Good points, Gray
Just hadda come back for another peek. And you brought up something I thought of mentioning. That you can just jump on and ride. Some people do, but I don't think it's a good idea. It's pretty time-consuming to get ready to ride, probably more so for women than for men. And traveling time sometimes takes longer.
And yeah, you get to where you're going and then you may want to keep an eye on your leather coat, your helmet, whatever. I've learned to make my jacket my purse. But if it's hot out it gets to be a pain hauling it around with you. For that matter, keep an eye on your bike! Mine locks. But people think it's cute sometimes to hop on for a joke, or hang on it and get fingerprints all over the wax job. Two no-nos.
I do think most bikers are fatalists about the sport. I remember asking my husband for a refresher about what to do if a deer jumps out and he reminded me like this: "Hang on and enjoy the ride."
You don't see a whole lot of old motorcyclists who like to have a few beers before they ride. At least walking ones. . .
No attempt to disuade anyone from riding cuz it's great. Just those are things I learned through trial and error.
We love our bikes, yeah? Here's a story about that. My neighbor was coming home on the freeway and she came across an accident. Being in the medical business, she stopped to sit with the young man who was sitting on the median.
She said that there was a crack in his head and she could see his brain tissue. His first words to her, "Is my bike okay?"