From Cage to Bike: Becoming a Rider After Years of Driving

Niels: 0:00

Four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul. Welcome to the throttle and roast podcast. I'm your host Niels Meersschaert. In today's episode. We'll look at those of you who have been long term drivers, but are now considering moving from a cage to a bike. We'll look at some stats of rider age, advantages for those coming from driving to riding, as well as some of the challenges that you may face. this episode will help you make the most of your transition from four wheels to two wheels. So let's get started with a few stats because I think this will help set the stage for why I think so many of you may be considering making the transition, especially as someone who's been driving perhaps for a longer period of time. Back in 1985, the median age of a motorcyclist was 27: In 2018, it had climbed to 50. So while many of us may have started riding when we were young, there's a lot more riders who are coming into riding at an older age. Now, many of them have been driving cars for a long time, but they never made the move to bikes until now. So what I want to do is I want to say, well, how do we help those people who are switching to getting into the riding community from being a driver for a long period of time? And what are some of the unique challenges that they may face? Because they have so much practice of driving, but not necessarily as much with riding. So let's start with a few of the advantages that people who have been driving for a long time and are making the transition to becoming riders, what will be some of the advantages they have? Well, the first one is going to be traffic As a driver, you already understand traffic flow. You aren't learning the rules of the road at the same time as you're learning how to operate a motorcycle. And this can make it easier. You already know what to look out for. You already know what you have to do when you come into an intersection. You already know how to read the street signs. All of these things that are part of the learning experience of operating a vehicle, you're already well aware of. So this does give you a little bit of a leg up for someone who might be starting as like, this is the first vehicle that they're ever riding is a motorcycle. take advantage and embrace that that is going to be something that will help you as you make the transition. Now, the second one I'll say is a manual transmission. if you are one of those drivers who learned on or currently drive a manual transmission car, you'll definitely be at an advantage when you get on a bike. Now, while the physical interface is different, you already understand the concepts like slipping the clutch. When you start downshifting before a turn or a hill, and you have a feel for which gear is right for which speed. And this is going to definitely help you as you make the transition to a The third advantage that I'll say to people who have been driving is many of you may also ride bicycles. And so if you regularly ride a pedal bicycle, this will definitely help you as you make that transition into riding a motorcycle. The basics of balance and using your hands to steer and brake are on most bicycles as well. So the transition will be easier for you if you already are riding a bicycle with any sort of And the last one, and this is perhaps one of the most important for us you're probably not going to be as reckless. Now, when you're young, you feel invincible. You drive and ride like it too. So you take far greater risks. But after you've been riding or driving for a while, you've either seen or been in too many close calls, and you have a little bit more fear factor or self-preservation. And this will actually help you on the bike because you know there are risks and you are already mindful of them when you drive. So as you transition into riding a motorcycle, you're not going to be sitting there and pulling wheelies and doing, you know, 120 miles an hour in a residential street. You already know that there is an elevated risk for those type of behaviors. And if you think you can go on the bike with a bike you can go on the bike. Like, you can go on the bike you can go on the bike, you can go on the bike. And you can go on the bike again, you can go on the bike. So you know there are risks and you are already mindful of them when you drive. So as you transition into riding a motorcycle, you're not going to be sitting there and pulling wheelies and doing, you know, 120 miles an hour in a residential street. You already know that there is an elevated amount of risk for those type of behaviors. And so this may help keep you a little bit safer as you're transitioning into riding a motorcycle. while there are definitely some advantages for you, if you have been driving for a long time and you're looking to make the transition to riding a motorcycle, It's not gonna be all easy peasy. There is going to still be a significant number of challenges for you as you transition and you change from being a driver to a rider. Now, that first one is actually going to be one of the things that was actually a positive for a driver, but in reality, it's going to be a challenge for a large percentage of you. And this is about a manual transmission. If you've never driven a manual transmission, moving over to a bike will be far more challenging. Now, the vast majority of motorcycles are manual transmissions, though that is starting to change with a few models offering automatics at this point, and of course scooters tend to have CVTs, which are essentially automatics too. But if we look at cars, I think it's certainly here in the United States the take rate of manual transmissions in cars is something like ridiculous, like one or maybe 2%. So the odds that you have a manual transmission car are incredibly low. The odds that if you are someone who has only started driving in the 20 years and has car and. this will then be a challenge for you. A manual transmission does require you to be doing all You know, you have to downshift before a corner. You know, you have to downshift before a hill. So all these things that maybe an automatic automatically doing for you, it'll automatically downshift when it needs more torque. Well, you need to control that on a motorcycle. And this will be a bit of a transition for people if they're not used to doing that in a car. Now I opened up with talking about that This is really about a transition from a cage to a bike. And the reason why I use that phrasing is that Oftentimes a lot of motorcyclists will refer to people who are driving around in a car as cage drivers. And the reason for that is that they're actually sitting in a protective cage But as a motorcyclist, and there's no real way to sugarcoat this, you no longer have a protective cage And as a driver, you may feel that this isolation from the environment and the feeling of security that it presents can make them feel less vulnerable and in truth, they are less vulnerable as a driver But on a motorcycle, we have no cage If we hit something, it hits our body There are no crumple zones to protect us anymore. There are is nothing of Oh, that windshield is going to take the impact of that bird that jumped in front of the car Or or that deer that leapt out of the trees on the side It's going to hit us There's no way around it. That's the reality is We need to be even more aware of potential conflicts further ahead We need to be scanning both sides of the road for wildlife And we need to assume that that car that's waiting at that intersection that we're coming up to Is going to turn directly in front of us Because they don't typically see us So taking that Assumption of idiocy Approach as you're riding is really going to be one of the most important because you don't have this protective cage anymore And there's another couple of things that we talk about as motorcyclists and There's going to be certainly a segment of riders who may disagree with this and that's absolutely fine But the reality is that proper riding gear is important because we do not have that protective cage And while it can be perfectly fine to drive your car and a t-shirt and jeans The same can't be said for riding a motorcycle Even a relatively slow speed crash can cause serious body damage without the right gear And in some cases even death I remember when I lived in Brooklyn There was Indian Larry He was a Bike, Customizer who did all these really cool things kind of like, choppers and stuff like that He did these really cool bikes and his shop was a few blocks away from where my apartment was in Well, every year, we'd have this sort of, know, motorcycle community event and he'd come out and he'd do his little riding events on there And he'd sometimes do sort of stunts on the bike He'd stand on the seat and ride and kind of show off his balancing ability Well, he did that one year and Basically didn't have a helmet because he Really didn't feel that he wanted to have that or any other riding gear And mind you, this was not a high speed situation, he was riding on a side street there that was closed off the traffic. He ended up losing control, fell down, smacked hit his head and died. So even a slow speed crash can cause significant injuries, if not death. So I do want to emphasize, it's really important that you dress for the slide, not for the ride. And while there are riders who don't like the look of riding gear, you'll be happier wearing it when you're sliding down the highway at 60 miles an hour, instead of having your skin flayed off by the pavement. Now some riders don't want to wear helmets, kind of like what Indian Larry did, and they'll use these novelty helmets that have the fake DOT stickers on them, acti like a skullcap. Now helmets don't just keep you safe from a crash. They help regulate temperature, they can protect you from bugs or bird strikes. So if you do crash, remember that 60% of all impacts on your head occur in spots not covered by a half helmet. riders have lost their jaws because they wanted to be fashionable with a half helmet. We don't have a protective cage around us on the motorcycle. So ride like that's the truth. So as I step off of my soapbox for a moment, the other thing that I will say is, remember that four wheels are intrinsically stable, but two are not. So when you're driving in a car and you come to a stop, you never have to put foot out to keep the car from falling over. You don't have to worry about when you park on a hill, if the lean angle will be a problem or not. You don't have to worry about the dirt in the parking lot or the fresh asphalt is too soft, and your side stand will sink in and your car will fall to the side. But on a motorcycle, these are things that we intrinsically have to think about, because the bike is not stable. and this starts to run into not just when you're stopped, but also when you're riding. Remember, balance is critical. For In a car if it hits a bit of gravel in a turn or even some fresh grass clippings, the impact will be fairly minimal. The car might slide a little on that one side, but with three other tires, the car might not even move at all. You may not even know that it lost traction at all. Whereas on a motorcycle, we only have two tires. So when one loses traction, it immediately impacts the balance of the bike and it could cause you to fall. So you have to be mindful of this and keep an eye on any sort of road obstacles as you're riding along. We need to always be scanning that road surface we need to try to avoid passing over something that can upset the bike. And if we're going to do it, we want to do it with the bike as upright as possible. So, you know, you'll hear this sometimes of when you're crossing over, let's say a railroad crossing, cross it at as much as you can of a 90 degree angle. This way, you don't get any sort of that transition where the bike's going to slide out. You don't want to do it when you're leaned over and this will help minimize the opportunity for where a slide could occur and cause a problem. Now, we also benefit from knowing a bit of how to handle a bit of sliding on the bike and how to recover. And this is where I really encourage a lot of riders, especially newer riders, to try out really get out on dirt. Try some off-road riding. It really helps you with the skill. Riders who have gotten comfortable with riding off-road or off-pavement more specifically, and the bike's going to slide, it's going to move a little bit around you. You hit a tar on pavement or you hit a little bit of gravel or those grass clippings and the bike slides a little bit. It's not as big of a deal for when you're riding with this. So the balance, remember, it is critical. Now, the next challenge that you'll face as a driver coming into a rider is there's no more climate control. In a car in the winter months, you can turn on the heater and you'll be nice and toasty warm in the car. There's no wind blast that's sucking the heat out of your body because you have a full windshield and roof isolating you from the environment. Likewise, in the summer months, you can turn on the AC and keep from getting too hot in a car. But on a bike, we don't have climate control. Our ability to manage our body temperature is far more limited. In the winter months, we need to add layers, perhaps some more wind protection like a windshield that we could put onto the bike. And for the really cold times, we may even want to resort to heated gear. Now, in the summer, cooling vests can help, but only if it's relatively dry. Now, these really work from the concept of evaporative cooling. You've got water in the vests as the wind is coming by you. It's going to evaporate that water, which is going to take some of the heat on your body along with it. But they don't work when it's muggy. the air can't hold any more water and you're stuck with that heat. So if you're in really muggy conditions in the summer, this is what I had here last summer in New York. It was so insanely hot for most of the summer and not just hot, but muggy hot. I didn't want to go out and ride. It was just miserable because I had no way manage the temperature at all. Another challenge that you'll face as a driver coming into riding is really the very best of us actually become amateur meteorologists. Because we are impacted by the weather, we need to be much more aware of it. We need to wear gear that's going to work for the conditions that we expect to be in. While also allowing for some variation. You're not standing in one place. Like if you go outside of your house and you're just sitting in your yard, the weather is not going to change that radically But if you're riding 50, 100, 200 miles away, the temperature from when you were at home and the weather that was at home could be very, very different when you're at another location. It might have been 75 degrees when you left your house, but that temperature might drop as you climb a hill or dip into a tree lined road by a river. And it might have been partly cloudy at home, but the clouds turned dark and ominous during your ride and it starts to rain. So you need to be prepared for the weather. This is not something we typically do in a car. We're not worrying about, oh, well, I might need to have rain gear with me in case it starts raining. It's like you've got a roof over your head in a car. You're not really concerned with it. But on a motorcycle, we're out in it. So we have to be far more mindful of what's going on. And the last big challenge that I'll say for drivers transitioning into becoming riders is remember that a motorcycle is a narrow vehicle. And in your mind, the best way to survive is to remember, a narrow vehicle is invisible. Cars are big, like really, really big. And with the push towards SUVs or even the full-size pickup trucks that are so common here in the U. S., the average vehicle is enormous compared to a person. And a motorcycle is a narrow vehicle. When it's coming toward you, it's often about the same size or narrower than a person. And it's very easy to miss in a scan. So as a driver is looking around and they're trying to see what's going on, what are things that they need to be mindful of, they're going to notice that big tractor trailer. They're going to notice that huge pickup truck. But that tiny little motorcycle that's coming toward them, that single headlight, it may not even register in their mind. And this is the reason why when you hear of car motorcycle collisions, there's the common refrain, I didn't see the bike. we need to assume that we won't be seen and ride more defensively. So we cover our brake and our clutch as we approach intersections. Weaving in your lane can actually help make you more noticeable. Use your high beams during the day if it's allowed in your jurisdiction. Wear brighter colors. While motorcycle black is classic, it acts like an invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. Nobody sees you. High Vis really does people notice you and it's not about the fashion. It's about not being hit. So remember, that's the big change as you're getting in the air and I've seen so many motorcyclists who get upset where they'll say that guy cut me off or that guy did this and they're sitting there in a super dark outfit and no one could see And the arrogance that we may have and the feeling of vulnerability and where everyone else should be looking out for us is a natural thing as a rider. But benefits us if we are more mindful of saying, hey, what can I do to minimize the opportunity for someone not to see me? That's why I say narrow vehicle, think of it as invisible. And one of the key things is you need to be aware of these advantages and disadvantages and try to mitigate them as best as you can. One of the things I've been a huge advocate for is taking a rider course like those offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation here in the United States. Work on getting as comfortable as you can with the controls on the bike, especially things like gears and clutch if you only drive an Wear protective gear and adjust it to the conditions, whether it's cold, whether it's warm, whether it's wet. Make sure that you are preparing for what it's going to throw out at you because you're not in a car anymore. You don't have a protective cage. You don't have a climate control system. You manage that through your gear. And the other thing, and this is where it becomes counterintuitive and you'll see especially some newer motorcyclists who will argue against People will say, "Hey, it's hot in the summer, so I'll wear less clothing and therefore it won't be as That's not always correct because when your skin is exposed to the heat of the sun, you're actually going to become hotter. This is why if you look at some of the cultures in, let's say the Middle East, they're not going out in shorts and a t-shirt. They're actually having a lot of their body is covered because it actually is cooler. It's the same thing on a motorcycle. your body covered, especially your head with a helmet, actually will make you feel more comfortable. You're regulating that temperature so you're not going to get these hot spots that you would get if you were fully exposed and you have the added benefit of that when you happen to get into a crash, you're not going to be flaying the skin off of your So ride for the conditions. So let's wrap up. We looked at some of the stats about the average age of motorcyclists. We are getting older, but with age comes great wisdom, at least hopefully. We looked at some advantages that someone coming from driving for a while to riding will familiarity with the rules of the road, perhaps experience with manual transmissions or riding bicycles already, and the fact that you're likely less reckless than you were when you were but switching from a cage to a bike isn't all roses and unicorns. There are some challenges that new riders will face, especially if you've never driven a manual There is no protective cage around you. So you need to respect the opportunity for collisions and shore up your balance to keep the two wheels upright. And if it's cold, you're cold. If it's hot, you're hot. If it's wet, you're We experienced the totality of weather on the bike. And finally, remember motorcycles are narrow vehicles, which can make us seem invisible. Ride like you are invisible and make yourself better seen and assume that other vehicles will violate your right-of-way. So my question for you this week is, if you are a rider that switched later in life, what did you find easiest and the most challenging about switching from a cage to a bike? Share your thoughts through the text to show link in the show notes or leave a voicemail at throttleandroast.com/voicemail. Thanks for listening and I'll talk to you next week.