Why We Name Our Motorcycles

Named after the famous wife of Jonathan Harker, “Mina” burst into our lives on October 31 2015. Well, burst into mine, more seeped into my wife’s. A Royal Enfield 500 Classic. ~Sigh~…I was smitten from the first moment I saw her, alone and cold in a nasty dealership showroom.  An immediate rescue operation was put into action, after all, I had been in Delhi for almost two years, I NEEDED a bike AND I had earned my Indian driving stripes.  After many a scream, scorn and outright putdown from my instructor, and princess bride Mrs. R., she uttered that oh so meaningful phrase…”god, now you drive like a Delhi person only”….High praise for a Canadian born and raised on the polite streets of Toronto.

So here’s the truth of it, we know why men in general refer to all things mechanical in the gender specific, fairer sex, don’t we?….. Simply explained, any inanimate object that requires attention, papering, spoiling, regaling, encouragement, egging on or flat out bribery to operate as intended is….well, it’s obviously female.  Don’t get angry…it’s a compliment. “Operate as intended means”, to operate without deviation, intuition, spontaneity, coquettishness, volatility or any other variance in behavior that men have NO idea how to explain……and WHO would want a female companion like THAT? Not I say I, with one eye on my wife as she reads this explanation. One only has to be sitting in a torrential rain on a motor cycle, a motorcycle that has been doted upon and cherished its entire life, as it chooses THAT moment NOT to start. Can you hear the muttered plea? ”Come on sweetheart, not now…why would she do this NOW??”

Over the next twelve months, Mina would see us through hideous city traffic, stunning lush green valleys, wrath of god rain, dense and humid jungle, never ending and ascending mountain roads and one or two very near “meet the angels” experiences. She would make us saddle sore, stiff, achy and somewhat bitchy. Shiver cold, sweat hot, drip wet and suck in sweet summer breeze. Bring us bliss, serenity, wonderment and awe. Mina would take my princess bride and I to places I never dreamed I would be. Some of these I will willingly share with you in future blogs….but I digress. To the question, it’s simple enough really, what’s in a name? I think it’s a reflection of the rider (in this case anyway) we name our cars, planes, trucks, jeeps, boats, bikes, scooters, skateboards, surfboards, literally ANYTHING that moves us. Why to men name their motorbikes? I think it’s a precursor to the upcoming adventures, a fixed commentary  for the experiences yet to come, a cool handle to which we can refer to our mechanical side kick, an identifier, an extension of us, that aint us, but damn it’s cool, an aid to finding her keys…but most of all…it’s outta love.