Triumph

I bought my current motorcycle, a Triumph Street Triple 675, brand new about a year and a half ago on my birthday in 2008. In that time, I’ve put over 11,000 miles on it. That’s twice as many as I’ve put on my car in the same period. If riding were a full time job, I’d have spent 1 month (160 hours) of every year on the bike.

The purchase was admittedly irresponsible. At the time, I was doing my best to be frugal and save diligently towards the purchase of a house. I was debt free, and almost half of my paycheck each month went directly to savings. But I was tired of saving for a goal that seemed so far off, and decided to divert some of that savings towards some two-wheeled instant gratification.

I’ve had no regrets. I’ve found few things as easily enjoyable as heading out on the motorcycle for a few hours, without a plan or destination. The bike is stripped to its bare essentials, and leaning forward over the tank, it disappears from view. With the wind rushing by, it’s almost like flight. And the rush of acceleration and frenetic howl as the engine presses towards the 13,000 RPM redline is a sensation like few others.

So, it may have been slightly irresponsible. But perhaps the point of being responsible most of the time is so that we can be a little bit irresponsible some of the time.