It is only on two-wheelers that you can chase a rainbow and get to pose with it!
BHPian safari_lover recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Ever since I popped an unintended wheelie during my first tryst with controlling a motorcycle, my father seated behind trying to instruct, I have been in love with a motorized two-wheeler. As I grew older and peeked into the world through that wondrous invention generally known as the Internet, I found that there are millions of men across the world who are passionately and hopelessly in love with this mesmerizing combination of mostly metal and rubber. Why? I try to reason.
It could be our way of imitating the great men from history. Many famous men from history had a famous ride – invariably a Horse. Alexander had his beloved Bucephalus, Rana Pratap had his Chetak just to name a couple. These men proudly and resolutely rode their horses to either conquer the world or to rebel against the powers that be. The relationship that these men shared with their rides is the stuff of legends and folklore.
Now, a restless man with a desire to conquer the modern (urban, corporate) world or with a chutzpah to rebel against the powers controlling the state machine of everyday existence needs a ride that he can be proud of. He needs his own Bucephalus or Chetak. So the closest thing that suits this purpose is the humble motorcycle.
A bicycle would make him spend all of his energy on keeping it on the move instead of spending it on the conquest or the rebellion and a Car would keep him ensconced in a bubble that is removed from the battlefield a.k.a. the roads and therefore making him look sissy. Where’s the fun in either of them? So, the motorcycle has to be the choice of ride and companion. While on it he can rightfully swag like a modern-day Alexander or Pratap. Don’t find a logic in this argument? You haven’t been on Bengaluru roads then!
There’s that ‘Wind In Your Hair’ argument too which, to me, feels like the most romanticized but anachronistic phrase about the motorcycle in the modern world. It’s a relic from the good old days of optional helmets and dirt-free roads. In the times that we live in, one must wear a helmet to ride a bike either to comply with the laws of the land or to avoid all that dirt that comes with the wind. Of course, there are places that offer scenic, fast roads, clean air and relaxed helmet rules. But the chances are that one may have already lost his hair while earning the required moolah to buy that motorcycle and to get to those places!
Leaving aside all that, I do believe wind plays an important part in the riding experience. If not in your hair then you can enjoy it in your face, legally. It is the thing that makes riding special by making you become one with your surroundings. There’s no escape from the stench or the scents of daily life when you are on a motorcycle. On one of those lucky days you can even enjoy a leisurely ride through a pleasantly hesitant rain or on one of those unlucky days, you can suffer through a savage hailstorm. Either way, you get an experience and a story to narrate. Not many things in life give you that.
I could be totally wrong with both reasons and maybe, just maybe, it’s a matter of a very primal male ego after all. We all know how men are obsessed with the size of the things between their legs. So, perhaps, the motorcycle is an extension of that desire to have the biggest and fastest thing between their legs. This would explain a lot of things — the ever-increasing Royal Enfield sales. The constant blabbering about the specs — the size of the piston, volume of the cylinder, rpm speeds, et al. We have even coined a term like ‘crotch rockets’ and have come up with lines like ‘the difference between men and boys is the size of their toys’! You get the drift. While I may not be entirely comfortable with it, I can’t overlook the logic of this pseudo-Freudian argument.
But then, I may have indulged in this rigmarole for nothing. Because it’s only on two-wheelers that you can chase a rainbow and get to pose with it!
As a wise man once wrote: ‘Four wheels move the body; Two wheels move the soul’.
That sounds like reason enough!
Here’s what BHPian vjvinamara had to say about the matter:
Very well composed. You’ve captured the true essence of the feelings invoked while riding a motorcycle. It is a feeling that can’t be merely described in words. Hats off to the brilliant writing.
Here’s what BHPian jomson13 had to say about the matter:
Very well written sir. Yours is one of the few posts that I read through completely. I have the habit of quickly skimming through most of the posts, but yours is different.
The language, use of sarcasm, wit and humor make it a compelling read.
Thank you for sharing. Ride safe!
Here’s what BHPian click had to say about the matter:
While I agree with the basic premises of your hypothesis, as a proud owner of an RE Classic, I can probably say with experience that while REs might be big, they can’t be ever called fast. You may have been the first person in the whole history of RE’s existence to describe it as a crotch rocket. I would say it is more like a crotch and spine vibrator…. oh maybe that’s why it’s popular.
Keyword: Why do we love motorcycles: An enthusiast's perspective