In this post, I’m not going to talk about either motorbike trips, or routes, not even about overlanders travellers, instead of all that I will try to touch on a subject that is not normally related with bikers’ stereotype; according to it we are rude guys without manners, except when we attend events like DGR 2015 of course.
The subject itself is not other than feelings. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, bikers have feelings and I can say that even values 😛
Feelings
When we talk about feelings, many are the ones that come to our mind; the feeling of freedom that seizes us when on the back of our motorbikes we get away for a couple of hours; the companionship feeling that makes us greet other bikers doing a ‘V’ with our hand when we pass each other; the sympathy feeling that easily emerges from us when we are asked to attend an event where our presence will help on any good cause… In this post instead of those, I’m going to focus on the feeling that attaches us to our motorbikes.
Buying a motorbike is not something that you do using your head but your heart.
Because, if it was done with your head, who would invest the money saved for such a long time on something that will bring you cold in winter and hot in summer, something that you won’t be able to share with most of your actual friends, something that would be continuous reason for someone in your family keep bringing that recurring conversation about how well you’d be travelling by car… bla,bla,bla
Once you own your motorbike, whatever it is, no matter the brand, model or weight, that feeling of ‘love’ has already arisen. And from that moment, we baby them, we take care of them, we are proud of them and there’ll be no night that you won’t turn around to give it a last glance before closing the garage door (once that doesn’t happen, it’s a clear indicator that the love has gone).
How many of you haven’t turned around to give their motorbike a last glance before closing the garage door?
Part of that special feeling that attaches us to a machine, is the way we express when speaking of it.
In general, and sometimes regardless the type of motorbike, is quite common that the owner speaks of its motorbike calling it ‘cerda’ (sow in Spanish) , ‘bicho’ (bug in Spanish) or even ‘burra’ (female donkey in Spanish).
Some go even a step further and assign it a more personal and specific name, that normally and again relates with feelings. Feelings that recall adventure dreams, affection or even remembrance of a particular situation; all in all is what I like to call ‘motorbikes with full name’
Motorbikes with ‘full name’
Many have been the examples of motorbikes with ‘full name’ among some of the most media travellers I know.
Alicia Sornosa called ‘Descubierta’ to her BMW F650GS, and ‘Paca’ to the BMW F700GS she used to travel all around the world. Teo Romera’s (alias MrHicks46) R1200 GS is called ‘Lucia’. Miquel Silvestre baptized his last motorbike ‘La Gorda’ and Martin Solana has ‘La Capitana’, a KTM Pure Adventure 2014.
I can imagine that behind each of any of those names there’s a story, a motivation, and above all these, something very special for each of their owners.
My GSA’s nick name is ‘Mariona’
Since some days ago, I’m also one of those that own a motorbike with ‘full name’. This is something that was around my mind for long ago now and for what I’ve been waiting till I have my GSA.
‘Mariona’ is the nickname we use in my family to refer to my youngest sister. She was a beautiful girl, with a strong and great personality, to whom a driver’s negligence broke her live almost 20 years ago. I remember that ‘our Mariona’ loved riding a motorbike, and I’m pretty sure that if she was able to, she would ask me to come with me and feel the freedom of travelling on motorbike.
That’s the reason why, since some days ago, ‘Mariona’ gives my motorbike a ‘full name’, so that she can travel somehow where she wouldn’t never be able to, and so that her strength and personality joins me wherever my motorbike and me can reach.
