Zen and the art of motorcycle purchasing

Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Zen and the art of motorcycle purchasing
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Tue, 08-19-2003 - 1:32pm
For some reason I feel a need to explain my fascination with motorcycles. I guess I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Please no one take this personally or out of context. It's my opinion and it is not an attack on anyone.

Thanks everyone for your expressions of concern and support regarding my impending motorcycle purchase. I've known people killed on motorcycles. I've seen people mangled in accidents. I watched a man die after being squished between a pick-up truck and a dump truck while sitting at a stop light on his Harley. No, it wasn't pretty. I've also watched lovely, beautiful young people die from cancer of every flavor, AIDS, and enzyme deficiencies that left them unable to control their own bodies. I've watched gentle and caring old women and men turn into wild and violent monsters when the sun goes down. I took care of a 26-year old quadripelegic man who was a promising young doctor. He was injured in a surfing accident. Eventually, he wound up losing both legs and discovered he had a talent for teaching and for painting with a brush in his teeth. None of these people did anything particularly bad to deserve their fate in spite of what anyone might say. My own husband was involved in an accident that nearly cost him his life and his left leg. Fortunately he was able to keep both.

For sure you have to keep your eyes open and your wits about you when you're out and about on your bike. I practice DEFENSIVE driving. LoL, sometimes it seems more like clairvoyant driving. But, you know, accidents happen and that's why they call them that. Personally, I can't live my life constantly asking myself 'what if?' about every thing. There are some things in life that make life all the sweeter to live. For me, riding a motorcycle down the highway is one of those things. So is eating scads of pizza and beers, not exactly in the same risk category, but it's certainly not good for me. My point is that there are a lot of risky activities in the world. We just have to pick and choose from among them for ourselves.

Besides, who wants to live forever? I've worked with the elderly for a number of years...long enough to know that I don't want to get old the way they did. I don't have a deathwish, don't get me wrong. But I can't see myself sitting in my rocking chair when I'm 90 and asking myself 'why didn't I?'

Life is filled with risks. They are the things that make life worth living. My ultimate goal is to live life with gusto soaking up all that this world has to offer.

Just MHO.

Lori

Lori

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Avatar for dmm11730
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-06-2003
Tue, 08-19-2003 - 4:17pm
Hey Lori I did not mean to upset you with my concerns. I think it is great to you want to do this, you love to do it, and its a passion both you and your hubby enjoy together. You thrill of driving a bike is no different then ours is with racing cars. It's the thrill and I completely understand. Of coarse it is not for everyone. My hubby loves it and wished we were not so congested here on the Island. Some people enjoy jumping out of planes, climbing mountians or rocks. Everyone has a need or a thrill. Have not discovered mine yet, I am kind of a boring person..........lol! I am hoping to hear that you guys did get your bike and I look forward to seeing a picture of you riding it. Enjoy and be happy. Safe travels to you both!

Deb

Debbie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-19-2003 - 5:32pm
Same here. I was just expressing my issues with it and wishing you the best of luck with your new bike. If you love it, go for it with gusto.

Rhonda

       ~~Rhonda~~


<

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-19-2003 - 5:42pm
I kind of feel the same way you do, Lori! Bravo! I love rollercoasters & flying on planes. I don't think I'd ever make a good pilot, race car driver or even motorcyclist, though. However, most people think I'm nuts when I tell them I'd love to be an astronaut!

I like pizza, too. I also like lots of desserts, pastries and buttery foods. I love margaritas, some other mixed drinks, and some wines.

I guess I love to live dangerously (while in moderation) and really hope someday someone will ask me to be a volunteer in the space program.

Have fun on that motorcycle! Sounds fun!

Katherine (Kat)
Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 8:34am
What a blast it would be to go to space! It would be so amazing. I'm right in line after you Kat.

Lori

Lori

Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 8:36am
I'm not upset. I'm just putting my ideas about the subject out there. Everyone is kind enough to express their concerns and I do appreciate that. I love that you care enough to tell me so.

Lori

Lori

Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 8:40am
I appreciate your concern and I will be careful. The thing is that all you ever hear about is the guy who got killed or maimed on his bike. You never hear about all the rest of the guys who had an uneventful ride or went across country with no problems whatsoever. I promise there are waaaay more of the latter than the former. It's about understanding your limits and the limits of your machine.

Lori

Lori

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2000
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 9:27am
I wasn't in on the original conversation. No doubt there are things I want to do that others would think are dull or crazy. I think the ladies here, as I would, just want you to be careful. *YOU* might be a good and defensive driver, but unlike cancer and diseases, surfing or climbing or parachuting accidents, motorcycle accidents most often involve someone else who's a lot stupider. It's the other guy who isn't paying attention (cell phones, cigarettes, eating on the go, etc) - they scare me, and I'm in a car!

A couple my parents knew took up motorcycling in their late 40s and enjoyed it for a while (they decided to stop after they both got run off the road and had to ditch - fortunately they were fine.) We've got a friend who's been biking uneventfully for years, but his soon-to-be wife worries about him, and he'll be giving it up for a while. Up in the mountains we often see groups of motorcyclists sight-seeing together, and it looks like an absolute blast. It'd probably be something I'd explore further if I lived in the mountains where there weren't so many idiot auto drivers.

Cussette


Edited 8/20/2003 9:35:01 AM ET by cussette

C

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 10:19am
We get TONS of cyclists here in FL, because the weather is good for it so often. There's a very popular biker bar about 7 miles from us, and I notice the crowd is more middle-aged now. In fact, other than those on crotch rockets, most cyclists I see now are middle-aged. I think it takes that to be able to afford the larger bikes. Of course, Daytona has bike week in spring, which draws from all over the country by the thousands, and St. Augustine gets a lot of the overflow. They're both biker-friendly cities. My ex has a Harley. I heard he and his current wife just took a trip to CA on it, and as far as I know, they made it back safely.

Rhonda

       ~~Rhonda~~


<

Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 11:56am
Actually, I was considering riding my bike to NC next fall.

Lori

Avatar for free2beme482
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 08-20-2003 - 12:05pm
So to sum it all up ... what I hear is that you'd rather "wear out" rather than to "rust out". *Live* life to your fullest potential. There are lots of folks that I know that hold that same philosophy!

Good going!

Catherine.

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