Disability. 7/8/2008
How many of your senses do you use when you ride? Sight? Most definitely. Touch? Yes, when you feel the vibration of the engine, the movement of the suspension on the road, the scrape of your kneeslider as you lean your bike over. Taste? Well, not really, unless you accidentally swallow a bug.
What about hearing? Very important this one. The ability to hear is something many riders take for granted, but how many times do we realise we use it as part of our arsenal of riding survival tools? I know I use my hearing as an early warning system for traffic approaching from behind, or as a monitoring system for how the bike is performing and the engine is behaving.
And although some of my senses are gradually deteriorating with age, my eyesight for one thing. My arms are no longer long enough to allow me to focus properly. My hearing, after half a lifetime spent around things that make very loud noises, no longer registers anything above 16,000 Hertz. But I still have possession of them. Just don’t mention anything about my mental faculties, that’s another issue for another time. Motorcycling is dangerous enough as it is, and having your senses working overtime is a necessary survival tactic.
So, here I am, standing up, having my senses fully functional. And today I was eternally grateful I could do so, because I met a man who could not hear, and could not speak.
No biggie, says you. You can still see and smell and taste. I have friends with disabilities too. Well, this guy is a little different. Actually, very different.
You see, Vladimir, with his disability, is riding around the world on his motorcycle.
- Posted in : On the road
- Author : thesnark
Comments»
You’re talking about this guy who rides around with his BMW, right? It’s a BMW if I’m not mistaken.
Very inspiring.
A salient reminder of how fortunate many of us are, and also a lesson in never capitulating to disabilities, whether congenital or developed by illness or accident.
On the hearing aspect, 25 years of riding and only now am I heeding the advice to wear earplugs! Bit bloody late, as I am half deaf in one ear.
But on a recent fast run down to JB, I decided to be sensible and wear them. The difference is remarkable, obviously there is significant attenuation of the traffic noise and the noise generated by air whistling through the helmet, but also one is able to pay attention to the more subtle sounds the engine makes, and actually significantly enhances concentration.
I feel a mixture of admiration and worry. Riding’s dangerous enough without taking away a major source of information gathering. On the other hand, nobody or nothing is dictating to him what he should or shouldn’t do. Everyone dies but not everyone lives. I guess respect wins out tonight. I’m three straight whiskey shots to the wind so that’s about as profound as it gets tonight. Cheers!