It’s to do with people that cannot abide to see someone having fun, doing something they can’t or just simply getting away with it. It’s envy. It’s blinkered. It’s moral superiority. It’s trying to force people to fit in, to do what they are told, to be wrong.
And that’s why motorcycles have always succeeded in pissing people off. You see a freedom that you want to take away, to control, to batter down with a better point of view.
And that’s why we do it. Because we can.
But I’ll bet nobody, or very few people here feel like I do (I’ve asked this on STW before, so don’t lie to me)
Its a bike. Weather it has an engine or not, weather you wear Lycra, leather, tweed or a suit, they are all one and the same thing to me. I see no difference at all, only minor details.
I think all that bit is true, as to the growing up bit, having quite literally grown up and to some folks perspective grown old riding all manner of bikes, I’d tender the following personal observations.
I always feel safer on a bike with an engine rather than one without, and the advice I give any younger person taking up the idea of biking on the road is to assume your invisible, whatever you ride, the difference however, the bigger the bike (and its engine) the more road space you can command, none would tolerate you riding either your road or atb down the centre of the road whereas things like Harleys for example can command that by their size & presence. Scooters, mopeds and the like very often can’t or get edged over, by bastards in cars.
As to growing up, that gets forced upon you with the years, your reflexes and ‘bottle factor’ or slightly less of it. They are for risk takers and mostly young men, who will have their thrills, as long as they are prepared for the inevitable (I don’t know anyone who hasn’t stacked at one time or another) and that it is survivable and hopefully doesn’t involve any innocent party, then it’s life, live and let live it’s their choice.
