Motorcycle rides have become a popular sport over the years. Motorcycles have their origins in the 19th century. The modern form of Motorcycle is the descendent of the then built ‘safety bikes’ which had a mechanism of a pedal crank for the purpose of driving the rear wheels. With years of progress, motorcycles have now taken a completely new shape and design. Today, motorcycles are not just mere means of travel. These vehicles have extended their reach to the arena of races and made their mark in various events. With the increasing hike about sports bikes, various companies are focusing exclusively on manufacturing such bikes.
The popularity of motorcycle riding
Though not as popular as now, motorcycle riding as a sport had always been a major attraction for almost all kinds of bike lovers. Not every biker takes part in such a sport, but they never fail a chance to at least cheer for these events.
These events witness the participation of bikers from various age groups. It is a false perception that all the bikers taking part in such events are testosterone-driven young men. There are also older men in their 40’s or 50’s or even 60’s who regularly take entry to the motorcycle riding events.
Distinctive features of sport bikes
Sport bikes are in many ways different from normal motorcycles. They are lighter but are more powerful. They have the mechanism to take swift turns and can withstand the jolts of sudden breaks. Sports bikes also have a slightly different structure to them. That is why the sitting position and posture are also mildly distinct from other bikes. The footpegs of these bikes are positioned in such a way that they are capable of taking the entire weight of the riders. The seats are harder than usual bikes so as to make sure that the biker is able to sense the accelerations and vibrations.
Types of bike racing:
Motorcycle riding as a sport mainly refers to motorcycle racing. This sport is played in various fields are surroundings based of which it can be classified into two different categories like the road racing, which is performed in a road paved for the sole purpose of racing or on temporarily closed public roads, and the track racing which is done in an oval track majorly built for racing. These two broad categories can be further classified based on the surface ground.
Risk of motorcycle riding
The major accessories for a biker are his biker jacket and helmet, both of which are meant for protection along with riding gloves, riding boots, and riding goggles. The helmet should also be accompanied by a helmet lock. Another important element is the leg or the crash guard which is basically a safety accessory. Seat holder, Disc locks and shoe protectors are also of equal significance. All of these types of equipment are must-haves for any biker because this sport involves more risk than riding any other vehicle.
That is why; one should always keep in mind how much of a dangerous sport it is. It is not a discouragement but a fact that motorcycle riders are 12% more prone to death if they meet with accidents than regular car drivers. The major cause of such deaths in the absence on the helmet. 40% of these deaths happen because of that. That is the reason why it is a mandate to wear helmets in motorcycle riding events.
Significance of biker’s badges
Motorcycle rides are often seen to wear patches which are badges on their jackets representing the biker group or club they belong to. These badges include information regarding the club like club name along with their logo. They also sometimes include the locations.
These representations hold great importance in the sporting events for the bikers other than upholding different clubs. These badges can have different meanings that bring up the past, mainly considered as achievements, for the bikers. For example, the badge consisting of a skull along with crossbones means that the wearer has had a fatal accident in the past or was the cause of some other biker’s death.
For the professional bikers, the passion of riding motorcycles overpowers their fear of dying. That is why true lovers of this sport do not hesitate to take a leap of faith and go ahead to pursue their wondrous rides. For these people, motorcycle riding is more than just a sport; it is their passion, their emotion.
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