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Yesterday I shared about how owning a motorcycle can help you learn things about yourself. You also learn a lot about others when you own a bike. You see, there is something very unique about the motorcycle community. There is a sense of family that can be found very easily, even with someone you meet for the first time.

Some say that this is changing. That today, with so many people riding, that sense of family has been lost. Far too many simply see their bike as a machine that gets them from point “a” to point “b”. And while “they” may be correct that the sense of family has changed somewhat, I think it’s still more evident within the motorcycle community than any other group.

You see, if I’m out for a ride, and I pull up near another ride (or group of riders), there is always a greeting. I guess if they are shy, and you are shy, there might not be much said, but if one of you is willing to simply say, “Hey, how’s the ride been for you?” You’ll discover very quickly a common bond – riding.

Of course, I’m part of a great community called Bikers’ Church. Along with the group in Ottawa, we have groups in Peterborough and Vancouver. We have close friends doing things in the Durham region as well. As well, I am a strong supporter of many of the local events, and have had the privilege of being on the stage of the largest event in Ottawa. So, many bikers know me, even if I don’t know them. It is common to have people come up and start chatting with me, even if we seem to be total strangers.

All I know is that the motorcycle community is a special breed. As some of you know, I’m on Twitter (find me here). I’ve connected with bikers from around the world via that network. While we have never met, never been on a ride together, we still have a sense of connection that began with our love of riding. We comment on each other’s rides. We talk about the great places to enjoy a motorcycle trip. It’s an amazing group of people.

What I love the most about the motorcycle community is how quickly people connect. I’m not sure there is any other group that bonds as quickly or easily as bikers. And, for the most part, it’s genuine. At least that’s been my experience.

You want to meet people? Learn about others? It’s easy. Get a motorcycle.

Have you ever thought about the many lessons you can learn simply by owning a motorcycle? Over the next few posts, I’m going to share a few of the things I have learned. Feel free to add your comments and pass on your own lessons.

What’s In You?

I’ve been around bikes most of my life. I’ve been riding dirt bikes since I was twelve, and had my first street bike before I was seventeen.

I remember blowing the engine in that first motorcycle (a Kawasaki Vulcan 550). I spent the next month looking at my engine, spread out over the driveway of a friend’s house. Fortunately, I had a friend who’s father was a small engine mechanic, and he put the bike back together, with us handing him tools and trying to get a little dirty with him.

I also remember how insecure I felt doing repairs on my bike. I grew up without a dad around, and even with my step-father in the picture, I had never been shown how to do anything on a bike. In fact, the reason my engine had blown in the first place was because I really didn’t know that you had to check (and top up) the engine oil. When we opened the motor, there was almost no oil to be found in the engine. (That’s a different lesson I’ve learned owning a motorcycle).

However, because I was never shown how to work on a bike, I was very insecure when something had to be done. I can remember one time when I couldn’t get my dirt bike to start. I remembered someone telling me that the first two questions to ask when your bike wont start are: Is there gas and Is there spark? So, I decided to see if there was spark. I took the plug out and held it in my hand and tried to start the bike. It was too bright out to tell if there was a spark at the end of the plug. So, I removed the plug from the wire, and stuck my finger in there. Yes, there was spark. No, it did not feel nice.

I spent about ten years without a motorcycle, and then began riding again in my early 30′s. I was now a man, a husband, a father. And yet, when I needed to do something on my bike, even a simple oil change, I knew for certain: I wasn’t a mechanic. But I was determined to learn.

When I began, I solicited the help of some trusted friends. As much as we loved to pick on each other, they knew I was insecure in this area, and always treated me with respect even when I didn’t know much about fixing my bike. Well, usually they treated me with respect. At first, they had some fun at my lack of tools. Slowly, I built up a decent set of tools. While there’s always room for more, I think I have a decent selection today.

It started out pretty simple. I did a lot of watching and learning. Guys would do something once, then have me do it while watching over my shoulder. And I learned. A lot. I went from learning how to do an oil change to where I can now adjust valves, fix wiring issues, etc. Sure, there is still a massive amount that I can learn, but I’ve come a long way over the years. Yes, there are many times when I like the security of having someone help me out who knows more than I do about engines, but if needed, I will attempt pretty well any job on my own (along with the help of my trusted manual).

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself thanks to owning a motorcycle: If I can get past my insecurity about something, I open doors of possibility I never thought could open.

I think every person who owns a motorcycle should learn to do their own basic maintenance. If I can learn, anyone can. It simply takes a willingness to overcome that insecurity hurdle. In doing so, it’s amazing what you can learn about yourself.

We use to teach a basic maintenance course called “Tech Talk”. It ran it’s course, so we put it on the shelf for a few years. But I loved sitting in those classes, watching new riders learn how to maintain their chain, check their plugs, change their oil. With each lesson, you could see the confidence rise with many of those in the class.

If you ride, and you take your bike into the shop for every little thing, perhaps it’s time for a lesson. Pick up a service manual (I think the Clymers Manual is a great place to start), and begin the journey of learning your own bike.

It’s a lesson you’ll never forget.

I read a great book a few weeks ago called Sway. It’s a book about why people behave in certain ways. Actually, the tag line of the book is The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. If, like me, you are someone who loves watching people and loves trying to figure out why people do the things they do, then you’ll love this book.

The authors (a couple of brothers) bring a great blend of case studies to illustrate the key principles that cause people to behave irrationally.

I thought of the book today as I was cruising down the Queensway (the main highway that runs across Ottawa). I was minding my own business, enjoying the sound of my own pipes, feeling the breeze on my face, when suddenly a car cut in front of me then hit it’s brakes. I had to jump to attention and quickly swerve into the next lane in order to avoid running into the back of this big car.

Suddenly my enjoyable ride was no longer … enjoyable. I was mad, I wanted to let the driver of the car know I was mad. As soon, I pulled up beside the vehicle ready to yell, when I saw a little, old lady who was probably 150 years of age. Not that it mattered, it just meant I would have to yell a little louder.

And then, I thought of that stupid book. What was rational about my behaviour. At best, I would frighten her and she’d have a heart attack. At worse, she would veer into my lane after said heart attack, and we all know that when car hits bike, car wins. She had no idea she had cut me off, and nothing I would scream toward her rolled up window would be informative enough to make her aware of the mistake she had just made.

Irrational behaviour.

On second thought, don’t read the book. In my case, it just showed me how stupid I can be at times.

My wife has a tag line on her email that says, “A good long ride can clear your mind and restore your faith.” I love that line. It’s a great reminder to me every time I get an email from her.

Here’s what I’ve discovered about that tag line: a good, long ride only does those things if you actually take the good, long ride. In other words, for it to be more than just words, you need to put it in action.

It’s something I haven’t done much of this year. When I look at my odometer, I realize that I’ve only put approximately 2,000 kms on my bike so far. Not good. Sure, I could blame it on the lousy weather we’ve experienced here in Ottawa (has there been a day without rain so far this season?). Or, I could blame my busy schedule for why I’m not getting out more on my bike. I could even use the excuse that my bike is not running right (hopefully I finally fix those carb issues this weekend).

The reality is, all those excuses doesn’t change the fact that I’ve only put 2,000 kms on my bike this year. After last year, when I registered my lowest ever mileage for a season (about 14,000 kms), I determined that this year would be different. This year, I would be back up in the low 20,000 km range. I have a long way to go in order to see that happen.

Yesterday I jumped on my bike and headed to the office. As the engine roared to life and I swung my leg over the beast, I felt at peace. For the moment, it was purring just as it should. I took my time getting to work, just wanting to feel the wind in my face. It was chilly out, and before long, I could feel the tears that come from a cool wind. Even though I took my time, the ride was still too short. If it wasn’t for my scheduled appointment, I probably would have kept going. As I climbed off her in the parking lot, I took this picture with my iPhone. I sent it through Twitter, with the promise that we would spend time together. And we did. I had four appointments that day, and with the exception of the first one, they were all outside my office. I spent the rest of the day riding around the city going from meeting to meeting. It was great.

She seemed to sense my need to ride. Only once did the carb misbehave, and then, it was for just a few minutes. The rest of the time, we were one again. Those who ride understand exactly what I mean by that statement.

As I left each meeting, my mind was on what was talked about over coffee or lunch. But only for a minute. It’s true what Heather has at the bottom of her emails, a good, long ride really can clear the mind. Within minutes of each meeting, all I was focused on was the sound of her pipes as she sang a melody of peace. All cares, concerns, and worries were lifted for those precious moments of riding.

Yes, this weekend I rebuild the carburetor. Hopefully it solves the issues my bike is having at this time. And then, I begin fulfilling that promise I made to myself at the end of last riding season. It may be the middle of July, but from this point forward, it’s time to put some miles on my bike. I’m 9,000 kms away from hitting 200,000 and this is the year that happens.

Perhaps you’ve been in the same boat. Maybe your bike has sat there, waiting for you to be done with the excuses. Waiting to help you clear your mind and restore your faith. It’s time to ride again.

I’ve said this before on my blog, but I really enjoy watching people. They fascinate me. Maybe it’s why I’m a minister. Or maybe I’m a minister because of my fascination with people. I don’t know. I just know that I enjoy watching people. Especially when they don’t know they are being watched. (Great, that makes me sound like a stalker!)

I love sitting in a coffee shop and watching people waiting in line. Some looked bored. Others are lost in thought. Some check their phones, sending text messages to friends. Some look around but pretend they’re not.

I wonder what’s going on in their heads. Are they happy? Is life good? Or is their life full of stress. Are they standing there, trying to look brave, when what they really crave is someone to tell them that it’s going to be okay.

Do you watch people? If so, what do you find most interesting about them?

I saw this video about a month ago, and then was reminded of it this morning from a friend. Penn, who is an atheist, shares his experience of being given a Bible from a guy following one of his shows.

It’s a short video, but worth watching.

Great post on Dean Brown’s blog today. Here it is in it’s entirety. Check out his blog for more Sens stuff.

No guts, No glory.

No one is going to say Bryan Murray has no guts.
First the trade deadline deal to move Antoine Vermette to Columbus for goaltender Pascal Leclaire. When healthy he has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. Problem is he hasn’t been healthy enough over the past few years. Big gamble for Murray right there.

Now Alex Kovalev. When he decides he wants to play, he is one of the very best in the NHL. The skill level and strength are off the charts. Problem is, his game has been dotted with enigmatic play his entire career. He can do almost anything with the puck but on too many nights he looks like he doesn’t want the puck.

The wild card for Bryan Murray is the Spezza factor. In his 6 years in Montreal, Kovalev never had a playmaking centre the caliber ofSpezza. If anyone can get him excited to play it will be Spezza. The one thing that very creative players love is other creative players.Spezza is certainly all that.

Bryan Murray has been put in a horrible situation by Dany Heatley, but clearly he is not throwing in the towel. This Kovalev move is certainly high risk, but also has the possibility for high reward.

Say what you want about Bryan Murray, but he certainly has the guts.

See you at the rink.

Today, Canada turns 142. Happy birthday, Canada.

Canadians are a quiet bunch. We look at our friends to the south, and we shake our heads at how crazy they get around their Independence Day. It’s a especially a problem, because their day is only a few days after ours, and we seem to get overshadowed by the celebrations that take place all across America. Heck, Americans are patriotic every day of the year, not just on July 4th. That would be pushing it for most Canadians!

But not me. I am proud to be Canadian. Very proud. I love displaying my nationality and am very clear that there is no better country to live in than Canada. I love visiting other countries, and am always overwhelmed with the respect and admiration other people have for Canadians.

I ride a Harley. An American made Harley. A lot of my friends ride them too. And every time I see one of them with a U.S. flag on their vest or their bike, I shake my head. “You’re not American, put a Canadian flag on your vest!” A few years ago, I came a cross a patch with the Harley Eagle holding both Canadian and American flags. I loved it! It’s on my vest. Because it has the Canadian flag. When people say to me, “I ride a Harley because it’s American made … not those Metric bikes.” I tell them to move to America then.

Yeah, I’m Canadian. I’m proud to be Canadian. Because I love this country. Where else can you go and see the diversity that you can see in Canada. Want to see mountains? We got ‘em. Plains? We have them here. Beautiful, clean lakes? Yup. Oceans? You’ll find them. Massive forest? Here. Snow? In some places, all year round. Let’s face it, we’ve got it all.

And then there’s the people. Canadians. Polite, friendly, “eh” saying Canadians. We do a lot of stupid things, but in the end, the rest of the world knows one thing about Canadians: you can count on them. Canadians are often the first to jump in to help those on the world stage. Yes, we were there before the Americans during the big wars. Yes, we were a fierce fighting machine. But we also come in with a massive amount of compassion. We’ll keep the peace when no one else does. When everyone else is freaking out, we stay calm.

Yeah, I love this country. I love everything about it. I love that this is where I was born. A Centennial Baby.

It’s my country. I am Canadian.