This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

On a Motorcycle

Sometimes two wheels are better than four...

The spell of sunny, spring-like weather the Bay Area is enjoying this January has put me in a two-wheeled frame of mind. Below are just a few of the reasons why I am proud to call myself a “motorcycle enthusiast*.”

On a motorcycle, as in life, there is no reverse.**

Riding a motorcycle can make you a more mindful car driver, giving you a more visceral sense of highway speeds.

Find out what's happening in Albanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It can also make you a more mindful traveler. When it's cold, you're cold. When it's hot, you're hot. When it's raining, you're wet. When it's snowing, you're sitting in a truck stop drinking bad coffee. (Secondary lesson: In riding, as in life, at times you will encounter forces greater than your own will.)

Riding requires extreme physical and mental concentration, which makes it a brilliant form of meditative yoga. (And the subject of a truly excellent book by Robert Pirsig.)

Find out what's happening in Albanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Learning to pack for a week in a motorcycle side case is a powerful exercise in non-attachment to material possessions.

Riding a motorcycle means never having to apologize for buying boots. (Also, “motorcycle hair” is an excellent excuse to buy and wear hats.)

In a refreshing reversal of gender roles, at motorcycling events, the line to the men's restroom is generally much longer than to the women's. (Also, the men tend to carry with them various forms of “tank bags,” into which we ladies can stash odds and ends, what with it being so difficult to manage a purse on a bike and all...)

36” of empty curb = parking spot

If you enjoy having people look at you – and I really, really do – nothing beats riding a motorcycle.

In your helmet, no one can hear you sing.

______________________________________________

*Call me a “biker” and I'll stomp you with my heavy leather boots.

**Yeah, yeah... I know... Honda Goldwings and later BMW LTs have reverse gears... Whatever. It sounds better my way.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?