The Machines Take Over

This week, GM announced that it would be seeking to put into production vehicles completely free from steering wheels.   FREE FROM STEERING WHEELS.  A complete departure from the analog life.  The sensation of driving, the joy, the feeling that we all have known is endangered.  Motorcycles will be next.

The the joy of the ride as we know it will be extinct in this lifetime.  At that point, how will the midlife moto guru seek out the philosophical and meditative value of the open road, sensations from the road, corners, and impromptu swerve?

We ride to be free.  We ride to enjoy the wind, the sun, the dark, the lights, and pressure.  The feedback we get from the bars, our feet on the brake & shift levers.    The days of riding to relax may be coming to an end.

Analog Will Set You Free

While things will change, there will still be basic and simple machines that give you this feeling.   Even today, in the age of touch screen Tesla’s and Google Maps,  you find 1955 Chevy’s and 1945 Harley’s and even 1980 GS550’s on the road.  We know the value of the machines, the gauges, and the feedback we get from the road.   There is something about the simplicity of a needle rising up the MPH/KPH or RPMs.  Its visceral and true.   While others will be touching their screens and programming their machines to take them places , we the midlife moto enthusiasts will be jumping on our analog machines and riding.  We might not even have a destination in mind.   We will have a reason to ride however.

Hold on to your bike, car, or whatever machine you have.   As the world becomes more and more connected and automated, it may be the only way you have to jump “off the grid” .   Ride on moto loving mid lifer.  Ride on.