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It's the little things. What do you love about motorcycling?

7K views 85 replies 51 participants last post by  bpneiman 
#1 ·
Let's see if we can get a real thread going here!


We all love wind in your hair, thrill and excitement etc.. that's not what I'm looking for. What are some of the more subtle things you love about riding your motorcycle? Things that don't often get mentioned, or even thought about. They don't have to be significant, and they can as silly as you want, for example:

I love how when wearing my FF helmet with mirrored visor people seem to stare at my face, as if they're imagining what hideous beast lies behind the mask. It's like because they can't see my eyes, they think I can't see them. Funny!

I also love, on a really hot summer night, filling up my empty gas tank and feeling the coldness of the fuel emanating through to my legs.

Now you go!
 
#65 ·
Got a 4 year old neighbor like. He's got the most amazing enthusiasm for life. And a cute little Indian accent. He asked me why I got a M/C this week. I started to say something then decided I didn't want to explain it one more time (I'm a recent re-entry rider, and since I'm know for bicycling, my neighbors all seem to be very surprised about it - like I went a little crazy or something).

So, as a long-term bicyclist, I love now being able to charge up the hills. Today, it really hit me as I was repeatedly upshifting on a climb. Now that never happens on a bicycle.
 
#3 ·
Doesn't happen often, but I love it when I'm riding in a strongish tailwind and even though the scenery is flying by, the air is relatively still. It's kind of magic.

Another magic moment is on some roads, in zero traffic, in perfect weather, is when you realize you are floating through the curves without even thinking about them, no oil, tar snakes, gravel, etc., just floating.

It's moments like these that keep the grin on.
 
#5 ·
I feel so isolated from the outside world in my car, even with the sunroof and windows open. A the experiences on a bike keep me in touch with what's going on around me. I see more scenery, I feel the wind, I experience motions that the car shields me from. I can leave my car parked for weeks at a time and be fine with it. I love being exposed to the warm air and sunshine.
 
#8 ·
There's this one strange spot on the freeway that I hit every morning, I have no idea what causes it but it smells just like chicken noodle soup! I never noticed it in my car..

There's another spot on a different freeway that I think is close to a soap factory or something, smells like boiling fat, kinda gross.. I can smell that one in my cage with the windows up...
 
#9 ·
I get a good view of the side of the road behind me if I look through my mirrors at the right angle. This feature is most often used when riding by women walking on the side of the road. :biggrin:

Another good thing is I can't smoke on the bike. If I'm smoking on the bike, something's wrong. Trying to quit smoking, and one of my worst habits is chainsmoking in the car. I feel really good after a decently long ride with no smoke breaks. I hop off the bike, enjoy the fresh air in my lungs, and then I light up.
 
#13 ·
I also love, on a really hot summer night, filling up my empty gas tank and feeling the coldness of the fuel emanating through to my legs.
DOOD, I was honestly going to say that...was just thinking that the other night. I love it!

K, since I have to come up with something else, I love feeling the subtle temp changes when riding. There's a spot in Benbrook, TX that goes from warm to literally 10 degrees cooler in the matter of a few yards. I love feeling the transitions on cool summer nights. Its almost like the transitioning cool and warm spots of water when you're snorkeling in the ocean. I also love the smell of honeysuckle from out of nowhere when I'm not expecting it. I'm sure I'll add more later...
 
#32 ·
K, since I have to come up with something else, I love feeling the subtle temp changes when riding. There's a spot in Benbrook, TX that goes from warm to literally 10 degrees cooler in the matter of a few yards. I love feeling the transitions on cool summer nights. Its almost like the transitioning cool and warm spots of water when you're snorkeling in the ocean.
This is what I like the best.

We have a lot of wooded areas around here, and I always like the valleys where the trees on either side of the road can touch and create a natural tunnel for me to fly through. It makes it better on a hot day because you get the feel for the cold wind.
 
#25 ·
I love how you feel like you aren't part of the system of cars around you. It's almost like you're traveling on a different plane than they are. A few feet away yet worlds apart.

The best thing on a bike is coming over the top of a hill that you haven't seen before and don't know what's on the other side. Surrounded by rolling, green countryside on a just-warm-enough day. Sunshine and blue skies, and no one on the road but you.
 
#27 ·
I like the feeling you get when doing a series of tight technical turns that bleed out into a wide open straight, just the feeling you get leaning the bike over left and right, revmatching, downshifting, clutchless upshifting and then crackin it wide open for the straight...when you do it all flawlessly, it feels amazing...just the smoothness of it all...the way the engine sings through the turns and then howls as you hit that straight...add to that the way the wind hits you in proportion to your speed increasing, you just have a real sense of the acceleration beyond just what the speedo says. The g-forces, the wind...I love it.
 
#28 ·
I like having to suit up. Makes it more of an adventure and not just going from Point A to Point B.

There's also something to be said for "the dance". (Safe) Motorcycling takes a fair amount of intelligence and precision motor skills. Like performing any complex task well, there's a sense of satisfaction coordinating and accomplishing well the various things that keep the rubber side down.

I love feeling the subtle temp changes when riding. There's a spot in Benbrook, TX that goes from warm to literally 10 degrees cooler in the matter of a few yards. I love feeling the transitions on cool summer nights.
Ah, you beat me to it. This is a biggie.
 
#29 ·
I like having to suit up. Makes it more of an adventure and not just going from Point A to Point B.

There's also something to be said for "the dance". (Safe) Motorcycling takes a fair amount of intelligence and precision motor skills. Like performing any complex task well, there's a sense of satisfaction coordinating and accomplishing well the various things that keep the rubber side down.
Mine kind of stems from this. I like the feeling I have when I get back home from a 4-5 hour ride on a Saturday. I've just spent many hours intently focusing on the bike underneath me (the sound of the engine, the response of the suspension over bump and in the turns, the feeling of the cool gas between my knees on a hot day, the stickyness of the tires), the other drivers on the road, the scenery, intently focusing on the road ahead while being completely aware of my surroundings. All the physical and mental focus that is required to ride safely is exerted over the course of the ride. By the time I get home, I am as exhausted as I was at the end of a high school football game. I let hte bike cool down then par it in the garage, take off my leathers and helmet and store them till the next ride (usually the following day), then I turn back and look at her sitting in the garage, listening to the metal as it cools down. I have a small, tired smile on my face, then I go inside. I grab a cold drink of water from the fridge and sit down on the couch, turn on what's left of whatever game I can find on TV, then lay down and take a nap. I get the second-best sleep ever after a nice long ride. I love the feeling of pure enjoyment that so completely consums and exhausts me.
 
#33 ·
Two things...

The smell of lilacs and trees...and

Riding at sunset and the air is almost like warm bath water....feels so good!:icon_cool:
 
G
#34 ·
I have to agree with the general consensus, smell is a big part for me. Stuff you just cannot get in a cage. There are a few patches I simply love that cut through a nice shady cool bit of woods and the smell just uncontrollably brings a smile. The locust trees just got through blooming and that smell will hit you like a ton of bricks. Even just the little things like going through town and smelling someone cooking out on the grill...Mmmm grill...:cool:
 
#35 ·
I marvel at the idea that this little machine can hurl me at high speeds to my destination; I can snap it up to speed and then snap it back down. I can travel long distances across the state or just to the local drug store. I like how it listens to me when I ask it to perform and how it rewards me when I "do it just right". I love the feeling of making a precise turn at a good speed (say taking an off ramp).

I love making it (her) scream in ecstacy (only after getting her warmed up) and how it seems to ride just a bit better after it is washed and/or waxed.

I love the rumble of a v-twin at idle and the purr of that v-twin at highway speed in top gear. I love the roar of an inline-4 after it comes on full cam and the sounds it makes from rev-matching going into a turn.

When I get home, I enjoy the little tink tink sounds the exhaust system makes from expansion/contraction; it's like the bike had as much fun as the rider and it's just chuckling to itself satisfaction as the rider walks away repeating to himself -- "man, what a fantastic bike".

Dennis
 
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