One of my goals for 2012 was to learn how to ride a motorcycle. A good buddy (and an experienced biker) emailed me some good advice.
Anon: It's a ton of fun, but it definitely requires a certain personality. Just remember, there are two kinds of riders: those who've fallen, and those who will.
JLD: What type of personality does it require?
Anon: First, you have to really love riding a motorcycle. You can't do it because of a perception that doing it is cool, or makes you cool, or whatever. I say this not because I think this is your motive, I have no idea what your motive is, but because I had a friend who I always thought rode for the wrong reasons. He wound up dying in a motorcycle accident, leaving a wife and kid.
Second, you have to be the type who will have an accident, and just get up, brush your self off, and get back on the bike. Obviously the first reason is really important. I've known a lot of people who have one accident and never ride again. All the guys I know who've been riding for decades have had at least some accidents, and just shrug and get back on.
So if you're inclined to think you're not the Second type, you can probably save yourself the suffering. If you think you might be the Second type, then it's worth a try, which is, of course, the only way you'll find out if you're the First type.
And there's nothing wrong with trying a motorcycle because you think it looks cool, or whatever, and then discovering that you love it. I know guys like that also, and they've been riding for decades.
Motive is really important, because like a lot of things, you can't be good at it if you don't love it. And successful (safe) motorcycle riding requires a great deal of care and attention. You're unlikely to give it the care that it demands if you're just riding because of what you think it will say to other people. Which is the reason I thought my deceased friend was riding... He rode to impress his father who loved to ride, and to impress people who were saw him riding, IMHO.
