Title: Converting a New Biker
Date: February 10, 2008 12:42 PM
Category: My Riding
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I suspect, like most of you, at least some of your friends think you are crazy. No, I don’t mean for the fact you like to put potato chips in your sandwich. Or that you secretly listen to Abba in the car. I mean for the plain and simple fact you like to ride a motorcycle. Ask yourself, of all your friends, how many of them have expressed the notion that it’s dangerous, that you are taking your life in your own hands every time you set out on one? I know I have.

We all know better of course. Well all know that for the most part at least, it’s not us that is dangerous but the other road users: the cars that don’t look before pulling out or the trucks that make unsignalled turns. Sadly, that’s all most people focus on with motorcycling.

But for all those that focus on the negative, there are at least those with a little more adventure. Take my stepfather, for example. Last summer, we all toured around Nova Scotia: Me on the Daytona (that will be another topic) and my family, mother and stepfather in my truck. Each day before I set out, you could see Cyril looking over the bike with some curiosity but he said little beyond “be careful out there, it’s dangerous“.

The other day when we talked he asked what I suspected had been coming for some time.
“Do you have a spare helmet?“ he started.
“Of course“, I replied.
“Well, you know when me and you mom come out, would you take me out? Not too fast, but I’d love try it“.

Honestly, I can’t say I was surprised. Cyril has always been game for anything. I was just surprised it had taken him this long, but then I realized he’d just worked his way through the fear. Personally, I hate riding with a pillion but I will honor his request. I’ll wait for the perfect summers day and take him down some of my favorite deserted back roads in Toronto, albeit pretty cautiously at first. I’ll be pretty astounded too if by the end of summer I haven’t taken him out in the dirt too, but maybe I’ll play that by ear. Maybe next year he’ll be out there himself. I hope so.

That got me to thinking. For every Cyril, I know at least five people that wouldn’t dream of getting on the back of a bike, let alone in front of the bars. There’s a few in particular I would love to get into riding as we’d get to hang out more that way. However, no matter what I say, I’m unable to talk them into it. Perhaps this is a fault of language? How can you convey the feeling that being on a bike brings? I tend to resort to language hyperbole like

“it’s hard to describe. Believe it or not, it’s almost zen-like. You focus on the task at hand and nothing else. It’s exhilarating but at the same time totally relaxing“.

Totally inadequate, isn’t it? So I guess, given that I want to get more people into biking, how would you describe what biking is to you? Have you ever successfully managed to persuade a loved one or even a random stranger to take up riding? If so, how? I know at least a couple of people that could use the pep-talk.

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