This one was pretty standard.

Him: You're off to take your life in your hands, are you?
Me: No. (heavenward roll of the eyes) Whatever makes you think that?
Him: Well, you're going to ride your motorbike aren't you?
Me: Yes, but I don't see the connection.
Him: It's dangerous isn't it? Don't you worry about falling off?
Me: Not overly, but do you think I should? I mean, you're about to drive
home too, aren't you? Which direction are you going?
Him: Short pause while implications of previous comment sink in. Splutter,
righteously indignant snort.

Fortunately, it's a short lift ride.

My point is, why is riding a motorcycle seen as such a rebellious, dangerous, frightening, awe-inspiring, stupid-comment-eliciting occupation?

The arguments in favour of bikes far outweigh any shallow opposition - they're fuel and space efficient, they're hugely more manoeuvrable than a car, which makes them a hell of a lot safer, in my fairly extensive experience, they have much greater acceleration (safety again) and, damn-it, they're fun!

I concede the rider is significantly more vulnerable to the weather and drivers' bad attitudes, but as far as I can see, that's the ONLY downside, and it's more than outweighed by the pros of the argument. The weather is reasonably easy to deal with, except hail, nothing can stop that hurting, and mostly we manage to dodge psychopathic cage-drivers.

So why the big fear thing?

I reckon a large part of it is envy - how many riders do you see NOT smiling? Do the crowds routinely part for people NOT wearing leather jackets and carrying helmets? And doesn't leather gear look really wanky on people who obviously don't ride?

Throw in an unhealthy dose of dominant, conservative attitudes borne of years of misinformation (or maybe careful marketing), and there's your middle-aged public servant with bad facial hair and a mind-set to match.

No amount of sarcasm on my part is ever going to make a difference, and truthfully, I'm not sure I want it to. I quite like being thought of as dangerous and unpredictable. And I really like crowds carefully
side-stepping me. Mystique is fun!

Talk to Elle. 

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