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Your Own Movie

4K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  ToeJam 
#1 ·
I just wanted to ask you guys if this is very common or just an oddity about me:
Any time I hop on my bike, and start my bike, I feel like a different person. It's as if I have become some hero of my own movie. It's even more obvious when I have my iPod cranking up some nice music. I have the impression that a lot of people are checking me out, especially at red lights.
I have the distinct feeling of being some bad ass hero of some nice movie.
Is this very common or is just me?
I would love to hear from you guys and what impression(s) you get when you hop on your bike.
 
#4 ·
I have the impression that a lot of people are checking me out, especially at red lights.
They probably are! People check out bikes, especially cruisers. I get lots of looks. The best thing is the waves I get from little kids. I have my own little kids so I always wave back and smile.

I got talking to a guy outside my workplace the other day; we had both turned our heads when someone started up a Harley across the road. He said he didn't ride because his wife wouldn't let him but he was a big fan of bikes and especially liked bobbers. I pointed out my Custom that was parked just a few feet away. He said, "I've checked your bike out a few times and thought about how you could turn it into a bobber." Really made me realise how lucky I am to have my bike and ride it every day.

So yeah, you ARE a movie star Mouka!
 
#5 ·
I don't think I am a movie star, but I am the hero of the movie that plays in my head when I ride my bike.
I guess a lot of us have a different personality that comes out when we hop on our bikes.
I am a very shy and very discrete person in real life, but I turn into a self-assured, good looking badass when I hop on the bike. At least, that's the movie I play in my head each time I ride my bike.
For me a bike is almost like therapy. Who needs a psychologist when you can ride your bike on a twisting road in the middle of nowhere? I don't. Any time I feel down or have a big problem. I just hop on the bike and it's a lost memory. I feel great as soon as I start moving.
Even the simple gestures of getting ready to ride turn into some sort of ritual, that is almost religious. Putting the gloves on, putting the key in, cranking up the engine, etc.
This is what I meant by my movie.
I am certain I am not the only one that feels this way.
Am I right in making this assumption?
 
#6 ·
I think most of us would agree with you completely about the therapeutic aspect of riding, and I see what you mean about the ritual too. For me it's almost a kind of meditation ... partly because of the riding position (because your feet and hands stay in the same place, unlike when you drive a car) and partly because of the heightened sense of awareness that riding gives you and that you have to have to do it safely.

I don't think I feel "badass" though ... the only time I felt that was test riding an MT-01. Now THAT'S therapy.
 
#7 ·
You guys have all hit it out of the park. Whether it's theraputic, badass, or hero. It's the feeling of freedom when I ride, that I can just go any where. As far as a movie, I always come back to Easy Rider (just not the ending... :confused:

Looks to be a nice day for a ride...
 
#14 · (Edited)
Your thread starter reminds me of some homemade YouTube movies that are seriously flawed. As an example:

1) The YouTube clip that shows a newly installed exhaust pipe but, for some reason, the rider in the video does not rev the engine, he just lets the engine idle, but why? Are his fingers broken? That's not smart that's dumb! Twist that throttle, it's okay, you won't get bit! Just as bad are the ones where they rev the engine but the video is only 10-20 seconds long! What's the hurry? Do you have trouble controlling your bowel movements, do you have ants in your pants, are you in a hurry to get back to your crack pipe? Slow down, don't rush, people want to see and hear the sound of a great exhaust system so leave the camera on for another 30 seconds!

2) GoPro cameras are the latest rage. And I'm tired of watching a 10 minute long video of a handlebar going down the street. Next time walk around your bike and show us your entire bike before you begin your ride, we want to see your bike! Make a few comments about your bike as you walk around it, heck, just say anything, talk about life or make a tangential comment about your last night out on the town. And then at the end when you're done riding it get off the bike and scan your bike with the camera again. Or, at the beginning and end of the video point the camera at something, or someone, interesting for Pete's sake! Some riders have no imagination....
 
#15 ·
I think it is part of the affect of riding. I know I set my jaw really hard when I ride (maybe that is to fight off the wind, not sure). But, being in the saddle certainly has a way of making the normal 9-5 seem like a dream and the time spent on the bike as real life.
 
#16 ·
Riding IS freedom.
I bought a 900 with a satillite stereo on it and the first thing I did was take it off. I am less distracted without music and can focus on the calming adreniline rushed freedom I am experiancing.
People love motorcycles either because they have one or want one. I have never met anyone who dosent like them. They may think they are unsafe, impracticle, or just dont care but no one ive met Hates them.

I ride to ride not for attention from others. I am glad that motorcycles are given the looks that they are or alot of us would be on the ground more often, God forbid.
 
#18 · (Edited)
In my head I'd like to think I'm a born free easyrider type,


but in actuality I'm more like Dudley from wild hogs (just fatter and balder)

 
#19 ·
Hmm I must be the odd one out. I don't play a movie or really think of anything. It is a free feeling for sure. I do have songs in my headbut thats because when I backed up my Ipod to send in under warranty I lost 600 songs because they weren't bought threw I tunes. If I new that I would have tried to back them up differently. I take it easy check out the scenery and keep alert. I guees it's cause I am who I am and thats B A enough lol...

I do like the looks tho if I didn't I wouldn't have painted my bike such a bright color.
 
#20 ·
Hmm I must be the odd one out. I don't play a movie or really think of anything.
No, you're not the only one. I'm usually too busy watching traffic with a singular focus and mindset that they're all idiots out to accidentally kill me to have a distracting movie running through my head. Don't get me wrong, I of course am enjoying myself and having a great time and a heckuva lot of fun, but I just don't allow myself to get lost in thought or imaginative playacting.
 
#21 ·
Yes, our group identifies with the "Wild Hogs", but we call ourselves the "Mild Pigs" - haven't had the guts to get T-shirts made yet.

I would love to see some episodes of "Then Came Bronson". It made a big impact on me too. I am wondering how corny it would seem if I saw it again today .... or who knows, maybe not ?
 
#24 ·
#25 ·
Interesting thread - Ninety percent of my riding is in the city, so I tend to be in prey mode rather than predator mode, especially when riding alone amongst the wolves. The game is to stay alive - I say "game" because I am actively playing. It is a game of strategy...and I enjoy it. :D

When riding in a group however, the wolves act differently, more respectful. And while I don't let my guard down, riding in a group definitely feels more "movie like". :cool:
 
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