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.

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.