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Everything Dirt Bike
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Motorcycle Essay
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<blockquote data-quote="Travace" data-source="post: 59567" data-attributes="member: 111"><p>All of this has created a situation where our roads are increasingly dangerous because drivers have less control, are more distracted and are simply less capable. They mimic each other’s bad habits, are ignorant of safety issues, ignore traffic signals, refuse to use turn signals, disobey speed limits, drive aggressively, park poorly - a recipe for disaster on our roads. Road rage is prevalent, congestion continues to increase, cars are made faster, bigger, with more distracting toys. But testing and training remain frozen at levels more suited to 1930s automobiles and traffic levels.</p><p> </p><p> Motorcycles are about control. Subtle changes in body position, a slight motion of the wrist, a casual shift in the location of elbows and knees - all of these affect the ride, the lean angle, the power applied to the wheels. Tiny movements translate into significant reactions. To ride a motorcycle is to apply your entire body to the act of riding. Everything the rider does has a result. You cannot ride and not be aware of how you sit, how your arms are flexed, the position of your shoulders or your legs.</p><p> </p><p> To ride is to remember your body, to use it. To ride is to manage a vehicle and its resources.</p><p> </p><p> Riding is a challenge</p><p> </p><p> Riding on today’s roads requires the motorcyclist to extend his or her consciousness. Unlike in a car, you cannot ride without awareness. The cant of the road, the sharpness of the turn, the condition of the pavement - are all in the foremost of the rider’s thoughts. Drivers can ignore animals who dart across the road and kill them without affecting the drive. For a motorcyclist, these can represent a serious, even lethal threat. We have to watch and be careful.</p><p> </p><p> Car drivers can plow through all sorts of environmental conditions without changing the settings on their cruise control. Motorcyclists have to watch for and be prepared to react to water, rain, wind and changing road surfaces. And motorcyclists have to look ahead, consider the road in advance, plan and prepare in ways drivers never need to do.</p><p> </p><p> Riding demands of the rider. It is an unforgiving mistress, never allowing for mistakes or carelessness. Without the steel-and-plastic protection provided by the automobile, motorcyclists are vulnerable to even minor obstacles.</p><p> </p><p> In a world of virtual experiences, instant gratification, point-and-click interfaces, and automatic transmissions, riding is an anachronism. It gives us the pleasures of having to be awake and aware in our activities. Riding is not for the dull-witted. Driving modern vehicles with their consciousness-magnet devices, however, is perfectly suited for them.</p><p> </p><p> Riding sets us apart</p><p> </p><p> Before cars, there were motorcycles. In fact, for the first fifty years while the internal combustion engine was developed for powered transportation, motorcycles outnumbered cars in most countries. In many parts of Europe, cars did not overtake motorcycles as a popular form of transportation until the 1960s.</p><p> </p><p> But today motorcyclists are in the minority in most nations. That puts us on the outskirts of popular culture. Most of us like it that way. We don’t run with the pack. We are not counted in the lemming-like hordes of look-alike mini-vans and SUVs. We are outsiders, non-conformists, free thinkers, independent and proud of it.</p><p> </p><p> In a car, you have never really left home. You are never really out of the office, or away from your family. The cell phone is the umbilical cord that never lets you break free, but the vehicle has been engineered to enforce conformity. Radio stations make sure you get the same dose of familiarity on the drive to and from work as you would simply sitting at home. Drivers bring familiar and comfortable music to play on the auto stereo systems to further intensive the relationship between home and car. TV sets are built into back seats so the kids never have the unsettling sensation of being alone with the parents. You never really run free of the pack in a car, no matter what the ads promise.</p><p> </p><p> On a motorcycle, you can’t be reached by cell phone. Without special equipment, you can’t even hold a conversation with your passenger. You’re alone, you’re unprotected, you’re not one of the crowd. You’re alone with your thoughts, in a Zen-like bubble of consciousness. You look, you think and you ride.</p><p> </p><p> Riding is more socially interactive</p><p> </p><p> Drivers operate in an extended personal space that encourages sociopathic behaviour. Road rage is common and becoming more frequent. In more violent societies where gunfire is accepted as a socially acceptable form of interaction and firearm associations that encourage widespread gun ownership are considered "normal," it is not uncommon to read stories about drivers killing one another over such minor transgressions as cutting the other off. Road rage is an illness of drivers, not motorcyclists.</p><p> </p><p> Blaring horns, rude and impolite gestures, mouthed curses glimpsed through windows - these are common daily scenes among drivers. Driving is one of the prime causes of the decay of Western morals and the ruin of socially acceptable behaviour. Manners are a thing of the past - at least among drivers.</p><p> </p><p> In small towns where traditional values may still hold sway, recreational visitors in a hurry to their vacation spot seldom stop to allow a parked car to back out of a spot, seldom wait for a slow pedestrian to pass safely by before racing off. Yellow lights are ignored as drivers race to get through intersections, often even ignoring red lights. Stop signs and other traffic indicators like yield and slow are treated as optional or simply ignored.</p><p> </p><p> Drivers will drive on the wrong side of a street to avoid having to walk the extra 30 feet to get to their destination. Intact drivers will park in spots reserved for the handicapped simply because they are too lazy to find another spot. Turn signals are unused as drivers careen in and out of traffic without warning. Drivers race along suburban streets well above the speed limit, uncaring about pedestrians, children, animals or urban wildlife.</p><p> </p><p> Drivers will pull into a parking space ahead of you although you had your blinker on and were making a turn into it. Drivers will park their vehicles and leave them running to pollute the atmosphere, then argue against controls on idling as if destroying the environment were some sort of right and freedom.</p><p> </p><p> Motorcyclists are not immune from stupidity, of course. Some less mature or more sociopathic riders will rise up and wheelie on suburban streets. Ignorant riders will scream down low-speed roads with a screech of rubber and a wisp of smoke. Foolish young riders will wear nothing more than a T-shirt and shorts for 'protection'... proof that not all riders are imbued with wit and wisdom and that some simply have a lot of growing up to do. Unfortunately they tend to give the better riders an equally bad reputation.</p><p> </p><p> In general, motorcyclists are not so stupid. Responsible, mature and intelligent riders keep their stunts to the racetrack, don’t endanger others and don’t show off. They don’t need to. A real motorcyclist doesn’t need to do childish tricks to draw attention to him- or herself. The act of riding is all he or she needs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Travace, post: 59567, member: 111"] All of this has created a situation where our roads are increasingly dangerous because drivers have less control, are more distracted and are simply less capable. They mimic each other’s bad habits, are ignorant of safety issues, ignore traffic signals, refuse to use turn signals, disobey speed limits, drive aggressively, park poorly - a recipe for disaster on our roads. Road rage is prevalent, congestion continues to increase, cars are made faster, bigger, with more distracting toys. But testing and training remain frozen at levels more suited to 1930s automobiles and traffic levels. Motorcycles are about control. Subtle changes in body position, a slight motion of the wrist, a casual shift in the location of elbows and knees - all of these affect the ride, the lean angle, the power applied to the wheels. Tiny movements translate into significant reactions. To ride a motorcycle is to apply your entire body to the act of riding. Everything the rider does has a result. You cannot ride and not be aware of how you sit, how your arms are flexed, the position of your shoulders or your legs. To ride is to remember your body, to use it. To ride is to manage a vehicle and its resources. Riding is a challenge Riding on today’s roads requires the motorcyclist to extend his or her consciousness. Unlike in a car, you cannot ride without awareness. The cant of the road, the sharpness of the turn, the condition of the pavement - are all in the foremost of the rider’s thoughts. Drivers can ignore animals who dart across the road and kill them without affecting the drive. For a motorcyclist, these can represent a serious, even lethal threat. We have to watch and be careful. Car drivers can plow through all sorts of environmental conditions without changing the settings on their cruise control. Motorcyclists have to watch for and be prepared to react to water, rain, wind and changing road surfaces. And motorcyclists have to look ahead, consider the road in advance, plan and prepare in ways drivers never need to do. Riding demands of the rider. It is an unforgiving mistress, never allowing for mistakes or carelessness. Without the steel-and-plastic protection provided by the automobile, motorcyclists are vulnerable to even minor obstacles. In a world of virtual experiences, instant gratification, point-and-click interfaces, and automatic transmissions, riding is an anachronism. It gives us the pleasures of having to be awake and aware in our activities. Riding is not for the dull-witted. Driving modern vehicles with their consciousness-magnet devices, however, is perfectly suited for them. Riding sets us apart Before cars, there were motorcycles. In fact, for the first fifty years while the internal combustion engine was developed for powered transportation, motorcycles outnumbered cars in most countries. In many parts of Europe, cars did not overtake motorcycles as a popular form of transportation until the 1960s. But today motorcyclists are in the minority in most nations. That puts us on the outskirts of popular culture. Most of us like it that way. We don’t run with the pack. We are not counted in the lemming-like hordes of look-alike mini-vans and SUVs. We are outsiders, non-conformists, free thinkers, independent and proud of it. In a car, you have never really left home. You are never really out of the office, or away from your family. The cell phone is the umbilical cord that never lets you break free, but the vehicle has been engineered to enforce conformity. Radio stations make sure you get the same dose of familiarity on the drive to and from work as you would simply sitting at home. Drivers bring familiar and comfortable music to play on the auto stereo systems to further intensive the relationship between home and car. TV sets are built into back seats so the kids never have the unsettling sensation of being alone with the parents. You never really run free of the pack in a car, no matter what the ads promise. On a motorcycle, you can’t be reached by cell phone. Without special equipment, you can’t even hold a conversation with your passenger. You’re alone, you’re unprotected, you’re not one of the crowd. You’re alone with your thoughts, in a Zen-like bubble of consciousness. You look, you think and you ride. Riding is more socially interactive Drivers operate in an extended personal space that encourages sociopathic behaviour. Road rage is common and becoming more frequent. In more violent societies where gunfire is accepted as a socially acceptable form of interaction and firearm associations that encourage widespread gun ownership are considered "normal," it is not uncommon to read stories about drivers killing one another over such minor transgressions as cutting the other off. Road rage is an illness of drivers, not motorcyclists. Blaring horns, rude and impolite gestures, mouthed curses glimpsed through windows - these are common daily scenes among drivers. Driving is one of the prime causes of the decay of Western morals and the ruin of socially acceptable behaviour. Manners are a thing of the past - at least among drivers. In small towns where traditional values may still hold sway, recreational visitors in a hurry to their vacation spot seldom stop to allow a parked car to back out of a spot, seldom wait for a slow pedestrian to pass safely by before racing off. Yellow lights are ignored as drivers race to get through intersections, often even ignoring red lights. Stop signs and other traffic indicators like yield and slow are treated as optional or simply ignored. Drivers will drive on the wrong side of a street to avoid having to walk the extra 30 feet to get to their destination. Intact drivers will park in spots reserved for the handicapped simply because they are too lazy to find another spot. Turn signals are unused as drivers careen in and out of traffic without warning. Drivers race along suburban streets well above the speed limit, uncaring about pedestrians, children, animals or urban wildlife. Drivers will pull into a parking space ahead of you although you had your blinker on and were making a turn into it. Drivers will park their vehicles and leave them running to pollute the atmosphere, then argue against controls on idling as if destroying the environment were some sort of right and freedom. Motorcyclists are not immune from stupidity, of course. Some less mature or more sociopathic riders will rise up and wheelie on suburban streets. Ignorant riders will scream down low-speed roads with a screech of rubber and a wisp of smoke. Foolish young riders will wear nothing more than a T-shirt and shorts for 'protection'... proof that not all riders are imbued with wit and wisdom and that some simply have a lot of growing up to do. Unfortunately they tend to give the better riders an equally bad reputation. In general, motorcyclists are not so stupid. Responsible, mature and intelligent riders keep their stunts to the racetrack, don’t endanger others and don’t show off. They don’t need to. A real motorcyclist doesn’t need to do childish tricks to draw attention to him- or herself. The act of riding is all he or she needs. [/QUOTE]
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