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The Lone Rider
The Lone Rider has surfaced. In the last few months I have had the fortune to meet some of these guys and read some of their stories, and it is inspiring.

Lets delve into this phenomenon and understand why this sudden surge in touring alone without the need of a destination. The need to get away from the mundane and ride with the only person you know. Yourself. What I am grappling with is the very core idea of what drives The Lone Rider to leave all that he is a part of to a getaway where he is unknown.
In my search for the meaning behind what goes in the mind of ‘The Lone Rider’ I have come up with some plausible reasons. So without much ado lets get right into what drives him to ride and ride to nowhere.

THE PUSH
The boss, the break-up, the stress, the traffic, the exams, the economy, the corruption.
So is our Lone Rider really getting out of the city or being forced into a short exile by the stress he can’t handle and the job he’s just lost? Is the pressure to sustain a livelihood so immense that you need to ‘unwind’ every other week-end? And why can’t our cities be as inviting as the open road, offer the same relaxation as the mountains do? But that is for a different discussion at a different time.
Till then though, I feel ‘The Push’ remains the main reason for why our Lone Rider would want to escape.

THE PULL
Is it a coincidence that almost all of us when we were kids have drawn the two mountains with a shining sun, a hut and a stream flowing by.
Incredible India! Yes that is the second plausible temptation of our lone rider. The mountains, the deserts, the rivers and the rain forests, we have it all in this land. Thousands of year’s worth of heritage, ruins of the past and the food, not to miss the food. So much to experience and savor in this juggernaut of a country. The list of to-do’s and to-see is never exhausted as one life-time is not enough to explore this vast land. I’ve met people who travel for the sake of travel and the Lonely Planet varieties who like to tick off their list of the 100 most popular getaways but both can’t get enough of this place. But whatever it may be, there is an enigma in every part of this country and the excitement to find a possible haven where you would like to shift when you retire.

So is it the Pull more than the Push or do both work together? We won’t ever know but at-least the question is worth asking?

THE SEARCH
For meaning or for the meaningless. Our land has been long influenced by the great saints who ventured out to find the meaning of all that surrounds us. The answer to the big ‘HOW and the bigger ‘WHY’.

So is that what The Lone Rider is looking for, to make sense of the senseless. The temporary respite from answering the mundane questions of the world to finding what makes him a part of this infinity. Maybe at some level the only way you are with yourself is when on your bike at speed on a long winding road with a stream alongside and the mountains approaching in the distance. Have we all not felt a sense of belonging at that sight, a relief that finally we have arrived, a feeling you get when you are closer to home.

THE ALPHA MALE
The Social Network : A place where you can brag about yourself endlessly. Get a few likes and a few comments from people who you don’t ever meet in real life.

The two minutes of fame is surprisingly a huge motivator, probably not a big one but works at some levels as it gets our Lone Rider noticed. His accomplishment shared and admired and pushes him to ride longer, farther and exceed his limits. He has to now prove a point in the virtual world more so than the real-world. The ‘PEER’ pressure is dead; long live the ‘LIKE’ pressure.
Our ‘Lone Rider’ (The Alpha-Male), the all pervading all knowing and all conquering man, has a social network which he must rule(and he feels he can). He wants to be talked about and his adventures shared, his videos seen and commented on and his blog followed. The hits, the likes, the comments and the followers all count.

THE BIKE
The love of the machine is another one for the Lone Rider. His craving to hear the engine, that adrenaline rush of being one with the wind and the road and his love (his bike). Being able to feel the ride with all his senses, the sound of the engine and the rumble of the tyres, the smell of dawn. The ‘Lone Rider’ treats his bike as his first (and the last) love. He has had his bike longer than he’s had hair on his face. So the bike is more than just a means of transport, it’s a companion, a mate on the way that shares every bump and every fall.

In hindsight when I look at the reasons I have put forth, it seems they all work together at some level and force our Lone Rider to kick-start his engine and ride off into the unknown. But whatever the reason maybe, the resurgence of the Lone Rider shows that there are few among us who ‘can’ when they want to do ‘what’ they want to.
In the end I would like to leave it to you to judge why the Lone Rider does what he does. Leave what he has and go looking for what he doesn’t yet know himself.

And for those of you who have never met the Lone Rider, look closely, there is one lurking inside you somewhere.

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ultimodgr8

well written...I wonder if there is any other force at hand here...the push, the pull, the search and the alpha male combined together gives birth to the lone rider...or is there something more to it??

rharish90

Awesome! Very well written! Whoever is the author, you rock mate!

phanikar

I was about to pen down an article on the same subject before this article was published,but after a read this I instantly deleted mine.

Reason: I don't have the choice of words as this article has, and about the felling expressed,it has truth is till the final alphabet.I am still searching for a reason why touring alone is fun rather than in a group. Wonderfully penned down article.
I would also add a point to this.( at least in my case it so happened). I used to love travelling from a young age,but the destinations were restricted to temples and other religious places( i don't blame my parents for that).At times I have even cursed god for being in so many different places(in rather physical worshiped forms). During my school days,come summer vacations and most of my friends would either head to their native places to be with their cousins and grand parents. Unfortunately all my relatives and grandparents were in my hometown(bangalore) itself.So the opportunity for travelling was restricted to some nearby places ,mostly day trips,that too occasionally.

That was when I decided that ,the day i am on my own two feet,i would break these shackles and head out to explore the world.So once out of studies my first investment was on two wheels.Though the PULSAR which i had bought was not considered to be a good tourer,the days when the Karizma's,The RE's and 220's were ruling the touring section,I could only afford the 150 segment.I was very determined to push it to the limits and do as many things as possible before i am yet again in the family nourishment scene.Though the knowledge of what are the essential requisites for touring was less for me then.I started to collect travelogues, read travel magazines,interact with cabbies for the routes and destinations and at this juncture enter XBHP.com. I am really thankful for the entire biking fraternity of XBHP for extending my horizon about sensible and safe touring.Even to this day most people with whom i have daily interaction,are changing their perception of biking as against the ones followed in most parts of INDIA.

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saaj

i have faced such pushes. all i do is go on a long ride. my ride gives me time to think and calm down. i'm back in my original mood by the time i reach home.
riding is a boon!!

angrymon

In today's society, time alone is precious. Technically you are never alone. Even when you are riding your favourite bike on an empty rode in the middle of nowhere you are still connected to the world, cell phones do that to you. For me, personaly, it is my way of burning off the accumulated junk I collect from all the inter personal interactions of my daily life. Even when I am riding with others, I am in my own little personal space on my black wolf, all I hear is the music of my 500cc motor and the rythm of the wheels going over the road. In some ways, it has had a cathartic effect on me.

Until I read this post I have not sought to rationalize my need to ride. In parts, I ride because I like to. But in other parts, I ride becuase it defines who I am. I have always been a closet loner who has found that social interactions can be fun and tenuous at the same time. May be I ride when I find the loner in me crying? Maybe all of us who like to ride alone have some parts of a loner hiding inside?. wish we had a crystal ball or a magic mirror to tell us what we are and what we feel?.

You have opened a nice can of worms, buddy and it is going to me interesting to see the responses...

btw, great writing.

vkavadia

Great article! Really related to it!

princesirohi

too good an article and very true ......................

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singhsid

I feel the strongest reason has to be the bike - for all other factors there are cheaper and/or more convenient options available. Btw this is a well written article - good job pkon!

krish2778

The love of motorcycling is just out of scope of words. Its just an so powerful an urge that's trumps over any attempt to find logic in it.
I find inner peace when i'm riding, even in that statement riding is highly underrated.
Wonderful article. Really appreciate it mate.
Just like how you cant find a reason why a dog sticks its head out of a moving car, i don't know why i love biking.

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