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Close to 60 years ago I a "friend" said ,jump on that 650 and try it out--"I did not know how to ride"--short while later I spent 5 days in hospital..A couple of years later I tried again, this time a GOOD friend took me under his wing and away I went...Rode street for awhile then discovered dirt bikes, 6 or 8 bike later I wanted to try the street again...bought a CX500 Honda and rode by myself from Canada down the Continental divide to Mexican border over to LA and Hwy 1 back to Vancouver BC..after 4000 miles and 2 weeks I vowed I would never be without a M/C--Now at 80 years old I still ride my 650 Vstrom and 390 Duke...Motorcycling in this world of pandemic etc keeps one happy and relaxed--MCrider helps too!

riding to and from work has help me get up and go to work

Been riding bicycles and motorcycles for about 20 years. There is something about the sensations and movements of being on 2 wheels that's cathartic for me.

You'll find this in various places on the net, but it's definitely worth a read, or a re-read! Copy and share guys and gals! The other night I was sitting on my bike beneath an overpass on the highway. Even though I was wearing good rain gear, the rain coming down buckets, made riding literally impossible, and unsafe. With spray form passing cars coming at me from all directions I felt as if I was inside a car wash. It was time. When I saw the overpass up ahead I pulled off beside the highway and found a relatively dry spot pout of the rain under the bridge. Sitting there, on the bike, rivulets of water dripping down inside of my rain jacket and inside the visor of my helmet I probably looked as miserable as I felt. I asked myself the question that I have been asked by so many others, Why am I riding a motorcycle? When you let a motorcycle into your life you’re changed forever. The letters “MC” are stamped on your driver’s license right next to your sex and weight as if “motorcycle” was just another of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition. A motorcycle is not just a two-wheeled car; the difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. We spend all our time sealed in boxes’ and cars are just the rolling boxes that shuffle us from home-box to work-box to store-box and back, the whole time, entombed in stale air, temperature regulated, sound insulated, and smelling of carpets. On a motorcycle I know I’m alive. When I ride, even the familiar seems strange and glorious. The air has weight and substance as I push through it and its touch is as intimate as water to a swimmer. I feel the cool wells of air that pool under trees and the warm spokes of sun that fall through them. I can see everything in a sweeping 360 degrees, up, down and around, wider than Pana-Vision and IMAX and unrestricted by ceiling or dashboard. Sometimes I even hear music. It’s like hearing phantom telephones in the shower or false doorbells when vacuuming; the pattern-loving brain, seeking signals in the noise, raises acoustic ghosts out of the wind’s roar. But on a motorcycle I hear whole songs: rock ‘n roll, dark orchestras, women’s voices, all hidden in the air and released by speed. At 30 miles per hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid. All the individual tree- smells and flower- smells and grass-smells flit by like chemical notes in a great plant symphony. Sometimes the smells evoke memories so strongly that it’s as though the past hangs invisible in the air around me, wanting only the most casual of rumbling time machines to unlock it. A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul. It tears smiles out of me: a minute ago I was dour, depressed, apathetic, numb, but now, on two wheels, big, ragged, windy smiles flap against the side of my face, billowing out of me like air from a decompressing plane. Transportation is only a secondary function. A motorcycle is a joy machine. It’s a machine of wonders, a metal bird, a motorized prosthetic. It’s light and dark and shiny and dirty and warm and cold lapping over each other; it’s a conduit of grace, it’s a catalyst for bonding the gritty and the holy. It’s flying three feet off the ground. I am in a fairly mundane job right now, but I don't really mind, and you need to hold on in the current economic climate. I get to listen to the radio a lot, and, listening to the right channels, I'm learning a great deal about many fascinating random subjects! I don't have a car anymore, so my bike is my commute as well as my escape, as you said. I'm really lucky, I live by the coast in Westen Australia so riding all year round isn't an issue, and I take the coast road down to work - beside the Indian Ocean - looking out at the surfers and paddleboarders in the mornings and families in the afternoons. Truly the best therapy there is!!!!!

I don't know why I ride except I enjoy it. I've had more than 15 different motorcycles, both dirt & street. Trips etc. Also I have had my share of accidents. at 87 years old now I am still looking for another one.

Right you are. I started at 16 and I'm 72 now. Riding away from the city, out in the country amid the farms, with all the smells and sights gives me a sense of peace and relaxation that I can't find elsewhere. It has been a wonderful trip.

I remember ever since I was 11 (in the beautiful Venezuelan jungles where I grew up) riding was my dream. Later on in New Jersey At 41 with a 4 kids beautiful family I finally was able to put all together and pursue my motorcycle dream with my loving wife's support (honey please just get your bike) I am 43 now and I still remember when I first saw MC Rider. Kevin you are part of our family in a positive way because they know you care about their dad. They know I am fulfilling my passion and trying the best to be a better rider every day. You inspire me, you are that voice in my head like the (cartoon Angel lol) telling my to read the road and guiding me to safety. You also are THE BOND THAT KEEP US TOGETHER. Thank you my friend.

I started at 11 and I'm 65 now. I agree with everything here. A bike is the great equalizer! Ride safe pal!

You're a thoughtful bloke Kevin and it always feels like an honour to have the opportunity to have this window into your mind on the best approach to staying alive on two wheels, and also staying alive spritually by keeping some joy in your life. Thanks

I’m 59 and purchased my first motorcycle today. I cannot wait to experience the freedom and independence you so vividly described so that I can have that same smile on my face as yours when describing the joy of riding. I know I will be a safer rider after watching many of your instructional videos. Thank you Kevin for your important work in helping the motorcycle community (new and experienced) ride safer. Your wisdom and experience is invaluable.

Due to ongoing physical problems, I may no longer be able to ride (we'll see). No matter how my treatment and prognosis turns out, I will always have memories of great times with great friends who were brought together by our appreciation for those great machines.

Kevin. Thank you for saving my wife and I a lot if pain. I have been a subscriber to MC Rider for about 3 years or so. Last Saturday it paid off. With my wife on board our Honda Shadow Aero 750 something cut the rear tire and penetrated the tube at 45-50 mph, the rear tire was flat in about 4 seconds. Because in the spring I take the 1st couple rides alone, I practice everything you preach. From slow speed control and turns, even braking so when we stop, with her on, it’s smooth no big front end dip and left foot only down, to mirror aim so I can see what’s in my blind spots to our position in the traffic flow. We had just exited the freeway and stopped at primary street stop light. 2 lanes each way with a center turn lane. I chose the left lane and were at the front of the line, when the light turned green knowing I had 8-10 cars behind us I got out in front of the car to right with a normal take off. As I hit about 50 mph the rear tire blew. The sense of urgency to get out of traffic, off the road and stopped safely is one that I don’t care to relive, ever. At the stop light I had checked the vehicles around me, my mirrors are adjusted to give me as wide a view beside and behind me as possible. When the tire blew I knew was ahead of the car to my right and to safety, as the back end got wiggly I looked to my right in the mirror and then to my right, with no car there I moved over with just enough front brake to turn on the brake light. The flat tire was slowing us up enough. This happened about 75-100 feet before the next intersection which had a gas station on the other side to the right. We got it stopped about 15 feet into the gas station drive. Didn’t drop it. Didn’t stop in the flow of traffic. I will thank God for the blessing of stopping safely. The biggest problem after that was getting it on a truck and delivered to the dealership for repair. They have not taken the tire off yet, when they do I hope to see what happed to it as the tires have only 1500 miles on them. Thanks for being that voice in my head as I leave the driveway on 2 wheels. Another positive note, as we were waiting as I on the phone to get it towed a group of 6-7 of the loudest and proudest H-D bagger riders pulled in & fueled up. Right before they pulled out and rolled over. They offered to get their own truck or trailer and get home for us. Yeap H-D riders offering to help out the Metic. Ain’t that great! Bikers helping bikers.

When I flicked onto this video this evening, I expected a few more priceless nuggets of wisdom to keep us safe. Instead I was treated to a philosophical thesis on the motivations for riding motorcycles, and what a treat that was! You Sir, are a scholar and a gentleman.

Its so true about a motorcycle always being there for the escape from life. 2 years ago I was made redundant from a job that I had been in for 15 years, not just a job but a huge part of my life.After being told the news, I had to go home and tell my family what was happening, I could hardly speak.... I felt so down & unsure of the world. My wife was brilliant and told me to take the time and let it sink in, "why don't you go for a ride" she said! I really didn't feel like it, but took her advice and went anyway. I didn't go far, but still sent a few hours riding around. When I got home, I felt so different, with a greater mind set, hey it was only a job, I can always get another one! Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us, it really does make a difference. Ride safe!

I just startled riding. At times when I’m feeling over confident, I rewatch all your videos to remind myself what to do to stay safe. You are saving lives including mine. Thank you from the Philippines 🇵🇭

Once you lose the ego and stop trying to prove yourself you become a better rider because you can focus on skills and technique.

It's good to hear something positive at last about motorcycling. I've seen so many videos about the dangers and risks that expecting an accident to happen at some time seems almost taken for granted. I am planning to return to motorcycling after a break of thirty years and this video has helped revive my confidence and enthusiasm.

Great video Kevin. Based upon what I learned from my first riding instructor way back in 1970, I still treat each ride as a test of my skills. If I don't have to brake hard or swerve to avoid something, if I don't scare the heck out of myself in general, it means that I'm using good road strategy, paying attention to my surroundings, and in general, riding safely. I still take a refresher riding course every few years. I'll be 70 years young next February and hope to continue riding as long as I'm able to do so safely. I continue to learn a great deal from your videos!!!!! Ride safe my friend.

I too, laid up after a crushed and dislocated foot I thought for a moment about selling my bike if I couldn't hold it up. Kevin, McRider was a big part of my recovery. Riding again. Need to keep practicing. Watched every video. Thank you, God bless you.

I’m a RiderCoach (MSF instructor) in New Jersey, and been riding for 10 years (probably still considered a noobie). I’ve been asking myself lately why I became a RiderCoach and why I ride, this video put into words what I couldn’t. Thank you for this, this is why we ride!

Thank you Kevin for these wonderful lessons and videos. My bff told me to watch and learn 2 years ago after I had a close call and almost gave up after 10 years. Practicing the weekly skills have let me get “that fear monkey” off my back and ride with confidence and skill... I practice all the time and thanks to you, I am about to take a week riding vacation with my bff through the beautiful switchback roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am free again!

That was great Kevin ! I just want to add this. My Dad flew experimental air plane's ,when I flew with him I felt the same things he did. I understand why he loved flying .When i get on bike .those feelings are there to sum extent. But riding a bike is a lot cheaper. But just as fun in a lot of way's . SAFETY is the key to both Riding and Flying ! We most remember that every time we get on our bike's. SAFETY is the key to having FUN! So let's Ride On and enjoy! Stay Safe and Well!

I agree 100% Kevin. I'm 65 now and started riding dirt bikes at 14. I'm like a junkie addicted to the joy of the ride. 95% of the time I'm not going to or from anywhere I'm just out riding. Sometimes I just feel like it's something I need. You expressed it very well Sir. Thank you.

Probably the most thoughtful and insightful explanation of why I continue to ride after so many years. Please continue sharing your wisdom.

You said it Kevin, this type of video are the ones that really connect! “There are few things in life that give the immediate feedback of right and wrong, like riding a motorcycle”. Don’t I know it! I forgive every other bad driver or rider I encounter, because I make wrong (or uninformed) decisions all the time. Though I will likely always make them, my goal is to reduce those mistakes as much as I can, by SLOWING DOWN, and keeping my mind on new things I’m learning and old things I’m relearning about motorcycling. Though I pick up good tips here and there, right here is where I have learned the most soulfully direct and useful tips for the right mindset. Doubts and buyer’s remorse I’ve had about making an Africa Twin my first big bike, at my late age, are melting away, due to the constant reminder to ride defensively. It all comes down to that, plus techniques and strategies, of course. Every night, after riding (and practicing), I go thru the mental list of my shortcomings of the day, then come in here and view or re-view lessons that address those errors, and vow to improve my approach. Every morning, I feel renewed and ready to go out again, with (cautious) confidence.

I needed to watch this. Thank you for sharing. God bless!

Thank you so much for your eloquent wisdom. All the best to you and your family, from a fan in New Zealand. Ride safe.

Thank you @mcrider for this clip…I also appreciate the independence that motorcycling can provide. I have also found that there is a fair amount of control that it also provides - as you said “…I have control of how and when I ride”, this freedom provides me the opportunity to be thankful and grateful for having the means and physical ability to ride. I am a new older rider (50s), I took the MSF 11/2022 and bought a bike shortly after. I ride and practice every time a get a chance, it energizes and uplifts my spirit. I only wish I had done this much earlier in life 😊 What I have learned in this new sport of riding is to never delay joy! Safe riding and “see you on the road.” 😊

My late grandad, God rest his soul, rode a motorcycle for as long as I can remember. He took me on my first ever ride on a motorbike. I never forgot the experience. As soon as I was able to, I took up riding myself and it is my daily commute to and from work that is the best part of the day. MCrider has taught me a lot about road skill and strategy that I would not otherwise known being a largely self-taught rider on the other side of the world.

Excellent video Kevin. I too feel the same way. Thank you for your continued commitment to the motorcycle community

Love your down to earth approach to safety education. You are the best.

Your videos are like a cold glass of water in the face, when I start getting lazy, you bring me back to reality. Keep up the good work Kevin.

Kevin, love the channel and the website. I couldn't agree more with all of your points here. But the experience of riding is unmatched. I've been getting out every morning at sunrise for some incredible rides - avoiding traffic and the heat/humidity. I have recently gotten back into riding after a 15 year hiatus. Went through the MSF course and with the assistance of your channel - and others - I practice regularly. This quote from flying also applies to riding a motorcycle: Practice your skills, lest the earth rise up and smite thee. Keep up the good work.

Very, very good, all true and very well explained. Thanks

Always a thumbs up, even when I'm busy I still eventually find time to watch.

Great Kevin. Very wise and encouraging words. Stay safe man.

You are a true motorcyclist and that's why I love your training videos. Thanks for sharing your story with us. You are helping a lot of motorcyclists around the world. Please keep up the good work.

Great video Kevin, very well explained when you say, a motorcycle will demand your respect. Thank you for teaching us in becoming better riders.

I know I've learned a few things from your videos, and from your excellent choice of words you've provided in your videos and hope that I continue to learn. Thank You very much for giving US your time, your wisdom & knowledge !!

Thanks god in this quarantine I had a motorcycle to ride to the mountains here in California, I enjoyed it a lot I felt a sense of being safe from the virus up there the only concern is that at the end I had to go back home to deal with reality.😁

Well said...there’s so many satisfying and rewarding benefits with riding. As a motorcyclist who only has a year under my belt, it has partly been your videos that have helped me increase my skills and knowledge. Nothing like getting the wave from a fellow rider that you meet along the roads.

Yes, I relate to everything you said there. You said it far better than I could though. Keep up the good work Kevin.

Words of wisdom. Thanks for your dedication on u tube Kevin, I always enjoy your videos and learn a few things too.

Thanks Kevin. As always, articulate and thought provoking. Be safe, my friend. Dennis

Beautiful words. Probably the best speech about motorcycles I ever heard. I felt what you said... 🙏

I love videos on this topic. Yours had to be the best I have seen. Very well thought out and delivered, and a completely unique approach to the subject. Well done sir!

Nicely done and beautifully written! Packed FULL of TRUTHS!

So true Kevin, SO TRUE!! Thank you!

Very well said. Excellent understanding of riding a motorcycle. Thank you brother.

Thank you Kevin for all the great advice and information you provide. I really appreciate your insights and knowledge; I have learned a lot from you. You are also personable, interesting and witty. Please keep up the good work!

Kevin your words are correct in so many ways. Thanks for sharing.

Great video Kevin! I agree 100 percent.

No better words about riding have ever been expressed. GREAT JOB!!

Very articulate, and inspiring, thankyou.

Thanks for sharing Kevin, another great show.

As at the age of 44 I'm keep thinking about riding again and I saw you video about reminding what's all riding is about! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience and thoughts!

Thanks Kevin I always appreciate your words of wisdom and insight. You have the ability to say what most of us think.

Hi Kevin I am Nathan, I live in the UK. I have to say this is a great video you put out for us. I find riding motorcycles very rewarding to be honest. And is something I love doing. Keep riding Kevin.

Beautiful... Just beautiful... safe rides Kevin !

Hey, new rider here. I think it's funny: I watched so many of your videos in the couple of years I was doing research, trying to build a collection of gear, trying to save up for a bike. I finally bought a motorcycle this past summer. And now, your videos are showing up in my suggestions all over again, even with the red progress bar all the way across the bottom. I think the advice you've given has over-all been really, really good. I wanted to comment here because of some of the excellent advice, using things which go wrong on the bike to assess things which can be learned better. I haven't crashed as of yet, with just a handful of rides under my belt. However, there have been times I've felt unsteady, and times I have troubles doing the slower speed maneuvers in parking lots. It all gives direct advice, "Work on this thing better." I decided to stop at a yellow light that I would have taken in my car, but it was my second or third time on the street, and I lacked the confidence to power through that turn. It told me, work on that. A ride or two later, I still have work to do, slowing into a slow turn. I can accelerate into 15 or 20 mph turns, but slowing into them costs me my confidence. So, something to work on. Something to address. Last night was one of many which was filled with dreams of riding a motorcycle and having troubles. Some of the troubles are uncertainties, like figuring out where to park at my destinations in the dream, but some of it was going wide in turns, and on down the list of very common issues we new riders encounter. I'd rather experience it in a dream as a reminder to address these things, than to see the trees off the road fast approaching in real life.

Kevin's temperament is the best kind for teaching. I got my first 125cc 1 week before lockdown. I watched these videos and can't believe the tips he's given actually improved my riding when I started again this week. Brilliant advice. Thank you.

I love your channel, 4 years ago as a new rider I crashes my motorcycle, listening to music and not looking far enough ahead. It was a few days later I found your channel and the Ride Like s Pro channel. My riding skills have improves greatly. I agree with everything you say too.

Excellent, well said Kevin! You said it and I also feel it's in the "Spirit" of what it makes us appreciate what God has given us. Thank you for sharing & everything you do to help us learn to be better riders. Peace to you/ your family, Ride safe 😎🏍👍

Hey man. You did nail it. Sometimes, even when I dont realize it, I think..na..not gonna ride today. But I swear within 3 minutes, I'm so happy I chose to get on my bike. It's funny, you can hear yourself speak really loud, under my full face helmet. I pray, outloud, show gratitude , have a blast. Completely alone with God and the machine. Stress is gone. I actually think it's good for us mentally. Mood enhancer. Thank you brother for all you do. You're helping. You are.

Thanks for the contribution you are making to help teach and encourage road skills and road strategies!! I have your decal on my new HJC CL 17 full face helmet and it looks awesome

Kevin, great video as usual. Keep up the great work.

GREAT VIDEO, KEV❗️

Awesome words, thank you for sharing. I will be sharing this video so hopefully people can understand a little more about why I ride.

Amazing video. So true

beautiful story sir, loved it most when you said your wife and daughter were supportive and wanted you to continue riding

Motorcycle Meditation. This is brilliant. Thanks Kevin.

My older brothers had dirt bikes, I rode them when they let me. I rode a friend's nighthawk 650 a bunch of times, had a couple scary close calls, swore it off. I grew up with nightmare stories of young cripples from my nurse mother. Got an R3 a year ago, ride her daily. Love it. Life is for the living.

I totally agree with everything you said. No matter how hard you push their is always push back in anything we do. So don't push/rush through life enjoy the time, and enjoy the ride!!

Hi Kevin, I've been watching your videos before I started riding. I brought my gear first before I got my motorcycle. Thanks for your insight into riding.

Thank you. The best part of my work day was often riding home, via a long detour because I could, along mountain ridge roads and through rural expanses back to civilisation so to speak. For various reasons that's in the past now and one of the things I miss most. Cheers and keep safe.

Your thoughts encapsulate the head and the heart of motorcycling..

Wise words Kevin, thankyou.

Thanks Kevin for another Friday morning of awesome information! You’re always welcome to “wax poetic” with your wisdom my friend!

Well said, Kev, and thank you my friend. 👍

thanks Kevin for sharing!

Hey Sir, I always enjoy your videos. Your prospective on why you ride really spoke to me. One hundred percent, I feel the same way. Lastly, I found it delightful that your added a spiritual concept of how all riders should view their experience of this sport. Thank You, Jesse

“Tell me I’m a good man. “ Lived a good life”. That your are Sir. Thanks for the Zen... the evangelization of Spirit, Safety ;thankfulness for this activity that is focused in the moment, real life. Thanks Kevin🌻

So true and well said - and very poetic, indeed!

You are a God sent blessing Sir. I am a rookie and crashed my 1st bike ended up with 2 broken ribs. As I was laying on the Hospital bed, I asked the doctor when can I ride again. She was shocked and told me " good you are in pain" (jokingly). I got my 2nd bike because the first one got totaled. Cannot wait to ride my new bike in a week when my ribs heal. The accident made me far better rider and your videos further educate me. Thank you.

Thanks Kevin - couldn't have said it any better! 👊🏻

I was hooked on riding beginning with that Bonanza mini bike in 1968 when I was 9. I’ve had numerous bikes throughout the decades, currently riding a 2019 1250 RT. It’s a lifelong love that I will continue to partake in as long as I’m able.

Kevin, very well said! Thanks in part to you, I've learned to be a better, safer rider which in turn enables me to enjoy riding more. I should've done this long ago, but, I decided to join today after watching this video. My way of saying thanks!!!

Well said Brother!

Excellent video. I've been riding for about 40 years and I enjoy it more everyday. I also learn something, be it about motorcycling, human nature or another subject, virtually every time I get on a motorcycle.

THANK YOU

Amen brother. Nothing else compares.

Awesome words. 🙏

Very Good and True!

Nice explanation about why we ride, thanks.

Nailed it!

Absolutely nothing to add. You nailed everything absolutely on the head. Especially about potentially giving up riding.

Well phrased my man, best part of my day at work is thinking about the ride home, Fu*king freedom ...

Well said Kevin!!

That was awesome Kevin thank you so much, I'm anew rider less than a year. I recently made anew group of friend's that I ride with. Im really enjoying it. This was a really great reminder video for me. It also reminds me a lot of my journey through life trying to respect God and live by the rules and boundries He has set for me in order to truly live in freedom. I wanna do the right things first before experiencing the discipline i need in order to learn.