Way Too Dangerous

This Blogpost is definitely a very selfish one. I’ve had this conversation so many times that I just find it easier to send people to a website that answers their question. It’s a little bit like work used to be. I rather invested a few hours in creating a training video than having to answer the same question over and over and over again.

So, why do I continue to ride a motorcycle. Even though it’s so incredibly dangerous?

Every few seconds, a motorcyclist dies or is injured badly. Motorcyclist are incredibly vulnerable, and get easily missed by other drivers and are just the weaker party when it comes to collisions with other motorized vehicles in traffic. And still, I continue to ride my motorcycle.

It’s true, I am vulnerable. The helmet, the gloves, jacket and padded pants that make women’s heads turn when I ride past (that jacket has a way of pressing your boobs into your chest…) are the only things between me and the tarmac. Car drivers are usually busy doing other things than actually driving the car. Such as reading, listening to the radio, texting, checking Google Maps for the route, talk on the phone, sleep, eat, smoke, etc. And in the US, they don’t even have gone through proper driving school. Not every country makes his citizens pay thousands of dollars to allow them to drive a car and potentially be able to kill pedestrians and other motorized vehicle drivers… Admittedly, they’re often much nicer and considerate. IF they actually see you…

And still, despite all the dangers, the 98% probability of getting killed or seriously injured, and the clothes that make my broad shoulders even broader and the big ass even bigger, despite all that I will continue to ride my motorcycle.

When I have managed to put on all the gear, pants, boots, jacket, gloves, and helmet, the bike warm enough to not stall at the next traffic light, when it purrs and vibrates and feels like she can wait to get on the freeway to let off steam, when she reacts to every single one of my moves, leans into curves, accelerates easily within seconds, seems to jump a little like a carefree wild bronco, and sprints along the Californian Highways as if she never did anything else. There is not a lot in this life that makes me happier. And I feel that the same is true for her. As silly as that might sounds, but it’s easy to see what kind of roads she likes. She doesn’t like driving through the city where you have to stop at each traffic light. She loves curvy highways with fast, straight parts. She loves to ride fast on the freeway. Why 100mph is not fast for her. However, for me it is. Given the lack of driving skills and the amount of traffic here in the Bay Area.

But there are so many roads in California, besides the freeway that are just meant for motorcycle riding and where you don’t see a car in hours. Every now and then you see a deer, a squirrel, and a lot of insects. But no car. The most dangerous thing, apart from the curvy road, is the breathtaking nature. You shouldn’t turn your head too often or too long for gorgeous, majestic redwoods or the sight of the beautiful Pacific that makes your eyes well up. No, keep your eyes on the road!

This is another reason why I love to ride a motorcycle. When I ride I don’t think of anything else but the road and the bike. There’s no room. Every, even a little distraction can have lethal consequences. Therefore it’s like Yoga, meditation, or wake boarding. Full concentration. No room to think of work or anything else happening in my life right now. Road, cars, deer, bike. Nothing else.