What makes you ride/race?

[mister c]

Done it since I was 17 (1980) & never looked back. I was brought up around bikes, my great uncle had one, both my mum's neighbours had them, so started to show an interest at a very early age.
I can't explain why I want to ride........ I just do, it's like a drug. At the moment it's killing me because i can't get my fix, but rest assured when (read, if) I'm mended, then I will be back out in all weathers looking for that one time when you say when you get to your destination "God I enjoyed that!"

Originally Posted by mister c

I just do, it's like a drug.

Glad someone mentioned that, thought I was the only one for a moment . All through winter I have had similar cravings for riding my bike as I used to have when I gave up smoking, except this is stronger. It is a weird, slightly gut churning longing (and no, not cos of the vibration ) and I am generally quite nervous when I get on and pull away but when I get going it invariably ends up with me grinning like an idiot and laughing my head off when exiting corners.

Such a natural high, who needs recreational drugs when you have motorbikes, maybe we should recommend this to Amy W.

Trace

oh the noise! i love the sound of a v twin with a race pipe, i also love the sound of a screeming il4 at high revs!

110% concentration. Applying every single thought process to what you are doing at that exact moment in time. Nothing else exists.

Hard on the brakes into a corner, nailing the Apex and coming out at the limit of grip. Absolutely, totally, unbeatable.

[KnightRider]

A combination of:
adrenaline - because your life is literally in your own hands and there is always a chance that it could go terribly wrong
comradship - it takes a certain sort of person to ride a motorbike and we are typically quite a friendly bunch - with each other at least (even if you have never met before)
freedom - your on your own so nobody else can tell you what to do
satisfaction - from riding well
fun - I enjoy seeing the countryside from my bike, the wind, the smells you feel closer to your environment
+ it's one of the ultimate boys toys

[G]

Two main reasons to be honest.

1) I started a new jobs and it was taking me 1 hour 30 minutes to get to work. I wanted a bike as I saw them filter by every day. Hence I wanted a bike for my commute. (This is to be honest, although a genuine reason, a reason I made up to justify buying a bike to my girlfriend and parents)

2) I started a new job and was given an incredibly boring company car. Throughout my life I had exciting fast/fun cars and going for a drive into the country with my girlfriend and having a sunday lunch or whatever. Due to space a fun car was no longer possible. Hence buying a bike.

Now I have one I will never look back, I have no desire to own another car myself and find no cars making me say 'ooooo I want one'. Bikes on the other hand do on a very large scale. People who dont ride dont undertand or dont enjoy the rush and freedom a bike offers.

The freedom to not get stuck in traffic!

really i think its just the buzz and excitement you can get from riding. not nesecarily fast all the time, but just that feeling of being outside on a great day with no real care in the world. the adrenalin buzz you get from pulling out and making an overtake manouver and tearing off down the road is just amazing!

plus i have an interest in going fast, cars, bikes, mountain bikes, snowboarding..... i just love the buzz you get from things like that. being young i couldnt afford a decent fast car so got the bike, never looked back, and prob never will!!!

Originally Posted by KnightRider

A combination of:
adrenaline - because your life is literally in your own hands and there is always a chance that it could go terribly wrong
comradship - it takes a certain sort of person to ride a motorbike and we are typically quite a friendly bunch - with each other at least (even if you have never met before)
freedom - your on your own so nobody else can tell you what to do
satisfaction - from riding well
fun - I enjoy seeing the countryside from my bike, the wind, the smells you feel closer to your environment
+ it's one of the ultimate boys toys

+1 on that for sure, adrenaline I'm a junkie its like a drug to me, get a good feeling from it, better than any drug out there thats for sure, its a pure addiction....I have meeting tomorrow in South London, the rest of gang is on the train I'm on the bike, they can't understand why I want to ride

I don't look at cars now and think ohh I want that, some look hot, but my bike is far hotter....Though I still want to rip up in my dad's sports car.

Yer they are ace toys, and give such a big well I think thats sums it up, but to be very honest its very hard to put into words, lanuage is a clumsy way of descrbing the emtions my bike stirs up inside of me, I describe it as buring intense fire, make sense? Not really

[Paul the 6th]

like a few people have said on here, it's "Me time" - I'm self employed so I think about work nearly 24/7 - when I'm in the pub, I talk about work. When I'm with mates, I mention work. When I'm in the bath, I think about work. When I'm on the bike.... nothing...

also, like one or two others have said about a zen/nirvana/meditation state - there was an article in the december/january issue of bike magazine about how biking is good for you. Calorie wise, a hard ride burns more energy than watching tv or walking. Mentally, humans have evolved to reward risk taking over the years and riding a motorcycle entertains this on a hormonal and nervous system level. A psychologist said he could easily see how concentrating intensley on a task and having so many sensory inputs whilst riding a bike - wind against your body, wind noise in your ears (protectors) your eyes watching the tarmac wizzing past, the fresh air, etc.... could all overwhelm the rider and result in a state similar to meditation and ultimately, relaxation.

That's a long winded wordy articulation of the reasons why I ride - basically it makes me feel alive in a way words cant describe