Motorcycles.
"Yeah well, we all like motorcycles, to some degree." - Bob Dylan
Here's what I know about mine:
1) I own my business, and my commuting miles are deducted at approximately the rate of a SMALL VAN, while I'm getting double or triple the mileage on my tiny 350-lb bike. Therefore, my beautiful Italian sport motorcycle basically pays for its own gas in tax deductions each month since I ride it to work every day, even in the rain, because I love it so much
2) I love fast cars, but to get equivalent performance (power, handling, braking) to my bike, I would need to increase my spending.. by a factor of about 30x. It never gets old, knowing (and often demonstrating) I can smoke anything on four wheels but a Bugatti Veyron. And a Veyron can't do a wheelie.
3) Since it's a personal passion of mine, incorporating it into my commute to the office means I get to enjoy one of my favorite life passions, twice per work day, at a bare minimum - no matter what else I do, even if I work like a dog, I have to enjoy myself twice each day or I can't get to and from work and my house
4) Possible lifestyle business when old (imagine me when I'm 60, on a huge cruising bike, leading AARP-retiree bikers on bike tours around the Southwest). I consider this somewhat Fastlane because after I earn all my cheese from my youthful hustle, it would be cool to stay a business owner and work in a field I'm truly passionate about (like motorcycle travel)
Some reasons motorcycling might actually be a little slowlane:
1) Another set of expensive toys to buy, consumerism to indulge. Huge secondary market for lust-inducing gear
2) Not the most practical thing - pretty hard to move a desk, for example, on a sportsbike - although I'm sure someone's done it... on YouTube
3) Danger - not gonna be cool if I get seriously injured while riding. However, I have done my own assessments and statistical research, and learned: The dangers of motorcycling are highly overstated in pop culture.
I've done my research, and the vast majority (80%+) of motorcycling accidents fall into one, two, or all of these three categories:
1) Rider intoxication
2) Rider less than a year of experience
3) Beginning of the riding season after time off
I believe that the glory of my motorcycling experience is an example of how Fastlane-style thinking can reveal the gold buried underneath the mud of "popular opinion."
Also, other life dangers are UNDER-estimated relative to motorcycles. Did you know bicycling is 5x more dangerous than walking??? But people ride bicycles freely...
I was walking on a narrow street sidewalk yesterday and an idiot in a Mitsubishi almost lept the curb and killed me right there. Walking on the sidewalk almost killed me yesterday.
Want to know something funny? Two days ago, I had a small single-vehicle motorcycle crash coming up my favorite tight mountain curve and pushing my bike hard. Forgot I had luggage bags on the back and I washed out my rear end because I was leaned over too far (GOD I love motorcyling hahahahahaha bwahahhaa). Basically I was a BOSS up until the moment my fat-a$$ luggage starting rubbing the pavement and then we went down with the bike on top of me (but it slid off me right away, the bike slides farther then the person does in a crash)
The funny thing: I was less scared during the motorcycle crash than I was when I saw that Mitsubishi coming at me on the sidewalk. Hard to believe this unless you've been there, but at least with the crash I knew: a) the mistake was mine. I could do better next time b) I've been in crashes before, this one's not a big one. c) I am learning my mechanics, I can learn to repair whatever damage there is.
Vs. that car leaping the curb... I have no control over these fools around me. Only the fool that I am. Motorcycling teaches you to control your inner fool... and sometimes... to unleash it.
Anyway, I love motorcycling with a passion.
Ever since the bug bit me about 3-4 years ago, it's been one of my driving motivations, along with music, and simple financial success, freedom, luxury, and travel.
Bikes run the gamut from cheap-as-$*(#* to the finest, lightest carbon-fiber and aircraft-titanium available. And they all fascinate me.
Fastlane or no, this sort of the stuff is the reason I'm glad to be alive. I hope I'm riding till they put me in the ground, and if anyone is ever in the Hill Country and wants to hit the road, I'll be there just say the word
"Yeah well, we all like motorcycles, to some degree." - Bob Dylan
Here's what I know about mine:
- It is absurdly fast
- It is beautiful beyond measure (not the one in my profile pic, which is also beautiful)
- It is loud and annoys nearby foot-traffic, however many of my neighbors love it (see #1 and #2)
- It is fun
- It is fun
- It takes me out of my mind and makes me whoop and holler, it's so fun
- Relieves my stress like none other
- I enjoy learning mechanics of it and wrenching on it; saves money (sorta) and is fun and cool
- Girls love it. No matter what they say at first. Nine out of Ten. And the 10th one I'm not interested in. Therefore, since I love girls and I love saving time, it's a win-win (all respect, ladies and girls
- It is dangerous but actually not much more than riding a bicycle in traffic
- Everyday life has many dangers equal to that of riding a motorcycle
1) I own my business, and my commuting miles are deducted at approximately the rate of a SMALL VAN, while I'm getting double or triple the mileage on my tiny 350-lb bike. Therefore, my beautiful Italian sport motorcycle basically pays for its own gas in tax deductions each month since I ride it to work every day, even in the rain, because I love it so much
2) I love fast cars, but to get equivalent performance (power, handling, braking) to my bike, I would need to increase my spending.. by a factor of about 30x. It never gets old, knowing (and often demonstrating) I can smoke anything on four wheels but a Bugatti Veyron. And a Veyron can't do a wheelie.
3) Since it's a personal passion of mine, incorporating it into my commute to the office means I get to enjoy one of my favorite life passions, twice per work day, at a bare minimum - no matter what else I do, even if I work like a dog, I have to enjoy myself twice each day or I can't get to and from work and my house
4) Possible lifestyle business when old (imagine me when I'm 60, on a huge cruising bike, leading AARP-retiree bikers on bike tours around the Southwest). I consider this somewhat Fastlane because after I earn all my cheese from my youthful hustle, it would be cool to stay a business owner and work in a field I'm truly passionate about (like motorcycle travel)
Some reasons motorcycling might actually be a little slowlane:
1) Another set of expensive toys to buy, consumerism to indulge. Huge secondary market for lust-inducing gear
2) Not the most practical thing - pretty hard to move a desk, for example, on a sportsbike - although I'm sure someone's done it... on YouTube
3) Danger - not gonna be cool if I get seriously injured while riding. However, I have done my own assessments and statistical research, and learned: The dangers of motorcycling are highly overstated in pop culture.
I've done my research, and the vast majority (80%+) of motorcycling accidents fall into one, two, or all of these three categories:
1) Rider intoxication
2) Rider less than a year of experience
3) Beginning of the riding season after time off
I believe that the glory of my motorcycling experience is an example of how Fastlane-style thinking can reveal the gold buried underneath the mud of "popular opinion."
Also, other life dangers are UNDER-estimated relative to motorcycles. Did you know bicycling is 5x more dangerous than walking??? But people ride bicycles freely...
I was walking on a narrow street sidewalk yesterday and an idiot in a Mitsubishi almost lept the curb and killed me right there. Walking on the sidewalk almost killed me yesterday.
Want to know something funny? Two days ago, I had a small single-vehicle motorcycle crash coming up my favorite tight mountain curve and pushing my bike hard. Forgot I had luggage bags on the back and I washed out my rear end because I was leaned over too far (GOD I love motorcyling hahahahahaha bwahahhaa). Basically I was a BOSS up until the moment my fat-a$$ luggage starting rubbing the pavement and then we went down with the bike on top of me (but it slid off me right away, the bike slides farther then the person does in a crash)
The funny thing: I was less scared during the motorcycle crash than I was when I saw that Mitsubishi coming at me on the sidewalk. Hard to believe this unless you've been there, but at least with the crash I knew: a) the mistake was mine. I could do better next time b) I've been in crashes before, this one's not a big one. c) I am learning my mechanics, I can learn to repair whatever damage there is.
Vs. that car leaping the curb... I have no control over these fools around me. Only the fool that I am. Motorcycling teaches you to control your inner fool... and sometimes... to unleash it.
Anyway, I love motorcycling with a passion.
Ever since the bug bit me about 3-4 years ago, it's been one of my driving motivations, along with music, and simple financial success, freedom, luxury, and travel.
Bikes run the gamut from cheap-as-$*(#* to the finest, lightest carbon-fiber and aircraft-titanium available. And they all fascinate me.
Fastlane or no, this sort of the stuff is the reason I'm glad to be alive. I hope I'm riding till they put me in the ground, and if anyone is ever in the Hill Country and wants to hit the road, I'll be there just say the word
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