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**xBhp** · 11-14-2018, 11:12 AM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

It's usually the way of life. Practicality supersedes 'hobbies'.
But that is true in the case of 'hobbies', not passion.
So the 'so called passionate' bikers are not really passionate, with the exception of some exceptions that is.

**#bpk** · 11-14-2018, 12:35 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Originally posted by xBhp View Post

It's usually the way of life. Practicality supersedes 'hobbies'.
But that is true in the case of 'hobbies', not passion.
So the 'so called passionate' bikers are not really passionate, with the exception of some exceptions that is.

I will be always a biker , no matter what!

**leech** · 11-15-2018, 09:31 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

I have an explanation: financial and physical factors.

Buying a ₹1-2 lakh bike can be argued as a necessity. The family would agree easily, the money isnt much of a problem. Even then, count the number of ₹2L bike sales where the customer paid full cash. Very few, compared to the loan applicants. Not many people can afford a ₹2 lakh bike of their own money.

Now take a ₹7-20 lakh bike, its annual maintenance, and suddenly your average salary earner realises it's a luxury, not a necessity. Friends warn him it's a depreciating asset, and family emotionally blackmail him into getting a car, which, by any calculation, is safer than any bike in the majority of scenarios. People would suggest buying a property or a mutual fund which can help you reach your financial goals.

The physical aspect comes into play when you get older, your metabolism slows down and you get a bit lazy. Suddenly the weather is too hot for a ride, your back is sore, or you are just not in the mood to take on the traffic in a bike today. All this leads to shunning the bike.

Biking is tough. When the ride gets hard, some quit. Others don't. You don't need a bigger bike to prove yourself. All you need is the grit required to keep riding.

**Zapps** · 11-15-2018, 10:12 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Originally posted by leech View Post

I have an explanation: financial and physical factors.

Buying a ₹1-2 lakh bike can be argued as a necessity. The family would agree easily, the money isnt much of a problem. Even then, count the number of ₹2L bike sales where the customer paid full cash. Very few, compared to the loan applicants. Not many people can afford a ₹2 lakh bike of their own money.

Now take a ₹7-20 lakh bike, its annual maintenance, and suddenly your average salary earner realises it's a luxury, not a necessity. Friends warn him it's a depreciating asset, and family emotionally blackmail him into getting a car, which, by any calculation, is safer than any bike in the majority of scenarios. People would suggest buying a property or a mutual fund which can help you reach your financial goals.

The physical aspect comes into play when you get older, your metabolism slows down and you get a bit lazy. Suddenly the weather is too hot for a ride, your back is sore, or you are just not in the mood to take on the traffic in a bike today. All this leads to shunning the bike.

Biking is tough. When the ride gets hard, some quit. Others don't. You don't need a bigger bike to prove yourself. All you need is the grit required to keep riding.

Nicely put Leech bro. xBhp is what it is because you can have a CT100B to HD CVO, most guys still welcome each other and make one feel like they're part of a community, a biking brotherhood. Breaking a lot of boundaries, helping each other, this is the real passion. And yes some are bikers by choice, some are by necessity.

**hgps** · 11-16-2018, 11:27 AM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Originally posted by xBhp View Post

It's usually the way of life. Practicality supersedes 'hobbies'.
But that is true in the case of 'hobbies', not passion.
So the 'so called passionate' bikers are not really passionate, with the exception of some exceptions that is.

Very well said. Its difference between passion and hobby. Your lifestyle may revolve around your passion but your lifestyle will never be dependent on your hobby.

Originally posted by #bpk View Post

I will be always a biker , no matter what!

This is what i used to say about video gaming till 5-6 years ago. I had a good gaming PC, X360, PS2, PS3 and PS4. I swore by being a hardcore gamer for the rest of my life. Now when i look back, i haven't played a single video game since early 2014. The way passion about gaming diluted to nothingness suddenly due to studies. I hope my biking passion never dies due to upcoming responsibilities.

Originally posted by leech View Post

I have an explanation: financial and physical factors.

Buying a ₹1-2 lakh bike can be argued as a necessity. The family would agree easily, the money isnt much of a problem. Even then, count the number of ₹2L bike sales where the customer paid full cash. Very few, compared to the loan applicants. Not many people can afford a ₹2 lakh bike of their own money.

Now take a ₹7-20 lakh bike, its annual maintenance, and suddenly your average salary earner realises it's a luxury, not a necessity. Friends warn him it's a depreciating asset, and family emotionally blackmail him into getting a car, which, by any calculation, is safer than any bike in the majority of scenarios. People would suggest buying a property or a mutual fund which can help you reach your financial goals.

The physical aspect comes into play when you get older, your metabolism slows down and you get a bit lazy. Suddenly the weather is too hot for a ride, your back is sore, or you are just not in the mood to take on the traffic in a bike today. All this leads to shunning the bike.

Biking is tough. When the ride gets hard, some quit. Others don't. You don't need a bigger bike to prove yourself. All you need is the grit required to keep riding.

What you said is true. I think going by what xbhp said in post #2, only people who are passionate about bikes will survive these emotional blackmails by family and friends. Someone who sees biking as a hobby, expensive motorcycle just becomes a waste of money.

Now adding some more subtopic to my rant. Something that happened yesterday and has been affecting me ever since.

Why do people judge us (bikers):

I have been told to change my facebook DP to something more 'descent' by my fiance yesterday. Apparently a fully geared up selfie with your bike doesn't portray a very good image you. This isn't the first time i have been judged based on my passion. I am a very shy and introvert person and people get surprised when they realize what i ride. From my college days to my workplace. People tag me as a racer, rash rider, bad boy, person with dual personality and what not. How come people who take pics inside/with their cars do not get judged the same way.

**gowthamh** · 11-16-2018, 01:21 PM

Re: Rants: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bikes to cars - Image of bikers

Originally posted by hgps View Post

As a kid, me and my friends used to have a lot of chats, about which bike is best, thrill of riding, power to weight ratios. They used to argue how cars have nothing against speed and acceleration of bikes. Interestingly, i was the one who used to advocate for cars and called all bikers thugs (awara, lafangas). Now when i look around what those friends are doing. Almost all of them gave up riding and moved to a car or settled with a 150-200cc machine with no plans to upgrade to a higher cc machine. Ironically i became a biker and probably only one among my friends who will buy a big bike. I was wondering what went wrong with them.

Here is some biking history of me and my friends

Friend #1: Got a pulsar 200 (oil cooled one) as his first bike. Never liked driving a car unless its raining. Upgraded to a CBR250R. Currently he's only of my riding buddies who i think will surely buy a big bike.. His dream bike: BMW S1000RR

Friend #2: Bought a FZ with me, upgraded to a pulsar 200NS soon after. He used to say he'd buy a FZ1. Drives around in his father's swift now. All bikes are sold off. Says bikes are not practical. What happened to his biker soul? I have no idea. His dream bike: Yamaha FZ1

Friend #3: Started with a Apache 180, ride over 65000KMs in 2 years. Always ready for long rides. Now drives in a Swift dzire. Apache is rotting in his house now. Says 'man nai karta bike nikalne ka' (I don't feel like riding bike anymore). His dream bike: Ducati 848

Friend #4: Bought a pulsar 150, Upgraded to R15 V2 within a year. He was saving for a big bike. 2 Years later, got his dad's scorpio which he drives all the time. I have no idea where his current bikes are. His dream bike: Suzuki Hayabusa

Friend #5: Bought a Pulsar AS200. Was saving for a Ninja 300/650. Sold off his AS200. poured all savings to buy a property instead. Dream bike: Kawasaki ZX10R

Friend #6: Apache rider again. Hardcore biker at that time. Was saving for a Duke 390. Bought a Ford figo and says he prefers AC and comfort of a car. Dream bike: Suzuki Hayabusa

Myself: Hated bikes, Loved cars. Got my first bike Yamaha FZS (bought only as was offered a nano/alto which i was too embarassed to drive). A few weeks of riding and i was addicted for life. stopped buying car mags, switched to xbhp and other motorcycles magazine. Became active member in numerous bike forums and orkut/facebook groups. Started watching motoGP instead of WRC/F1. This was the time when those friends i have talked about above also bought (got) their first bikes as we all were 18 years old by then. Pulsar 200, FZ, apache, R15. All of them were superior to my FZ. Those guys were the real bike enthusiasts and their bikes reflected the difference between them (real bikers) and me (poser, according to them). A few years later, i saved up moolah and got myself a CBR250R Repsol, further strengthening my image as a poser. 3 years later, i am saving for a big bike. While they either switched to cars or never upgraded to bigger bikes despite having good disposable income. My dream bike: 2012-16 Honda CBR1000RR

Lately i have been missing those long rides with my buddies. I realized only two of us (me and friend #1) still have left our biker soul intact. I was wondering what went wrong. How come these guys who swore by being a hardcore biker for life gave up riding despite having no responsibilities and having good disposable income? They are still unmarried and 25-26 Years old.
What was the things these people wanted that bikes failed to offer. Why did they moved to car for their commutes. Stopped going for long rides. Have you guys ever felt such change in yourself or your riding buddies?

Even I got a craze for bike from my teenage, now am 24. At 23 I bought my first bike _ Hornet 160R with hard earned money... During my school times, I used to buy automobile magazines and get to know more about internal things of bike/cars such as engine type,horse power, displacement, torque and many others... From that time, I decided to make my career on automobile design as I found that my interests are all about bikes

But, unfortunately there are no people in my relatives/neighbors who can guide me in the field of automobile.. so as like most people, I was in a only option to choose software career...

Still I got that interests on knowing more about bikes, its new arrivals, new advancements ,

I love long ride in bikes, especially ghat sections and nature rich places... Monthly once I used to go my hometown from Bangalore (200km away from Bangalore)in my bike.. even tonight am about to go...

I don't know mine is a hobby or passion about bikes... But I definitely wnt let that engaging feel for bikes to fade away...

Several times I thought of upgrading my bike to bigger powered bikes (300/400cc)... But I has to think about mileage (that's the main concern which is stopping me from upgrading to a big machine) hope one day will upgrade...

Despite everyone warns me about taking bike on highway, I never cared their voice.. I heard only my heart voice.,which says do the things which makes you happy... So going not 200km., Beyond 300km in a single stretch is also my thing if I got fixed with a proper destination... And that tourer guy within me makes me feel that I still got the spirit, energy, thrillseeking soul..,

**Ankey** · 11-26-2018, 01:16 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

I will turn 30 this December and so I am in the middle of the two phases namely the biker boy and the grown up car man. Allow me to pour my thinking.

I have been riding bikes since I was 18, drove cars only when really necessary (family car, don't have my own yet). I own a R15V2 and commute to office on it every single day of the year (because I don't own a car

). I occasionally do long tours of about 350-400 kms or visit my hometown on weekends which is about 180 kms away. Now being 30 years old, I will certainly be married in the next 2 years and though I would like to upgrade to a 300cc twin I know that spending 4 lakhs on a bike would neither be practical nor budget friendly. So lets assume that I keep riding my V2 for a few more years and get a car for my life partner. Now riding back to my hometown on my bike will stop permanently, cause we will take the car. There is no way I am riding the V2 for 200 kms with a pillion on the back seat. Other small rides will stop too, owing to the family and additional chores and responsibilities that I will have. Short rides to the market will stop too, because you can't go grocery shopping on a V2, we will either take the gearless scoot or the car.

So to conclude my bike riding will only be limited to my office commute. And if her office is in the same area then eliminate that too; cause no way in hell is she riding on the back seat of the V2 with her hair going wild and her dress all crumpled

.

This does not mean that I am going to stop riding. No way. There will always be a ridiculous and highly impractical bike like the V2 standing at my garage. I'll still service, maintain, wash and clean her, just like I do now. I'll still grin like a moron every morning when I look at it. The only thing that will change is the frequency and the distance of my rides.

**ayrus** · 11-26-2018, 04:07 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Originally posted by hgps View Post

Very well said. Its difference between passion and hobby. Your lifestyle may revolve around your passion but your lifestyle will never be dependent on your hobby.

This is what i used to say about video gaming till 5-6 years ago. I had a good gaming PC, X360, PS2, PS3 and PS4. I swore by being a hardcore gamer for the rest of my life. Now when i look back, i haven't played a single video game since early 2014. The way passion about gaming diluted to nothingness suddenly due to studies. I hope my biking passion never dies due to upcoming responsibilities.

What you said is true. I think going by what xbhp said in post #2, only people who are passionate about bikes will survive these emotional blackmails by family and friends. Someone who sees biking as a hobby, expensive motorcycle just becomes a waste of money.

Now adding some more subtopic to my rant. Something that happened yesterday and has been affecting me ever since.

Why do people judge us (bikers):

I have been told to change my facebook DP to something more 'descent' by my fiance yesterday. Apparently a fully geared up selfie with your bike doesn't portray a very good image you. This isn't the first time i have been judged based on my passion. I am a very shy and introvert person and people get surprised when they realize what i ride. From my college days to my workplace. People tag me as a racer, rash rider, bad boy, person with dual personality and what not. How come people who take pics inside/with their cars do not get judged the same way.

It seems that we share a lot in common.... I used to be a hardcore gamer (maybe still I'm one but I guess that hardcore) and have a decent gaming PC. If you had asked me when I was in school, I'd have said that bikes were useless.

I'm currently 2.5 years into college. After lot of convincing, I managed to get an RTR 200 for my 20th birthday. I started to look for a bike about an year ago. I took rides in my friends' bikes starting from 125 cc (Hero Ignitor, Glamour) to 200 cc (Pulsar AS 200) and some bikes inbetween (Hornets and such). Basically I learnt to ride on a Suzuki Max100R which had a hit down to upshift gear pattern. When I tried my friend's bikes, I had embarassing engine stalls as I would instinctively upshift instead of downshift when running at low RPMs and some stupid and harsh engine braking as I would downshift instinctively at higher RPMs when I was supposed to upshift as the bike I learnt from had a different shifting pattern and I was acting according to my muscle memory.

Then gradually I took some long rides (10 kms then 15 kms and then 25 kms – this may not seem much but for one who had barely learnt how to ride a geared bike, this was long) in the Hero Ignitor and slowly accustomed to the 1 down 4/5 up pattern of gear shifting. At that point, I felt that it had the perfect power – neither underpower, nor overpowered. But once I took a ride in the AS200, everything changed. I was impressed (read as overwhelmed) by its power and decided that I will not buy a bike less than 200cc. Though I felt at that point that it had too much power, I knew that I will get bored within a week if I get something with less power and getting used to that power was nothing but easy.

Then I had to convince my parents that 200cc bikes are not overpowered bikes. I then had to decide between the RTR 200 and the NS200. It was a difficult decision to make. But finally I settled with the RTR 200 as I was not at all willing to get a bike with bad tyres (Eurogrips in the NS200). After I got hands on my bike, I got used to its power characteristics within 2 days. Now it feels just natural to handle my bike.

Coming to what my friends felt about my bike, most of them said that I had an overpowered bike (they say even 150cc bikes have lots of power). When I say I will upgrade from this bike (after a few years), they ask if I'm insane to upgrade from a bike with loads of power (seriously?!).

Only 2 of my friends want to upgrade to bigger bikes.

But I've decided that my life is with bikes.

**rreneav1987** · 11-30-2018, 12:35 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

From my experience, when the biker gets married. the biker within doesn't die off but responsibility takes over. It isn't usually safe for a couple to go on a bike as per Family which forces the said person to start driving.

I am one such example. The difference being I didn't drive a car even after marriage except whenever necessary. The time I started driving is when we were going to become parents.. I couldn't drop her on a bike as it is quite risky (as per my mom and dad) ever since then, if I have to take my family, I drive.

I am currently posted in Bangalore (out of my choice) and I travel to Chennai every weekend on my bike

The Biker inside me will never die and a long tour planned for December 2nd Week from Delhi

Also, there have been cases where the wife stops the said biker from riding citing many reasons.. My wife OTH doesn't stop me from doing what I love which is riding

and Oh yes, how could I forget.. the change in climate due to global warming.. rise in Temperature makes many bikers out there not take out their bikes.. Go in a Car, turn on the AC and reach office fresh.. while a biker will sweat, dirty shirt and pant, tiredness in his eyes and a messy hair..

**drsureshmohan** · 11-30-2018, 01:08 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Been riding since 1976 , I still ride to work and use car on rainy days

**Om1234** · 01-07-2019, 12:39 AM

Re: Rants: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bikes to cars - Image of bikers

I was always passionate about bikes,I got my first bike karizma r v1 in 2015 when i turned 18. I was a big fan of karizma and i am happy to own one.
Why do people move from bike to cars.
1.Age - as we get older ,we get attracted towards more comfortable things ,hence towards a car.
When we are young we love to ride in rain ,get drenched in rain but as time passes people dont like it and look for better options to travel.
2.Physical factors- we get weak as one crosses the age of 40 ,hence we tend to move towards car and gearless which are easy to ride.
And the most important one which i think is the major factor
3.FAMILY- We all get married around 30 years of age ,and then we have to take care of wife as well,take her out for tours and most of the ladies prefer car over bike ,again we have to compromize.
Next stage we have kids ,one cant ride easily with a lady and a infant,then again car comes into play.
When we plan our ride with friends ,our children and wife obstinate that they will also go with us,which is not possible at all and we start dropping our plans.
We have more responsibility.
Hence we tend to sideline our bikes slowly.
We all tend to find pleasure in what we ride( cars arent bad either ,they are also a lot of fun) and we start using car more than bike.
Bike remains for solo commute only,that too very less ,like office etc.

**eliksir** · 01-22-2019, 02:46 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

A lot of people assume hobby and passion are the same thing. Many of them realize they're not only after a few long rides. The rest of them keep riding. Some keep riding the small(er) bikes they have. This could be due to financial, emotional or practicality constraints. Others who don't have these restrictions upgrade.

**shyam.mora** · 01-23-2019, 11:43 AM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

The thing is practicality.

Being in India with these road conditions, comfort is the first criteria. Sure I love riding bikes, we can flick bikes through traffic but the roads, traffic jams makes me prefer a car more than a bike because of the comfort. I can sit all day long in a car in the middle of a jam but gets frustrated very quickly on a bike in a 15 minutes jam. I just want to shove my bike wherever I can and get out of it. All thanks to pollution, honking, heat etc.

**J42** · 01-24-2019, 05:21 PM

Re: Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Originally posted by leech View Post

I have an explanation: financial and physical factors.

Buying a ₹1-2 lakh bike can be argued as a necessity. The family would agree easily, the money isnt much of a problem. Even then, count the number of ₹2L bike sales where the customer paid full cash. Very few, compared to the loan applicants. Not many people can afford a ₹2 lakh bike of their own money.

Now take a ₹7-20 lakh bike, its annual maintenance, and suddenly your average salary earner realises it's a luxury, not a necessity. Friends warn him it's a depreciating asset, and family emotionally blackmail him into getting a car, which, by any calculation, is safer than any bike in the majority of scenarios. People would suggest buying a property or a mutual fund which can help you reach your financial goals.

The physical aspect comes into play when you get older, your metabolism slows down and you get a bit lazy. Suddenly the weather is too hot for a ride, your back is sore, or you are just not in the mood to take on the traffic in a bike today. All this leads to shunning the bike.

Biking is tough. When the ride gets hard, some quit. Others don't. You don't need a bigger bike to prove yourself. All you need is the grit required to keep riding.

Rightly said.
If you love riding, you don't need to own a superbike or always need to go for long rides or tours. You just need to take out whatever bike you have, for small rides or even daily commute and still enjoy riding.

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Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

Rant: What happens to seemingly passionate bikers - Moving from bike to cars

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