The Silent Roar: Unlocking performance through virtuous riding
(original 2000 edited 2025) Motorcycling demands intense concentration, a continuous focus on your past, present, and future actions. The millions of ever-changing messages the bikers receive impose a total focus…
The Virtuous Rider: Balancing Life and Motorcycling
I have been so passionate about motorcycles since my childhood. I do remember my uncle’s BMW 1949 R24 and the summer vacations we had together in Ezine, always first cleaning,…
PERMANENT LEARNING: RIDE TO LEARN, LEARN TO LIVE
We were riding from Igoumenitza (Greece) to Istanbul (Turkey) in a continuous ride of more than one thousand kilometres: the Egnatia motorway was merely a concept in the minds of…
The magic number for excellence
We hear the word “expert” excessively these days; it seems that everyone’s an expert on something. In fact, that word became so banal that they even came up with a…
Bikers, Agnostics and Flat Earthers.
by Andrew “Wookie” Longshaw. “Note from Paolo Volpara. We had a common history with an old April Caponord and we rode together in Turkey several times. Andrew is a free…
DEBUG YOURSELF or the ART of SELF EVALUATION
Self-evaluation is the evaluation of the reality in all its aspects. A concept that resonates deeply within the human experience, yet self-evaluation remains one of the most challenging and often…
EXTREME HAS GONE TOO FAR, to the extreme banality
Have you ever felt like we’re living in a world where we’re constantly chasing after things we don’t really need? We spend our time working to buy stuff we end…
GET SET for the LONGEST RIDE
This piece was written in 2019 by Hakan Erman for a project called “Parallel rides”, trying to get lessons from motorcycling that we can apply to life Once upon a…
TAKING RISK or JUST BRAVADO?
Sep 10, 2022 How often have you heard the warning “Do not take risks?“ When the conversation turns to sport (i.e. motorcycling, horse riding, cycling) or physical activities (i.e. sailing,…
Mindset Shifts: The Real Reason Behind Motorcycle Crashes
In a recent conversation about motorcycle crashes, often referred to as accidents, a competent rider posed an intriguing question: “Kazanın en önemli sebebi aklın doğru konumlanmamasi olabilir mi? – Could…
UNLEARNING THE OLD
I was reading an article in an Italian newspaper that, in my experience, underlines and explains well the difficulties that we encounter when trying to acquire new knowledge by developing…
SENTIMENT MOVES the RIDE
I am riding a piece of road that I know quite well, actually exceptionally well, to the point of having, in my mind, given names to every single corner: nice…
SIMPLE and PURE RIDE
Considerations for Virtuous Rider “The principle of simplicity or parsimony—broadly, the idea that simpler explanations of observations should be preferred to more complex ones—is conventionally attributed to William of Occam,…
COMPETENCE and CONFIDENCE
In complex and testing situations, we tend to follow the lead of a competent person (the one who knows what to do ) or the guidance of a confident one…
THE PATIENT BIKER
by AYDIN Ural A second note from Aydin and a deep one; patience is a virtue rarely praised in these fast and selfish times: in family, in business, in friendship…
Courageous bravery or Brave courage
from Aydin Ural One of the latest entries into the thinkingomm made me think about bravery vs courage… again. I’m not a linguistic expert but there is a profound difference…
Riding solo with open heart
(PV note) I just completed a long and fascinating ride in Anatolia revisiting famous historical, artistic and natural locations: for some of them was a return after 20 years and…
Taking Risk or just bravado?
How many times have you heard the admonition “do not take risk”? When the conversation turns to sport (i.e. motorcycling, horse riding, cycling) or physical activities (i.e. sailing, mountaineering, diving)…
Isn’t The Thief at all Guilty?
For Turkish version. Even if you were sure that the thief would be caught and punished, would you fall asleep with peace of mind without locking your door? Consider that…
Hırsızın Hiç mi Suçu Yok?
For English version Hırsızın yakalanacağından ve hak ettiği cezayı alacağından emin olsanız bile, kapınızı kilitlemeden gönül rahatlığıyla uykuya dalar mıydınız? Evinizin taşrada değil, komşularınızı bile tanımadığınız büyükşehirde olduğunu da düşünün..…
Being Productive with the Flow and Riding a Motorcycle
I think the common and biggest problem of the people of our age, who strive to be productive, is lack of time, not finding time. How many of us didn’t…
Akışta Üretken olmak ve Motosiklet Sürmek
For English Version Üretken olmaya gayret gösteren çağımız insanlarının sanırım ortak ve en büyük derdi vakitsizlik, zaman bulamamak. Kaçımız düşünmedik ki gün 24 saatten fazla olsa yetiştirmem gereken işleri yetiştirebilirim…
FARKINDALIK KONSANTRASYON VE ODAK GETİRİR
For English version Konsantrasyon (dikkati ortak bir merkeze veya hedefe yönlendirmek veya getirmek) eldeki göreve odaklanma sürecidir. Neler yapabileceğimizin bilgisi ve durumsal farkındalık, motosiklete binmek de dahil olmak üzere iyi…
AWARENESS BRINGS CONCENTRATION & FOCUS
For Turkish version Concentration (to bring or direct toward a common centre or objective) is the process of focusing on the task at hand. Knowledge of what we are capable…
The Search for Meaning
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued;…
Reality always wins.
By Andy Goldfine Aerostich.com I sent the essay of Bruce Haedich to Andy Goldfine great thinker and creator of the Aerostich riding suit, classic and futuristic defence technology. With Andy…
Electrifying news for environmentally aware bikers.
In recent times it looks like most of the conversation between bikers end up with the crucial question “How many years left do we have to enjoy ICE (internal combustion…
I’M ON A LONG AND NARROW ROAD
There is a life-force within your soul, seek that life. By Ahmet Coşar PV note: I am often disturbed by the superficiality and vanity of conversation between bikers, then a…
Turning Points
from Mr Subjective, master of Aerostich conversations at https://www.aerostich.com/blog November 2021 Before we know it our ICE (internal combustion engine) motorcycles will be replaced by electrics. And not specifically because…
Try again
Ted Simon, one of the great writers-on-bike and contributor to a better understanding of our planet, sent out a call for help and action: “What could a 90-year–old biker do…
I Forgot
An essay by Mrs Subjective. (Note from the Editor) We talk often in this blog about self-awareness and the connection between the sport of motorcycling and the growth of awareness…
(RP) Teacher of discipline and a Master of humility
Republished from OMM Bulletin 1998 Several times, after the conversation turned hot on motorcycles, I have been asked why I spend so much time on two wheels. After all, friends…
Conscious attention builds awareness (S.2)
To live is easy, to stay alive is hard work The essay by Ken Condon distributed on February 17, 2016 and recently re-published in this Blog has been selected as…
Improve Your Situational Awareness (S.1)
The difference between being a fast rider on the track and a safe one on the street. By Ken Condon February 17, 2016 You might get away with it enough…
The Bad Side of steering: correct the mistakes.
by Keith Code © Motorcycle Consumer News 1997 There are technical points concerning a rider’s fear of making either right or left-hand turns. Many riders have this fear and it’s…
Hammer on the racetrack. Pace yourself on the street
by Nick Ienatsch © Sport Rider Magazine 1993 Racing involves speed, concentration and commitment; the results of a mistake are usually catastrophic because there’s little room for error riding at…
(RP) A good biker is a mad biker.
Toward the end of the Summer, when the first cold and wet weather makes again its presence felt on the roads of Turkey a certain feeling of tiredness permeates my…
Braking vs Speed – An Engineering Perspective
June 2021 by Aydin Ural “The shortest stopping distance of a vehicle is observed when crashed to a stationary object – only then you realize your speed was just too…
UN to Provide Emergency Adjective Supplies to Moto-Journalist Community.
Reprint 2003 by Gabe Ets-Hokin Los Angeles (AP). Disaster relief officials announced here Tuesday that United Nations aid workers would begin airlifting emergency supplies of adjectives, pronouns and adverbs to…
Top Ten Reasons Not to Ride to Work – Addressed
Reprint from Ride to Work © 2004 – How can I learn how? Riding to work and riding for transportation are not as simple as using a car or public…
(RP) How to be safer and faster on country roads
By Rupert Paul – Riding Skills 11 June 2009 15:05 Jon Taylor has been a racer (he’s a former double Bemsee club champion), bike cop and long-time Nürburgring instructor. He’s…
Eco- Riding: opening the Pandora Box
“I will appreciate anyone who wants to contribute in the Eco Ride discussion” is the last phrase in the piece of Fatih Altunkaynak (riding around the world with wife Tugce…
Missing Motorcycle Magazines
A recent post from Mr Subjective at the AEROSTICH blog: you can visit and subscribe to the full collection of good articles here Here’s an excerpt from an emotional essay…
The 4th Sense
Up here in the Northern hemisphere it is Autumn. Now I like Autumn. Others prefer the clear definition of Summer or Winter. [I say that but with each passing year,…
Who wants to be a Novice?
Posted by Hakan Erman It was one of those closed-circuit motorcycle training days and I was on duty. Attendees were riders from different ages who were willing to pay and…
Danger on two wheels: push or twist
By nature, one stationary thing can keep balance only if it has at least three anchors. Like a tripod. On two wheels, you need another complementary leg which can be…
Judicious Speed: safety, restraint and fast lane.
This article is a revision of a piece written for the OMM Bulletin in 2009. What prompted the re-editing is a small consideration I made during the last weekend ride…
Fatigue: it comes to all but in different ways.
”The more practiced and proficient one becomes in a given task and the more complex the task, the greater is the resistance to fatigue” (PV note) Don Arthur wrote time…
Building a good story; the joy of risks gone.
I went to see the Rally Turkey 2020 part of the World Rally Championship and I really enjoyed two days of speed, skills and dust. The sporting event was truly…
The Violence of Gravity
I had to stop: small stones and grit can transform a morning run into an anticipation of purgatory. Take off the shoe, shake it, turn it and the stone cum…
Technology is the Mind Killer
by Andrew ‘Wookie’ Longshaw (Note from Paolo Volpara) Over the last few months we have been kindly accused of being “luddites” when we discuss the proliferation of technologies in vehicles,…
The left behind
In the garage where I park my bike, there are approximately 40-50 motorbikes. I park among 13-15 of them lined side by side, on side-stands, along a wall positioned relatively…
How to Kick Start a Motorcycle
From a friend I received this extremely boring document on kickstarting… but the note accompanying it was too real to let pass the opportunity to share “This should give you…
Speed: our guilty mistress
by Ian Worral Ian Worrall has been my companion of many philosophical, artistic and historical conversations. For decades Ian has been my reference as a teacher in riding on/off-road and…
Multiple Bike Disorder
(PV note) Kazim Uzunoglu, long time partner in riding, motorcycle tour guide extraordinaire offers a rationale for the six bikes in his garage. Is “one bike for all” the right…
Death, companion on the road?
Many old riders experienced the loss of friends roads companions, raising questions “why?”, “worth it?” when?” Animals jumping out of nowhere, vehicles on the wrong side of the road, diesel-fluids-mud-sand…
Nothing is URGENT
Thanks to Andrew “Wookie” Longshaw for his editing contribution. I received a message from my family in Italy: a long quote from Silvano Petrosino, philosopher and Professor of Theory of…
I like TOMM for life
The last portion of this blog name “Thinkingomm” stays for “One More Mile” as a commitment to push our process of thinking to touch the limits (sometime very near) of…
Life is a game
Biker Thinker: “A much used slogan for advertising of “symbol” goods, Life is a Game reveals a superficial approach to life but, more important, to game. With games we learn,…
The sting of the Vespa: scooter in the city…
By Kazim Uzunoglu, companion of many adventures on the road, organiser and guide of many challenging rides, motorcycle guide, above all, great thinker. Originally Kazim wrote this essay as a…
Your Own Ride
(by Robert Higdon from On the Level, April 2003, magazine of BMW Riders Association). In the picture Bob is resetting his own pace during a gruelling 2003 ride along the…
“It depends…”
by Nick Ienatsch (Lead Instructor at Yamaha Champions Riding School) “It depends” is the answer, now, what’s the question? We were making the simple joke observing riders initiating the first…
Balancing Act
In the blog “How much do you weight?” published on the first of this month of June, my friend rider Sezi was reporting the experience of a minute person in…
Ride to Work Day
Annual celebration of motorcycles that are not only a part of daily commuting but also a lifestyle, a way of thinking. This year has been tough with this pandemic crisis…
“Kill a Biker, Go to Jail”
Paolo Volpara’s conversation on bikers rights with A. Goldfine and B. Higdon : On the blog “May: Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,” published on the 21st of May of this year,…
Crime and Punishment
By Bob Higdon, Part 114 of “The View from the Bunker” : Bob Higdon is (in alphabetical order) a book author, competent rider, expert lawyer, life critic, long-distance rider, sincere…
Dressing Up
It seems normal nowadays to wear “technical gear” while riding a motorcycle or a scooter: even bicyclists today wear protective helmet and “ad hoc” clothing. We can still cross path…
From Society to Character to Riding Style
Riding around the word on a motorcycle is a never ending source of lessons and observations: a good way to compare the society in which we grow up with new…
Position…position…position
Re-edited from OMM Bulletin January 2008 Autumn this year never ends: the calendar reads January 6th but outside, in the rural environment of Trakya, the thermometer reads +13 and the…
How much do you weight? A conversation.
Sezi Toprakci writes to Paolo Volpara on motorcycle weight and on the role of balance. May 2020 Motorcycles are always in a slimming diet. A diet imposed by the manufacturer…
Great Bikes, great rides
“Some bikes are great to ride, and some are just great. These machines are both”… posted two weeks ago the blog died in absolute silence: no comments, no reactions. Just…
iHogs for everyone?
I received this essay from a person working in the motorcycle industry. I like the content, it reflects my considerations to the now famous FortNine video and it moves ahead…
Safer and faster on country roads
Rupert Paul (Riding Skills 11 June 2009) interviews Jon Taylor Jon Taylor has been a racer (he’s a former double Bemsee club champion), bike cop and long-time Nürburgring instructor. He’s…
Ride with a reason: A.C.19 will not be the same.
Two schools of thinking about the “after-pandemic” and both agree on a bleak economic period ahead: for States, for Companies and for Individuals. Both schools of thought push for a…
May: Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
From Mr. Subjective AKA Mr. Andy Goldfine, I received a message that, among other subjects, was calling my attention to a post issued by him on May 13 and related…
Common mistakes in riding
P. Volpara editing from M. Wheeler and Jon Taylor lessons. First published in OMM Bulletin 2009. I selected to republish without any modifications a 2009 article following the posting of…
Bert, the nodding donkey
I was attracted by the strange title of Simon Matthews piece : what a nodding donkey has to do with motorcycling? Quite different from the serious articles coming out of…
Riding in Syntony, Synergy and Joy
Wife (Tugce) and I moved to Cracow a few months ago and biking, in this period, has been limited to test various second-hand motorcycles, to find the ideal one to…
Braking: the best tool in your bag.
by Jon Taylor (August 2002 – revised November 201 Of all the skills needed whilst riding a motorcycle, when all else fails and the unexpected happens, your ability to get…
Be like a Fish….not like an Ant
Paolo Volpara notes from Mike Wheeler MC training lessons. Edited from OMM Bulletin April 2000 and September 2008 Mick Wheeler, excellent trainer and founder of A.R.T. (Advanced Riding Techniques UK)…
Envy me and I will envy you…
Not often but it happens: crossing lanes with old friends, husband and wife, people not seen for too many years: a riding couple from the past. Motorcycle community is for…
The teacher and the killer of joy
Allan Bloom in his controversial book “Closing of the American Mind” wrote: “The teacher …. is guided by the awareness, or the divination, that there is human nature, and that…
Reinventing the wheel or the discovery of hot water
The rules of convivence imposed by governments to fight the pandemic COVID make a large part of the population discovering the limit of self-gratification and the joy of communal life.…
Relax and Dance: parallel ride
Considerations on the lightness of life and the balance on biking with contribution from Andy Goldfine Parallel rides: lateral thinking comparing the way we ride a motorcycle with the way…
“This is it” moments
Posted by Hakan Erman Lately, I don’t resist to the temptation to watch the latest episodes of my favorite You Tubers, some of which are, of course, long distance motorcycle…
Too much information can harm the brain and body
“Good to see that you had a good ride yesterday but I did not like some of your choices in cornering…” Mail message from acquaintance long forgotten; message dropping inbox…
When all else fails read the manual…
It has been more than two months now, since the start of this state of staying home. We turned back to basics of life, like spending quality time with family…
Great machines you have just got to ride!
In 2005 the OMM Bulletin that I was editing published an article (or better a list) from Motorcycle News magazine titled “50 machines you have just got to ride!” Written…
The mental side of motorcycling training
This is a note that appeared on the One More Mile Bulletin of April 2001 following a MC training course that Hans Heinz Dilthey gave to Turkish riders in March…
Don’t turn until you see the exit.
Advice for cornering on a motorcycle from Bike Magazine UK and additional suggestion from Eddy Lambah-Stoate author of “My Little Green Book of Advanced Motorcycling” Corners. It’s what bikes are…
A Prayer to Go Back or the nostalgia of normality
We want our life to go back, now, getting back to “normality” Give back traffic to the cities Give back the profit to profiteers Give back wind-in-the hair to bikers…
I don’t think I can go back…
From a good friend and companion of rides I received a challenging article of psychotherapist Ms. Claire van den Bosch campaigning for a “don’t go back” movement to operate on…
Go Faster or Safer or Both
Adapted from Bike U.K© August 1997 “Speed”: it does matter what your responsible self says, speed is a key reason for biking and if you do not like speed (any…
Separated From Hands
posted by Paolo Volpara Recently I was gracefully provided for a long weekend with a “top of the range-latest model” motorcycle, beautiful, efficient, fast and gifted with all electronic gizmo’s.…
What know-it-alls don’t know, or the illusion of competence
by Kate Fehlhaber, aeon.co Published on May 17, 2017 and re-published by Thinkingomm without permission Note by Paolo Volpara –I publish this article on the illusion of competence as a…
A Riding Spa
If you have ever read the book “Motorcycle Roadcraft”, the fourth chapter has a section about “Riding in Bad Weather”. Rain is classified there as “bad weather” and a list…
What our words tell us or the “death of humility”
While biking and training for competent riding, we often talk of the need to cultivate humility together with a sincere evaluation of the self and of the skills we practice.…
Speed and FUN
I thought that a little humor can lift our spirit in time where the bikes are on the central stand and the desire to ride burn inside. Stay home and…
Be responsible, be a good rider and a good human: now is the time.
I was ready to sneak out: to ignore the prohibition for +65 to go out of the home environment, to ignore all advises to stay home and avoid contacts. I…
Biking in the “time of corona”
In these challenging times we all rediscover solitude or at least a kind of personal segregation. The Corona virus brings the best out of humanity and sometime combines it with…