivers, too. They tend to look further down the road, anticipate the actions of other drivers faster and are generally more alert to adverse driving conditions. We never hear about them though, because we only track statistics of bad drivers- not good ones.

The final answer and my final thought

So, why are motorcyclists so infatuated with riding their bikes? Because motorcycles are more personal to each individual rider- the fitment, the power and the overall ride of every motorcycle is uniquely specific, and finely tuned to each rider and his or her preferences. We do this on purpose. We customize our bikes to make them fit us and our needs. We want to express our individuality and our personality in the bikes that we ride because we form a bond with the machine- we trust it, we take care of it, and in return, it will take care of us- both physically and mentally.

I suppose that Merriam-Webster's definition probably is the best, though. After all, if we tried to actually define our beloved motorcycles by what they actually are and what they mean for us, the definition would probably be 7 pages long and non-riders probably still wouldn't understand. 

Advice for new riders- Part 1, Getting the Bike

Riding motorcycles is fun, exciting, adventurous and for many of us, a way to relax and unwind. But, how does one get started? Seasoned riders often take this for granted, with many of us having been on two wheels since we were kids. But, what about those who want to experience the thrill of riding, but they never had a chance to learn how before adulthood? Getting into motorcycles can be overwhelming if you don't know much about it, so in this article, I'll be giving some pointers on getting started with the right motorcycle, the right gear and most of all, on an affordable budget.

First things first- do you know how to ride? If not, there are quite a few basic courses out there to pick from. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and many insurance companies, sponsor new rider classes, also known as MSF classes for short. Also, Harley-Davidson has their own basic rider class that they call the New Rider Academy, formerly known as the Rider's Edge course and no, you don't have to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to take the course. Most new rider classes range in price around $100 or so, and with your certificate of completion, you can often get a discount from your insurance company to help offset that cost a little. I'll post links below for these classes, in case you need them, or want to learn more. Either way, one of these classes can give you some good, basic knowledge to help you get the confidence and basic skills needed to get comfortable with the controls, handling and overall dynamics of motorcycles in general. Modern motorcycles have standardized controls, meaning that after the 1970's, nearly all major motorcycle manufacturers got in line with the "left side shifting, right side braking" standard, meaning you control the brakes with your right hand (front) and right foot (rear), and you shift using the left hand for the clutch and left foot for the shifter. Most manufacturers also have the "1 down and the rest up" shift pattern- meaning that you step down to start in first gear (from neutral) and you use your toe to lift the lever for each consecutive gear. While the configuration on most bikes are the same, that can be where the similarities end, so now let's talk about the different kinds of bikes.

There are several different styles of bikes... some are crossovers, some are race or track specific and some are long distance haulers. For the sake of keeping things simple, I'm going to cover the absolute basics here.

Dirtbikes- these are, tyically, only off-road machines. They have long suspension, knobby tires and most of them don't have any lighting other than, maybe, a headlight. If you want to learn how to thrash on the trails, jump and get in the dirt and mud, then this is the bike for you. If your goal is to ride to work, take that trip to the local bike night, meet up with your friends and ride to another state, you're going to want to move on to a street bike. 

Street bikes are just as the name implies- motorcycles intended for the street. There are two basic styles of bikes in the street bike category- sport bikes, also known as crotch rockets, and cruisers.

Sport bikes look fast and most of the time, they are. Some are faster than others, but all have a relatively aggressive riding position. Most of them have rear foot controls, meaning the foot pegs and controls (brake and shifter) are set further back on the bike behind the rider's center, essentially pushing the rider into a forward leaning position. They are relatively light motorcycles and often have high revving, 2 or 4 cylinder engines, often in a parallel configuration (meaning the cylinders are lined up with each other), that make a ton of horsepower. This gives them a disproportionate power to weight ratio that makes them very fast. They also have shorter wheelbases (the overall distance between the front and rear axle) and higher centers of gravity (the point of balance of the rider) than cruiser motorcycles, making them very maneuverable. While you can get a sport bike that is slightly less aggressive, riding one takes a fair amount of confidence, and control, to stay out of trouble.

Cruisers are probably some of the most common motorcycles and most bikes that aren't sport bikes get lumped in to this category. One example of this is the Standard motorcycle. The standard is what most Japanese motorcycles looked like in the 1970's and 80's. The rider typically had a more upright riding position, the handlebars were in a comfortable riding position, the seat was big and mostly flat front to back and the foot pegs and controls were mid-mount, meaning that they were positioned just slightly ahead of the rider's center line, putting him (or her) in a comfortable sitting position. The standard is probably one of the best motorcycles to actually learn how to ride on, because they have a very natural feel and they are very nimble to ride. Not to mention, most standards have lower revving engines, most commonly parallel twin, or even large displacement single cylinders, that are a little easier to manage for a new rider. An actual cruiser is your typical Harley-Davidson style bike. They will typically have a lower rider seat and, if they have one, a higher passenger seat. The foot controls will range from mid, like a standard, or forward, meaning the rider's legs are stretched out. Most cruisers will have higher handlebars and most will have V-twin engines, meaning that they have two cylinders that are configured away from each other in a "V" shape. Cruisers are the second easiest motorcycles to learn on, because they typically have lower revving engines that make moderate power that is pretty easily managed and a lower overall center of gravity that makes the bike a little easier to maneuver. Cruisers also have a lower overall seat height that gives the rider a boost of confidence because they can easily plant their feet on the ground at a stop. 

Picking the right bike to learn on is entirely up to you and your personal preference, but don't get caught up in the idea that your first bike, your "learner bike", needs to be the motorcycle that you keep forever. It doesn't and, more than likely, it won't be. There are tons of cheap, used motorcycles out there for sale. Ideally, you'll want to get something that looks nice enough that you aren't embarrassed to be seen on it, but cheap enough that when you drop it, and you more than likely will, you don't get terribly upset that you just put a scratch in the paint or a dent in the tank. I always suggest to people who have never ridden before to look for a standard or a cruiser style motorcycle, somewhere around the 250-500 cc range, that already has a little wear on it but is mechanically sound. You can usually find them for sale locally for under $2,000. Don't go looking for a super nice Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph or any number of the really nice Japanese bikes for your first bike when you can usually get a Yamaha V-Star or a Honda Shadow with a few miles and relatively nice paint and chrome for less than a fancy set of tires and wheels for your car. When you get comfortable in the saddle and you feel like you're ready for a bigger, nicer machine, you can easily sell the starter to someone else who needs it (and most of the time, get nearly all of your money back on it). The reason I typically steer new riders away from second-hand sport bikes is mainly because of how easy it is for a sport bike to get away from a new rider, but another big reason is if (or when) you drop it, you're more than likely going to damage the fairing and that can cost a bunch of money to fix or replace. Down below, I've added some screen grabs from Craigslist to give you some idea of what's out there in the $2000-2500 price range.

Once you find that bike that is comfortable for you, go practice riding it. Ride it A LOT. Take it slow at first, riding through your neighborhood. Make lot's of turns, ride in circles (both directions), practice making your turns without putting your feet down and make sure that you are practicing keeping your head up and your eyes looking where you want to go. Practice slow roll off starts and then once you get comfortable with all of that, practice different levels of braking, slowly increasing your speed until you feel confident that you can handle riding in traffic. You'll learn all of this in the MSF or Riding Academy. 

Now that you have the bike, it's time to get the gear. Check out part two of this post, Advice for new riders- Part 2, Getting the Gear, for some advice on getting set up with the basic necessities of riding gear.

Riding classes to help you learn how to ride or just refresh your skills if you've been out of the saddle for a while:

MSF Riding Classes

Harley-Davidson New Rider Academy

If you found this post useful, please let me know by either posting in the comments or sending me an email. If you want to add anything that I missed, please feel free to share it with everyone in the comments.

Life is short, seize the damn day!

75 good years. That's about all we really have on this planet. Some people make it to, or just over, 100 years alive, but really, how much fun are they having at 100 years above dirt? How much hiking, climbing, skiing, biking, jogging, and/or playing with their grand kids or family are they doing? How much motorcycle riding are they doing?

I submit to you that, in reality, 75 years is probably a bit of an overestimate, but I'll stick to that number for now. You see, while we get credit for those first few years, let's be honest... that's like an introductory offer. For the first, say... 3 years of life, we're pretty much just eating, shitting and growing. We are learning that the stove is hot and that dirt tastes like, well, dirt. It's only after that 4th birthday that we really start getting into some fun times. The world is our playground... the only thing is, our world is only about the size of a playground and it consists of pretty much just our house and our yard. But... nevertheless, we still get credit for it. Once we start eating that birthday cake, we start having more fun, and if we do it right, we can maintain that fun for the next 75 years until our birthday cake looks like a small house fire. If and only if, we've half-assed taken care of ourselves, that is.

Now, I'm in no way trying to bring you down, on the contrary, actually. My point with telling you this is, to get you to stop wasting your time, wishing for the time that you can do, whatever it is that you want to do. The time is NOW. Go hike that trail, take that flight to Zimbabwe, run that marathon, or... for the purposes of my (hopefully fast growing number of) readers...BUY THAT DAMN MOTORCYCLE! I have a very good friend that wants a motorcycle. Every time I see him, I tell him, go get a bike... financing is available and new models are on the showroom floor, waiting to be bought, right now as we speak. But it's always the same thing with him... "not yet, I'm trying to pay off bills." That's great... totally understandable, more or less. Now, I'll be honest with you... you probably don't need to look to me for financial advice.... but... for motorcycle advice and for advice on happy living, I can probably give you some gems.

Let's get back to our timeline, shall we? So, from age 5 to 18, we are pretty much living the school life- learning how to interact with people, learning to fight, learning to love, learning to drive and of course, learning how to read, write and arithmetize. Those can be awkward times- dealing with pimples, bad hair styles and that weird thing that our voice does when we talk to girls. But, once we wrap that up, we are starting to really settle in to the good times. Some go to college, others go to work, but we all get to start doing what we want to do. By the time we graduate high school, we are left with, around 60 good years left. Unfortunately, for most of us, for the next few years, despite our best efforts, we are pretty much still struggling financially. We are dating, going to college or working to get past that "new guy" status in our job. Maybe we've found that special someone and we are making big plans for our future with them. Either way, while we are still trying to get our shit together, our timeline is slowly shrinking.

Every person's life takes a different course, but the reality is this- once we get through college, or internships, or training and we get settled in to that full time, grown -up, job that we have and after we get our family life situated, we are already closing the door on our 20's and our "good years" are already down to around 50 or so left. You see, when we are in our first few "good years", we keep saying, "when I grow up." When we are grown up, but still thinking about proms and that history test that we forgot to study for, we are saying, "when I graduate." And, of course, when we are grown up, graduated and we are living day-to-day, as adults, old enough to drink some hooch and pay our own light bills, we start saying, "when I can (insert whatever excuse you are telling yourself, here)."

I submit to you this- NOW is WHEN and WHEN is NOW. Do it before you can't. I was lucky enough to find a woman that, wholeheartedly, supports me and my motorcycle addiction. Sure, right at first, she wasn't exactly excited about it... I mean, after all, I was a father of two very young sons and I was already working in a pretty dangerous job. But, after we talked about it, she understood and slowly started warming up to the reality that she was married to a man who was, quite possibly, born with a V-twin powered heart. It's been nearly 20 years now that I've been back on two wheels and she's seen me go through about a dozen motorcycles. She even still has enough patience with me to let me keep a few and even supported me teaching my sons how to ride, which, for the protective momma bear that she is, was quite surprising!

Look folks, we aren't promised tomorrow. I've lost enough people in my life and I've seen death's grisly blank stare and bony fingers randomly take lives at every conceivable age and condition. Trust me... we aren't promised a single moment past this very one that we are in right now. Plan for tomorrow... plan for all the tomorrows. Hell, by all means, start planning for that 102nd birthday party... but by all the grace that may find you...LIVE for TODAY. Play with your kids, take your wife to that ridiculously overpriced restaurant and by all means... buy the motorcycle and go explore our world on it... do these things now, before you completely run out of those precious few "good years" you have left.

May peace be with you always, even when the days aren't so good.