1. Improves
your problem solving skills: If you are into touring on a motorcycle you are
definitely aware of the unexpected problems you can face on the road. Your bike
can break down, weather turns bad, no place to stay etc. In such a scenario you
are forced to think of a solution, on your own! It gives you the feeling of a
winner because you overcome the hurdle yourself.
2. Increases your resistance: When you are travelling on your motorcycle, you learn to leave
behind the comfort and luxury of your home. No more home food cooked by mom. At
times you end up riding the whole day in sun, dust and sometimes in rains too.
All these challenges do nothing but make you stronger towards these elements of
nature and thus ‘dude it’s too hot outside!’ kind of weather doesn’t
bother you anymore. You learn to survive in real world!
3. Making friends on road: Over long rides, you end up meeting other riders on road and
just like that you make new friends. There are high chances that a rider you
meet on road has some mutual friends with you. The ride might be over but now you
have a new biker friend in your list who will help you out when you land in
his/her city.
4. Makes you happier: I
personally know many guys who have told me that riding bikes makes them happy.
Even for myself in moments of stress I like to go on a solo ride without any
destination and turn back whenever I feel like. It helps you open your mind,
refreshes your thoughts and you come back with void of stress and with a smile
on your face. May be a research needs to be conducted on the amount of
endorphins released when we ride and compare it with other activities people do
for leisure. If you know of any study conducted like that then do mention it in
comments!
5. Improves
your alertness: I think all riders and enthusiasts will agree with this that riding a bike is no easy task in India, where the road is full of not just traffic,
but other elements which can cause accidents and ruin your ride. You can't help
but stay alert on the road. On those long open stretches on highways when you
just keep the throttle twisted and though you have had a good lunch at the last
dhaba which is trying to make you fall asleep but you fight over that lazy bug
inside you and keep going. It is not advisable to ride when you are tired or
sleepy but one can’t afford to take a good nap after lunch while on a ride. You
become more aware of your surroundings and it makes you more conscious and
alert towards unexpected things like animals, cars joining the main road from
streets, people jumping off the dividers etc. Hence you are enjoying the ride
and at the same time you are also alert of these elements and thus you stay
cautious.
6. Improves
your planning skills: Anyone who has
ridden to Leh will agree with this. You can’t do this ride without proper
planning and organizing your stuff. Number of days you have in hand becomes
your target for x km of distance to be covered. In addition to this , you plan
for spares, medicals, your routes, your accommodation etc. and several other
aspects of your complete ride which are all part of planning for the whole
thing.
7. Respect for safety: You not only start caring for your own safety when on road but safety of others as well. This respect for safety is the thing which makes you not to ride under the influence of alcohol or riding without a helmet etc. You become more sane on road.
Know any other way in which
riding has helped you in your personal growth? Do leave it below in the
comments for all of us to know and don't forget to share this post on Facebook with your friends.
Now after reading this if you are
one of those who don't know how to ride a motorcycle and wondering if you can
handle it or not, don't worry about it. Came across this great post on learning
to ride a bike. Of course learning is more of a practical affair but its great
to learn some good practices, dos and donts and some advice on riding safe! You can read it here.
Ride Safe
Ride Safe
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