“YOU’RE AFRAID OF CHANGE. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.” Recognise the quote? It’s Keanu Reeves’ character Neo from The Matrix. I find it oddly comforting when I can think of a relevant movie quote for a story that comes from a movie with bikes in it. Serendipity.
Electric bikes huh? I remember when the first crusty ones started appearing on the scene. Heavy, ugly, poor range. Almost useless really, and immensely uninspiring.
I remember the cries from the people who considered themselves the motorcycling heartland. “But I love the sound of combustion engines!”. “I could never enjoy a bike that makes no noise!”. “But I like changing gears!”. “I’ll give up motorcycles before I ride an electric bike”. “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our petrol!” I remember the cries because I probably cried a few of them myself. Many still cry them. You’ve no doubt heard them. Or maybe you still cry them too.
And that’s ok.
Change comes to us all, in our turn, in our time. Much like death. How quickly we embrace change, or indeed whether we do at all, is a matter for each of us. We all deal with things differently, and for many of us, motorcycles are a vital part of our lives, so any change to that is of vital import.
Why all the specific angst about electric bikes, though? I think it’s not so much about the noise, or the feel, or the experience of riding like everyone says.
