Joys of Motorcycling

Shahwar has a hearfelt message for Mr. Clarkson.

I envy and pity Jeremy Clarkson, both at the same time. Envy him because he gets to drive all these exotic cars – thrash them at will, run them down in his reports, and generally have unbridled fun. But I pity him because he doesn’t know, or doesn’t care to know, the joys of motorcycling. Poor man!

Motorcycling is fun, and I’m talking about long distance motorcycling – wind in the face, dust in your eyes, snow under your collar & inside your boots, wet to your undies, the road rushing below you so close that you can reach out and touch it, not to meniton a 180-degree uninterrupted view. These are all intangible joys of motorcycling.

In a car, you’re boxed in. You see only what the window allows you to see, the rest are all interrupted views – obstructed by pillars ranging from A-D.

Mr Clarkson has obviously clocked many thousands of miles during his journeys all over the globe. And he’s used to the luxury and comfort that cars provide. Yes, motorcyclists don’t enjoy even a fraction of that, but they do enjoy a very different kind of luxury, which is something that you won’t find in even the most exotic cars.

It’s called ‘warmth’ – the warmth of people that a biker experiences throughout his travels. Whenever a motorcyclist arrives at a destination, all muddy, dusty and dirty, he’s looked at with a sort of awe and respect. Part of it is because he has to be slightly of unsound mind to be travelling thousands of kilometres on a bike simply because he dares to do so. Also, it’s always the solo rider who attracts the most eyeballs – and affection too.

A crowd invariably gathers around a motorcyclist as soon as he makes a stop. Of course, some can be nuisance as they’re far too curious and want to touch everything on the bike. But if you are looking for directions, rest assured that there will be a few in the crowd who’ll go that extra mile just to show you the right way.

I’ve been invited home innumerable times by total strangers, shared their food, spent the night and gathered a goldmine of information about the place and the people – information that Google can’t enlighten you with.

A motorcyclist will most likely take the most nondescript roads off the highway that more often than not lead to interesting places. These are invariably bad roads, and drivers of an expensive car will think twice before attempting to drive through them.

So, long distance riders are a respected lot. Just look at Ted Simon. He’s a living God for long distance travellers – riders and drivers alike. Starting in 1973, he rode a Triumph motorcycle around the world for four years, and his book Jupiter’s Travels is a Bible for people who hope to travel around the world.

Of course there are many people who have done similar trips in cars as well, but on a bike it’s much tougher and, I dare say, more romantic too. The stories are just bigger and better.

Motorcycling is inherently dangerous, agreed. But it’s so much more fun, that’s partly thanks to the unadulterated adrenalin rush.

Just because you fell off that damn bike once, you tend to think that it’s foolish to be travelling on two wheels when you can have the comfort and safety of four wheels. Well, think again Mr Clarkson, and stop running down motorcyclists – maybe you’ll look a little less grumpy then.