being true...

The problem with people that ride motorcycles is that they automatically deem themselves to be 'motorcyclists.'  They are wrong.  Many of them look and act tough, but when conditions worsen, they tuck their tales between their legs and continue to talk conformist trash about how they 'live to ride...'  A person that rides will seek shelter when it begins to sprinkle, or will garage the two-wheeler when Channel 2 says it might rain tomorrow, or dip below sixty degrees.  A true motorcyclist isn't afraid of getting wet or cold, and in fact welcomes the challenges wet and cold weather riding offers.  A person that rides will steer clear of an interstate because it's 'too fast,' or a dirt/gravel road because it's bumpy and will get their machine dirty.  A true  motorcyclist seeks the highway's ability it offer endless miles and enjoys bumps and dirt because it reminds them of riding dirtbikes when they were younger.  Besides, getting dirty is temporary; nothing soap and water can't fix.  A person that rides complains of a sore butt or tingly hands after twenty or so miles and stops for breaks frequently.  A true motorcyclist dreams of the next mega-long road trip, or will at least take the longest route to a nearby errand or work.  Most of them are limited only by the the range of their gas tanks.  A person that rides avoids turns and curvy roads.  They are afraid of not only the turn itself, but what it will do their machine.  A true motorcyclist goes out of his way to find that long curvy road with bonus hairpins along the way.  Neither are they afraid of the curve itself, nor the sound of metal scraping the pavement as the bike digs in during the epic battle of traction, gravity, and form.

There is a monster out there that gets a crushing grip on your soul and doesn't let go.  It becomes part of you and you become one with it.  That monster is motorcycling, and those that haven't been there will never understand, nor do they deserve to.  

Me??  I've ridden in temperatures from below zero to well over one hundred degrees.  I've ridden during tropical storms and hail storms (yes, it hurts!).  I've crashed (that hurts too!) and been stranded.  I've slayed The Dragon at Deal's Gap several times and have been off-roading on bikes that well exceed 600 lbs.  My longest trip, to date, was sixteen hundred miles-twice, in two different directions on two different bikes.  Breakdowns, detours, and running over turtles in the bayou of Louisiana are all part of the incredible experiences that will remain with me until I depart this Earth.  When that day comes, there is one word that I want to be described as: Motorcyclist.

Todays weather: eighty one degrees with a nor'easter packing sustained winds of thirty five mph, gusting to over fifty, severe thunderstorms, and multiple tornado watches and warnings, and an estimated two inches of rain.  The 'ride to live' guys??  Well, they are not riding, so by their own words they are not living.  I'm going riding.  

actually a person with a modicrum of common sense realizes that riding a motorcycle in the rain isnt the smartest move on planet earth. and a person truely content with themselves and their lives probably wouldnt waste the time it took to write that.

If your happy who gives a *** about what other people call themselves?  

I think tj's just venting a little bit and that's ok
As far as I'm concerned anytime is the right time to ride
Helluva first post tho  

I had this friend who did a cross country ride on his cbr1100. He always said that people's favorite question to ask him while on the road was "Well, whaddaya gonna do if it rains???" To which he responded dryly, "I'll get wet."

It's a risk, like everything else. Calculated and acceptable to some and seemingly asinine to others.