Why am I here.......

I had someone ask me, "Why are you going to motorcycle school?". Then I starting thinking to myself, why am I here?

Why am I here............

Have you ever asked yourself that and honestly gave it thought? Really, truly thought about it?

I think I'm here for a few reasons. I like motorcycles. I like riding them, I like being around them and I like the feeling I get when I sit on one. What does that mean exactly? What does that mean to me? I hate to sound cliche but when I sit on a bike I feel free. Not the type of free that you find in an advertisement in a magazine. I get this feeling that I can be better than I am. That I can free myself of the troubles of my mind. Maybe that's what the ads are selling.

I'm also here to prove something. I could say that I'm here to prove something to my mother or my friends or just about anyone but I'd be lying. I'm here to prove something to myself. I've screwed up just about every good opportunity I've had and I need to, no, I want to finally finish what I start.

I've got a lot of work to shake all those bad habits and lose some of the attitude I've developed. Why do I need to challenge and fight everything? I don't know. I do know that, for some reason, I need to though. Maybe the thing or person I really fight and challenge is myself. I'm my own biggest critic and I bash myself the hardest. I suppose that can be good when I use it push myself to improve. What have I been trying to improve though? What are we all trying to improve?

The people I've respected most have been people who could fix or build things. For years it seemed all I ever heard was "you don't have the mechanical ability" and I think it's the reason I gave up on my pursuit of auto mechanics after high school. My favorite times growing up were when I got take something apart or build something. I know I'm good at it and the person or thing I will fight from now on is the one who stands in my way. I've finally found something I enjoy and makes me happy. I feel sorry for the one who gets in my way now. I include myself in that. I will not give up this time. I will not settle for anything less than what I want.

MMI Week 3 - Part 1

We've dipped into 2 stroke motors and a section they call "Shop Math". I call it 3rd or 4th grade math. You'd be surprised how many people need help with this stuff but the dedication I saw last night on quite a few of those people to nail it down was good to see. On that note I have to say that the attitude of our instructor in his handling of classroom rules is very strict. As a matter of fact I had thought it was a little overkill...until last night that is.

We had a substitute last night and let me say that it ended up like being back in high school again. All the rules just went right out the window and NOTHING got done. It's gonna kill us with this final test Friday. Everything we were supposed to get done last night, that we didn't get done, we'll have to cram in tonight and I'll have one less day to study it. A couple fights almost broke out between those of us trying to learn and the ones who didn't care. It got a little ugly a few times. A few of us got a little vocal about our displeasure of the situation, to put it mildly, and offered lessons in manners outside after classes after getting told, and I quote, "shut the hell up we'll do what we want" among other things a little worse sounding. Didn't get any takers though. I don't want to go off on a rant again but it's a fact that all the ones causing the trouble happened to be sport bike students. Now don't read that wrong. I'm not saying all the sport bike students were causing the trouble. I'm saying all the ones that were causing trouble were sport bike students. Young kids with an attitude problem and no real desire to learn I guess.

I'm no angel myself but I'm never that bad last night I was actually keeping my mouth shut cause I know how hard that stuff can be to someone who doesn't get it.

ANYWAY.......Tonight is gonna consist of, after getting our collective asses chewed out I'm sure, checking all the homework from the last two days and starting into clutches and gears.

Dawghouse Radio Topics Discussion

I thought I'd start a weekly post about my thoughts on topics discussed on the Dawghouse 2-wheel Radio show. It's live on WJFK in the Washington DC area or you can stream it live Sunday Mornings at 10am http://www.wjfk.com. If you missed it or want to refresh the discussion check out the podcast at http://www.dawghouseradio.com .

The first topic I want to comment on is motorcycle death statistics and the relating lack of a license. Having worked with the police departments in Northern Virginia driving a tow truck, I have cleaned up my share of motorcycle accidents. The statistics discussed today said motorcycle deaths were up about 80% where the rider was at fault and the fact that there are around 60,000+ people without the endorsement. I'm just wondering what percentage of those fatalities were sport bikes and what percentage were cruisers. (notice I didn't say imports to Harley's. It's not a question of the nationality of the bike. It's the style in question) Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying "guns kill people". It's a fact that, very rarely, the bike doesn't cause the accident. It's the rider. I'm just a firm believer that sport bikes are generally a type of bike that should only be ridden by someone who has the self control not to get stupid with it on the road. They, the bikes, have the power that'll just get out of control if you let it. It's the reason I don't have one. I'd kill myself on it. I get that power under me and it would take control.

Let me move on from my rant and get to the topic of having a license. If you can't get a license then you shouldn't even have a motorcycle, unless it's a show bike that never touches the road. I won't even get started on the stupidity of Florida's law that allows riders to not even have to have insurance at any level, unless you ride without a helmet that is. If you don't have the skill to get the license...get off the bike.

Boring and stroking was also discussed today. We actually talked a little about this in school last week so it was good timing for me because it actually helped me understand what the guys were talking about today on the show. This isn't something you need to do to a motorcycle unless you just want more speed. It's nice to get a little more pep but, for me, I'd rather have reliability so there is only so much I'm willing to do to my daily rider that will effect that. When you grind down the thickness on your engine and push it harder it stretches the engine out and wears it down. It's like steroids in a human body. Sure they make performance better but in the long run, if it makes it to "the long run", it will require a lot of extra maintenance and parts replacement.

If speed is what you crave, believe me when I say I like it, then by all means get that speed. Just keep it off the road where you can hurt someone else.

Riding without a helmet......

I had someone ask me "why do you people ride without a helmet?"

Well......

It's like this. We know it's probably not the brightest idea in the world but then neither is living when you think about it.

1. Bad things can happen to you anywhere at anytime. I don't think anyone can argue against that point. Healthy people have heart attacks, people who practice safety 24/7 have accidents, and even the most well protected countries get attacked. Let's face it.....you can't be ready for everything all the time. If you spend your life being worried about what's gonna happen to you then nothing is gonna happen to you. Good or bad.

2. For the safety police that are going to yell "well this statistic shows this..." and blah blah blah blah. I counter with this statement..."I'll take it under advisement". We all know statistics can be twisted harder than a twizzler. Facts are simple...sure helmets will save you from getting brain damage but only if you don't snap your neck, cut your head off or die from any other trauma or blood loss resulting from the accident. The same thing can happen in a car too, it's just more likely to happen on a motorcycle than a car because you don't have that cage of steel around you. Again this goes back to the whole thing of worrying about what's gonna happen. And for the record, I do wear a helmet when legally required and/or in certain riding conditions and situations where I feel the danger factor reaches the point where it would help me survive an accident.

3. Have you ever ridden a bike without a helmet? Ever ridden in a convertible with the top down? Stuck your head out the window of your car while going down the road? It's a blast and it feels good to feel nature going over you. Don't believe me? Ask a dog why they like it.

My whole point is this....I wouldn't die today if I had to wear a helmet everywhere I went but it wouldn't be as fun and with all the crap I've been through in the last year, BEING SAFE BY THE WAY, I don't want to spend my time worrying about what might happen. I'm not saying run out and play Russian roulette but think on this statement......

The most fun I've ever had is when I didn't know what was gonna happen.....

If I have to explain....

Strange things can go through your head in the shower and you can sometimes have some deep thoughts. I had one of these thoughts today.

"If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand......"

This is a strange and tricky phrase if you think about it. To the person who doesn't ride it comes across as a cliche t-shirt slogan. To the person who rides or has ridden, it's meaning is as clear as a blue sky day.

But have you ever stopped to think....why?

Let's start from the non-riders point of view. What is there to explain that someone wouldn't understand? Why wouldn't they understand it? Can you understand what it is to understand something you can't explain? Last but not least, have you ever given any thought to what it is you really love about this adventure that is riding?

I myself think its easy to explain to someone why I love to ride. It's simple. Riding clears my head and calms my nerves. All my anger. All my frustration. All my confusion gets shaken out of my head and gets sucked right through the bike to the road below or gets blown away by the wind. It all comes clear when you come over that hill and the first site of the mountain appears in the distance, when you catch that first deep breath of the pine tree forest, when it quits raining and you finally dry out, when you hit that spot in the road where the sun happens to creep out and warm you up on that winter ride, when you get where you're going with your friends and see a group of future friends. I could go on and on.

This is where the rider mentality is needed. I could explain till your eyes pop out of your head from reading but I won't. It won't do any good. I'll explain why.

Did you ever have anyone try to explain love to you before you met your first girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband...whatever the case may be? Did you ever have someone explain what death was and what it meant before your first pet died? Did you think you had a good grip on what it meant to have your first kid before you had it? Sure you did. You had all the information...or so you thought.

I thought I knew what it was....what it meant to be on 2 wheels. Understanding what it means and understanding how it feels are different things.

So keep this in mind. "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand" isn't some half-cocked way of saying "if you don't have a bike YOU SUCK". It's a way of letting you know how great it is and throwing you an invitation to discover it for yourself.

It's worth it.