Bigger Isn’t Always Better

We’ve all been inundated with the following message which preaches Bigger is Better. When it comes to ads for bigger is better the following commercials have been sighted by yours truly:

• Bigger is better! TV ad for BoFlex machine stating women love men with bigger pecs.
• Bigger is better! Spam ad(s) for pills designed to increase the size of your manhood because women aren’t satisfied with an average size guy.
• Bigger is better when it comes to horsepower! Articles and ads for the latest big-bore bikes.

And of course, we’re all supposed to know, that surgically enhanced models are better looking than their non-surgically enhanced counterparts. At least according to all the ads and images we see in most every bike related magazine!

The bottom line is, we as human beings, specifically the male variety, are sold a bill of goods everyday of our lives which states: “If it ain’t big, it ain’t bad! And if you’re not bad, you will be ignored by those you want to impress most. From the ladies to your fellow motorcyclists.”

I was chatting with Aaron Frank, editor at large for Motorcyclist magazine the other day and I posed the question why is it that all the bike manufacturers continue to build bigger horsepower bikes when in all reality a rider can only use about half of their potential? We had a good laugh and decided it had a whole lot more to do with bragging rights than it does with practicality.

Within the world of motorsports, bragging rights are often more important than having a bike you can enjoy riding on a daily basis. The idea that you need 165 horsepower to propel yourself down the highways and byways safely much less sanely isn’t even a question. You don’t. So, if you let me play the devil’s advocate for a moment, I want to challenge this notion.

First and foremost bigger is not always better. Proof: Just ask someone who has gone from a size 34 inch waist to a size 44 inch waist.

Lets do a reality check, when you can only afford one bike and you aren’t financially set like Jay Leno, you have to ask yourself what bike will meet the following criteria:

• It must be affordable.
• It must handle well in the city as well as the highways and by-ways.
• It needs to be comfortable
• It needs to be easy to maintain and it must be cost effective to own as in insurance costs and fuel.

So what bike fits into this category? I don’t have any brand or class in mind but what I do know is that this all-purpose bike won’t be the latest big-bore king with oodles of excess horsepower on tap which requires its rider to keep the bike in check at every turn of the throttle.

It will most likely be a far tamer version designed to give its rider the most enjoyment and all around riding pleasure the rider could hope for on their given budget. I have a hunch most of you already own one of these bikes, which serves your riding needs best.

Often perception is all in the eye of the beholder; namely the rider’s mind. Bike manufacturers build big-bore bikes for one purpose only and that is to prove to their rivals that they can! It is all about bragging rights. Otherwise AMA racing wouldn’t exist as it does today where the average racer sits on a hundred thousand dollar machine, not your mid level street machine. Bike companies spend millions of dollars to prove they have the latest and greatest which encompasses horsepower ratings. It is in the manufacturer’s best interest to make you dissatisfied with what you already own. Because they can continue to sell you a new bike and keep their businesses growing.

Which is kind of the whole point behind this article. We as human beings can get so caught up dreaming about and craving what we don’t have, that we forget to enjoy what we already do have. We can’t enjoy the wife or husband we have because we are always comparing them to the individuals on the TV screen or computer screen or some magazine we are looking at.

We can’t enjoy the house we live in if we are fixated on what Bill Gates owns. And we certainly won’t enjoy our current all-purpose bike when we’re panting after the latest and greatest monster bike.

The secret to a happy life is learning to live with who you are and making the most of what God has given you. It’s learning to enjoy the bike you already own and spending as much time riding instead of dreaming and scheming for the next big bike.

Lastly, don’t get the idea that I hate big-bore bikes I don’t. They’re fun to read about and look at but I don’t need one to enjoy the experience of being on the road with the wind in my face.

And since I gave up the idea of an acting career, I don’t need those pills either.

Here’s to enjoying your bike no matter what size it is!