Well im a newbie so still got miles of learning to get under mi butt so to speak  but do know this its going to be a lots of fun indeed.

sal x
                                                                                                                                                                             

Markie - I aint a biker - I'm a potnoodle                                                                                                                                                                               

Lol, think we all know that pots.
You come in different flavours, well, at least your hair does.                                                                                                                                                                                

What Dave said about being in the zone on a ride, is the main one, getting all your apexs, braking points, spot on, etc, etc, etc.. especially if you've been out for a mentle blast with some mates, can't beat it,   I hate riding when, when i feel like i should be somewhere else, doing something else, but that usually means it's starting to feel a bit mundane, if such a thing is possible on a gixer thou...   But if i've not ridden for a week and i go out it just takes my breath away, 170 bhp bikes should be given on prescription...                                                                                                                                                                              

For me it's the sound of my 88ci motor and the massive torque it delivers, and the fact that I don't have to be breaking the speed limit to have a smile on my face, and how much more comfortable it is on  a long run than my thundercat ever was.. I LOVE MY ROADKING 

bikes are the perfect stress buster....great for blowing off the cobwebs of a week in the office
  agree with Blade they should be given out on prescription                                                                                                                                                                             

Not as convenient as the car. Not as safe as the car, not as practical as the car, not even as economical as the car (when you factor in the time it spends being insured and taxed but not ridden).

But I've never met anyone when driving the car that has wanted to chat. I've never stopped in a remote village in the car and had the whole place turn out to look at the car. I've never felt the anxiety of danger in the car, the camaraderie, the vitality of just existing in a moment, the being a part of the environment I'm in, the realisation that it just doesn't get better than this... none of those things occur in the car, although it does have air con!                                                                                                                                                                             

Freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being on the bike gives me a feeling of freedom that havent found anywhere else!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Definitely all of the above....                                                                                                                                                                              

When i started riding in 1991 it was purely transport for work as my car kept getting screwed ,,,bike i could park in work,,,when i got divorced  2006 it was my lifeline,,,,stopped me from cracking up,,,though its hard to tell i haven't..... Every time i take my bike out i still feel the same regardless of weather,,,,and some days i ride sh~t,,,other days a great ride... One thing i do believe is that every single time i go out i'm still learning,,,,none of us are perfect or claim to be... I also think it has to be FUN,,,,,once the fun element goes stick to four wheels......                                                                                                                                                                             

im perfect                                                                                                                                                                              

Apart from enjoying it - I'm a petrol head as most on here - and enjoy different ways from getting from A to B, and enjoy driving a car as well - but even maybe sounding like a cliché - riding a bike feels much more natural then driving a car. All my hands and feet are attached to controls, I can feel the road through my backside, feet and hands and the feedback it gives me and the feel of the vibrations from engine and the sound of it. All of that and more coupled in just makes the bike feel like an extension of myself.   I don't have to concentrate so much on riding, infact I don't really think I concentrate on riding at all, unlike a car which you need to reach for the gear stick, move feet around, spin hands around the wheel. Just leaves me having to concentrate on the road conditions and some of the idiots I have to share the road with.                                                                                                                                                                             

edit from my previous post "none of us are perfect (except kwakgirl) or claim to be"                                                                                                                                                                             

For me, it's about producing all those nice natural hormones, like adrenalin and dopamine. Which is not to say I ride like a twat, just love the effects on my mind and body that the average ride creates
There will always be someone out there not paying enough attention to give you a rush of danger...  occasionally me  
Equally, when you've just swept through some lovely bends and nailed them just right...   wow...  nearly as good as sex                                                                                                                                                                               

Loads of daft songs pop into my head and simply have to be sung, and when I get home I walk around with a silly smirk across my chops....far better than choccy                                                                                                                                                                              

What does riding my bike mean to me, its an expression of who I am.
it takes me away from my troubles, it keeps me sane in an insane world, it gives me friends, its an open road and a full tank of fuel, its going faster and testing myself , it's going slow taking in the beautiful scenery in a way you can't in a car, its freedom, it's joy, it's me

can't remember. its that long ago.                                                                                                                                                                             

well get out there :-) enjoy and LIVE xxxx                                                                                                                                                                              

Nicely put Ian                                                                                                                                                                              

Riding my bike takes me to a different place on an emotional level, there's a common thread in a lot of these posts, freedom, exhileration fun, sanity in an insane world, stress buster, all true.
It sets us apart from other road users and when ridden well it becomes almost an art form.
I love reading the road ahead as you head towards a set of technical bends and sweeping curves, working out your lines, gears, throttle and then executing the plan as you sweep through them and out the other side.
You don't just sit on a bike and ride it, you become a part of it, processing all the information that's feeding back to you from your hands, feet, bum, eyes and ears, putting all that information in order and hopefully getting a great ride out of it, I feel sorry for non bikers as they just don't seem to 'get it'