Many riders are asked, “What does it feel like to ride a motorcycle?” The feel of Riding Motorcycles is difficult to explain, other than in shouts and yells that would make some uncomfortable and others laugh, but we will try to explain it without the hoots and hollers.
Someone that rides motorcycles will tell you that there is nothing like it the wind in your hair, zooming along on the road, feeling like you are going faster than you actually are. Not having to wear a seatbelt, and that is just a few of the things that some bikers love there are other reasons as well. Bikers even get withdrawal symptoms from not riding their motorcycles for long periods of time, that is why you will see some out riding in biting cold weather. We love to ride!
Riding is different for everyone, however, the sensations for everyone come across different but the same sensations for everyone are there regardless. Most wouldn’t think to use words like velocity, aroma, lean angle, or even condition to describe a ride but they all are part of the experience. Senses are heightened when riding just like if a person loses their sight they can hear, taste and touch better. It is similar with a motorcyclist, pull us out of a cage(car) and put us on a bike and we experience everything differently.
Velocity: A motorcycle doesn’t accelerate like a vehicle does so velocity is a sensation that we love. The acceleration is much quicker on a bike than in a vehicle so you feel it quicker and someone that is not used too it may feel a bit overwhelmed if they are not ready for it. The acceleration or speed is different for different bikes as well. Bikers know there is a difference between sportbikes, cruisers, and touring bikes and they all have a different acceleration rate, however, they are all still much faster than a car. The difference with riding a bike at high speeds and driving a car is that you have to adjust your body to keep the bike from falling over in turns or the rear or front of the bike popping up on you during acceleration or braking.
Aroma: The aromas that a motorcyclist experiences when riding are different than when in a vehicle. You receive smells more often than you would in a vehicle and they influence your ride immensely. Some areas will even help you to remember some rides more than others.
Lean Angle: When Riding Motorcycles the everything you do is important to the ride, lean angle, acceleration, braking, and even traction on the surface you are riding on. Managing these when riding is different than when driving a vehicle, you are forced to use them all at the same time on a bike. With a car, you don’t have to worry about balance when you touch the brakes as you do when riding a motorcycle. There is also not a worry about falling over in a turn with a car as there is a bike, however, if you have seen motorcycle racing you may have noticed that bikes can lean over very far almost defying gravity. That thrill is hard to explain.
Condition or Temperature: The Temperature felt when riding is constantly changing you feel the heat from the sun, or chill from the water quicker than you would in a vehicle because temperature drops are felt more than if you were in a vehicle. You are open and exposed to the elements so you feel everything quicker than you would in a vehicle.
Some bikers compare Riding Motorcycles to a dog hanging their heads out of a window of a moving car and have stated.” Bikers are the only ones that can understand why dogs love hanging their heads out of a car window.” In some ways, this is true, as we understand the feel and rush of the wind on our face as we go zipping along the interstate or whatever road we may be on at the time.
So now when someone asks you what it feels like to Ride a Motorcycle you can explain it a bit better to them, or just point them here and we will do it for you.
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