What Peace Love Moto Means

Ron 0:03

Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the Peace Love Moto podcast. I'm your host, Ryan Francis, here in Loveland, Colorado. Hey, thanks for joining me for what I've heard someone recently call the headspace of our passion for motorcycling.

unknown 0:16

Hmm.

Ron 0:17

Hey, I like the sound of that. I think maybe that's maybe that's right on. Let's start today by reviewing what Peace Love Moto refers to. Maybe it evolves over time. I don't know. Probably has. But here's just a thought. Because our subject today, I think, it's important, it's important that we be grounded in what we believe and what we feel. The peace in peace love moto, I think, is the peace of mind that I and so many of us find when we ride a motorcycle. The love, I think, is two parts really. First, learning to love yourself by taking care of yourself, both mentally and physically. Again, something else that many of us are able to do, able to accomplish from the seat of a motorcycle. Then the second part of love and peace, love moto, well, I think it's learning to show love for others through random acts of kindness, for example. You've heard the saying, and I believe that it's true, that the more love you pour out to others, the more love seems to pour back into you. I think that's true. Then, of course, moto in peace love moto. That's motorcycling, something that many of us have had a passion for as long as we can remember. So for today, I'll just ask you to use your imagination as to which of those elements, one or more, the elements of peace, love, and moto, that this subject best fits. Thank you for joining me today. Stay tuned. Recorded in beautiful, loveliness, Colorado, welcome to Peace Love Moto, the podcast for motorcyclists seeking that peaceful, easy feeling as we cruise through this life together. Are you ready? Let's go!

The Electric Bike Blur Problem

Ron 2:44

It's like a blur and a buzzing sound that a lot of us have been hearing and seeing in our neighborhoods lately. A new fad that came from advancements in battery technology. And it's not the rumble of a motorcycle, but it's something speeding by. It's that high-pitched, near-silent, but not quite zip sound of a small, lightweight, electric motorcycle. And the blur? That's the middle school-aged kids with a huge smile on his face riding across your lawn at 40 miles an hour, frightening the neighbors, cutting across the walking paths, or worse, dodging traffic on the busy city streets. And usually, when that sound and that blur of a kid flashes by, it's immediately followed by another sound. The sound of you shouting at them from your porch, shaking your fist, or reaching for the phone to call the authorities, the homeowners association, the police, the fire department, the dog catcher, anything that can catch this destructive, evil kid, and teach them a lesson. The gut reaction from adults in the neighborhood is almost always anger, outrage, a desire to punish or even forcefully stop that unlicensed kid from terrorizing the neighborhood. They need to learn a lesson they will never forget. They need to know that they are bad kids and that they shouldn't be out here doing what they're doing. And what about their parents? Where the heck are they? They need to know how bad their kids are and the mischief that they're causing out there. They need to teach them a lesson. Let's be honest. That's what we're thinking, aren't we?

Trading Outrage For A New Lens

Ron 4:45

Okay, let's take a breath. Let's set our anger and all that excitement aside. Let's examine the situation by first looking at ourselves and how things have changed since we were that middle school kid. Let's look at the new reality from a different lens. What if that kid on that E motorcycle isn't a public nuisance at all in his mind? What if we're looking at a really good kid with a bright future? A nice kid. An aspiring motorcycle rider searching for an escape from a world that is heavier than any generation has ever had to carry before. These kids are coming of age in a hyper-connected, digitally overwhelming world. They are inundated in a 24-hour shocking news cycle day that spews global catastrophe, hate speech, and division directly into their heads every second of the day. They're trying to navigate an AI-driven world where reality itself feels like it's up for debate. Think about that. Never in our lifetime have I had to wonder if what I'm watching on TV is real or augmented or where AI algorithms are explicitly generated to capture, monetize, and fracture my attention span. Social media doesn't just invite these kids to participate, it demands their constant presence and it drives anxiety and it triggers depression, even in little kids. Those are the kids on the electric motorcycles out there. Kids who are often going through things around home or around the school that you and I never did. So when we look out our window and see a kid on an illegal electric motorcycle speeding along, I challenge you to understand that they, these rowdy out-of-control kids, are doing something radical. They have stepped away from the digital world that surrounds them, and they are actively rejecting digital jail. Think about that. So I think that in a very real way, that motorized experience isn't just a recreational hobby or a neighborhood criminal activity. It's really neither. For some of these kids, I think that it's a rescue mission from a destruction they feel all around them. Maybe it's a lifeboat. When life at home just gets too chaotic or the world on the screen just feels too heavy, that little electric motorcycle becomes their sanctuary. It is a version of a moving meditation that you and I know all about as adults who ride motorcycles.

Skills Kids Build On Two Wheels

Ron 8:55

On this podcast, we try to look at the bright side, so let's give it a think. While these kids are escaping the noise of their digital world back at home, look at what they're gaining. They're developing the advanced skills that you and I have to ride a motorcycle safely. They're learning spatial awareness, rapid decision making, and fine motor skills. Maybe they're also learning that falling hurts at a relatively low speed, relatively low to the ground. So many adult riders who don't wear protective gear have yet to learn that hard lesson at faster speeds and further off the ground. It's too bad for them. Do the parents always know what's going on for these kids? Well, maybe not. Some parents genuinely don't understand the legal line between a standard electric bicycle and a high-powered electric motorcycle. Others might have just checked out. Frankly, they're glad their kids out of the house, doing something physical instead of staring at the screen or just being around and being a nuisance. They might not grasp the risks at all. But reacting with pure adult anger doesn't solve any lack of awareness, or I should say, absolve them of that responsibility. They're just building up a wall. Send out the kid, let the kid do whatever they want. Maybe they're sending their kid out of the house just because they've got such a load to carry themselves and they just need a break.

Remembering Our First Motorbike

Ron 10:56

So I think now is the time where you and I need to have a serious look at ourselves, at our past, to do some honest self-reflection, to think back how you discovered the joy of two wheels with a motor attached, just like those kids have. I was 11 years old when I first got my first little motorbike. I was incredibly fortunate because my family lived right next to an open field and a wooded creek, which meant I had a safe haven where I could ride without touching public roads or sidewalks at all. It was a gift. So many of these kids don't have open country fields or wooded creeks to ride in. But they have the same spark that we had, don't they? They're feeling the exact same pure joy on two wheels with a motor. Yeah, I think it's exactly the same. And that's the spark that is keeping these kids grounded. Riding with that same joy that I've had for the last 50 years.

A Real Solution Beyond Complaints

Ron 12:36

We've got to do something. How are our communities gonna handle this rise in the popularity of electric motorcycles? The little kids ride. How do we balance neighborhood safety with a kid's desperate need for an outlet? We've seen the exact movie before, right? Back in the 80s and 90s, communities were in an uproar over skateboarders. Kids who were grinding on park benches and jumping over staircases, taking over business plazas. The initial reaction was just about identical. No skateboarding signs, fines, and security guards chasing them off. Sound familiar? Yeah. But eventually, communities realized that complaining wasn't a strategy. That wasn't a long-term solution at all. These kids needed a constructive outlet for this new thing that they enjoyed doing outside. So Cities started investing in skateboard parks back in the day. They built dedicated, challenging, safe spaces where kids could hang out socially, push their limits, and develop their skills without breaking the law. And yeah, it takes effort and it takes money, but investing in our youth is always cheaper than policing them. Yeah, these kids are gonna need more space than a skateboard park, but hey, we build a lot of disc golf courses, don't we? That takes up a lot of space. I'm no civil engineer, but I think that we need to start advocating for this same blueprint today. Community electric motorbike parks, or something like that. Imagine a designated dirt track, for example, specifically designed for lightweight electric motorcycles. A place where a kid can ride with a degree of safety, learn proper gear habits, and what they should be wearing to protect themselves, and where they can push their boundaries without risking a head-on collision with a minivan. And the good news, electric motorcycles are quiet. Hey neighborhoods are in an uproar already with the sound of 60 and 70-year-old pickleball players out there in the courts, having this pong sound back and forth all day long. Now that's a nuisance.

Kindness That Can Change A Kid

Ron 15:37

You remember the love from Peace Love Moto, the love for other people? Well, we can demonstrate that. And I know you can do it. I'm gonna try it. The next time an electric bike stops at a corner near my house, what if we didn't start yelling at them, but instead we gave them a big smile and a big thumbs up? And what if they could hear us say, hey kid, that's a cool bike? Imagine walking up to that kid and saying, Hey man, that's that's really cool what you've got there. That's that's pretty neat. I ride a motorcycle too. I love being on two wheels. Tell me about how your bike works. How's it feel? By extending a hand instead of a fist, we stop being the neighborhood enemy to these kids. And if we're lucky, you may become a mentor for a kid who is not used to hearing a friendly word from an adult. In a world of advanced technology that's trying to take over their attention, we can help these kids keep hold of something real, something tangible. This little motorcycle that gives them peace and gives them joy. We have an opportunity to guide the next generation into becoming respectful and skilled people. Respectable citizens who may be taking care of you and I as we get older. Think about it the next time you hear that electric whine flying past your window. Remember that 11-year-old version of yourself looking for a place to escape, looking for a place to just be a kid. Let's give them that.

Closing Thoughts And A Simple Ask

Ron 17:23

And remember, my friends, to be good to yourself. Maybe reward yourself with an awesome mug or sticker from the Peace Love Moto store. Then go for a ride. I hope to see you out there. Have a good week. Peace.