Motorcycle Essay

2003.04.06

Chapter 1. Motorcycle lover who does not ride on a motorcycle

There are fellows who buy a motorcycle vaguely without specific purpose like using motorcycle to go to and from the office or school, etc. Even the fellow has a car. Though the fellow drives a car, he does not ride on a motorcycle, if he does not really likes riding on a motorcycle, the fellows who bought a motorcycle such a way will sell a motorcycle soon. Because of that, many second hand motorcycles which are running only several 100km are sold. But I think that it is a right way of buying a motorcycle. However, it is a mistake to sell the motorcycle bought with much trouble, just because he does not ride. He should be practical about the reason of buying a motorcycle. It is good enough just to want to have a motorcycle, not to ride. If he takes a look at a motorcycle occasionally and feels fun of that, I think that there is a value which bought the motorcycle, even if he rarely rides on it. I say “buying a motorcycle for appreciation” for the way to buy a motorcycle as like this. If you would like to have a motorcycle, but are hesitating to purchase a motorcycle, because you know you probably do not ride on a motorcycle, I would like you to know that there is a method to buy a motorcycle, not for riding, just for owns. For your information, they call “six wheels owner” for the person who has a car and a motorcycle.

I am such a person. Though I own a 250cc motorcycle for public road and a 600cc motorcycle for circuit besides a car, I rarely ride on the 250cc motorcycle. After buying it in 1993, mileage is only 7,000km in ten years. Because I knew I would rarely ride on it, I was hesitating a lot to buy it. So I tried to place the motorcycle in my room for appreciation, soon after I bought it, but the motorcycle could not enter into the elevator. But I think that it was a good shopping which was able to fulfill the possessiveness of a motorcycle. Precisely, it is crazy who likes riding on a motorcycle, which is danger, hot, cold, helmet is weary, cannot use cellular phone, cannot smoke, uncomfortable sheet, no roof when it rains, no navigation and no music compared with a car.

If you do not ride on your motorcycle, remove the minus terminal of the battery, then you can earn time until the battery goes up. It is better to remove the battery and use charger of a battery, if you really do not ride on your motorcycle. Moreover, if your motorcycle is using a carburetor and you do not ride on your motorcycle for a long time, a carburetor will rust. Since the cost of fixing this is expensive, you do not have to ride, but it is good to just start the engine and enjoy that sound occasionally.

Chapter 2. High power or full fairing motorcycles are…

I do not recommend you to have a high power or full fairing motorcycle, if you do not ride on the motorcycle frequently for the long-distance touring using the highway. Though it is good, if you are practical about buying a motorcycle as an appreciation, of course.

If the motorcycle has big engine and high power, it is not only hard to treat due to heaviness of the motorcycle, but you always feel stress, because you cannot use 100% of the motorcycle power on public roads other than the highway. Therefore, you cannot enjoy riding on that motorcycle and you may stop riding that motorcycle. On the other hand, if you select middle size motorcycle which is from 250cc through 600cc, you can enjoy it, because it is light and easy to treat, and you can handle 100% of the power. I think that the slower motorcycle lasts long. It is also a fun for me that I pass big machine away on the winding road by 250cc motorcycle.

Moreover, it is very difficult to treat a full fairing motorcycle at the low speed. It is better to give up U-turn on a narrow way. Full fairing motorcycle cannot even be a good appreciation, because you cannot see the engine. Therefore, I do not recommend you this, either.

Chapter 3. Fighter plane and motorcycle

Car can be a hobby, but mostly for practical use. So unless you use a car often at the circuit, you do not say car is your hobby. Though car can be your hobby, if you own a TVR etc. However, in the case of a motorcycle, even if you do not ride on it, you may say motorcycle is your hobby, if you just own a motorcycle.

However, riding a motorcycle is dangerous compare with driving a car. There are seat belts and airbags in a car. There are no seat belts (if there are, it is more dangerous.) or air bags on a motorcycle. Besides, power of today’s big machine is huge. There is a rule that seat belts must be used even car is protected by the strong body. So it is strange that we are legally allowed to ride on a motorcycle which has no protection, though we have to wear a helmet in Japan. However, though there is much possibility that you will die by riding a motorcycle, there is little possibility to kill someone else. Instead, you may safe by driving a car, but there is much possibility that you kill someone else.

If you are a man, you may think that you want to have a gun or a fighter plane. I used to want a Japanese sword. However, to have a gun is illegal in Japan, so you may just to have a toy gun. Of course, you cannot shoot real bullet by a toy gun. It is also illegal to have a fighter plane, but from the beginning, it is too expensive to buy it. So you may just have a plastic model of the fighter plane. Of course this cannot be operated either. Although you can have a Japanese sword by getting permission, if you want to try that capability actually, it will be an attempted murder at least. However, if it is a motorcycle, you can not only buy it legally, but you can ride on it actually by getting the driving license! You can have and ride such a dangerous thing! Moreover, unless you running over people, your crime is just confiscation of a driving license at most! A motorcycle is an ultimate legal hobby. If you are a grown-up man, there is no reason not having such a delicious hobby. The reason why I want to go to touring by my 250cc once a year at the good climate season, although it is for appreciation, is that I want to try that performance occasionally.

Chapter 4. My key to the touring

Although a full face helmet is required for circuits, a jet helmet is good enough for touring. If you use a jet helmet, tightness is reduced and you can smoke with wearing a jet helmet.

It is better to set rendezvous time as early in the morning and come back before it becomes dark. Touring in dark is easy to lose your mate and chiefly danger.

You should make gasoline full by rendezvous time. If you do not make gasoline full, you bother everyone.

You can put up with hot temperature somehow, but it is really hard to put up with cold temperature. Therefore, if you suffer whether or not wearing another cloth or not, just wear.

When I go touring, I ride on a motorcycle listening to the music by CD Walkman (you may not use Sony). It is not an overstatement that the sound jump prevention function of CD Walkman was developed for touring. I usually do not listen rock, but I select rock for touring.

In case someone loses the way, tell the number of all the members' cellular phone mutually in advance to be able to contact each other.

Select a person who pays for a toll road beforehand for everybody's part. It is convenient.

Remember the color of the wear which other members are wearing on, if it is several persons' touring. Although it is difficult to distinguish the color of motorcycles while running, you can specify members by the color of wear.

Take care about a left blind corner (This is for the countries where left-hand traffic like Japan. If right-hand traffic like US, read this as a right blind corner.). Compared with a right blind corner, a left blind corner is difficult to see ahead of that corner in Japan due to left-hand traffic. And since a left corner runs inside from the center of the road, though right corner runs outside, R is comparatively small in a left corner. Therefore, most corners where you could not turn or you felt oops must be left blind corners. Moreover, although you do not injure because you can use opposite lane when you cannot turn left within the center of the road, you may die suddenly if a car is coming at the opposite lane. Instead, you will injure when you cannot turn right within the side of the road, but you will mostly not die.

Don't let a slowest person run in the tail end, since he is easy to lose his way.

It will be good to run together in a city area and to run freely in the suburbs. However, if a rider who is running the head should wait for members at the turning point of the way.

If you are a man, smoke cigarette at the break time of touring like a commercial of Lucky Strike. If I do it, it is troublesome, since women will come to me actually.

At the last, I would like two to three persons' touring. It is lonely and troublesome to decide the place to go and read the map, if I go touring alone. But if there is much number, this is also as troublesome as something. Moreover, I would not like go to touring unless members are nice friend, unlike office work, although it is difficult to have good touring friends in these times with little motorcycle riders.

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