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 partners 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 seat belt 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 the rights of motorcycle riders and their road bikes. Which brings us to the nub of the issue. 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 it's 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 for many. I feel the answer should be no. 

I love my car. A 2004 Pontiac 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 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 being on 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This country was founded on the idea that the government and its powers are superseded by the rights of individuals.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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