Why We Ride

This is a question that most people have a very easy answer to.  Because it’s fun, I like to go fast, the thrill, destress, I look cool, etc.  I have found the more that I think about why I ride that it goes much further than the short and easy answers.  I started riding at a young age and got my motorcycle license and my first street bike at 15 when I lived in Florida in 1995.  I remember my dad teaching me about the bike I got.  It was a Honda NX 125.  This was the biggest you could have at 15 in Florida.  The first time I rode it I felt like the whole world fell away, I was able to escape everything and it was just me and the road.  I would ride it to high school, sports practices, friend’s houses, and anywhere else I could.  I put over 11k miles on it my first year.  I was hooked.  I have owned many bikes since then and every single one was able to give me that feeling.

Now that I have many years and many miles under my belt I have found that why I ride has changed over the years.  I feel riding has become part of who I am and what defines me more than anything else in my life.  So much so that I even work in the industry now managing a motorcycle and gear store called Sprocketz in Richmond, VA.  I have been able to take something I love and make a career out of it.  I feel like I ride more now to meet new people, see new places and push my riding further.  I look for reasons to ride my motorcycle instead of take a car.  I recently added a goal, that was inspired by one of my friends that I ride with, ride to all 50 state capitals.  I have no doubt it will take me a while to accomplish, but I know it will be a great way to see new places, meet new people, and add to the story of my life.  

I enjoy making memories with others that share the same passion for riding that I do.  I have become more active with motorcycle social media and writing blogs about bikes and gear.  I love hearing how they helped people that read them. They ask me what I think about a certain bike or piece of riding gear and value my perspective.  I feel like I can share what I know and keep learning from other riders about their experiences.  I feel like riding brings people together better than anything else.  That little wave I give every time I pass another rider feels like it brings strangers together for just a moment in a shared smile and a feeling of being part of group of people that gets it.

This is why I ride.  I am sure it will evolve more over time but I know at my core that these reasons will always be there.  I hope to meet more people and show them how to make riding part of their story and make them part of my own.  Why do you ride?