Why I Ride

© Ken Bingenheimer

Join us each week to get a view from the road in "The Bike Life."

"Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the window." That's a pretty good one-line summation of the choice to ride motorcycles, although it only goes so far. Many riders figure that another quote is apropos here: "If I have to explain you wouldn't understand." Maybe, but maybe not. I'll explain, you be the judge.

Riding Focuses You on the Now

Riding a motorcycle is commonly equated with freedom, but what does that really mean? You aren't free from the necessity of earning a living for yourself and/or your family just because you ride. You aren't free from obeying the laws. You aren't free from needing to fix that leaky faucet in the bathroom.

Riding does, however, allow you to let go of all of those things while you're on the bike. That deadline at work is not a priority when the sweet smell of the pine forest tickles your nose and you've just come over a crest to a view so gorgeous you have to stop and drink it in.

Everything about riding keeps you in the now. Your view is total, 360 degrees in every direction. None of this television-like focus on a rectangle in front of you that is your car's windshield. You are aware of where you are in a way you cannot be in a car with the windows rolled up and the A/C on. Riding past a restaurant? You smell the odors of food. Dropping down into a ravine and back up the other side? The cooler temperatures at the bottom are pronounced.

Riding is Physical

Most of the time, driving a car is about as physically taxing as sitting in an easy chair in your living room. Riding a motorcycle, by contrast, is like flying a fighter jet. You lean into a turn, pull the bike upright and then lean into another turn. You rise on the footpegs to absorb a bump in the road. You rock forward in the saddle going up hills and rock back going down.

And you have that jet-like power. (True, not all motorcycles are loaded with power, and they're still fun to ride even if they don't.) But most do, and there's something that just simply feels good about twisting that throttle and ripping around other traffic on a steep uphill without even needing to downshift.

On a motorcycle you also confront the elements. If it pours rain you don't just roll up the windows and keep going. But if you're a smart and well-prepared motorcyclist, you do pull on your rain suit and keep going. Riding in the rain can be an exhilarating experience provided that you are warm and dry.

And if you don't have the rain suit with you, you figure out something else. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered. Some of the best times you'll have on a bike are those that are unplanned. Riding a motorcycle can force you to be spontaneous.

Riding is Social

Riding alone is a joy of its own, but much of the time it is something you do with friends. It's also a great way to make new friends. When was the last time you stopped for gas and had a stranger ask you about your car or where you're headed? That happens all the time on a bike.

Then there's the biker wave, or salute. Two riders see each other on the road and they signal to each other in recognition that they share a common bond. And if you're broken down by the side of the road there's a good chance some brother will stop to offer assistance.

Why do I ride? Because ever since I was a kid I've thought that motorcycles were the coolest thing going and I wanted to be part of that. I only figured out the rest of this once I got my first bike. Icing on the cake.