Motorcycle lesson number 2: handling power

Follow-up to Watching the road ahead – motorcycle lesson number 1 from Transversality - Robert O'Toole

Do girls like motorcyclists? I think that I have in the past answered this with an emphatic NO. But actually I'm not that certain. I suspect that if one strolls along towards them in leather trousers, smart new Gericke Taureg jacket, carrying a shiny red BMW helmet, and most importantly smiling sweetly, it really does something for them. OK, I admit, I have tried this and can say that it works. But, as my experiments prove, it is the smile that makes all of the difference. Not just any smile, but rather an entirely unexpected smile. Just like that on the face of Shrek when he first sees Princess Fiona. One second you are a monster, and then through a controlled and carefully considered modulation, you are a prince (or at least human).

Bikes teach you that. Not the smile, one hopes that comes naturally, but the control, the timing, and the subtlety. Riding a motorcycle is absolutely nothing like driving a car, as many car drivers find to their embarassment when they first jump onto a bike and snatch at the controls. Any ham-fisted idiot can get into a car, grind through the gears, slam on the brakes, and jerk it through corners without crashing. Ride a bike like that and you would come off right away. Ride a modern sports bike like that, with the power to weight ratio of a rocket and brakes good enough to stop a 747, and you would very quickly be dead.

Smoothe and precise throttle control. Exact and planned gear changes. Balanced application of rear and front brakes. Careful consideration of road surfaces and conditions. Even a consideration of the wind direction. When sitting on a machine with as much power as a modern motorcycle, all of this is necessary. The thing makes a big noise, threatens to kill its rider instantly, stands out from the crowd like a raging bull in the streets of Pamplona, and in return, its rider controls it with a real gentleness and care. Does that sound attractive? A bit like the smile?

Are modern cars changing the behaviour of their drivers? Are they becoming more impetuous, less self-controlled, less gentle? Does their forgiving and safe nature threaten to breed a race of people without care? If so, motorcycles are clearly the antidote.

Robert O'Toole : 18 Dec 2004 21:20 |  Tags: Bmw Gs Motorcycle Travel Travel Travel And Motorcycles Travel Writing Writing |  Comments (3) |  Report a problem