Why We Ride: A Psychologist Explains the Motorcyclist's Mind and the Love Affair Between Rider, Bike, and Road (CompanionHouse Books) In-Depth Explanation, Sports Psychology, and the State of Flow Paperback – October 24, 2017

I have been reading Mark Barnes’ essays for most of the two decades that he has contributed monthly to Motorcycle Consumer News. As a clinical psychologist and gifted writer, Barnes brings a distinctive perspective to the struggles and joys of motorcycling. Why We Ride is a compilation of some of his articles about street and dirt riding. I have read nearly all of these previously, but what impressed me about this new book—besides realizing how lousy my memory is—was his extraordinary ability to bring psychological insight to so many diverse topics in an engaging way. And, in nearly all, he effectively brings his own experiences—traumatic and sublime—to illuminate the challenges and pleasures of riding. Why We Ride is personal, humorous, and instructive. You should add it to your reading list.

Really interesting book, my dad read it too

A fun read, and at times, quite introspective. Whatever your reasons, as long as you ride, who cares?

Awesome collection of motorcycle articles based on “why” we ride motorcycles from a psychologist point of view as an avid motorcycle rider himself. Love motorcycles then this is a book to add to the collection.

The author is a life-long cyclist and clinical psychologist.He sheds light on the motivations and pleasures of biking.There are a couple of chapters where he gets deep into psychologist speak, but the general tone is light and friendly. The part at the end about the concept of 'flow' and how to achieve it are engaging--how to stop fighting the machine and become one with it.

Great insight into the spirit and mentality of riding. The combination of good writing with good riding and a psychology professional leads to a pretty cool book.

When my wife dies 18 months ago I had to do something different with my life. I am an older rider. The instructors would say "Are you all right". I didn't care because I defy the law of aging. My daughter and doctor said "Go for it". Anyway there are many books out there that teach the basics. Something was missing. In my case it was a degree of fear of riding. Sure, I can do it because I caught on fast on my Harley 750. I was looking for guidance in handling the psychological factors in riding. This book is the answer. In Southern California there are many lunatic driver who do not know they have a break pedal so practicing is difficult. This book is what's needed. I cannot stress this enough. Buy this book.

Some of this is great and some is pretty hard to read. It just doesn’t hold your attention, or it didn’t mine. All in all, worth the read and the money.