One definition of fulfillment I identify with is “satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities…” The path to fulfillment on my motorcycle is an ongoing process for me. I feel fulfilled every single time I ride in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s because I’m with friends, sometimes it’s a particularly snazzy parking job or a really sweet corner. Leading a group where people have a really good time riding, socializing and seeing new roads or meeting new people is particularly fulfilling for me. Seeing a new road or new destination always feels amazing. Overcoming nervousness or a specific fear feels great. Trying and becoming comfortable on different terrain types feels good. Discovering something new about riding that is a total game-changer is definitely fulfilling!
I see a lot of riders who put perhaps a couple thousand kilometers on their bike a year, especially newer riders. I worry that they may not be getting the best out of the experience and be put off riding or not find reasons to keep doing it. The path to fulfillment is not complicated but rather than stumble down it as I did, I thought to share my recent experiences to help you the reader along your path!
When I first got back on a bike after a ten year break, I was extremely nervous. The bike was a used 2004 BMW R 1150 GS. It was quite a bit larger and heavier than anything I had ridden previously. The day I picked it up, in typical fashion, I sucked up my apprehensiveness, hopped on and started riding. I nearly dropped it in the first 25 feet which set the stage for the next two weeks with the bike. I dropped it in the driveway the third day I had it trying to pull a tight u-turn to park it. I have a bit of a strange driveway, where you have to exit the driveway on a slope, turning left uphill onto another slope. Every night for the first month or so, I dreamt of dropping the bike in the driveway or out on my road.
In the first several weeks I had it, every single time I stopped at a light or in traffic I felt awkward and uncomfortable. In the first month or so, I avoided the twisty roads I remembered being so sweet. I was too afraid to get out on them. So, the first step on my path to fulfillment was to overcome the nervousness and fear I was feeling simply due to being on a strange new bike as a basically new rider again.
I didn’t know anyone else that rode. So I joined a local Facebook group and went to a couple meetups. For me, group riding was important to getting over the nervousness and fear. When I ride behind someone else and we hit something challenging, i.e. new twisties, and I start to feel nervous, I think to myself, “If they can do this, so can I!” I don’t allow that feeling to override my common sense or risk tolerance, but when it comes to cornering, I know the bike is far more capable than I am. So on that first ride, when we made a beeline for the local twisties, I sucked it up and added more counter-steer when I needed to. I rode at the back. This is really common to newer riders or people new to group riding. I felt like I didn’t want to hold up the group and wanted to be able to drop off the back if I needed to. Fortunately, I didn’t need to drop off the back and had a great time. This was a great re-introduction to the twisties and just the confidence boost I needed to really start enjoying riding again.
Something else I did to shortcut the nervousness and discomfort was register for an “Experienced Rider Course”. I knew that I would be challenged in a controlled setting, supervised by experienced instructors and as such my confidence and skills would be energized and that’s exactly what happened. I dropped the bike once on the course during a scenario where you have to come to a rapid stop in a corner. I stopped, looked down and dropped the bike. Another common mistake new riders make but I left that course feeling much, much more comfortable on the bike.
Seat time (experience) is no shortcut for training and practice, but it definitely adds value. I rode as much as I could that entire first season. I put 20,000 kilometers on the bike. I was very proud of that number and then I realized that I had rolled the odometer over 100,000 kilometers. Not necessarily end of life, but certainly a good chunk of it. That 20,000 kilometers was amazing though. Best season of riding I’d had in my life and the experiences I had along the way overcame any last vestiges of discomfort.
In that first season, group rides were a key for me to really advancing my confidence and ability. One of the early group rides I went on was a bit of a disaster for me. Myself and another rider were left in the dust in the first 5 minutes of the ride and in our haste to catch up, we broke the “Ride Your Own Ride” rule of group riding. I looked in my mirror on a particularly sweet little s-curve and saw the guy behind me blow the corner and go off into the gravel. I stopped and we had a quick chat and agreed that we wouldn’t bother trying to catch up. We had no idea where they were going, there was no real briefing and so we just agreed on a route and went our own way. That experience lead me to a full summer of organizing my own group rides where I could feel safe and comfortable. I lead about a dozen group rides that summer, learning as I went. I wouldn’t go as far as to say everyone had a great time – there were thrills, chills and spills – but I certainly learned and progressed.
I met a massive amount of good people and as a result formed a smaller, core group of riding friends that in the next season rode together almost exclusively, even going on 4 trips together throughout the summer. I also found a riding buddy. By the end of the season Matt and I were riding together almost daily and did a trip exploring the interior of British Columbia. We’ve become close friends and now even spend time together off-season.
I found another friend who was into exploring and Jeff and I went on a little 3 day moto-camping adventure here on Vancouver Island, taking a trip up to the north of the island and exploring old logging roads along the way. Doing active and old logging roads was another huge confidence booster for me and definitely not something I could have or would have done on my own so to emphasize, meeting new people through group riding made a massive, positive impact on my return to riding experience.
In riding all over the south island on 4-8 hour group rides, I also discovered the locations of most of the amazing coffee shops and eateries to be found here. And in doing so, in the way of riders everywhere, I found even more riders to talk and hang out with. The Serious Coffee Crew at Mill Bay is of note. There are a half-dozen or so riders who check in there daily throughout the season and we all got to know each other. I get a lot of pleasure from sharing coffee and motorcycle talk with other people who are as passionate about riding as I am and it’s always so interesting to get other rider’s perspectives on riding and motorcycles.
A game-changer for me was purchasing a helmet-mounted communication system. First, music just made everything better for me. I can remember with absolute clarity cruising down this twisty road up in the Maple Bay area belting out “Beast of Burden” by the Stones at the top of my lungs and feeling like I was in heaven. The communicator has FM radio built-in which was totally handy for discovering the source of backed up traffic on the highway, allowing us to take detours when available. (Or at least know what was going on) And then there’s being able to chat with someone as you ride. The convenience of being able to suggest a stop for the bathroom, or a place to go for lunch or to point out some interesting landmark or creature is just amazing. There’s even a safety benefit, being able to point out deer on the side of the road or whatnot.
Early on into the following season, my old GS succumbed to age. Too much work was required for me to hang onto it so I sold it and moved onto something a bit more current, a 2019 Suzuki V-Strom 1000A with only 5,000 kilometers on it. And with that purchase, I was back onto a strange new bike. And so, I did what seemed obvious and attended another Experienced Rider Course on my new bike. Again, it boosted my confidence on the new bike and off I went on to an even bigger season than the last.
In my second season back on the bike (last season), I road backroads, country dirt roads, active and old logging roads and as many sweet curves as I had time and money for in the province of British Columbia (BC). I went on 4 trips with my new motorcycling friends, two on Vancouver Island and two on the mainland, throughout BC. I camped, stayed in crappy to mediocre hotels, ate some of the best food and enjoyed some amazing company along the way. Our largest trip was a dozen people where we explored some of the hidden gems of Vancouver Island. I have lived on Vancouver Island most of my life and we went to places I have never seen in my entire time here. Port Hardy, Port McNeil, Gold River, Hornby Island and Coombs just a few of them. I put 25,000 kilometers on my new bike in that second season. Again, I felt really good about that until I considered that meant the bike would only last me about 4 years.
That’s not to say everything was sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. There was that time at one of our local off-road riding areas called Oliphant where in the 35 degree heat I collapsed and had to get help getting my bike down the hill. Or the 3 or 4 times I dropped the bike. Or the time I high-sided off the trail and into a ditch. Not to mention the whole “My check-engine light is on and the bike won’t start” episode that ended my season prematurely. All of that notwithstanding, this last season was the best season of riding I’ve had in my life.
I think I made some smart decisions about getting training and being diligent about practicing my skills. But, the group riding was the x-factor that tipped the scales of fulfillment for me. Without the group rides, I wouldn’t have met most of the people I did. I just can’t overstate the influence riding with other people had on my riding. I was constantly challenged to be a better rider in so many different ways while leading group rides. Even following other riders was challenging. I was always trying to be a better rider and not cause any issues for anyone around me. Again, that’s not to say I was completely successful at that, but that was the goal and I think I mostly nailed it. I may have gone on trips but they likely would have been solo and I would have completely missed the social aspects of riding with others and enjoying the spice that other people bring into your life.
I watch quite a few different YouTube riders and just the other day watched an episode that extolled the virtues of riding solo. I have to admit that I just don’t get it. What it simply comes down to is that we’re all built differently and will all get fulfillment from our motorcycle in different ways. For some people, doing your own maintenance is really fulfilling. I am cautiously exploring that world and my plan for this upcoming season is to dig into that a bit more. I also get fulfillment from writing about and sharing my experiences on my bike. I tried the GoPro route and editing video and fooling with cameras just wasn’t for me. Having said that, as the technology improves the process will become easier to use and this will likely lure me back in again.
So how do you get onto the path of fulfillment on your motorcycle? I think it’s easy. Expose yourself to new ideas, experiences and people in a manner that doesn’t jeopardize your safety but pushes you slightly out of your comfort zone. Ride with people you trust who are better riders than you, they’ll lead you safely towards fulfilling experiences. Take courses to boost your confidence in both yourself and the bike. Learn how to do an oil change and save yourself a pile of money. Remembering that experience is no substitute for training and practice, ride. Ride as much as you can to as many different places you can. Thanks for reading, ride safe!