Ride a motorbike - just for the joy of it

There's nothing quite like the sense of freedom you get with the open road in front of you and a mean beast between your legs. You get to feel the wind on your face and hands, smell the air first-hand — not to mention the sound, the feeling of being 'out there', you against the rest of the world.

Yeah, ok, sometimes it does seem like everyone else on the road is out to get you, but it's not true. Sitting in their little metal boxes, they're all half-asleep — no wonder they always say (should you have the bad luck to have an unscheduled 'meeting' with one of them), "Sorry, mate, I didn't see you!" Yeah, right.

But when the old boy in the Volvo estate or the guy in the white van hits you and then comes out with this insult to your intelligence, you're better off contacting your insurance company than getting angry, and if you're looking for great value bike insurance with excellent features and benefits, eBike is definitely worth a look. eBike Insurance is an online only ‘direct’ insurer, so their rates are very low, plus Breakdown Assistance (for fully comprehensive policies), Legal Cover and European Riding are included in the price. You also get 5-years NCD protection free, a Pay-As-You-Go monthly policy option and great rates on multi-bike policies. It only takes a few minutes to obtain a quote, so why not take a look today?

Those of us who ride the iron horse have so many advantages over those poor blind fools we share the road with. We know we're alive, while they are half-dead already. We have the thrill of controlling an obedient steed which will follow our every motion, producing poetry with our bodies; they have to sit in their lines of traffic, sweating and swearing in the heat (we only get to do that on the way home from a big meet). We can find a space to park almost anywhere — you just try finding a parking space in town for the average car during working hours.

You think bikes are dangerous? Well, maybe they are, a little. But what's life for, if it's not to savour the odd thrill here and there? Cold? Sometimes, but I would much prefer to be a bit cold than be stuck inside an iron cage. Dirty? Well, you might pick up a bit of road dirt, but modern motorcycles don't leak oil like the old ones (so long as you keep the maintenance up), and you have to wear protective clothing anyway.

Most of us have to get to work every day, one way or the other. On a bike, you can sail past the traffic, you're not gonna be held up by a snarl-up like everyone else. You have the freedom to take side trips and take alternative routes, you're not constrained either by timetables or traffic jams. And in your time off, given a choice between a tin box and my favourite Kwacker, I know which I would choose.

Not that the old bikes don't have a magic all their own. Just the names roll off the tongue so beautifully: AJS, Arial, Matchless, Royal Enfield, Indian... well, there are so many. I guess they all have their adherents, but in today's world, it's the Japanese machines that beat everything else hands down, especially the big super-bikes.

Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda brought reliability, speed and quality to us, at a time when most motorcycle manufacturers had pretty much ground to a halt as far as innovation was concerned. Sure, Harley Davidson and BMW are still going, but you can't beat a Jap (even if it's got a British badge), in my humble opinion.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, if you're looking for a new bike, an old bike, a classic bike, a mini bike, a scooter, some accessories or gear, even a trike or a combo, follow the links here for a great selection.

PS. If you'd like to send in a pic of your bike, trike, scooter or outfit, please forward it as an attachment in an email with a little bit of information about the photo, addressed to:

Put "Photo for 2WB" in the subject, so that I don't delete it by mistake (I get an awful lot of spam). Get your mates to send their shots in as well. Once I've got 2 or 3 I will set up a gallery page. Nothing X-rated, please.

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