Why do we Ride?

Kyun? Why?

This is a very common question that lingers on others' minds while seeing a motorcyclist couple riding far away. Some keep the question to themselves while some cannot control the urge to ask this.

We entered a small town on the Maharashtra and Telangana border where we stopped for lunch in a small hotel where the hotel owner while serving us the hot Hyderabadi Biryani suddenly asked, ''Kyun, why such a long journey on a motorcycle"? At that point in time I did not have the right answer to that and his question kept coming back to me often.

Is it just out of passion? No, there is more to it.

I have been riding motorcycles for 13 years now and my Royal Enfield Himalayan for 3 years. And for a very long time I thought that my urge to ride is only fuelled by passion. I mean of course passion has been the primary reason but it was not the only reason for sure. It is more about what motorcycling exposes me to and the experiences I gather because of it. The satisfaction, happiness and the sense of achievement after reaching every destination in your itinerary that you meticulously planned for months is another reason. The ease of travelling in India on a two-wheeler is incomparable to anything. You can park your motorcycle anywhere you want to and explore. If you come across a place that you find beautiful and wish to soak your soul in nature and you execute it, that's because motorcycles bring that privilege to you.

The answer is pretty simple and sane for some of us but some end up assuming we are crazy and that's totally understandable. After all, motorcycling is a passion that not everyone can relate to.

I love it when the breeze hits my helmet and the sound of the engine rumbling on the open highways excites me.

More than passion motorcycling is like a therapy session that helps me build my confidence, gain patience and let me be free. It rejuvenates my soul. It recharges my body and mind, keeps me going through the topsy turvy life. That's not all, it also helps me bond stronger with my partner.

Motorcycling with a pillion needs coordination between the two riders and mutual cooperation. You start understanding each other with much more empathy and care.

Riding has health benefits too.

It releases endorphins due to the adrenaline produced in the body. Endorphins are also called as Mood Elevating hormones. It also improves brain function, muscle strength, and cardiovascular health.

What else?

An opportunity to meet different people and learn so much from them. From my trip to Purulia, West Bengal I met a man, a former Maoist who shared a deep knowledge of the jungle and told me stories that would bring a chill down the spine.

Had I not travelled on my 2-wheeler, I would not have experienced the love of the people in one of the remotest villages in Andhra Pradesh. How often do you get invited to a house for lunch while refuelling petrol in a gas station? Witnessing love and care in the middle of a place unknown by people unknown is a luxury to me which only travelling on two wheeler makes possible.

Motorcycling helps me push my capabilities and limits. A two-wheeler is the ONLY mode of transportation that lets you soak in the surroundings and makes you live every moment.

It makes me humble everyday as I get to learn whenever I am out on the roads. There are villages that still do not have electricity and yet the happy faces will welcome you like they know you for ages. I also get to understand how privileged I am and this helps me stay grounded.

So when you get questioned "Kyun?" share them this piece. Maybe this will give them some idea about why we ride. ;) ;)