Some musings on the hunger to ride

As social media traffic and online ads for Daytona Bike Week ramp up, as I write this, we’re all sitting here on a rainy Saturday morning in North Georgia, yearning to ride.  This follows a “Chamber of Commerce” Friday in the south with V-Twin friendly low 70’s and sunshine. Brutal times for us riders who have booked our spring/summer rally lodging and patiently wait for riding weather. Fortunately for us in the south, riding season starts earlier than those in the frozen northern states, so we aren’t complaining that much.

Yesterday I took the opportunity to dodge big city traffic and zig zag through the Smokies for a drive back to our home in the east Atlanta suburb of Monroe from Nashville. Riding Hwy 68 through TN and then Hwy 60 through north GA I passed several riders on dual sports, sport bikes and a few baggers out enjoying the mild Friday temperatures and sunshine.

After a heart procedure the previous week and a busy conference this past week, my drive was just what the doctor ordered to wind down my mind, body and soul. Rolling through some TVA properties I spotted a family of deer grazing and later in north Georgia a bald eagle chasing his lunch. For the first time in a while I opened up the sun roof to try and catch some wind – as if that would mimic being on my bike. *Side note – cagers pull over for faster cagers more often than they do for bikers; at least that’s my observation from the wheel of my 328i…

A touch of jealousy mixed with pride swept over my psyche as I waved at several fellow riders from my cage. It was great to feel a part of a community that holds the same values close as they take advantage of the random warmer days to get out in the wind in late February. On occasion I’ve had the same opportunity to take advantage of such weather and the feeling it evokes of a solo ride in the wind allowing one to clear the mind of the daily grind while truly appreciating the value of a great day enjoying the sport on two wheels we all love.

Rob, several buddies and I will be attending the Thunder Beach rally in Panama City Beach this April/May and have made our plans. We will be riding down and except for a day of salt water fishing, we will be riding the Florida panhandle coast every day while there. During these rally trips I’ve come to appreciate the time together with my biker brothers that also enjoy riding.  It’s on week-long rally rides that I think back to rainy cold days like this and smile.  

The powersports market has seen much change already this year, with new CEOs at the helm of Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles, new models and brands unexpectedly moving into new (for them) racing series (year two for Triumph and year one for Ducati in Motocross) so this year’s rallies should bring some fun new conversations. Road Dirt recommends you attend at least one or more motorcycle rallies per year and this year is no exception. Go, meet new friends, enjoy riding new areas, snap some selfies and shoot some video of your time behind the bars.

Rob, myself and the Road Dirt crew would love an opportunity to meet our readers at Thunder Beach, so please let us know if you plan on attending. We can coordinate a convenient meet-up time and place to say hello and hand out some RDTV swag.   

For now, I’ll load up some tunes on my iPhone and spend time in the garage detailing the motorbike in preparation for the next rideable weather day. When our Road Dirt crew talks about the “Ride Life”, that includes thinking about the appreciation for good days to ride and the bad days filled with the yearning to ride, or just simply talk about riding.         

See you on the road somewhere this year,

Phil G.