Index
I’m learning that to write few words is harder than to write many.
With that in mind - i’m going to provide an index at the top of my articles which end up getting long, so that the reader can choose to skip over sections that may not be of interest.
I love motorbikes.
Spend a second on my Facebook page and tell me if you spot a pattern.
Yip - If i’m not posting about Rose then i’m posting about bikes.
My love affair with these machines started later in life than I would have liked in hindsight.
I watch the tiny kids on their tiny bikes at the local motorcross track, like angry mosquitoes in sight and sound, and I struggle not to feel a little bit of envy and maybe even regret that I didn’t get involved at their age.
By the time these kids are my age they’ll have a command over their machines that I can only dream of.
But what is it about motorbikes that I love so much? And why?
How specifically has my affair with motorbikes changed my life?
Risk
Throw a leg over any motorbike.
I don’t care if it’s big or small, fast or slow … you’re taking a risk.
Being exposed to the elements - freeing yourself of the cage you would be sitting in if you were in car - brings with it inherent risk.
To willingly take part in an activity that involves risk is to accept that risk and yearn to overcome it. It is to desire to go to war with your fears and with each journey, triumph over them.
There really is no better feeling than overcoming your fears.
As riders we get to experience this with every ride.
As i’m editing and re-reading my words a thought has come to me. I wonder if raising your fear threshold through riding has an impact on the topic of Therapy which I talk about later on.
Is it possible that riding raises your fear threshold, therefore bringing other fears or anxieties you have in your life in to context and making them seem not so scare ?
interesting to think about.
Mastery
Dan Pink has a a fairly prominent video about the things he believes motivates us to do the things we do.
One of his pillars of motivation is his belief that we are strongly motivated by a desire to become better at something.
When you first mount a motorbike and start riding - there’s no escaping the feeling of being a total beginner.
Nothing feels comfortable.
Nothing even feels natural.
Countersteering as a concept is simple: to initiate a turn, turn the handlebars and point the wheel opposite of where you wanna go
Ok… so to steer left one must point the handlebars to the right. Makes sense right? It definitely does not make sense the first time you ride.
As you spend more time in the saddle you start to learn the dynamics of the machine underneath you.
You start to realise that unlike a car, your input and your body are much more connected to the machine - you are less of a passenger and more of a symbiont.
As your skill at controlling your machine improves, so does your awareness of all the things you don’t yet know.
You have officially begun your ( slow ) journey towards mastering your machine and your relationship with it
Every ride from this point on will be a learning experience and every ride after that will be an opportunity to cement your new skill and prove to yourself that you know what you’re doing.
Friendships
In general, people that ride motorbikes are awesome.
I have personally experienced more kindness from strangers in the 3/4 years since i’ve been riding than I did in all the years prior.
There is a sense of solidarity amongst riders that neither religion nor politics can match.
Perhaps my point earlier about risk is relevant here too in some abstract way. Do people who share the same risk have an inherently better understanding of each other?
I have made my closest friends as a direct result of my involvement with motorbikes.
I have been the recipient of absolutely free, professional mechanical advice from numerous strangers.
I have even seen a 2nd hand motorcycle shop fit a set of brand new tyres to a customers machine for free - so that the rider didn’t have to ride on dangerous tyres for the sake of not being able to afford to replace them.
Those huge groups of bikers you see on the road sometimes? Odds are these guys aren’t just out for a ride - they’re more than likely celebrating the life of a fallen biker.
Sport
If you pop over to my Youtube page you’ll find a growing collection of videos that I’m making to show-off some of my 2 wheeled escapades.
One thing that quickly becomes evident is that any form of riding is physically demanding.
Riding on the dirt is orders of magnitude more demanding than riding on the street, but both require a level of mental and physical focus that you just can’t replicate in a car.
Most of the top riders in the world, competing at the pinnacle of the sport use motorcross (dirt riding) as a means for staying fit during their off season.
Red Bull has done some research regarding the demands of the sport on the human body.
Heart rates are pushed to the max, every muscle group is needed and used to the extreme, flexibility is essential, core strength is a must and upper body and leg strength are called upon just to hold onto the machine
Therapy
I’m going to keep this one brief.
I am not qualified to offer mental health advice, so I try to leave that to the people who are.
I will only speak to what I have experienced myself. Riding a motorcycle requires a level of mental focus that demands 100% of your attention.
It is impossible to go for a ride and to simultaneously find your mind consumed by some other concern you may have in your life at the time.
You will be forced to push your worries aside and focus on what’s in front of you
For some people, and most certainly for me, this mental reprieve is bliss.
Battle Theory
Finally to address the title of this article.
There are some who say that the modern biker is the closest equivalent we have to a knight from the middle ages.
As bikers we suit up in our leathers, helmet, gloves and boots and mount our iron horses, before heading out to do battle with our fears and push ourselves to master our craft.
To not see some overlap with the traditional tropes of the armoured knight, preparing to mount his horse and head off to battle is difficult.
Personally, i’m not sure i’ve ever been consciously aware of this overlap - but I will say that gearing up for a ride creates a subconscious tension, perhaps even some feeling of ritual that you can become aware of if you try.