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Cagers
Cars are cages. You are surrounded
by metal bars, shatterproof glass and locks. Convertibles
rectify this somewhat, but only somewhat. Only a motorcycle
gives you a true sense of freedom.
I had heard these
lines for years. Only now, I understand.
I have always
yearned to have my own motorcycle and ride the roads. Now,
nearing 40, I have taken the plunge. In doing so, I have
re-awakened my passion for motoring as a whole. When riding,
passing riders always wave. It is as if I have joined a secret
club. Naked and in a large room, none of the members of the
club know exactly who belongs at any given moment. Out on the
road on your bike, that membership is obvious and treated
accordingly. On the bike, everything is more visceral and
immediate. The presence of a bird can be life threatening,
rather that a brief thought to the size of your deductible.
This danger, which is very real, is, no doubt, one of the
accompaniments of such exhilarating travel. I know, firsthand,
of both the dangers and the exhilaration of a motorbike and I can
see how the latter can outweigh the former in the good judgment
sweepstakes.
As I ride the bike, I cannot help but wonder how
much longer the nanny governments of the states and the Feds will
allow us this pleasure. On a bike, the idea of a seatbelt is
mere cannon fodder. Whether you believe in mandatory helmet
laws or not, safety, in general, is thrown out the window on a
motorbike. If drivers today are mandated by law to wear safety
belts, surely sooner or later the issue of safety is going to pose a
threat to motorcycle riders and their road bikes. Which brings
us to the nub. Should inherently dangerous behavior be
restricted to the citizenry by the governmental powers that
be? If you answer no, some might say, upon extending the logic
out to its natural conclusion that you are in support of everything
from legalizing drugs to suicide. If you answer yes, you
argument can be misconstrued in a like but opposite manner.
Either way, you have a thorny issue with no clear-cut, obvious
answer.
I love my car. A 2004Pontiac GTO. It is
good looking, good riding and a pleasure to drive. It doesn't
breakdown or leave me stranded. It is faster than just about
everything I ever come across on these Northern Michigan roads, including my bike. It is as good as
or better than all the cars of my childhood dreams. When
getting rubber going into fourth gear and into triple digits, it is
as pure of a rush as any car I have ever driven.
That rush
doesn't even come close to comparing to the bike.
This country was founded on the idea that the government and
its powers are superseded by the rights of individuals. I believe
that is the correct way of things. With these thoughts in mind,
as I see it, motorcycling is a personal choice that should be left to
the individual. Get out of your cage and see for
yourself.
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