Don’t discount the wind in your hair. It’s one sign of the fun in
riding a motorcycle. You should wear a helmet of course, but you’ll still wind
up with that somehow attractive hairstyle.
Motorcycles are selling well, so there must be something more
attractive than hairstyles. As Popular Mechanics says, “Nobody really has to
buy a motorcycle. But these days plenty of people want to. And you may be one
of them. Before you plunk down your money, swing your leg over the seat and
feel that warm breeze of freedom, you need to resolve several critical issues.”
3 compelling reasons to get a motorbike:
1. A motorcycle makes great commuter sense. If you must drive to and from work
daily, a motorcycle will get you there faster and cheaper. It will also start
and end your day with more fun.
City, suburb, or country, your motorbike
will get you to work around and through routine traffic or traffic jams. With a
motorcycle, you have command of more road and can maneuver to your advantage
while cars are stuck steaming in their lanes.
You’ll park easier and cheaper in
designated bike parking areas and arrive at work early. If your job calls for
you to visit multiple sites, the bike is even more convenient.
Burning up that much road in short time is
more fuel efficient than cars, SUVs, or trucks. For example, a Honda Africa
CRF1000L DCT gets 45 mpg, Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster offers 50 mpg., and
Zero SR ZF14.4 is the first all-electric bike with a range of 200 miles.
And, while you are outperforming other
vehicles, you have a far different commuting experience. You ride with a
different focus and freedom than other drivers, and you enjoy the trip more —
in good weather.
2. The biker experience changes you. Riding a motorcycle puts you in
touch with the road, nature, and people in a different way.
In addition to saving fuel, your cycle
reduces your carbon footprint and adds fewer pollutants. It taxes highways,
bridges, and the travel infrastructure less. And, it gives you access to roads
you haven’t used before and places you’ve yet to visit.
When you ride, you relate to the bike, the
road, and the world differently. You are alone without kids in the back seat or
faceless voices conducting business from your infotainment center. You lean
into angles, curves, and lane splitting with a heightened focus and excitement
worth writing home about.
Adventure motorcycling (ADV) involves
touring hidden back roads and unpaved trails. As the LA Times reports, “Now,
ADV riding has warmed to the boiling point. The niche segment, which in 2011
accounted for only 5% of motorcycle sales, has grown to 10%.”
And, solitary as your ride may be, you
meet the most interesting people. Wannabes want to talk about the bike.
Veterans want to compare notes. And, rider clubs want members. The cycle
becomes the topic of conversation for people from all walks of life.
3. A motorbike makes you cool. Regardless of age or gender, anyone who
straddles a bike sees themselves as Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Peter Fonda,
or other icons from celebrity cycling. And, those new riders will outfit
themselves in top-dollar leathers and gear.
But, they don’t needn’t buy their way into stardom. Family,
friends, and strangers will view them with envy for doing something they have
always wanted to do. They envy you the adventure and freedom. And, they envy
your courage to be “different” in their terms.
What they should recognize is how your confidence and
self-possession have improved. What they see as “cool” are your strength in
being connected, your independence from the norm, and your comfort with the
risk.
Shopping for the wind in your hair
There are more motorcycle brands and
models than ever. And, there is always an inventory
of used motorcycles with enough variety in size, style, power,
and features to attract first-time buyers and expert riders, too.
