35 years of riding?
Bow down to you sir! Riding for such a long time and keeping the passion throughout like a teenager commands respect.
I bet my father didn't know riding back then.

Reasons to ride?
There aren't many. IMO, things like checking mileage, top speed, vibrations, tea/lunch/breakfast etc are excuses to ride.
People don't and will never find practicality in the above mentioned stints.

Why not go to a hill station by bus/train? Going for 100+ kms? Take the car.
I bet everyone must have heard these things at some point of time.
The only answer that I've been giving to people is that - I love to "ride".

Reason - Call it freedom, call it being one with the machine and nature or anything else. I ride because I simply love to ride.
There are some people who ride to live. [read - need to cover long distances to work or something]
I live in order to ride.
Despite my office being 15+15 = 30 kms away (round trip), I ride 42 kms daily. For???

[OT - And I'm thankful to my parents who understood my passion and don't stop me from doing long rides. They discuss at length with me (routes/food stops etc) and wish me luck!]

The reason i ride is to feel carefree again...
I started riding at 14yrs of age. I wasnt allowed to leave the colony gates and hence had only ridden inside it.
It was the start of rainy season and i wondered why my dad used to like riding in rain. So one fine day, i sneaked out of the colony with the bike, and headed for the only good road i had seen. And the next 15 mins are the one i still remember clearly....
Whenever i ride now, i just yearn for that feeling again...
One of these days, i will return to that road with the very bike that i used to ride at that time....

My story is completely different i used to Ride my Dad' M80 when i was just 12 years of kid (lol) that also engine in off , that too every day for 1 hour Off course by using my legs, i used to drive it from Hill to Ground & then tells my friend to bring it back on top of that Slope & then again same

after 6-7 month, one day i took keys & just flew away with it hahahah

Its not so long when I am started riding, but attached with my bike like we born for each other..., But it took almost 2 years to convince my parents to bought a bike for myself, even from my own hard money..., So I like to ride when I got bore by everything and when I am feeling alone or sad, I never thought of to bought a bike for my daily commuting..., Usually I more like to drive alone on smooth curvi and strate roads, I never drive rash but I also dont miss any chance of flying on a nice strate road....

Best Excuse, specially when getting approvals of parents/spouse : Didn't get a reservation in a Train/Bus. Works unless any of them works in that dept.
For me, BiKiNg is FrEeDoM...... Right from those short 60+60 kms rides from home in Hyderbad to Yadagirigutta... The nearest Ghat ;-) roads.... too my longest ride in a day so far... Hyderabad to Bengaluru (620 Kms) in 11 hours. Riding makes me forget everything.

This is one good thread....am just thinking & trying to find the reason what makes me ride...

Is it in my genes???
1. My Father was a biker, he used to have a Jawa Twin & moved to CL2 & then a Roadking, then age made him move to scooters (LML Vespa) - He has done quite a lot of rides, where ever he goes it would be on his motorcycle & he had a green helmet by then.
2. My Uncle (My fathers younger brother) - He has done twice to all states in India, 1st on his RD350 (He still owns that as new) and then on his 60th birthday to touch all state capitals in 33 days.

Am riding as much as possible to reach out to their levels .

Or is it just my passion by seeing many fellow bikers??
Have been inspired by bikes & been from a small town (Mettupalayam) in the foothills of Ooty, where there were lots n lots of Yezdi's. RE's & RX's & was always longing to buy for myself a bike which I couldnt afford till the time I moved out of that town for my career, till then it was all my friends bikes, which I had borrowed saying will be back in 10mts / 1hr types & rode along for a day & give all reasons possible or get on a pillion even on smaller so called bikes...

Just thinking about the short rides from Coimbatore to Ooty in all sort of 2 wheelers (TVS 50 / Spark / Vijay Super / Chetak / Vespa / Yezdi / YBX / RX100 /135 / RXZ / RE) and all sorts and having faced all sorts of problems during those rides, relaxing under trees / under bus shelters in freezing cold weather. I also remember a Bajaj M80 we went to Ooty with a pillion & we were riding hard to find out the plastic shield has melted due to the heat generated

Many a rides to Many unknown destinations / Ooty / Mysore / Kodaikanal / Munar / Yercaud / Nemmara / Palghat / Cochin / Valparai / Bangalore / Trivandrum / Kanyakumari / Trichy / Rameswaram / Goa & now in Jaipur / Jodhpur / Ajmer / Nazirabad etc etc & have lots in mind to complete.

Have found all excuses to do my rides and not really reasons ...am just thinking about the rides which I have not informed my wife or my parents, have said that am heading for a meeting & borrow a helmet & jacket and do rides....lots n lots of those kind of rides

Many more to go....

My one of the good reason to ride is to fillup petrol at petrol station which is exactly 100kms from my home.. Done this many times and i love it...

Mine here it goes!!
1. Mumbai-Kashid-Murud: this trip happen just becuase Friday night my friend said Kashid beach is awesome then alibaug and gorai, + has an awesome fort in murud!! What Awesome means here lets check out tomorrow morning!
2. Mumbai-Aurangabad: i have been on this trip 2-3 times, once for my friends wedding, second to meet him and his new born baby! third: to check Awenger's crusing ability and performance of my friends bike.
3.Mumbai-Pune: Just to see my GF lol...(Now my wife) Those golden days.
4. Mumbai-Alibaug: i guess 100 times, just to refresh my wife's mood, when we have fights on some matters!! Men has to bend in front of wife and bikes if we love them!!
Many more, but big ones are in queue:
Mumbai-OOTY in Nov and Mumbai Leh on R15 next year!!

Mostly i am a Solo Rider!! I don't like riding with pilion at all!!

My riding thirst started during my 10th grade, the time I've learned to ride my dads scooter (Bajaj Cub). Whenever I see a lone road without any vehicles/commuters, wondered where this road is going on, is it a dead end? Whenever got a chance used to take the cub for a spin into the unknown streets in my hometown. The curiosity within me, ignited the fire to keep riding, explore the places unknown to me. Still riding in search of something (May be its like our fellow riders said FREEDOM).

Cheers Happy Riding!

Yeah, really, so many reasons ! A biker actually needs NO reason to ride ! We always find a reason which most people fail to understand, our love of 2 wheels and highways !

So Lets Hit The Highways And Ride On !!

Well, the most morbid reasoning for my short rides is to have a smoke without my colleagues or the students, where I work, noticing my little harmless, though medically harmful, habit. I do not want to be a bad influence on them.

I do ride home almost every weekend, which is just a 100 KMs stretch, and ride back on Monday mornings just for the hang of it. People ask me if I'm mad to do this as I end up spending 3 times the amount than I used to spend on travel by bus.

There is not much opportunity for long rides as is the case with most who work in an academic institution. Even then I go on rides upon impulses and however short they might be they provide me with the sense of freedom.

There is only one reason i ride
It gives me a sense of peace
I tend to forget everything else and feel a great sense of calmness...