A Love Story - Man vs. Machine

This fling began in California.

Myself, and a few close friends spent our last semester of undergrad schooling in Los Angeles, CA. To complete our degrees, we all took on internships. While most of our crew went the film route over there in Hollywood, my forte belongs in music. So I sought out the best recording studios for my internship, and ended up at Westlake.

Westlake Recording Studios - The Second Home of Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

Now in California, EVERYONE drives. Los Angeles is not a great city for public transportation, and the long distances between destinations means bicycle-commuting is out of the question. So while all my buddies rented cars, I chose to be a little different, and bought a #motorcycle.

My First Motorcycle - 1989 Honda NX 250

The gentleman I bought the bike from was nice enough to give me a lesson, as this would be the first time I had ever sat on a motorcycle. Some said I was crazy, but I said "sounds like fun". The first time rolling around in the suburban #California neighborhood gave me the foundation for the rest of the 3 months I spent in Los Angeles. After getting those first-ride jitters out of the way, I was hooked.

I will never forget my commute to and from Westlake Recording Studios. Every day I cruised up and down the legendary Mulholland Drive. The road winds through switchback turns, and provides #scenery that makes one feel like they're riding through Italian mountain villages. Next time you're in Los Angeles, do yourself a favor and cruise that road. Day or night. And preferably on a motorcycle :)

When my time in California came to an end, so did my time with my Honda NX 250. We flew back to Pennsylvania, and I wasn't able to fit my motorcycle in my carry-on luggage, so I was forced to leave the bike out there. Don't fret though, a friend of mine bought it from me, and now enjoys it himself.

I came home to PA, to find that I really missed riding my motorcycle, and continued to day-dream of riding these Pennsylvania roads on two wheels. With the fire still burning inside, I quickly found a replacement for that previous #love lost.

My 2nd motorcycle - 1996 Kawasaki KLR 650

For the past year I have enjoyed the motorcycle. Going from 250cc - 650cc was a jump, and made for even more fun than before (I now have the ability to go faster than 50 mph). I love this motorcycle, and she has treated me well, but unfortunately, the flame has begun to diminish.

I have had a couple close calls riding here in Pennsylvania, and that has been enough to give me second thoughts every time I hopped on the bike. Something that used to get me excited, has now started to give me anxiety. I now second-guess riding every time I get in the saddle.

For these reasons, I've decided to sell my Kawasaki today.

I chose to write up this post because it's important to #reflect. Rather than talk about the near-death experiences I've faced, I've chosen to focus on how much fun it is to ride fast on two wheels with the wind in your face. Maybe another day, I'll get back in the saddle, but for today, I'm hanging up my helmet.

I find a lot of similarities between my love for this machinery, and love between two human beings. Love comes and goes. Sometimes it scares you, and sometimes it thrills you to no end. For now though, this fling has ended.

Maybe someday she'll waltz back into my life, and we'll take a nice cruise together again

Thanks for reading, Steemians! And hey, if you're in Eastern PA, and want to buy my beautiful Kawasaki, let me know!

-Doc