What if you couldn't ride ?

A strange thing to ponder perhaps but what would you do if you couldn't ride ?  This somewhat maudlin line of thinking has been brought on by a couple of unconnected events over recent months that have given me cause to consider this rather unpleasant prospect.

The first was when a man I have great respect for announced that he was selling his beloved cruiser because a few incidents had dented his confidence.  Now I can understand where he's coming from given his misfortunes on motorcycles leading to the loss of a leg as a result of an accident.  Since then, despite numerous set-backs including suffering from PTSD, he has achieved so much.  Getting back on anything resembling a motorcycle was a remarkable achievement, progressing from a trike to two wheels was nothing short of miraculous and worthy of great respect and admiration.  However, a couple of incidents with motorists, not of his making, have had a profound affect on his outlook leading to his giving up on motorcycling.  There's no criticism implied or otherwise just a sad reflection on the outcome of unfortunate events that have led to a treasured friend giving up a much loved activity.

Then there's myself.  For a few years now I have had the dubious pleasure of suffering from gout.  This came about following much surgery as a result of injuries sustained in non-biking activities.  Through careful doctor guided experimentation I now have a regimen that has meant I haven't suffered an attack for a while now. But then the weather changed rather rapidly.  In case you don't know gout is a form of arthritis and is usually brought on by an excess of purines in the diet.  However, it is arthritis and in my case I have noticed that rapid changes in barometric pressure can also trigger great miscomfort...and that's where I find myself today and why I am pondering this uncomfortable question.

So what would you do if you couldn't ride.  I'm at a loss for an answer, I really don't know, but I do know that something I hold very dear and enjoy beyond words would be missing from my life. There would be a huge void that would need to be filled by something, but what ?

What is it to be a biker ?

I've been reading a few things in the biking press and on Facebook recently about what makes you a biker. There was a response in one online magazine to a letter from one reader who dismissed all biking activity beyond that involving metric cruisers, there are numerous pieces that seem to dismiss people as bikers if they don't ride in all weather or belong to a club. To be honest I'm starting to get a little hacked off by it all, a bit like to editor of the online magazine. So, let's consider what it is to be a biker.

I agree totally that all who ride bikes are not bikers. It goes beyond the physical act of riding a motorcycle to be a considered a biker but does it mean you have to belong to a club/gang or ride in all weather or ride a certain type of motorcycle. In my considered opinion it absolutely does not. So what is it that makes a biker. One of the things that makes motorcycling so appealing is the community. It is true that no matter where you go in the world, if you ride a bike then you have friends and there will be someone you can rely on to offer help should you need it.  This is special and an almost unique feature of bikers. You never pass a fellow biker who has broken down even if you just check they're OK. We look out for each other, it's a brotherhood, it doesn't matter if you know the other personally, the fact that they ride a bike is enough.  The bike they ride is irrelevant, scooter, small bike, big bike, cruiser, sports bike, tourer, they all have two wheels and that's all that matters.  It's the very diversity that makes riding bikes so compelling. It doesn't matter if you're a weekend warrior or if you ride every day in every weather. It's your way of thinking and the way you act that makes you a biker, nothing else. 

In my experience there are many people riding bikes who wouldn't stop to help a fellow rider, who don't partake in the community. These people may well ride a lot and may ride in all conditions but they are riders, not bikers. It may be a sweeping generalisation but my observation is that they are largely, but not exclusively, from the younger generations. I don't want to tar all with the same brush, there are many older bikers who look down on those riding 125s or scooters forgetting that we all started there, they're not bikers either, but as a rule it does hold true and is a reflection of a wider social trend. I'm happy to say though that I have come across a number of noticeable exceptions to that rule which is encouraging. 

I guess the most important thing is to realise that we all have different motivations and reasons for doing what we do. It doesn't make us right or wrong, just different. Can't we just accept that and get on with it. Why do we all have to comply with a single set of rules, why can't we just live and let live. I know what I think is important and what I hold dear about riding bikes. I also accept that others may have different ideas that don't fit my ideal and that I may not actually like or approve of.  That doesn't make me either right or wrong, just different.  So long as they also accept the same of me then it's all good. So come on guys, let's just ride our bikes and get on with enjoying our bikes no matter what form that might take.

Riding with a pillion

I suppose it's a bit bizarre really, motorcycling is a fairly insular activity after all, but I do enjoy riding with a pillion. I can't say I'm one for partying much anymore preferring my own company and a bit of peace and quiet. At best the company of a few good friends rather than a crowd of people I barely know. That's the trouble with getting a bit older, you learn the difference between friends and acquaintances. I've reached that point of realising that real friends are few and far between, I treasure their company and can't be bothered with the others. So you would have thought riding alone would have been perfect for me. No, the gods have played a trick on me, I'm never happier than when I have my wife sat on the back.  That's not to say I don't enjoy riding alone, I do, it's just that its so much better having somebody I care for to share the experience with.

The bike is fitted out with an intercom so we could chat away but strangely we don't. Indeed there are days when I think she has fallen asleep there's so little going on. The truth is we're both just enjoying the experience as if we were riding alone. I'm a lucky man really, we're very close anyway but even better we share the same love of motorbikes and motorsports. Sharing 'the ride' is almost spiritual, we get to see wonderful places in a way so few people do these days using a method of transport we both love. It's special and it's just for us.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a hermit or especially antisocial. As you can see from older posts I'm more than happy at large gatherings like The Ride To The Wall, but that's different. That's a bunch of like minded bikers gathered together by a common cause, it's a brotherhood thing and really quite special. Riding with my pillion is personal, selfish if you like. I'm sharing an experience that is special for me with somebody who is special to me. It just seems so right.

Riding a bike in London

For my many sins I work in London. However, I live in rural Hampshire so, like so many others these days, I have a substantial commute to deal with every day, a 164 mile round trip in my case. I had three potential transport options to choose from; I could drive the car in; I could avail myself of public transport or I could ride my bike in. Naturally I felt obliged to try all three in the interests of a truly objective assessment.

The trip to the office entails a stretch up the M3 and around the M25 to the A3 before heading into London and the office just south of Tower Bridge.

The Car
Not my favoured option having friends 30-40,000 mile a year for the last 20 years but it had to be considered. Roadworks aside the first 70 miles are fairly easy but then you hit the suburbs. Suffice to say it could take as long to travel the last 12 miles as it did the first 70. In the end I couldn't reliably complete the journey in less than 2 1/2 hours in each direction. Not acceptable.

Public Transport
Now this really didn't appeal. An hour ten minute train journey into Waterloo followed by either the underground or a bus through to the office.  In total it amounts to a 1 1/2 hour trip in each direction. That's more like it.

The Bike
My favoured option. I have a lovely BMW R1200RT which should be perfect for the trip.  All being equal I should be able to get around any hold ups on the motorways and with you being able to ride down the bus lanes in most of London now that last 12 miles should be much easier than I the car, and so it turned out but for one tiny fly in the ointment. Cyclists. This really surprised me.  In the past I had the pleasure of working for a Dutch company. As a result I have driven through Dutch cities where cyclists have priority over all other traffic, and it works very well. So long as you know the rules there are no surprises, the cyclists know where they are supposed to be as do motorists. Everyone respects everybody else's space and it all works very well. This was pretty much what I was expecting in London...how wrong could I be ! As a member of the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) I'm well aware of the issues of two wheeled accident rates in London and the steps being taken to overcome those. I'm also aware of the blatant prejudice against powered two wheelers. What I wasn't prepared for was the immense and incredible stupidity of the vast majority of cyclists in the city. The number of traffic violations I witnessed would have kept the courts busy for years had they been prosecuted. If the police could reliably identify the culprits they wouldn't need speed cameras for revenue generation ever again. Legalities aside the levels of stupidity I witnessed actually scared me. I would be riding down a road approaching traffic lights and would get mobbed by a gaggle of cyclists coming from every possible direction. Sat at the lights it was nothing to have 15-20 of them pulling across my front wheel. Why ! Do they really think they can beat a 110HP 1200cc motorcycle away from the lights, seriously. Even when making reasonable progress through heavy traffic I would suddenly find a cyclist appear without warning and without them looking cutting across my path as if I didn't exist. The number of incidents were far to any to mention, suffice to say the car drivers were the least of my worries. There were, of course, all the usual car related incidents with a few pulling out from junctions across my nose and others simply not paying attention but these were of the usual frequency. The cyclists struck fear into my heart. If this is how they behave in London I'm surprised the accident statistics aren't far worse than they are. Given the current state of behaviour it won't matter what TFL do to protect cyclists, there's simply no cure for being stupid.

So there you have it. My preferred method for getting to work would be by motorcycle, but as a result of the most unexpected group of fellow two wheeled road user behaviour I'm scared. As a result I use public transport at a horrendous annual cost. My question to all road users in the UK is this. Why are we so competitive on the roads. Over the years I have observed road users in many countries. Whilst we're not the worst I've seen, we are surely amongst the worst for aggression. In London if cyclists were to behave a little more like their Dutch counterparts we would all be safer. For now I will avoid riding in the city, it's just too much of a risk even if it does cost me money by not doing so.

Take care out there.