What drives you?

[Bumblebeeman1150]

I have a reason to ask this that I might share in the future, but I'd love to know what drives you to be a biker, and what keeps you interested.

Cheers to all. Still missing my 1150R but my CB1300 is doing a good job of keeping me cheered up.

[boxermania]

For me it's simple

Modifications
Independence
Friendships

I must qualify the last statement with......"even though some of my friends are cantankerous, ugly or anal......on the other hand I do have a couple that are cute" Yes, you all know who you are. Please, don't send me any hate mail....

[Ves]

Hmmmm.... I've been trying to find the answer to this question for many years, and I still haven't figured out what drives me to ride...

Speed - There are plenty of enjoyable rides I go on where I barely exceed the speed limit. In fact if I could choose any speed to ride at it would be around 50-60 mph (which means that sometimes, on the highway, I'm one of the slow guys)... no great speed involved. On the other hand, I enjoy the occasional blast past the 100 mph mark and thoroughly enjoy track days.
Friendships - I'm just as likely to do it alone as I am with others.
Pride in the machine - My machine is kind or ratty, and I don't care.
Locations you ride - I have some loops that I've done dozens of times, so the location is the same, and there really is no destination. But I still enjoy the ride. So, it can't have anything to do with location... other than the fact the further away it is from the city, and traffic, the better... I do enjoy seeing new places.
Independence - ??? Why would a city in Missouri have anything to do with me riding? Maybe I should go there and find out...
Modifications - Modifications are done out of necessity. They have no value other than enhancing the functionality of the bike. If I had to do no modifications I'd be perfectly fine with it.
Belonging to a fraternity of bikers - I'm an AMA member because I believe they work to insure my future right to ride. Other than that, I think we all belong to a church without walls and congregate based on common interests. We all belong.
Choosing the next bike - Uh... No.
Developing your skills - Important in staying safe and helps me to enjoy the ride, and I do like challenging myself. However, at some point the skills reach a plateau and riding is still fun. I rode even when I had no skills.

All I know is that given the choice between staying in bed all day having sex with Jessica Biel and going for a ride, I choose the ride... Course I wouldn't mind taking her with me... Hmmmm... given that comparison... I guess I ride because it's a totally sensual experience... I'm a slave to my senses...

[digga]

Never heard of Jessica Biel


Hey, she's kinda cute

[boxermania]

Ves.....you are a sick puppy, do you know what you want?

digga.....get out and read some magazines, watch a movie.....

me.....I would love to sit down and have dinner with Jessica Biel.....all proper.....

[iowabeakster]

Ves said,

All I know is that given the choice between staying in bed all day having sex with Jessica Biel and going for a ride, I choose the ride

My friend, I have good news. It's not an either/or situation...

When climbing on or off a bike you are automatically 75% more attractive...even Jessica Biel will think so.

[Ves]

Ves said,

All I know is that given the choice between staying in bed all day having sex with Jessica Biel and going for a ride, I choose the ride

My friend, I have good news. It's not an either/or situation...

When climbing on or off a bike you are automatically 75% more attractive...even Jessica Biel will think so.

So, you're saying maybe what drives me is a deep seeded need to appear more attractive and to lure sexy women... I can accept that... So, we need to add this choice to the survey: "It makes me look more attractive".

Ves.....you are a sick puppy, do you know what you want? ...

You sir are very observant... I haven't got a clue what I want... but that's a whole other discussion...

[Bumblebeeman1150]

Thank you all. I am intrigued that a feeling of being independent, freedom as some of you describe it, is number one, with locations number two. Nothing seems to beat just being there.

I am not surprised, however, that being with friends also scored well, better than in any other forum of which I've asked this question. Getting together with other riders seems to be the thing we frequently look to do, hence the huge growth of on-line forums. And this forum does have a "virtual bike club" feel to it, proving that the contact doesn't have to be in person.

This was a little bit of research on the run for a media project I'm working on. I appreciate your contributions.

[FloridaBeakster]

For me the number one thing is sort of cross between "independence" and "locations." It is to be with nature. See the sights, experience the smells, to be a part of the environment. Driving a car is like sitting on the sofa watching the television, riding a motorcycle is like being INSIDE the television. For me, it's not about the speed, or the element of danger, I just want to be a part of the environment sometimes. Sort of like backpacking, but you can cover more ground this way. Friendships are there too and though I do ride by myself, it is very enjoyable to share the experience with someone else.

[boxermania]

I'm going to go out on a limb on this one, since I think I'm right.

Most of the BMW riders like to ride alone and most do not enjoy riding in groups......however if someone drops a location for a weekend reunion in a non-structured format they will come, primarily to put a face with a name.....friendships and camaraderie soon follow......at least that’s how it happened on BBI and BBII.

[wncbmw]

Friends are a good side benefit of riding but not my motivation. I ride alone a lot and enjoy it. Neither is some obsession with speed, although I have been known to do so occasionally!

I enjoy traveling by motorcycle from a sensory standpoint. Everything about enjoying the road and the sights are enhanced for me by being exposed to it without the cage. Even the rain!

I like the independence and freedom I feel when on a trip on the bike.

And there is something very satisfying about completing a nice clean run on a twisty road at a brisk pace. And I am always looking to improve my smoothness and ability to operate the bike well. It is the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

And on that note - concerning the Jessica comment. My choice would be to make her happy first thing in the morning, go for a ride and have her looking forward to my return!

Of course, that is how us married guys with SOs that no longer ride operate anyway!

[GypsyRR]

Ves said,

All

When climbing on or off a bike you are automatically 75% more attractive...even Jessica Biel will think so.

........


C'mon, IB, give us a little more credit than that. Getting off a bike doesn't make anyone more attractive than when they first got on it. ,,, However......... getting off a bike and acting like a gentleman possibly could. Sheeeeeesh.

[wncbmw]

Nice head-banging animation Gypsy!

[GypsyRR]

Nice head-banging animation Gypsy!

Thanks. It comes in handy quite often. Feel free to use it. I had to choose between that one or the one where he/she/it is breaking a brick against its forehead.

[Canyon Runner]

Independence, solitude, and the fact that riding requires my mind to stay focused on something other than the myriad of things that normally distract me in day-to-day life. It is pure in its required concentration.

A friend who has been nice enough to take me under his wing a bit, with respect to sharing his hard won wisdom on riding, had a pretty elegant metaphor for that. He encouraged me to think of a state of mind as a function of several "slots". It actually is an idea that works for almost anything, but he told it to me in the context of riding. Each of us has a number of "slots" that can be active at any given moment, in terms of active consideration. Some of us might have five, some might even have ten, or more, or less. But the slots are full, when they are full. For example, if it is cold and you don't have the right gear, being cold contributes to the overall load on your concentration. "Cold" fills one of the slots. Maybe you had a heated discussion earlier in the day that is still bouncing back and forth through your head? Slot number two. Worries? Anticipations? All of these things bring us closer to the maximum capacity, in terms of the minds ability to simultaneously deal with them.

The insight of this is that it is crucially important to avoid riding near that capacity, as riding, in itself, may only take one slot, but what of dealing with the unexpected? What about the leaves/ water/ rocks, etc, on the road, what about the others that might be operating too close to their point of distraction?

For me, the purity of that concentration, the discipline to free up my mind as completely as I can to allow my full capacities to be available to the machine and the environment, and the resulting release of so many trivial and secondary things that are truly only felt in the elating relief of their absence, provide a primary and profound motivation for riding. I think it also ties in with the "immersion" that others have mentioned. I think, as the layers of distractions fall away, I start to be more "involved" in the world around me, I begin to feel and experience, as opposed to think.

Rare (and very precious) stuff in an increasingly intellectual and distracted world.

-Kyle

[OU812]

Friendships, no dought.

[GypsyRR]

Friendships, no doughnuts.

There, I fixed your reply, Steve. Kinda close to what you had, huh?

[ekiM]

It's Fun!

[OU812]

K,I like doughnuts, just not the calories that come with them. My spell check not working?

[Ves]

K,I like doughnuts, just not the calories that come with them. ...

Hmmmm.... One doughnut ~300 calories... Average beer ~150 calories... Clearly beer is the better value for your caloric dollar.