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Why a motorcycle
I'm a motorcyclist and journalist for the Toronto Star newspaper. I'm preparing a story for next Saturday (Oct. 29) on long-distance motorcycle travel, including anecdotes from Ted Simon, Ewan Mcgregor and Ted Bishop among others, as well as some of my own from my own journeys.
The main question I have is: Why a motorcycle? Why not a car? I have my own reasons but I expect you have your own. Can you share them with me for the article? Many thanks if you can respond to this, Mark Richardson Editor, Wheels Toronto Star |
You are part of a motorcycle and the environment you are riding through. One of the pleasures of long distance riding to me is that wherever you are, when you stop you put your feet down on to the country you are travelling through - you are part of it!
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Good Question
Why does a dog hang his head out the window ? |
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I'm a biker, so I love biking. Burma is closed and you can't airfreight a car or van around it.
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Motorcycles can go places cars can't. Into historic town centers, around gates, into hotel lobbies/courtyards, etc.
I think you get more respect from the locals with a bike too. With a car, you are just another rich tourist. On a bike you are a dirty, smelly, well not as rich of a tourist. You are a novelty, which can be good or bad! Also, I think the police give you more slack on a bike too. I have had only friendly encounters with police in a very corrupt part of the world (Central Asia), whereas folks in cars have had much tougher dealings with the cops. ------------------ Dave www.mototrekker.com |
Because it's f**king cool. And how often does going round a corner in a car make you laugh?
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Ever seen 'The Great Escape' ?
Matt |
To me its all about the exposure to whats all around you. The smell of your surroundings, the taste of the wind and rain, the compexity of staying dry, warm or cool. The challenge of travelling without the confines and protection of a steel cage. On two wheels you are much more aware of your surroundings which provides me with a better experience overall. Roadtrip in a car? I'd rather rent the movie, sit on the couch and drink beer http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
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If you are a motorcyclist..??? Why do you even have to ask the question?
------------------ The electric monk always has faith. |
Riding a bike marks me out as an individual, i've just done 17,000m across the US and being on the bike(as has been said)you are much more part of the trip/experience by adding more sences. Being in a car you only get a visual idea of what is going on out side (with the windows up and the A/C on), on the bike you get the sights, sounds and smells. Some good smells - fresh strawberries, some bad - fresh road kill!!
It's also a very good way to meet the locals as well, if you want to slip into and out of town then with just a look round then a bike is not the way to do it. Someone will always want to look at, and ask you about the bike your on esp. if it is different to the norm. Any bike with lots of luggage is different from the norm though. Riding an R1150 GS Adv with UK plates on, in the US made me stand out from the crowd a lot (I only saw half a dozen as I was riding round)and I had so many offeres of help/somewhere to stay from other BMW riders it was great. Harvey |
I read somewhere:- Travelling by car is like watching a movie, Travelling by bike is like being IN a movie.
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if you have to ask youll never understand
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I know who Ted Simon is, I have even heard of Grant Johnson, Chris Scott and Vincent Danna but who is Ewan McGregor?
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I'm looking at this thread and thinking 'Quite a few flippant answers here!' and I think that's because its so hard to some up in a few words. I do know that no matter how hard I try some of my freinds just don't get it. You can see it in their eyes they are thinking 'Why? Cars are so much more comfortable, and why Iran/Pakistan? Europe is much safer, easier, more relaxing etc.' And the funny thing is they are right.
But some of my freinds say 'COOL!' and you can see from the light in their eyes and the unsupressed grin they mean it. They know that the discomfort and vulnerability are worth it. They know that adventure does not come without risk. They are also aware that a cup of nescafe heated in a battered aluminium pot over a roaring petrol stove as the sun rises over some exotic mountain range tastes better than huge cup of choccamoccachino with chocolate sprinkles in a big sofa at a holiday resort on the Med. And they are right too. It's not that one way is de facto BETTER than the other it's just that adventure motorcycling SUITS US better. And while there may be particular facets of the experience that appeal most to the individual motorcyclist (fast off road action/leisurely cruising through exotic cultures etc.) I think there is an indefinable quality of adventure (indefinable by me at least) inate in travelling by motorcycle that either appeals to your natural make up or not. It's why some people lie on the beach while others go surfing and why some people ski into the back-country while the majority queue for chairlifts. To some up I don't really think the question should be 'Why a bike?' but more 'What type of person...?' JMHO Matt |
bike looks much better in photo with ocean or mountains or river or food stand or people or friends or tent or .... than car does...
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because its really ****ing cool. check out the movie easy rider if you don't know what i'm talking about. or go to globeriders.com and check out the pics. awesome.
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In a car/truck/bus/plane/train you are inside. You view the passing parade.
On a motorcycle or bicycle or walking you are part of the parade. There is an immediate contact with the soil, air, animals and other people you don't have when you’re inside. Like looking at a football match rather than playing it. Copywrite - me! Unless I'm remembering it from somewheres else. |
On a motorcycle/bicycle you are so much more aware of your surroundings and the smells, some good some bad. You never seem to forget these.
Julio |
If one has to ride in the air conditioned comfort of your CAR then he might as well sit at home and get the same feeling in his couch playing some CAR racing game on X box.
To ride a bike is more than just viewing sights , riding allows you to experience places that one can never feel while driving in the closed confines of a car! Robert Prisig had it perfectly on the point when he said! Travelling by car is like watching a movie, Travelling by bike is like being IN a movie. ------------------ Ride far, ride safe , ride often,,,... |
Hello all,
These are some of the quotes collected by me from writer friends,, But I think which would be apt here and would define why we choose RIDING over driving .... ============================================ Pleasure for riding FREAKS!! The pleasure is when you finish your day ride, and reach in one piece. You the smallest vehicle on the road, and you survived. The pleasure is when you take off your wristwatch, and see a band of untanned skin. The pleasure is when your motorcycle and you move as one single united form. Whatever shape the road takes, whichever end of the compass it leads to. The pleasure is when you use your hands, arms, thighs, knees and feet to steer. The pleasure is when you take off your riding jacket for a break, and feel the breeze dry your sweat. The pleasure is when you sing to yourself on an empty road. You are the world’s best rock star. The pleasure is when your rear wheel slides, and you bring it back, when the front wheel lifts, and you take your time bringing it back. The pleasure is when you cut through air, at 50 kph or 100. The pleasure is when you reach a place you never been before, and someone you never seen before asks you for a ride. And comes back grinning. The pleasure is when you wave to village kids, and they wave back. The pleasure is when you almost, almost fall. But dont The pleasure is when you fight the wind, and win. The pleasure is when you get up that narrow path for the view you never forget. The pleasure is when you view the world at an angle. The pleasure is when you eat bugs at 90 kph. The pleasure is when you look at a dust-streaked face in the mirror after a 500 km ride, and don't want to wash up. The pleasure is when your pillion moves with you. The pleasure is when you can see the petrol after a top-up. The pleasure is when your throttle hand has calluses. The pleasure is when you jump a speedbreaker. The pleasure is when you stop to help push a stranded car to the side of the road. The pleasure is when you stop at the smallest of towns, and somebody asks you technical specifications. The pleasure is when your book of roadmaps gets dog-eared, rain-splashed, tea-stained. The pleasure is when you give a stranger a lift. The pleasure is when you have battle-scars. The pleasure is when you can feel the cool morning and the hot afternoon, the light rain and the damp fog. The pleasure is when you leave four-wheeler traffic standing in a jam. The pleasure is when you aren’t lulled by an air-conditioner. The pleasure is when you are free. Open. Independent. Liberated. |
I dont think you can compare car overlanding with bikes, can you? No more than you would compare bikes with Inter-railing. So why a bike - because there is nothing else like it. It's about adventure, freedom from and freedom to. Faced with those sorts of opportunities a car - which sure has its uses - just doesn't come into it.
Bishop Ted |
It's not where you've been; it's where you're going. Going on two wheels... !
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Because four wheel drives are for mums to take the kids to school.
http://users.netlink.com.au/~asimpson |
That's a bit sexist, Simmo! What about dads that take their kids to school and mums that ride bikes?
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Sorry Stephano no offence intended, just taking part in the great Australian rush back to nineteenth century morality and human rights standards.
Am I being seditous? |
Looking at your garden through the window from inside your house is more comfortable when the weather is bad but you would miss so much if you never ventured outside.
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for me...piloting a motorcycle thru the environment is much more interactive. maybe it comes with adding some vulnerability to the elements that provides true interaction.
the common cliche of cars being a cage are true. ALSO, you limts what you bring along when on a motorcycle...which constantly reminds us of what we really do not need in life. Look around...every creature on this planet moves head first thur the liquid they live in, wheter it is water or air. A motorcycle allows you to mimic this natural movement better than a car. |
How many times to you see ferry queue car drivers/passengers get out and talk to each other?
Bikers nearly all do, and then meet up on the ferry for a blether. How many times do you see car drivers wave to each other? In the UK nearly all bikers do. Kids don't often wave to cars, but plenty of them wave to bikers. On a bike the journey is challenging,fun, risky,satisfying. In a car it's a chore. At the end of a days journey if fellow bikers are met stories are swapped and information exchanged. Haven't done that so much after a car trip. |
Hi Mark,
Have you ever arrived at an incredible site/area, in a car, and step out to 'take it all in'? On a bike you are already 'in'. You are already part of it. Can't really add a whole lot more than what has already been posted. Needless to say, the whole motorcycling experience is exhilarating...even in time of nasty weather. I am planning a cross-country (Canada) trip this summer with my wife riding pillion. This will be on a motorcycle. Travelling by any other means of transportation would be akin to simply reading about it. I am in Toronto. Sorry I missed your article. [This message has been edited by tor1150r (edited 26 December 2005).] |
Thanks every one for posting the replies to this CLASSIC question here, I have been sending this text and the replies posted with the link here to all my friends. Great reasons! Do keep the reasons coming.
I was thinking when I stumbled across one more reason. When one sees the Thrill rides in all the Big amusement parks the vast majority are open type .i.e one can feel the environment around. Most of these are not completely closed enclosures because then you loose a big part of the THRILL! The thrill of feeling the swooshing breeze on your face ! And On a motorbike you know which side you are, The thrill and the feeling just can't be put in words. Red Bull ------------------ Ride far, ride safe , ride often,,,... |
Its cheap,its an in your face mode of transport that allows an otherwise tunnel visioned, opinionated section of the travelling global community to communicate via a common conduit.
In other words if it wasn't for the bike most of us wouldn't pass the time of day, in my humble opinion. PK |
i know this sounds a bit weird and hippie like,but i normally travel alone,and being in a car for hours and hours just feels a bit lonley and disconected from everything (all together now)ahhh..!,but on the bike im travelling with it,working with it,intstead of pointing the nose of the car and just sitting there!
I think people do treat us a bit differently because we are on bikes ,which can be nice!,because i think alot of people would love to ride a bike,but they think its just to dangerous,which they do have a point!,but we all here have made up our own minds and decided to continue riding,but deal with the dangers by training and learning which earns a liitle bit of respect! Happy new year all! Lee |
The answer you seek is quite obvious:
If you fart in a car, you can't say "excuuuse me" for fear it will shorten your breath hold. If you fart on a motorcycle, it is a refreshing, enviorment friendly experience. |
A good poem I found in the net,, Don't know if I can post it anywhere else. Just thought it can fit under this topic :-)
Come with me for a RIDE?? I have a passion..a passion to ride, It gives me pleasure n solace deep inside.. Sometimes I ride so fast, above fifty knots i go, Sometimes the roads make me go so slow... I like to ride away so long, Far beyond the places where people throng.. I love the roads that curve n bend, I enjoy the thrill n challenge that they lend.. I ride to ravines n valleys so deep, N to the mountains which slope so steep.. I ride to the Sun, n I ride to the Rain, Revitalizes my body n I forget my pain.. I ride to the streams with currents so strong, So uncouth, untamed is the place where they belong... I ride to the clouds and cold breeze I kiss, Vow..feels like in heaven..an eternal bliss... I ride to the fields n to grasslands so green, N wonder if sky acts a mirror for Earth to preen... My ride gets me to the nature so close, N makes me oblivious to all suffering n woes... So join me for a long..long ride.. For a tryst with rivers, hills n the countryside... -Courtesy Definitely not ME,,,,,, N I am not sure who wrote this |
It is aesthetic. It is a very solitary insular aesthetic experience.
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*four wheels move my body, two wheels move my soul* from Brad Hougton personal card |
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Motorcycling is 'hardcore'; you suffer for your craft.
If you want the easy option, you travel by car. If you want that warm, satisfying feeling that you did it the hard way, you travel by motorcycle. |
Oneword:
(if you also ride you know..) motorcycling is "VISCERAL". It is all about feelings: straight line acceleration; cornering "G's" "and lean angles;vibration, sounds; smells; temperature changes riding from sunlight through shaded corners and pine forests. This total immersion in stimuli and the price we pay for it ( being occasionally uncomfortable)Separates motorcyclist from every non-rider. Motorcycling is "A road less taken". (o I am forced to admit there is some ego involved, it's like being a member of an exclusive club priveledged to a secret.) |
At the core of the motorcycle design is a very important principle, a motorcycle has two wheels. It can't stand up by itself. It really is only half a vehicle without a rider, capable of leaning forlornly in the corner of a garage and that's about it.
It's assumed that everything else, bar the power and speed of the bike, will be provided by the rider. Things like stability, safety, protection from the wind and rain, etc. are the responsibility of the rider. In a car the vehicle has much more responsibility for getting you to your destination, in fact the opposite assumption is true. In a car it is assumed that the driver wants to have as little responsibility as possible. It's not a big deal in a place where motorcycles are the only form of transport, but when you have the choice between a car or a motorcycle it is. When you choose motorcycle you are saying you'd rather take the road that demands more of you and gives you more choices. To summarise, motorcycle equals freedom. |
Unless the weather is heavy rain, snow, cold or ice, I'm riding. Why? Because if I'm driving, all I get is depressed, and wishing I'd rather be on my bike.
The only difference between myself and many of the riders on this forum is that they actually do ride in heavy rain, snow, cold and ice. [This message has been edited by Tigerboy (edited 24 February 2006).] |
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------------------ ozhan u. '97 F650 www.ortadoguturu.com [This message has been edited by ozhanu (edited 10 March 2006).] |
Reviving an old topic again :-)Just read Motorcycle diaries > Che Guvera
and I think I picked this up form there,, .. Riding a Motorcycle is like Cavalry going to war on whereas driving around in a Car is more akin to fighting from the safe confines of a Battle tank..... Red Bull |
Travelling by motorcycle is a lot like living with a wonderful wife. A lot of hassle but well worth it.
Traveling by car is like jerking off. You get were you want, easy, but no love attached. Feelings my friend. Its all about feelings. |
Have you ever driven somewhere so many times you can't remember? Then one day you walk the same route and everything looks so different. You can see the dirty grass at the side of the road, the discarded cigarette butts, the broken fences that line the verge, even the rounded stones in the tarmac itself. Walking is the ultimate way to see everything but it is not ideal for getting somewhere in a sensible timescale. Motorbiking gets you so much closer to REAL LIFE and if your going to drive you may as well fly and miss it all!
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