We sure love motorcycles here at Women Riders Now, so we came up with an entertaining list that shows where motorcycles beat cars when it comes to the fun, fuel, and fantasy factor.
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1. Park in small spaces. A motorcycle can park just about anywhere. Here, 11 of them fit comfortably into a space that can accommodate only two SUVs!
2. Smell the airs fragrance. From fire and fish to floral and fauna, your nose knows when youre on a motorcycle. Scents in the air are sensed much more powerfully from the seat of a bike than the seat of a car.
3. Travel the world on the same vehicle more easily.
From seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, to getting around in Brazil by boat, the same motorcycle can do it all. These photos are taken from the story of then-24-year-old Ramona Eichhorn who traveled the world for five years on her KTM motorcycle. Read about her incredible journey here.
4.Have your passenger hold onto your waist from behind.Its much more cozier on a motorcycle.
5. Ride around stopped traffic … where its legal of course.
6. Get waved at by excited smiling children.
7. Make instant friends at gas stops.From gas stations to scenic pull-offs, motorcyclists gravitate to one another.
8. Go three times as far with the same amount of fuel.
Motorcycles consume less gas therefore cost far less to operate than a car.
9. Wheelies!
Fantasies can come true on a motorcycle. (photo courtesy of Steve Lita)
WRN Founder and Editor Genevieve Schmitt on her Harley-Davidson Street Glide flashes a smile and peace sign when she catches someones eye as she rides by.
11. Meet a buffalo eye to eye!
Yellowstone National Park is one place in the U.S. where theres nothing between a rider and a buffalo on the road.
Now tell us in the comments below what else you can do on a motorcycle that you cant do in a car.
21 thoughts on 11 Things You Can Do on a Motorcycle You Cant Do in a Car
Not only do bikers talk to other bikers at gas stations and convenient stores, I have chatted with traffic controllers (those who hold the stop signs) at road construction sites and people in convertibles!
Anyone who tries to equate their travel experience by car (cage) to that of an excursion on a motorcycle has either never been on a bike, or is scared of them, or they just didn’t get it. It’s like trying to explain laughter. You can’t. You just do! You either feel it or you don’t. If you feel it, you are addicted, because it’s therapy, adrenaline, connection to people and nature, family, adventure and escape. It’s what we crave, and it’s what we do every chance we get. Pity those who don’t get it, for they are missing out on freedom and beauty and motorized meditation. It’s our church! Can you say that about your car. No!
I enjoy being approached by strangers, usually older men who no longer ride, and have them strike up a conversation. Never seems to happen in my car trips.
I can ride my bike in the curves/turns where I have to drive my car.I get to countersteer.I can do a road trip when my significant is going offroading.Depending on where I go I may have a special motorcycle parking area closer to the door.Camp in motorcycle only campgrounds!And I often get to hear stories of rides from older male/female riders who no longer ride and how much fun they had back in their day. I would never hear those stories if I were in the car!
Yeah I can’t roll the windows down in my car and smell the air. It’s impossible. Even mid-level sedans are now getting 40mpg and my old Cobalt could do that. You’re not getting three times that. Convertibles are just as easy to smile at. All bikes really have is parking, lane splitting, wheelies, and having someone always touching you. Everything else on this list you can do in a car.
Catch aspen leaves in your helmet. Ride along old dirt trails and through abandoned train tunnels. Catch those first snowflakes on your tongue as you hurry home to avoid the storm. Feel the fog envelop you in the early morning quiet along the beach and taste the ocean in the moist air. Become mysterious and intriguing in your head-to-toe gear. Flirt more. To many plusses to list.
On a bike, you can ride right next to a beautiful crane. The game flew with us for at least a half mile. It was standing in a ditch and took flight as we rode by. It was the most awesome moment that we’ve had, so far. We’ll never forget it. A helmet camera would have been nice to have.
Buffalo’s great! Cows, elks, deer, reindeer, foxes, etc. on the side of the road while passing … great! Near misses with out-of-nowhere wildlife … less great but OK.But having a very unhappy nervous mother bear and an extremely curious happy baby bear jump the road just inches behind your motorbike while not being able to go anywhere because all traffic came to a stop as drivers are blocking the road just to get that perfect bear picture (safely in their little boxes) is not something I’d like to experience again. Thank God I was wearing my leathers and full helmet!That said, I’ll go for motorbike trip any day!
How long have you got….?Journey with dozens of your friends at the same time.Look cool.Keep cool.Stay cool.Just lose your thoughts to travelling.Not carry screaming children.Strap a tent to the handlebars, follow your instinct and feel true freedom.Get bugs in your teeth.Long for better weather. (I mean REALLY long)Consistently feel the need to be on the road.Feel the temperature change as you ride uphill, or down.Keep four of five vehicles in a single garage.Get wet.
I came face to face with a bison in Yellowstone! He was trotting right toward me and I was forced into a U-turn! I eventually passed him slowly eye to eye on a narrow two-lane road. What a thrill!
Not only do bikers talk to other bikers at gas stations and convenient stores, I have chatted with traffic controllers (those who hold the stop signs) at road construction sites and people in convertibles!
Anyone who tries to equate their travel experience by car (cage) to that of an excursion on a motorcycle has either never been on a bike, or is scared of them, or they just didn’t get it. It’s like trying to explain laughter. You can’t. You just do! You either feel it or you don’t. If you feel it, you are addicted, because it’s therapy, adrenaline, connection to people and nature, family, adventure and escape. It’s what we crave, and it’s what we do every chance we get. Pity those who don’t get it, for they are missing out on freedom and beauty and motorized meditation. It’s our church! Can you say that about your car. No!
Cruise the Parkway. Find out where that little dirt road goes. Get in trouble, get stuck, get dirty, get out and then ride it home.
I enjoy being approached by strangers, usually older men who no longer ride, and have them strike up a conversation. Never seems to happen in my car trips.
I feel free when I ride my bike just like when I ride my horse.
Wow, awesome photo Linda. Thanks for sharing!
Witness a flock of birds fly across the road in front of you from one field to the next. What a beautiful sight!
I can ride my bike in the curves/turns where I have to drive my car.I get to countersteer.I can do a road trip when my significant is going offroading.Depending on where I go I may have a special motorcycle parking area closer to the door.Camp in motorcycle only campgrounds!And I often get to hear stories of rides from older male/female riders who no longer ride and how much fun they had back in their day. I would never hear those stories if I were in the car!
Easier to flash people.
Yeah I can’t roll the windows down in my car and smell the air. It’s impossible. Even mid-level sedans are now getting 40mpg and my old Cobalt could do that. You’re not getting three times that. Convertibles are just as easy to smile at. All bikes really have is parking, lane splitting, wheelies, and having someone always touching you. Everything else on this list you can do in a car.
Catch aspen leaves in your helmet. Ride along old dirt trails and through abandoned train tunnels. Catch those first snowflakes on your tongue as you hurry home to avoid the storm. Feel the fog envelop you in the early morning quiet along the beach and taste the ocean in the moist air. Become mysterious and intriguing in your head-to-toe gear. Flirt more. To many plusses to list.
Seeing places you’ve ridden in movies and remembering how great the trip was!
Hopping on the bike with the sun in my face just takes me somewhere nothing else can.
On a bike, you can ride right next to a beautiful crane. The game flew with us for at least a half mile. It was standing in a ditch and took flight as we rode by. It was the most awesome moment that we’ve had, so far. We’ll never forget it. A helmet camera would have been nice to have.
Great list. One to add…”Experience a road trip as it was meant to be enjoyed.”
Watch a kid’s eyes light up when you let them sit on your bike for a photo!
Buffalo’s great! Cows, elks, deer, reindeer, foxes, etc. on the side of the road while passing … great! Near misses with out-of-nowhere wildlife … less great but OK.But having a very unhappy nervous mother bear and an extremely curious happy baby bear jump the road just inches behind your motorbike while not being able to go anywhere because all traffic came to a stop as drivers are blocking the road just to get that perfect bear picture (safely in their little boxes) is not something I’d like to experience again. Thank God I was wearing my leathers and full helmet!That said, I’ll go for motorbike trip any day!
How long have you got….?Journey with dozens of your friends at the same time.Look cool.Keep cool.Stay cool.Just lose your thoughts to travelling.Not carry screaming children.Strap a tent to the handlebars, follow your instinct and feel true freedom.Get bugs in your teeth.Long for better weather. (I mean REALLY long)Consistently feel the need to be on the road.Feel the temperature change as you ride uphill, or down.Keep four of five vehicles in a single garage.Get wet.
Great ones Gary! And you sure would know as you have done some serious motorcycling traveling. Please check out our story on Gary at this link.
I came face to face with a bison in Yellowstone! He was trotting right toward me and I was forced into a U-turn! I eventually passed him slowly eye to eye on a narrow two-lane road. What a thrill!
Can de-stress on a bike and feel at peace just cruising along alone or with friends. #lovely