Why do people ride motercycles?

Question

Driving on two wheels at such high speeds scares the living shi* out of me

at least cars have four wheels

Answer 1

Freedom of the Road. Hang out with friends, reason to party for a week. Go to Daytona or Sturgis during bike week, stay the night at the camp sites, then you will really know..

Answer 2

And that my friend is why people do it.
Driving a car fast anyone can do to a certain extent but riding a bike at high speed takes a lot of skill and very big balls, and when you have just riden from crossgates in mid-wales up to Aberystwyth on the coast flat out on a GSX-R 1000 and you get there in one piece in minimal time you get a sense of achievment, your heart is racing from the adrenaline of over taking 6 cars within 100 metres at 150mph. You can get past traffic alot easier, whether its on the open road or at traffic lights in town because of the acceleration they have and the size so you can slip up between the traffic.

Think about it, a bike will do 190mph for £12,000, a car that does the same is usually £40,000+. Speed freaks don't care what their driving or riding aslong as it goes fast.

Answer 3

A passion for bikes is like a disease of the blood that lies dormant and then rages white-hot just when you think you are sitting comfortably.

I dont take drugs (anymore) I dont drink a lot, I don't need to. Like somone else said on here,-

Climbing off your bike after a hundred miles of hard riding with your mates is the greatest natural high you will ever experience.

And i don't even think a persons spouse would understand the bond between you and your mates when your on the road, mixing it up with car drivers, and the feeling that comes with concentrating on the road so hard that theres no other thought in your head. In fact the rest of the world might as well not exist when the revs are up, your hanging off the seat tipping into a bend knowing that the smallest mis-calculation will see you with a face full of hedge or worse.

Answer 4

Having interviewed lots of bikers about this kind of thing, and as you can see from the other answers above, FREEDOM is often mentioned as a #1 reason. While people mention "wind in the hair" that maybe so in the States but in Europe we have to wear helmets so what you pick up from people is that its different to a car, ie, you're more directly involved in your surroundings.

This is where things start getting interesting. In a car you have windows and body work seperating you from the elements. On a bike you are much more exposed. This creates a bit of a buzz - like the guy above says "to feel alive". Being in a risky situation kind of makes one feel a lot more connected with ones own mortality. Sounds morbid but adds character believe me.

Something people tend to leave implicit, unspoken, in my opinion is the dynamic of a motorbike. Its totally different to a car as you can imagine. Being on 4 wheels in corners puts all the weight to the outside wheels so you feel the centrifugal force really clearly in car. Its fighting against you, pushing you to the outside. Next time you take your favourite corner in your car think about where the forces want to put your body. Without seatbelts, seats, doors etc you'd fall out. On a bike this force is your friend! And to make him your friend you have to lean - this is great fun! Having a bike leant over to the edge of warm sticky tyres, feeling them grip (through your bum! sounds weird but this is the largest contact patch between rider and motorcycle!), dosing the throttle carefully to maintain the balance, speed and lean is one of the arts a motorcyclist yearns to master. A very well known rider survey in the UK shows that getting "knee down" is the thing everyone wants to do!

There is also the showing off aspect. Of course bikers aren't immune to that. And believe me it is attractive to the opposite sex!

Hi speed is one thing - but to get there you need a lot of power. A lot of people say that for the price of a very small car you can get supercar performance. You can. State of the art sports bikes will accelerate like a fighter plane and launch the front wheel with little provocation.

Anyway - this probably all will sound a little worrying and if you jumped straight onto a high powered machine with no experience you'd worry us too! It takes a bit of practice to get the skills together you know. As Nietzsche said "the hardest achievements have the greatest value" (I'm paraphrasing).

Anyway - if you're curious enough to ask you should be curious enough to try. It is fun otherwise the million or so bikers in the UK wouldn't bother.

Answer 5

Those who know, cannot explain.
Those who don't, can never understand.

Seriously, though, it's FUN! I have a car and a bike, so I know how many wheels they have. Driving a car is just operating a machine, but riding a motorcycle is different - you're a crucial part of the machinery itself. There's no feeling of immersion, of integration with the car like there is with a bike. Have you really tried it, or is it just the idea that scares you? I accept that some people just can't do it.

Answer 6

I love getting hard enough on the front brakes to feell the back end wiggle around as I downshift, before I slice into a turn. I love the way the front end comes up suddenly on it's own in first and how I can "tug" up a little wheely in 2nd. I love the way it feels to give it gas in second on a corner exit and either feel the back end swing out a tiny bit as I force myself to not chop throttle, or the front end comes up and get's light.
_-_ I am still learning, But I love the challenge.
I love having a machine that is so much more faster, cooler, romantic and cheaper than those "fast/furious" cars with the wings and big mufflers and stuff.
I love the sound. I just like bikes, and always will. Maybe I will see you when I am on my Honda VTR1000F.

Answer 7

Bungee jumping scares the bejeebers out of me but it's safe enough. In the same sense, riding a bike makes my hair stand on end. Each to their own you know?

Everyone needs a fix of somethings, drugs, alcohol, sex, speed (don't try all at once) etc etc.

Until you've been on a bike you just won't understand.

Answer 8

The feel of the road. Taking a turn and leaning in to it. Feeling the sun and wind on your face. Saving gas. I ride because it is an enjoyable experience. My wife and I will leave at 10:00 and return at dusk. We may have been in three states, or ben all over one. It isn't where you go, it's getting there. The exact opposite of traveling in a car.

Answer 9

To understand why you need to ride one yourself, sitting on the back is no good as it's a totally different experience. Studies also appear to show that motorcycle riders make more observant and better car drivers. I have been over 185 mph on a bike in the right places and believe me it's alot more stable than you might think.

Answer 10

Because it's fun!
I sort've stopped riding in the street. There are to many retards driving cars that don't know the rules of the road. I do most of my riding off road, in the dirt and through trails.