can you answer this ?

[NinjaDoc]

Hmmm. I bought a motorcycle because I've always wanted one and decided that it's way past my turn to get something that I can enjoy. That enjoyment is good when I'm alone and it's good when it's shared.

The very same questions could be asked of anyone who travels any distance to attend any event or assembly that includes others they have never met, but share in the enjoyment of a particular sport/activity/show/etc.

Flip the conversation to ask them:

"Have you ever been to a concert, a music event? Have you been to a restaurant? Have you been to a convention, a movie, a park, a church, a city? Have you attended anything that included others that you did not know?"

"How is it that you became aware of this location/event/assembly? Newspaper? Radio? TV? Airplane pulling a banner? Smoke signals? Wild rumors in a the bar? Billboard? Woke up with a headache and a new tattoo that reads, Dinner, Tuesday, 6 pm at the Broken Spoke Cafe'?.........or just possibly, however unbelievable, the (are you ready for it?).......the I N T E R N E T ??? (OH NOOOO! Anything but that!)

"Did you know there would be people there that you would not know, and would also not know each other, all around you, possibly enjoying their attentance just as you would be?"

"So, I must ask you:

Who are these people?

Do you know these people?

Why did you go 3...6...10...100...1000 miles to attend something where there would be people you don't know?"

And the best I can come up with on such short notice is,

"Why not ride with a big group of bikes?"

There is safety in numbers, help if you break down 30 miles from daylight, new friendships to enjoy for years to come, personal experiences to share that could only be appreciated by those with the same interests, and for the very same reason that I like my cookies crunchy and you like yours soft, because I want to and I enjoy it.

I bought a motorcycle and you bought socks with pink ruffles.

I like pretzels with my beer and you like cheese with your whine.

I like warm weather and sunshine, and you like air conditioned, stuffy rooms with the television constantly on, the windows never opened, and the news media constantly telling you how to think, what to think, and who to believe.

I engage in an activity that I enjoy to enhance my life. You have your own things to enjoy. Until you have walked my path, seen my sunsets, or savored just the perfect blend of spice and herbs in the sweetest tomato sauce on the most perfect pizza in a small Ohio village on a backroad leading to nowhere, served by the cutest twenty-something young lady with the perfect wiggle in her walk and dimple in her smile, you couldn't possibly begin to understand what I feel or why I do what I do with whom I choose to do it with.

Shut up. Get a motorcycle. Come with me. Meet who I know. Ride on my ride. Then, and only then may you begin to travel the road to understanding what I understand. Simply, I do it because I enjoy it.

With no apologies...

~ JackFlash ~

:biker:

.

Edit: It occured to me that the Ohio Riders forum, at one time was unknown to each and every one of us. I remember being pleased that when searching Google one day, up popped a place where other motorcyclists could meet safely, online, to share what they pleased, with others with a common interest. One of the most appealing reasons was that most of these others were also in Ohio or bordering states. That means, in the same geographical area, giving the possibility that group activities, meet and greets, or rides with new friends may be likely.

Browse the "Introductions" pages off the Forums tab above. I counted 14+ pages of people, just like you, just like me, 20 people per page, wanting to be a part of something and have basically said, "Hi! I like motorcycles. Can I come in and be a part of what you are a part of?" And that is only going back one year.

From the "Community" tab > Members List > "Join Date" tab, you can see this forum's birth, over six years ago, with only three members. Two days later, six more. On the third day, thirteen more asked to be let in, and on it goes. Here we are six years later and still, weekly, there are knocks at the door to ask, "You are a part of something that, I want to be included in, that I enjoy, that I wish to share, with others, just like myself. Can you please let me in, for I am one of you?"

Read those knocks at the door on the "Introductions" pages. Perhaps you will see yourself in the names and faces of the huddled masses wishing to enter. I think we pretty much share in the reasons why we want to be among each other for many of our reasons are the same, and it's only the names and the faces behind those reasons that change.

~ Jack

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Awesome +1

[bmwnut]

You were throwing that big Beemer around pretty well through those tight drop turns and switchbacks, I'll ride with ya anytime 'nut!

OK! your on

[redkow97]

I guess the best answer is, "you have to be there". My dad completely understood but he has rode states away to meet other goldwing riders.

Neil Armstrong would famously tell HORRIBLE jokes about the moon landing, and then just when the awkward silence was unbearable, blurt out, "ah, I guess you had to be there."

[speedytriple]

Next time just ask them why they have friends on facebook. Those are just people on the internet also? I met lots of new riding buddies on here, Just not in the same way as the track guys on here.

[JackFlash]

But, I would like to know how you ended up taking us to Zanesville.

[Helmutt]

Jack, I thought you told him to take 93 once we lost track of the group ahead and the route itself? I know when we stopped on the roadside the last time before Zanesville, someone mentioned 93 north. It was all good, Gunner knew the area so he got us right to the pipeline to head west towards home.

[motozachl]

Would never partake in such a ride, group riding is fail IMO.

[bmwnut]

But, I would like to know how you ended up taking us to Zanesville.

we should have stayed on 555 and went there:mad: funny thing was when we turned I though the sign said sommerset that way but right after I knew we were going the wrong way but a U-Turn on 93 might not be good

[magley64]

a simple "fuck you, that's why" would have sufficed.

I think you've been hanging around pauly too much

[Gunner75]

Ive been asked this so many times by people in my area/family. I tell them

Since ive started riding serious, Ive found there are a ton of people out there that share the same common lifestyles. Most of them are not willing to enjoy life and experience the feelings we do as motorcyclists. Whether its 75mph down the highway, or getting a knee down in a reducing radius corner, or just meeting up with a group of people who enjoy the same common thing. It allows you to get out of the norm and meet up with individuals you wouldnt normally meet unless a happenstance incident brought you all together at the same time.

I tell them its a lifestyle that only a few have the nerve to experience and when you meet someone who enjoys it as much as you do, you will continue to do everything you can to forge friendships with those people.

This is why i road out 161 miles/3 hours to meet a group of people i havent meet before. To be given the chance to ride with a group of experienced riders who could teach me a thing or two. And I learned a lot on Saturday. The day of the Dream Ride, I learned a lot about different people, and I would hope weve managed to forge some new friendships that dont just stay with on the site or on rides together.

Next time we have one of these large meets, I will be stepping up to a more advanced group. Maybe not the fast group, but definitely more spirited. I ride these areas, to test my skills and continue to hone myself. There was a place on 78 I wouldve liked to have been able to stop at and get a group photo from up top with the scenery. It would have made for a great photo.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Gunner75

[JackFlash]

Jack, I thought you told him to take 93 once we lost track of the group ahead and the route itself? I know when we stopped on the roadside the last time before Zanesville, someone mentioned 93 north. It was all good, Gunner knew the area so he got us right to the pipeline to head west towards home.

When we turned onto Rt 93 North it remained Rt 669 as well, until Ridge Av. where Rt 669 then went west toward Rt 13.

Actually we were to take Rt 669/Ridge Av. out of Crooksville to Rt 13 and then to Somerset. I only remember informing him that the route continues up the west side of the river as opposed to the side we ended up on when we crossed over from Malta into McConnelsville.

If we had remained on Rt 669 we would have completed the loop portion of our trip. But, I know it was getting late and some of you had quite a ride ahead of you in dying daylight and soon to be dropping temperatures.

It was a fun day and I enjoyed it.

.

Edited October 17, 2012 by JackFlash
Just to make things clear...

[jnor]

Awesome +1

+2

[JackFlash]

we should have stayed on 555 and went there:mad: funny thing was when we turned I though the sign said sommerset that way but right after I knew we were going the wrong way but a U-Turn on 93 might not be good

You were a fine point-man. We would have followed you into hell without a second thought.

.

[snot]

We all rode new roads, met new people, made it home safe and had a little fun. No issues here...

[jschaf]

I've never had anybody ask me why before. I really they wouldn't even understand the what. Most seem to think I ride for fresh air & scenery. I don't challenge their misconceptions.

[rollnhot]

A lady who works for me, about the same age as me thinks my bikes are scary death machines. She tells me that I'm an excitement junky and to slow down & act my age. When told her all about our ride to Newark and points south, she replies that sounds scary and dangerous. I asked what she did that Saturday. Stayed inside and made vegetable soup it was too cold for anything else. I didn't know what to say.

[Gunner75]

A lady who works for me, about the same age as me thinks my bikes are scary death machines. She tells me that I'm an excitement junky and to slow down & act my age. When told her all about our ride to Newark and points south, she replies that sounds scary and dangerous. I asked what she did that Saturday. Stayed inside and made vegetable soup it was too cold for anything else. I didn't know what to say.

Should have told her you felt the urge to live life.

[rollnhot]

Should have told her you felt the urge to live life.

Don't think she'd get it.

[Dying Shadow]

I dont know about not feeling safe, i figured at least half the group had a gun on them

[snot]

I was thinking more like 80%

[swingset]

A high-up at work, a female with a smart mouth, asked me once why I rode (walking in a conversation where someone was admiring my road rash from an offroad get-off).

I told her I was compensating for a small penis.

She said she wanted to ride on the back because it would make her pussy tingle.

Weird conversation. That's really the only person who's ever asked that question.

[Kmanlyst]

I was asked this question by a gentleman at work the other day and I told him:

Riding for me is such a personal thing. It gives me confidence, it relieves stress, satisfies my desire for adventure and new experiences. In a way it allows me to show the world and the people in it that I'm my own person, I am capable and intelligent. I am an adventurous rider, and I pride myself on being able to fix my own machine (to a point, but I'm learning). It's my independence. Riding also very much saved my life. I started riding in the middle of a very dark time. It gave me something to focus on. Riding requires so much of your mental energy that there was no room for all the awful stuff and while I was on the bike, I found my real un-sick self. It flipped the switch that made me realize there is so much to live for. To this day, while I am getting better, it is still an escape for me. You can't help but feel happy and excited when those painted lines are rushing beneath you. The feeling that I'm sure is the closest you can get to flying. There's also the "zone". The one where you're so in tune with the machine beneath you, you feel the rhythm of the corners, your body reacts without thinking and at that moment nothing else in the world exists or matters. That's why I ride.

[Dying Shadow]

I was thinking more like 80%

Lol probably

[cOoTeR]

A lady who works for me, about the same age as me thinks my bikes are scary death machines. She tells me that I'm an excitement junky and to slow down & act my age. When told her all about our ride to Newark and points south, she replies that sounds scary and dangerous. I asked what she did that Saturday. Stayed inside and made vegetable soup it was too cold for anything else. I didn't know what to say.

She sounds like a crazy cat lady.