The Weather’s Nice. Why Didn’t You Ride The Motorcycle Today?

The weather’s nice, why didn’t you ride your motorcycle today? That is the question so often heard as Spring arrives. The people asking are just trying to start pleasant conversation that they hope will educate me on the dangers and impracticality of motorcycling. Even if they can’t get this idea hammered into me, they can walk away knowing they’re correct.

I feel the need to wear a shirt saying, “Motorcycles and dangerous, expensive, and impractical. I don’t care.”. That would be missing the point of their conversation though. They need you to care. They care. You should care too.

Most riders dismiss this with the quote, “It’s a motorcycle thing, you wouldn’t understand.”. I can’t do that though. I know that anyone without learning handicaps can understand. There is challenge and enjoyment in explaining the how and why of motorcycling. If others can grasp the concept of the illogical choice of riding, maybe they can break free of other social paradigms keeping them miserable.

First, I fully understand, probably far more than the average person, that motorcycles are not frugal. My Prius gets better fuel mileage than my favorite motorcycle. My Goldwing is one of the most reliable motorcycles there is and it costs an absolute fortune to maintain and it breaks. It breaks so much that there are problems with it that no mechanic can figure out. My other bikes are worse. I don’t care. No conversation will change my level of caring.