Why Do I Ride?

Blog Date - 23 July 2014

Reading Tom McQuiggan's "When Is A Biker Not A Biker" got me thinking. 

Lets make one thing clear, the act of riding a motorcycle is a dangerous way to travel. You can argue it's the car driver's fault for not seeing us, you can argue it's the biker's fault for riding too fast, you can quote all kinds of arguments and ideas but the fact remains that using a motorcycle to move your person from one place to another is far riskier method than using a car or a bus or a train or a plane. So why take the risk?

Cost?

Motorcycling used to be popular in the post war period not because everyone was a full throttle thrill seeker but because a motorcycle was much more affordable than a car. When I started to ride at the end of the '80s it was at the end of the era when young lads got a bike because it was cheaper than a car. As soon as these young folks started work they got a car and only came back to motorcycles for their mid life crisis. Today it is still cheaper for a youth to get on a scooter than into a car, but even in these allegedly "hard times" most youths choose either to use public transport or find the money to insure a car.

As a mature adult though is motorcycling still cheaper? My initial thoughts are yes, for sure! My little 125 does at least 130 mpg which is a massive saving over my Ford Ka which returns 45 mpg. But there's cars out there now that can return 60, even 70 mpg and that's better than most 600cc plus motorcycles can even get close to. Tyres for the 125 are £65 and last about 14 thousand miles, I can get a basic car tyre for the Ka for £45 and it will last 25,000 miles. The 125 needs fresh oil every 2,500 miles, the Ka gets fresh oil once a year. The Ka doesn't have a problem with chains and sprockets, brake pads last for ages and cables don't snap regularly.

Then there's longevity and depreciation. My 125 has 25,000 miles on it and is getting very tired. My Ka has 52,000 miles and is in good order. You won't find motorcycles with much over 10,000 miles in a shiny bike dealer's showroom. Most buyers view 10,000 miles as high mileage on a motorcycle yet 25,000 miles on a car is just run in. You try taking a 44,000 mile Fazer 600 in for trade in like I did recently, most dealers don't want to know. 

I haven't done the maths but I'm fairly sure owning and running a 600cc motorcycle is comparable to owning and running a small economical hatchback. My 125 probably is cheaper but not by as much as you might first think. So in summary from my perspective the savings made by using a motorcycle are one reason to ride a motorcycle, but not a big one, not any more, not these days. I'm greedy too, I run a 125 and a 250, I probably spend a lot more on these 2 machines than I would if I just kept the Ford Ka.

Social?

My social life has been built around bikes, bikers and motorcycling. Most of my friends are riders or ex riders. Many of the pubs, events and nights out I go to are somehow bike related. There is no reason I wouldn't have an active social life without the motorcycle though, there's plenty to do out there. It is just that little bit easier to start a conversation and make new acquaintances with bikes. "What you riding today?" is a simple, normal, friendly and non aggressive opening to any conversation with a stranger where bikers gather. It's a bit weird to go up to a stranger in Tesco and ask "What you buying today?" isn't it.

I hear bikers claim that bikers are the friendliest and easiest going people. Hmmmm. Just read the tantrums and arguments on a facebook biker forum and tell me that's true. Like any group of people you'll meet good folks, boring people, those that make you laugh till it hurts and those that you want to punch as soon as they talk. Bikers are just people, just ordinary normal people. We do however share a passion for motorcycles and that common ground brings some degree of unity. Of course we then split into sub-groups like sports bike riders in one piece leathers versus cut off wearing cruiser riders versus all year any weather commuters versus tossers on crossers. 

That said I still take a great deal of pleasure from the social aspect of motorcycling. For me this is an important reason to keep on riding. 

The Ride Itself?

I've been on powered two wheelers now since I was 18 which means in November this year I can celebrate my 25th anniversary. I've worked as a courier and instructor, used the bike to commute and ridden all year round. To say I get excited about getting on the bike is no longer true, the novelty has worn off a little now. 

In those years I've tried to be fast. In those years I fell of a fair few times trying to be fast. It took far far far too long for me to realise that perhaps, maybe, possibly I'm not as fast as I like to think I am. Strangely enough since I've stopped trying to be fast I've started to re-enjoy my riding again. Oh no, don't get me wrong, I still get a thrill and a scare by pushing on when the mood takes me and the road allows, I simply no longer worry about keeping up with whoever I'm riding with or whoever's just burned me off. These days sometimes I relish and revel in dawdling down a quiet country lane taking in the countryside and the sights with the engine just put-put-putting away beneath me. I guess I'm getting old.

My big thing on the bike these last few years has been travel. About 12 years ago I was introduced by a good friend to the idea of using a motorcycle as a means to see the world. Since then I've expanded my horizons from North West England to the point now where I know the UK intimately and I have dipped a toe a few times into Europe. In all honesty I've merely taken a few holidays on two wheels but I'm getting there, slowly. 

I still commute and ride most days with a purpose, be that shopping or going to a friend's place. The excitement and thrill of something new is far behind me now and yet I still feel at home and at ease on my bike. It's still a good place to be.

So Why Do I Ride?

Cost, though it's not that great a saving. Social, it has been my lifestyle all my adult life. And because after almost 25 years and somewhere between 350,000 and half a million miles I still find I like riding. Can't think of a better reason than that really.

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