to explain the experience of riding a motorcycle
perspective of this Illinois flatlander this is the ultimate scenic road. You are in the per- fect
setting: no commercial vehicles
allowed, a reasonable speed of 45 mph, con- stant curves to keep you engaged without the razor edge, and scenery with abundant lookouts to fill your mind with natural beauty. If this is your everyday ride, OMG, I envy you! One experience I had that’s unique to
motorcycling happened on the aforemen- tioned road. I was traveling alone on a sunny 80 degree weekday with the road to myself, smoothly sailing near the speed limit, flowing up and down rises, and lean- ing through the delightfully gentle curves. I was at peace with the surrounding natural beauty when unbeknownst to me, my jour- ney served up a bonus. As I was drifting down from a rise, I realized my near new steed had quit running. I knew it had quit because I couldn’t hear the purring of my 1200cc’s. Something was wrong with my diagnosis. If the motor had quit and I was in gear, why didn’t the bike slow down?
Obviously the drive train must have discon- nected! Easy to test: twist the throttle and hear the engine rev. I twisted the grip, and the pony surged forward! Great, nothing wrong with the machine. The only thing wrong was my hearing. There I was, float- ing in motorcycle heaven without the sounds of wind, motor or nature, with heightened senses of sight and touch. Totally amazing, magic carpet motorcycle nirvana! This magical portion of the ride lasted
about 20 minutes and could probably be explained by some change in elevation and the air pressure on my ears. The science behind this doesn’t matter. The rush was an irreplaceable example of many stories unique to motorcycling that I will always remember. When you have time to reflect on some
of your nirvana moments (I know you have them), paint a picture for some of your skeptics. Rather than not having good sense, I like to believe we have heightened sensibility.
www.twistedthrottle.com/s1000xr February 2016 BMW OWNERS NEWS 93
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