camera56
Well-known member
I heard about Larry Hartl through a “little bird” on one of the Forums I frequent. Something about being a “thoughtful and interesting guy.” When I contacted him, he wanted to be sure I mentioned he wasn’t yet in “mid-life” yet, despite his gray hair!
Just to clear up that point, the “mid-life” part is less about age, and especially too much of it, and more about what you’ll find in this conversation: the ability to reflect, a desire to teach and mentor, and a sense of how the big themes in life might fit together.
Larry touches on some specific themes that repeat in these conversations over and over again . . .
* I rode for the first time as a kid, but my parents wouldn’t hear about a motorcycle.
* I put cards on my Sting Ray to make it sound cool.
* Once re-hooked (at a later age), riding becomes a passion.
* Get trained early and often.
One of the things that really stands out about Larry is his passion for and interest in teaching riding to others. A big part of that is obviously who he is, but it’s a great testimony to the importance of Basic Rider Training on so many levels. I’ve talked to others about teaching. A lot of us like that idea, both to give back, but also as a way of honing our own skills.
Many of these interviews are done in writing, and the other thing that stands out is how clearly Larry expresses why he rides. His descriptions about riding the first time, his commitment to and experiences with teaching, and what he thinks about when he rides are wonderfully evocative.
You can read the entire interview at midliferider. Here are some snips . . .
What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?
Having been brainwashed as a kid that motorcycles were just “too dangerous”, it wouldn’t be until the Fall of 2000, at 36 years old, that I seriously considered riding.
One day I was visiting a relative who I’d always looked up to and respected. He had just purchased his first bike, a used BMW RT1100, and as he was showing me this beautiful motorcycle, he explained how he had taken a free 20-hour Basic Rider Course through the state and had received his motorcycle license. It was something he’d always wanted to do but, like me, as a kid, he wasn’t allowed to even think about it either. Then he got married and had four kids and had no time.
His experience with the class he had taken sounded very intriguing, so in the spring of 2001 I registered for the Basic Rider Course, out of curiosity more than anything else. I wanted to see if riding a motorcycle was as dangerous as I’d been told it was and as fun as I’d imagined it was. It was during that class that I fell head-over-heels in love with motorcycling. I was the only student in a class of 24 to achieve a perfect score on my riding evaluation (with virtually no prior riding experience) and missed only one question on the written evaluation. More important than that, though, I learned that what my parents had instilled in me as a kid: that motorcycling was just too dangerous to even consider, was not really the case at all.
I learned that with good instruction, responsible application and lots of practice that one could effectively manage the inherent risks associated with riding a motorcycle. It was through that class that I started to develop my commitment to rider education, both mine and others. I wanted to get my instructor certification in 2003, however, I just couldn’t make the 85+ hour commitment to do it that year. So I waited another year before becoming a riding instructor.
I ride because of the pure unadulterated joy I get from it; from being out in the open, able to see, hear and smell things that you just can’t see, hear or smell from inside of a car. Simple trips to the grocery store or to work that have become so monotonous in a car are absolutely exhilarating on a motorcycle. I teach because I want people to be able to experience and enjoy riding as much as I do. It also forces me to keep my riding skills as sharp as possible.
What do you think about when you ride?
One of the best parts about riding for me is when I ride, I think about very little other than the ride itself. I take in the smells and the scenery. I hear and feel how well (or not) my bike is performing and I instinctively enter that “search, evaluate and execute” mode. I basically free my mind of everything other than the task at hand. Riding is a great stress reducer in that way, because it allows me to step back from life’s challenges momentarily and forces me to clear my head to the point where when I’m done riding, I’m much better able to prioritize and handle all of life’s little challenges.
This is perhaps an indelicate question, but how do you think about the “dangerous” part about riding?
I think about it often and use it as motivation to continually improve my riding skills.
Look, anyone who denies there are risks associated with riding a motorcycle is asking for trouble. Yes, there are risks in everything we do and for the most part, either consciously or subconsciously, we try to manage those risks.
For example, taking a shower can be dangerous, so I don’t leave a bar of soap lying on the shower floor and that helps reduce the risks of falling. Crossing a busy intersection can be dangerous, so I look both ways before I cross it to avoid becoming a hood ornament. I try (emphasis on the word “try”) to eat right and exercise regularly so I can stay healthy and avoid the risks of obesity or heart disease.
Motorcycling isn’t much different, except that there are a lot more imminent risks that must be managed simultaneously and sometimes there’s little if any room for error, especially at higher speeds and/or in heavy traffic. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I’m such a proponent of rider education.
Barring an inflated ego or acute ignorance, I believe even the best riders on the road benefit from some form of rider education, whether it’s taking or retaking a Basic or Experienced Rider Course, reading or re-reading some of the better books on riding, or simply listening to and learning from other responsible riders.
Just to clear up that point, the “mid-life” part is less about age, and especially too much of it, and more about what you’ll find in this conversation: the ability to reflect, a desire to teach and mentor, and a sense of how the big themes in life might fit together.
Larry touches on some specific themes that repeat in these conversations over and over again . . .
* I rode for the first time as a kid, but my parents wouldn’t hear about a motorcycle.
* I put cards on my Sting Ray to make it sound cool.
* Once re-hooked (at a later age), riding becomes a passion.
* Get trained early and often.
One of the things that really stands out about Larry is his passion for and interest in teaching riding to others. A big part of that is obviously who he is, but it’s a great testimony to the importance of Basic Rider Training on so many levels. I’ve talked to others about teaching. A lot of us like that idea, both to give back, but also as a way of honing our own skills.
Many of these interviews are done in writing, and the other thing that stands out is how clearly Larry expresses why he rides. His descriptions about riding the first time, his commitment to and experiences with teaching, and what he thinks about when he rides are wonderfully evocative.
You can read the entire interview at midliferider. Here are some snips . . .
What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?
Having been brainwashed as a kid that motorcycles were just “too dangerous”, it wouldn’t be until the Fall of 2000, at 36 years old, that I seriously considered riding.
One day I was visiting a relative who I’d always looked up to and respected. He had just purchased his first bike, a used BMW RT1100, and as he was showing me this beautiful motorcycle, he explained how he had taken a free 20-hour Basic Rider Course through the state and had received his motorcycle license. It was something he’d always wanted to do but, like me, as a kid, he wasn’t allowed to even think about it either. Then he got married and had four kids and had no time.
His experience with the class he had taken sounded very intriguing, so in the spring of 2001 I registered for the Basic Rider Course, out of curiosity more than anything else. I wanted to see if riding a motorcycle was as dangerous as I’d been told it was and as fun as I’d imagined it was. It was during that class that I fell head-over-heels in love with motorcycling. I was the only student in a class of 24 to achieve a perfect score on my riding evaluation (with virtually no prior riding experience) and missed only one question on the written evaluation. More important than that, though, I learned that what my parents had instilled in me as a kid: that motorcycling was just too dangerous to even consider, was not really the case at all.
I learned that with good instruction, responsible application and lots of practice that one could effectively manage the inherent risks associated with riding a motorcycle. It was through that class that I started to develop my commitment to rider education, both mine and others. I wanted to get my instructor certification in 2003, however, I just couldn’t make the 85+ hour commitment to do it that year. So I waited another year before becoming a riding instructor.
I ride because of the pure unadulterated joy I get from it; from being out in the open, able to see, hear and smell things that you just can’t see, hear or smell from inside of a car. Simple trips to the grocery store or to work that have become so monotonous in a car are absolutely exhilarating on a motorcycle. I teach because I want people to be able to experience and enjoy riding as much as I do. It also forces me to keep my riding skills as sharp as possible.
What do you think about when you ride?
One of the best parts about riding for me is when I ride, I think about very little other than the ride itself. I take in the smells and the scenery. I hear and feel how well (or not) my bike is performing and I instinctively enter that “search, evaluate and execute” mode. I basically free my mind of everything other than the task at hand. Riding is a great stress reducer in that way, because it allows me to step back from life’s challenges momentarily and forces me to clear my head to the point where when I’m done riding, I’m much better able to prioritize and handle all of life’s little challenges.
This is perhaps an indelicate question, but how do you think about the “dangerous” part about riding?
I think about it often and use it as motivation to continually improve my riding skills.
Look, anyone who denies there are risks associated with riding a motorcycle is asking for trouble. Yes, there are risks in everything we do and for the most part, either consciously or subconsciously, we try to manage those risks.
For example, taking a shower can be dangerous, so I don’t leave a bar of soap lying on the shower floor and that helps reduce the risks of falling. Crossing a busy intersection can be dangerous, so I look both ways before I cross it to avoid becoming a hood ornament. I try (emphasis on the word “try”) to eat right and exercise regularly so I can stay healthy and avoid the risks of obesity or heart disease.
Motorcycling isn’t much different, except that there are a lot more imminent risks that must be managed simultaneously and sometimes there’s little if any room for error, especially at higher speeds and/or in heavy traffic. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I’m such a proponent of rider education.
Barring an inflated ego or acute ignorance, I believe even the best riders on the road benefit from some form of rider education, whether it’s taking or retaking a Basic or Experienced Rider Course, reading or re-reading some of the better books on riding, or simply listening to and learning from other responsible riders.
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