What Owning a Motorbike Has Taught Me - Motorbike Lessons

I've been owning and riding a motorbike for the past twenty-one years. I ride my motorbike everywhere I go. I've toured Europe and the U.S. on it. I met my current husband because we parked our motorcycles next to each other outside a coffee shop one evening and got to talking about both of our Ducati models.

The most of the exciting, life-changing things that have happened to me over the past two decades have happened during my travels on my motorbike. When you've been a biker for as long as I have, you learn a lot about what exactly it means to be a biker and what it takes to live as one. It's not always the easiest or safest choice to be a motorcycle enthusiast, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Riding a motorcycle has taught me a lot of things about life over the years.

Here are some of the most important things I've learned:

People ignore motorbikes on the road

The first thing I learned on the first day of owning a motorbike when I was just twenty years old was that people in cars don't pay attention to people on motorbikes. After a few months of riding around in a bustling city on a motorbike, you get used to this. You learn to anticipate their carelessness. You have to watch cars much more closely on your motorcycle than you would need to in your car.

Motorcyclists have a special connection

Another thing I learned pretty quickly was that riding a motorbike instantly earns you friends. When other bikers realize you're a biker, you'll inevitably end up talking about your motorbikes together. You make a lot of really great friends and meet a lot of interesting people as a motorcyclist. It's kind of like you're a part of a secret club that all those people who drive cars don't know about. I already mentioned that I met my husband because of our motorbikes. I've also met most of the people I'm closest to now simply because we shared an interest in motorcycles.

Riding a motorbike is a risk

I've known quite a few people who have been injured on their motorcycles. Luckily (*knock on wood*), I haven't known anyone who has been seriously injured. However, people do get seriously injured on their bikes fairly frequently. Riding a motorcycle is risky. My mother still lectures me about it to this day. When you're driving a car, you're surrounded by a steel shell that does a pretty decent job of protecting you from the impact of another car. When you're on your motorbike, you don't have that same steel shell to keep you safer. In many ways, you're completely vulnerable to your surroundings. This can be quite frightening in many ways, and I always have to remind myself when I'm riding around that safety should be my top priority.

There's nothing better than riding a motorbike on the open road

Riding my motorcycle helps me clear my head, calm down, and come up with solutions to problems that are bothering me. Being on my motorbike does for me what meditating does for other people. It makes me feel at peace with the world and more connected to the universe. I've seen what seems like thousands of sunsets and sunrises on my motorcycle, and each of them has been as incredible as the one before it. When you find whatever it is that makes your heart sing, keep doing it. The most valuable lesson I've learned from being a motorbike owner is that my bike truly enriches my life.

What lessons has owning a motorbike taught you?