Alive while driving...

I have been without a motorcycle now for a little more than a year now and I recently was able to ride my friends bike for more than around town. Having not been on one for this long, and then getting back on one, I think I have rediscovered the reason I like riding a motorcycle. Simply, I am actually taking an active part in the driving of this machine. I don't have a radio to distract me. You can't really talk to another person. You certainly cannot talk on a cell phone!! You are far more aware of the road and the other vehicles around you. You feel the process of driving, and you actually have to use your body to make the bake respond the way it is supposed to. My guess is that this is alot of what racing drivers feel everytime they get behind the wheel. My concetration level goes way up, and I actually enjoy the ride.

Sometimes, it can be a rough ride and not all that pleasant but those times are usually few and far between. And sure, sometimes you get wet or cold, but that is part of it. It is kind of like camping. You have to learn to deal with it, otherwise you might as well not go.

Driving a car has very little to do with the driver anymore. If it did, why would there be GPS systems, sound systems that rival home studios, and need I mention, video systems? My parents car even beeps when they get to close to something! No need to be a good driver, just listen to the car and it will tell you what to do. You don't even need to use the gas hardly! Yeah, it is a comfortable ride, but is it driving?

I think that is why motorcycle owners like riding their machines. It lets them take control. It lets them feel alive while driving. It can be more dangerous, but usually, accidents involving motorcycles are usually the fault of someone driving a car, and I bet those drivers are distracted by something in the car, or they have become so bored with driving, they don't notice the other people, most particularly motorcycles, on the road with them. (START SEEING MOTORCYCLES!!)

I hope to have a motorcycle of my own again soon. I hope to feel like I am really driving a vehicle again soon. I love my truck, but a bike is far more exciting to drive.

Later!