For most of us the environment we inhabit
is almost entirely man made, artificial and to a certain extent abstract. How
many people know what is actually going on inside the products we encounter
each day, our computers, our phones? I certainly don’t and when things go wrong
I find it incredibly frustrating. I can’t tell whether the problem is with a
malfunctioning server, which may be thousands of miles away, or the actual
device I’m attempting to use! Too often I feel powerless.
Sometimes it’s good to disconnect from the
virtual world and re engage with physical reality, to experience something a
little more, elemental…..
I ride a motorbike, physical reality feels
very real on a motorbike. For me it’s the perfect escape and a great way to
discover new places. Car drivers are cocooned in a metal shell, sitting in a
comfy seat, perhaps listening to the radio and daydreaming as the nearly silent
engine wafts them towards their final destination. How many times have you
driven or been a passenger in a car and actually remembered the journey? Stuck
in a traffic jam feeling helpless, never knowing why everything has ground to a
halt. Sound familiar?
On a motorbike every journey is an
adventure, even if it’s raining! An exciting and visceral experience, a
veritable assault on the senses!
Serious intent is expressed by the dynamic
juxtaposition of intersecting planes and contours, it looks fast even when it’s
standing still! This isn’t just styling though, the form of the bodywork is
sculpted in order to minimize drag. The suspension is tuned to accommodate the
combined weight of bike and rider thereby enabling the power of the engine to
be transferred to the road in a predictable manner. Unlike a car, the weight of
the rider and fuel can account for up to fifty percent of the overall mass of
the vehicle. Joining all the elements
together, the frame is engineered to be stiff in some areas and flexible in
others in order to communicate the feedback provided by the suspension and
specially designed tires.
This is design in its purest sense, form follows function, every part of the machine is optimized to form part of a fully integrated system. No one aspect of the design is more important than another, all must be in balance.
I sit on top of my bike rather than in it,
exposed to the elements. I can feel the pressure of the wind on my chest
increase as I roll on the throttle and pick up speed. I can hear the wind
rushing past my ears and the guttural roar of the engine! When I want to change
direction I don’t turn a wheel, I move my entire body and lean the bike over
while applying gentle pressure to the handlebars. The bike tips in and I can
feel the mounting centrifugal force pushing me harder into the seat.
Just for once, I am in charge of my own
destiny, always looking for the way ahead, utterly involved and absorbed by the
sheer physicality of the experience. Picking my way through city traffic or
finding my way down a twisting country road, I am alive. I know I am because I
can feel it.
What’s your escape?
