Motorcycles are dangerous, and require a lot of maintenance, which is why you should be riding one.
I’m asked constantly why I ride motorcycles, and why I own a variety of different bikes. Why do I ride a motorcycle virtually everywhere, even to the grocery store? Why not just drive there sitting in a nice and comfy car seat? Why ride even when it’s raining? Why spend so much time working on the bikes, instead of just paying a mechanic to work on it for you?
I will begin this discussion with a seemingly unrelated observation: As life grows more modern, people are engaged less and less with whatever they are engaged with. When the fastest form of transportation was a horse, people generally took care of the animals themselves, as paying someone to take care of the animal was fairly expensive. Furthermore, those who rode horses, were fairly skilled at riding, as the costs of not being skilled could have resulted in severe injury, which back in those days, would create additional hardship, considering the economics of the time were far more spartan than today. This is not just limited to vehicles. As I discussed with what kind of computer hardware and software I use, older hardware is easier and cheaper to work on, upgrade, and repair, than new hardware. New phones, cars, clothing, all has slowly over time become disposable, as maintaining newer technology is far more expensive than it was even 10 years ago. Even the skill to maintain modern technology is almost out of the grasp of the common lay person. Specialized training and equipment is needed in order to maintain any modern technology, with most of it requiring network access (which also opens up privacy and data concerns).
The motorcycle rejects this paradigm. Like riding horses, riding a motorcycle requires focus, dedication, skill, and protective gear because riding a motorcycle is dangerous. There is risk. Motorcycles also require a lot more maintenance than a car does, and frequently, especially in smaller towns, there are few motorcycle shops that have availability within a reasonable timeframe. The single shop in the town I live in is no longer accepting new customers as the shop has too many clients. Because of this, a rider in this situation is more or less forced to maintain the bike themselves. The risk and responsibility of riding and owning a motorcycle is exactly why everyone should do so.
The risk and danger of riding a motorcycle is real. I’ve been hit by a car, and the number of times I’ve almost been hit by an inattentive driver is innumerable. I have laid my bikes down many times, and I have sprained my right knee, and have road rash scars on my arms and legs. To say there is no danger riding a motorcycle is a foolish assessment.
Riding the smallest vehicle on a road, surrounded by inattentive drivers, most of whom are looking at their phones, has forced me to be a better rider, and a driver overall. When you’re riding, you have to pay attention to everyone and everything around you. Here’s a video of me avoiding a potential crash because I was paying attention. I knew what was behind me because I physically turned my head to see if my blindspot was clear, something a lot of drivers do not do nowadays.
Owning a motorcycle also encourages the owner to work on their own bike, as repair shop costs tend to be far more expensive per hour than car maintenance, partly due to the smaller number of shops willing or able to work on bikes. Any form of vehicle maintenance is not complicated, however a lot of car owners avoid working on their own vehicles because of the perceived complexity of the vehicle. The reality is that most people, with a handful of tools and access to a quality shop manual, could maintain their vehicles themselves. Because bikes are smaller, and are far more open than a car is, and require fewer specialized tools such as heavy duty lifts or jacks, a motorcycle owner could get away with around $300-$500 worth of tools, and accomplish over 90% of their routine maintenance. I maintained a small fleet of motorcycles for 3 years with around $150 worth of tools. Even doing cool upgrades such as suspension, lights, exhausts, etc, are far less complex on a motorcycle, and cost less overall.
The basic overall philosophy of riding and owning a motorcycle is centered around accepting personal responsibility and personal excellence. Whether it’s gaining skills that better your driving habits, or teaching yourself something new like maintenance, motorcycle riding is something I recommend everyone participates.