While I worry over new riders, I wouldn't argue against bikes for love nor money. Like other personal activities it is hard to explain why some love it and others do not. There is certainly no changing anyone's mind about it though. When it comes to road bikes, Kendall makes an old and popular view........and I've been down a few times myself. But when you really love something......................

It's early evening on pleasant summer day. The temperature has brought the humidity to a less noticeable level and there is this great place about 50 miles away where they have something great to eat. There are several ways to get there but two are a lot more fun to ride so you throw a leg over and turn the key. If you're an old fart you remember what a pain in the ass it was to kick start big bore bikes.

When I was 15 I bought my first, a BSA 250, sort of a mini thumper but it lasted only a month or so. I had to have something a lot bigger!   The only folks who rode Harleys were outlaws and cops. Big Japanese bikes were still a few years in the future so if you wanted a fun and pwerful ride it was a Brit. I think I'd been riding only 6 weeks or so when I took every cent I had and bought a Triumph Bonneville. I brought it home and although I had successfully kept this activity from my parents, my Dad found out and so I brought the Bonnie home to live in the garage instead of at a friend's house. The Old Man knew it was hopeless and as I was otherwise a pretty good kid, he looked at it sitting there and said, "Boy, I'd just as soon you bought yourself a coffin." That was about it.....well spoken and clear......and he never said another word on the matter.

I had a series of Brits til 1970 when I was so frustrated with the damn things I was ready to fly to England and kill Joe Lucas, whoever ta' hell he was. There was also no resisting the Honda 750. It changed the face of motorcycling completely and it also started my love affair with the big bore riceburners. It culminated in 1985 when I bought the bike I still have. Its a Honda Sabre 65, 1100 V-4 and probably the best example of what the Triumphs and BSAs wanted and strived to be, but never were. Smooth, fast, powerful, and reliable with good handling and good looks to boot. But we were about to take a ride weren't we?

You turn the key and hit the starter and as the engine warms you strap on your helmet, pull on some gloves, and decide which way you're going. Leaving your house you take it easy but as you reach the highway you wick it up and appreciate the acceleration. There is no way to explain the feeling of riding a bike that will exceed every speed limit in first gear. For the next 50 miles you ride and enjoy the feeling as the sweeping turns lead to tight esses and a short straight stretch follow an off camber turn to the left. Its a nice road with fun riding and enough of it qualifies as a "proficiency run" to give you the rush that a bike can bring.

Maybe you arrive and find your spot closed, but it doesn't matter. You didn't come for the food.....it was all about the ride. So pull into that little drive-in you've seen so many times and try out their onion rings while you relax, leaning on the bike and remembering all the other joints you discovered just by accidents on other nights like this. Maybe you remember the nice folks who had a bonfire going a cold fall night and stopping to get warm.....and they gave you coffee and conversation and flaming marshmallows. You don't make those stops with a car.

Riding home on a less challenging route you enjoy the added smoothness and power the moist night air adds. Its amazing how much difference you can tell on a bike....things you rarely notice in a car.When you get home you take a few minutes just to sit on the bike in the garage. I don't know why. I gues there is a certain communion between a bike and rider that makes you know that machinery has a soul. They do you know..................really.

Raptor, I hope you decide buy a bike and hope you take all the proper lessons and courses which are available now. I admit that I worry about the middle-aged newbie but if you can have a few nights like the one above or thousands of others from broiling sun to 20 below, life is just a bit more worthwhile.



Spaw

btw, get a 750....big enough to be both fun and stable and not making you want to trade soon. Much smaller and you lack some of the kick to be truthful.