To ride a motorcycle is like participating in a three-act play. You see the dark clouds. You smell the cold, misty air. You feel the temperature drop as winds get stronger.
On a motorcycle you experience nature up close and personal as opposed to watching all that surrounds you through a window.
Buying a motorcycle is all about passion. The fun and adventure you experience riding a bike far outweighs the danger, the price and all that “don’t- straddle- the- engine- on- a- two-wheel- death- trap” advice.
Here are more reasons why some people make motorcycle as their basic mode of transportation:
1. Save more money on gas. The lower cc engine your bike has the better fuel mileage. You could go from shelling out 100+ dollars down to 30 dollars a month going to and from work and still have some extra gas to go run errands.
2. Save money on parking whether it’s free or you share parking space with other riders.
3. Easy to maintain compare to that of a car. Just thumb through any Hynes or Clymer’s manual, take out some parts and fix what you need to fix. All that pages of instruction will not fail you especially if you are the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. You can do the regular scheduled stuff like carb cleaning, adjusting valve clearances and oil changes etc.
4. The insurance cost is low and lower if you are female rider, returning customer, in the military and riding around a specific area like in the DC rural area, stuff like that. Every situation varies.
5. Easy to maneuver in stop and go traffic. You can easily split lane if that’s legal in your state.
6. In the event of a not so serious tumble you can pick up your motorcycle on its side and ride it home unlike a car wherein you need the service of a tow truck company.
7. You can easily maneuver through a field, small streams and woods as opposed to being stuck in a car. They are agile and small, like a Camry on two-wheels.
It is conventional wisdom to always arm yourself with protective gear when riding a bike like a Dot and Snell-approved full-face helmet, armored leather jacket with venting, ankle-high boots,water-proof over pants, galoshes, thermal or zipped in under layers, shin guards, gauntlets etc. And get heated grips and handlebar warmer for the bike etc. These safety gears are great for rain, hail, sleet and snow.
Learn more about counter-steering and friction zones on tires. The Hurt report and MSF stated that non-trained riders have more fatal motorcycle crashes because they don’t know about counter-steering.
When riding in freeways you should speed up a little faster like +5 mi/h so you are visible to other people around you. If you go at the same speed with surrounding traffic you are not visible to someone’s rear view mirror. That’s a scary situation to be in.
Riding a bike is no joke. You will use about 2,500 skills all at the same time when straddling a bike. It is not advisable to go beyond your range of proficiency unless you have evaluated the risks well. You need to take proper training, get continuous refreshers every 2 or 3 years, develop a gut-level knowledge that anyone can T-boned you anywhere, anytime. You must nurture a healthy attitude and always be aware of everything around you within a 300 ft. radius. Have an escape plan when something bad happens.
The bottom line is you will take good care of your bike more and learn on riding it efficiently when you totally love your bike. So pick the one with aesthetics that tickles your fancy.
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