Love for the Iron Horse

As a lover of most things on wheels I am always seduced by the beauty and elegance of motorcycles. In college I rode a mountain bike extensively but I was always afraid to venture on to a motocycle of any size.My oldest brother had a Yamaha Seca 750 that I rode on once- 30 years ago- and I had ridden scooters in high school, but never any thing with real power. Being in Michigan you need a vehicle for the winter so a motorcycle would not cut it when it came time for me to buy my first vehicle.

Of course now I have different concerns- three young kids , a loving wife, a career and my favorite the desire to not be paralyzed from the neck or waist down after an accident. The stats don't lie-you are more likely to to die or be injured on a motorcycle than in a car.

But when does the fear of increased odds of harm take a back seat to freedom and independence? To be fair, I already live under some pretty heavy risk factors so what difference does one more risk factor make? Isn't being optimistic and invincible part of the American psyche?

In spite the obivious dangers I am still drawn to the siren song of the iron horse.