The Motorcycle Mechanic

Could a motorcycle be a metaphor for life? Well… I suppose we could make a case for it. Why don’t you be the judge?

Ah, Sweet Bird of Youth…

OK, believe it or not, I was young once. Yup, as you can tell from this old photo (I was 18 at the time, and already a handsome figure of a man, no?) I used to own a motorcycle. In fact, over several years I had three different ones.

My first one was a rather asthmatic old used Honda 90 that barely had enough power to get me from point A to point B. But hey, it was transportation, and thus my ticket to freedom… sortof. (I mean, I still had school, a job, and lived at home, but you get the idea, right?)

Unfortunately, that particular mode of transportation met with an untimely demise one night (the other driver’s claim, “I never even saw him, Officer!”, while likely true, provided no solace as I lay in the hospital for a couple of days) and I ended up with a somewhat “sensitive” left knee for the rest of my natural life. (Good thing I wasn’t thinking of becoming a famous football Quarterback or something. But I’m over it now.)

Bigger Bike, More Power

Anyway, with the insurance money (and in a move my mother never quite forgave), I went out and bought this beauty from a friend of mine, a Suzuki 500 with, as you can see, bright magenta gas tank and side covers. Now that was a motorcycle! It had a lot more horsepower (insert manly grunts here) and was actually much safer in traffic since, unlike the old one, I now had the extra power needed to actually evade oncoming traffic.

Be that as it may, however, because one of the things I remember most from this bike was my many attempts to play motorcycle mechanic. Now, you may remember from other posts, particularly my adventures with Yolanda (that came along later), that I have a somewhat, er, spotty talent when it comes to mechanical aptitude. (Maybe that’s why I became a Mechanical Engineer?)

As you can see from the photo, there are assorted tools scattered about the ground (especially the hammer – you simply can’t work on anything mechanical without one!), and I’m busily reading up on the “How to Completely Destroy Your Motorcycle” handbook as I skillfully prepare to do open-crankcase surgery on the recalcitrant beastie.

On the lower right side of the photo you can just see the tail end of my faithful wiener dog, Fritz, as he walks disgustedly away, no doubt shaking his head sadly at the travesty that’s about to ensue. I’m grateful he didn’t express his true feelings and just do his, er, doggy thing on the wheel, there. But I digress.

Anyway, I finally managed to repair whatever ailed the machine that day (sadly, one of the few times I could truthfully say that), and once more reigned victorious in the Man vs. Machine struggle for world domination. At least, until the next time.

In the meantime, I was once again footloose and fancy free. Or something.

Life is a Motorcycle

OK, admittedly I may be reaching for some of these, but bear with me if you will…

• Freedom – Like I said, once I had my own set of wheels, I was no longer tied to the parental units’ availability to drive me around. And there were plenty of places I could go. Likewise, one thing you can say about life; there are pretty much an infinity of choices we can make regarding careers, entertainment, knowledge, and friends, etc. And believe me, if it’s possible, then it’s likely someone has either done it, or at least tried it! Despite that fact, there are still nearly an inexhaustible supply of new things out there. All you need is the freedom to get out there and find ‘em.
• Maintenance – On occasion, the ol’ two-wheeler developed mechanical problems that required some attention. Life, on occasion, does too, doesn’t it? Sometimes, you just need to stop and take stock of the challenges, maybe consult the instruction booklet, or even consult qualified help to get back on the road again. Hey, it happens to the best of us, whether you realize it or not. Everyone needs a little help every now and then. No worries; get the issue dealt with, then hit the road again!
• Power – I mentioned the new bike had a lot more power than the old one. Well, one problem the old one had was it was so old and pokey it could barely move me around. I mentioned the accident – I could possibly have avoided it if I’d had a bit more power to draw on when I needed it. Hey, maybe not – but we’ll never know now, will we? You can power up your life, too, if you’ll work to make it larger than it currently is. By that I mean, look around, interact as much as possible, make as many network connections as you can. It will empower you for later life in ways you won’t believe!
• Speed – One of the benefits the extra power mentioned above gave the new bike was that I had so much more speed available when I needed it. (OK, also when I wanted it too, but let’s not, um, go there…) That actually enabled me to expand my operating range. I could easily reach hiway cruising speeds, and even drove it to San Antonio (about a 400 mile round trip). When your life has more power, you can handle more speed, too. As you grow, you’ll develop even more abilities that simply weren’t available when you were younger. Celebrate it!
• Open – The thing I absolutely loved about riding a motorcycle is the feeling of openness you got – you had an almost unimpeded view in any direction. The feeling of the wind blowing on your body, the air rushing by, the bugs in your teeth – it all contributed to the experience of riding, something completely different from driving a car. Life, when it’s experienced to the full, will be like that too.

OK, so there’s my thoughts on why Life is a Motorcycle. What about yours? Any other ideas you might have to round this soul train train wreck train of thought? The comment box is open!

(By the way, as you may have guessed, the post title is a pun. What I’m sayin’, see, is that I’m a motorcycle mechanic, er, on wheels. Get it? Huh? Oh, never mind.)

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Photo: The Motorcycle Mechanic, by Robert Hruzek

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[As you may have no doubt surmised, this is yet another entry (what can I say? I was inspired!) for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. The topic is Metaphors for Life. If you've got one then by all means click on the link, read all about it, then write your own! But you'd better hurry; the project is only open for entries through Sunday night at midnight. I'll leave the light on.]

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