Why We Ride
A fine marketing slogan that swept through the Moto-world a few years ago with the predictable declarations of freedom and escape. I don’t deny those things for they are certainly present, but there is something larger at work as I ride.
On the surface, I rolled the Kawasaki W650 motorcycle out the door to ride to breakfast. Alone, on a hot day, by myself. A simple act with nothing much on my mind as I pulled the choke and thumbed the machine to life.
And almost instantly I was climbing up the Allegheny Front on a road I generally avoid.
Speed and Power
I think of myself as a slow, meandering rider. Why take the 10 mile route to a destination when a longer, slower route is available. Not on this ride. By the time I stopped to make this photograph I was spending most of my time in the 50 to 65MPH range. Unusual for me. The W650 provides the power. I choose the speed. And on a hot morning, already over 80F, the extra cooling was a welcome addition.
The Reason for the Ride?
I knew exactly where I was going to eat. The previous evening I searched Google Maps for a new destination in a direction I seldom travel. I have judged riding westward from home to be less exciting, less beautiful, and less interesting than any other direction. So that’s where I was going to ride. Stopping to eat at the Green Acres Restaurant near Houtzdale was incidental to the lessons being taught on this hot morning. Lessons in humility when I realize I was wrong and found the ride both beautiful and exhilarating. Or not every ride has to be shrouded in isolation and solitude.
The man in the photograph came out to ask about the bike. We had a nice conversation about riding and motorcycles. That doesn’t happen on some remote backroad miles from no where.
Real Food, Real Pleasure
When I sat down the plan was for the traditional breakfast meal of bacon and eggs. I am a predictable eater. But when I saw a hot roast beef sandwich on the menu I had to ask if it was too early for one. The waitress responded with a polite “Of course not” and my decision was made.
I’ve had many bad hot roast beef sandwiches. This was not one of those abominations of chipped beef and fake gravy sloshed over instant potatoes. It was the real deal, beef pulled from a roast, real gravy made from drippings, and real mashed potatoes made with butter.
Delicious. Simply delicious and a welcome diversion from bacon and eggs.
Knowing What’s Important
I find it easy to get lost in my head in a maddening swirl of responsibility, concern, and daydreams. What emerges can be wildly unpredictable from anxiety and resentment to joy and reckless escape. It has taken a long time to recognize what is truly important versus the mundane activities of daily life. And then make choices that prioritize what’s truly important. When I wake I take care of myself, my wife, and the dogs. And then, before anything else (usually) I write. And hot on the heels is riding and photography. When I prioritize those activities life is smoother and I seem to have more energy for all the other things that require my attention.
Simple Things
On the way home I was struck by the desire for sugar. And maybe tea. As the bike brought me closer to home I decided to stop at the convenience store down the street for something different. A reward to enjoy once the bike and gear was put away. Just sit in my easy chair, have a few bites of ice cream, and replay the ride in my head. Just 70 miles but enough to have me pondering riding and the meaning of life.
At that moment, it meant ice cream.
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Sad to say a hot roast beef sandwich does nothing for me, as I dislike white bread and mashed potatoes. I’m more of an omelette guy, but the guilty pleasures is anything I can get that’s smothered in sausage gravy, be it biscuit or eggs. Or both. Given prices these days, how much to you budget for breakfast out every morning to feed your riding habit? hahahaha jk.
I probably should dislike white bread and mashed potatoes from a health perspective, but they are powerful drugs for me. I do love a good omelette but not the sausage gravy. It’s interesting how different our palettes are.
Regarding my food budget while riding. It’s a lot. Breakfast has gotten surprisingly expensive. I don’t track it buy the total is no doubt in the hundreds of dollars every month. Less than fishing and golf. More than staying home for Cheerios.
Wow, that breakfast choice looked like a real good one..Ice cream on the seat said it all. Glad u had a great ride and eats to boot. Thanks always for sharing the good stuff, Cbs news signs off with what they call the good stuff…They don’t have a clue !!!
A man needs the good stuff. It makes staying home because wildfire smoke makes it hazardous to go outside or to ride. Yesterday the Air Quality Index almost hit 400. Almost half that today but the air still stinks of woodsmoke. Amazing considering how far away the fires are.
I think I need more ice cream today.
Okay, and now a question for you. After all these years riding a motorcycle on a regular basis, do you feel the difference between a scooter and a motorcycle? Both mentally and physically? Ten years ago I had been riding my Helix clone for two years exclusively, no motorcycles. One day while my late wife was in the final days of cancer I took her Rebel, just to shake off the dust, to work. The route was a State road with two good size climbs and I wasn’t riding five minutes when I felt at home again. Even the lowly power of the Rebel eclipsed the scooter. The Rebel being sixty-pounds lighter didn’t hurt either. I guess my point is…Do you feel different in your mind and body on the motorcycles than you do on the scooters? That would be a very interesting blog post.
Definitely an interesting question Jim. And not something I can do justice here in a comment. I’ll have to think about it and probably put those thoughts into another blog post. What I can say scooters are definitely a different experience from motorcycles. And each scooter and motorcycle has their own unique character which makes everything a little more complicated to describe.
And there is a different response for me mentally while riding one or the other. I’ll have to sit with this for awhile. Thanks for suggesting the topic. I suspect there are a lot of scooter and motorcycle riders who wonder what life is like on the other side of the fence.
I need a replacement motorcycle or scooter, and I just don’t know what to get next. I’ve been riding for 50 years so far, and owned everything from 50cc to 900cc, and lots of both scooters or cycles, and I’ve had a number of favorites. I just sold my former current ride, a 250cc Honda Helix, and it was the 3rd one of those I’ve owned. My next ride will be a scooter or cycle in the 250 to 400cc range or so, and whatever it ends up being I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. But it won’t be a Helix, as even though I enjoy those greatly, it’s time for something else. In the meantime I’ll wait for your penned ruminations on the differences between both.
Looking for a new motorcycle or scooter is an exciting time for me. Sadly, my garage is full and there is nothing I want to part with.
You’ll find something that strikes a chord and stimulates you to pay the cash. As much as I have tried to quantify reasons for the things I have there’s an emotional aspect that defies definition. And even though that part is small, it may have the most influence. I wish you luck in your search!
I really wish this blog mechanism had a “like button” capability as I don’t frequently comment on your posts but I ALWAYS enjoy them! I’m currently reading a (now somewhat older) book by Malcolm Gladwell – “What the Dog Saw” – that is a collection of his previous New Yorker articles. Maybe that could be your future – a collection of blog posts and responses curated in a larger work?
For “Likes” to work in a traditional sense it requires an enormous backend system. My blog is self-hosted to I am not connected to any such system. You motivated me to look a little further and found a simple way to just add a “Like” button. It doesn’t work like one would on Instagram or Facebook, but the people who actually visit a post can see it. Hopefully that solves a little problem.
I’m currently working on a book about riding though not one that is a curated collection like you suggest. That book is on my list after I finish the current one. I’m on Chapter 6 right now of 15 chapters I have outlined. Hopefully I’ll finish up in the fall. I’ve been putting it off for years…
Thanks, and I have found the thumbs up button now!
You probably were the first to like something here!