Why We Ride
Description
Inside Why We Ride:
What makes all the hazards and hardships of riding a motorcycle worthwhile to perfectly sane, intelligent, and responsible individuals
Insights from clinical psychologist and moto-journalist Dr. Mark Barnes
Examination of the complex gratifications, relentlessly compelling passions, and deeply personal experiences that motivate motorcyclists
Sports psychology, psychoanalysis of common riding experiences, and reflections on the author's personal journey as a rider
Results of the author's own empirical research on the motives of motorcyclists
Thought-provoking exploration of the human dimension of motorcycling
Special section on how riders achieve the quasi-mystical state of "Flow," a concept currently at the center of modern sports psychology
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Person
Soon after launching his career as a clinical psychologist in 1992, Dr. Barnes merged his interest in people with his life-long passion for motorcycling by writing about the human dimension of riding and working on bikes for enthusiast magazines. He settled in as a regular contributor to Motorcycle Consumer News in 1996; since then, 200 (and counting) of his monthly columns have explored wide-ranging psychological aspects of the motorcycling experience. Mark has also written almost as many gear and accessory reviews, technical/how-to articles, and feature stories about motorcycle-related events and destinations, and he presented his own research on the multifaceted appeal of motorcycling at a Popular Culture Association conference. Having ridden extensively both on- and off-road, sampling racetracks and virtually every type of bike in the process, Mark has amassed a wealth of observations and insights over four-plus decades of involvement. That personal history, coupled with his training as a scientist, clinician and communicator, has allowed Mark to capture in words the elusive physical, emotional and interpersonal elements that make the world of the motorcyclist such a rich and exciting place
Content
Table of Contents Preface PART ONE: WHY WE RIDE Introduction The Survey Category One: Engagement Category Two: Autonomy Category Three: Mastery Category Four: Exhilaration Category Five: Transcendence Category Six: Relaxation Category Seven: Practicality Concluding Comments PART TWO: SELECTED COLUMNS From the GARAGE The Joy of Maintenance Perfect Imperfection Just Say No Necessary Evils Your Rite to Ride Making it Personal Necessity is a Mother Garage Fever From the ROAD Human Relations 102 The Verdict Can't Live with 'em, Can't Live without 'em Feels Like the First Time...Again The Call of the Open Road Get Lost! What Should Be vs. What Is Doh! Brain Fade and the Perils of Fatigue From the TRAIL Dirty Thoughts Half the Fun Back to School Near-Life Experiences Experts From the TRACK Concentrating on Concentration Learning Curves The "Trust Me" Line You Just Can't Get There from Here From the COUCH (Freud goes for a ride) Twin Brain - Part One Twin Brain - Part Two Moto-Voyeurism Linkages Spiritual Motorcycling Self-Diagnostics Shifting Riding in the Zone Motorcycle Camping Moto-Connoisseurism Safe Distance Displacement Black Boxes The Voice of (In)Experience Loud Pipes Do What? Top Ten Reasons... Moto-Placebos Oh, What a Feeling! Getting in Touch with Your Inner Cartographer (or not) From the HEART (personal favorites) Wrecks Sensory-Motor Satori A Cure for What Ails Us Riding Through the Valley of the Shadow Giving Ourselves a Hand Milestones PART THREE: FLOW FOR RIDERS Introduction Aspect One: Challenge-Skill Balance Aspect Two: Action-Awareness Merger Aspect Three: Clarity of Purpose Aspect Four: Clarity of Feedback Aspect Five: Present Task Focus Aspect Six: Paradox of Control Aspect Seven: Absence of Self-Consciousness Aspect Eight: Transformation of Time Aspect Nine: Autotelic Experience Concluding Comments
