What's it like being a Motorcyclist?
You have either saved up month after month or pestered your parents enough to get you your dream bike that you see passing by your house every other afternoon or you are that one universal consultant to whom everyone comes to for advice on bikes, parts, helmets, gear, blah blah. What's it like to be a motorcyclist? Find the ones that you can relate to.
Oh, and by the way, I cannot stand the," biker", or, " rider" tag. To each his own.
1. Be prepared to sweat:
You are in your car, at a stop sign, a dude/chick stops next to you on a badass motorcycle which sounds louder than it should. Little do you know (depending on where you live) that beneath all that gear is a sweatstorm in progress and the bigger your bike, the worse it gets. My daily commute to work for the last 4 years has involved me wearing my gear everyday. From the not so trusty Royal Enfield to the hot headed KTM, I go to work, almost daily with my shirt sticking to my back. A small compromise for safety that is well worth it.
2. It is not as Glamorous as it looks:
I have been told (by women) that I looked better with my helmet on more than I would like to admit. It is pointless but sometimes, I have to agree with them.
helmet hair, itchy ear/crotch/back, forgetting to wear your earplugs, wedgies are all part of the fun. Unless you have experienced all of this which is fairly easy - you aren't doing it right.
3. You become (marginally) stronger:
Unless you own a Goldwing or that BMW yacht, your bike does not have a reverse gear. This means that you will push/pull and occasionally lift/drag your bike from parking lots/ditches etc.
Not just physical strength, you also tend to push your boundaries, mentally, at times. I was once stuck In heavy torrential rain with a motorcycle and a broken alternator in the night and my only option was to push myself home, tailing trucks for light till I reached my destination.
4. You gain the reflexes of a cat:
Because you ride a motorcycle, you have no steel cage for protection in the event of a crash. Your only option then, would be to be aware of your surroundings. You automatically learn to look way ahead in the highways, scream at the behemoth swerving into your lane, don't tailgate unless it's your friend and ride defensively so that you have enough braking distance to stop safely.
5. You get dirty:
Is your chain loose? Do you need an oil change? do your brake pads have enough flesh? chances are you will end up working on your bike sooner or later, so better start now. fixing punctures on a tubeless Tyre, checking the tension on your chain or changing the oil is fairly simple and will help you somewhere in the future. Plus, chicks dig it.
Dirty also means that every time you go for a ride, you end up sweaty head to toe. A few years back, on a trip to Masinagudi with some work buddies, a friend was whining about how he was grimy and sweaty and how the dust stuck to his head. All I told him was to ," embrace this shit", an it actually made me enjoy the experience even more.
6. People will dislike you:
Mothers have given me the dirty stare, cops have asked me not to race and old men have come up to me and given me a 30 second session about how not to live my life.
Relatives think of me as a bad influence and younger cousins think of me as the cool relative who travels on his motorcycle because he can. People will come up to you and give you their opinion but the only one that matters is your own.
7. Insects will try to kill you:
Ever had a bee in your helmet? or an ant crawl into your ear? A bee sting in the neck/face or knowing that an ant is going to crawl into your ear in the middle of traffic or on the highway Is as dangerous as running into a parked car. Check your helmet for insects and keep them off the ground just to be safe.
8. You learn to enjoy the little things in life:
As a motorcyclist, you tend to live a few kilometers at a time. You learn to enjoy the small things like the freedom while riding alone or the quiet time you get to spend with yourself on the road, soaking in the view or moments shared with friends.
This is what it's like being a motorcyclist, to me.
