From "Lightweight Unsupported Motorcycle Travel for Terminal Cases"

I've been on the lookout for distinctive writing (so if you've got any, do please point me in its direction, or vice versa) and today I found a doozy. It's from a little book you get from Aerostich, my favorite purveyors of motorcycling accouterments, called "Lightweight Unsupported Motorcycle Travel for Terminal Cases." I'd read it before, but somehow missed this gem, about the virtues of traveling back roads, on two wheels, on a motorcycle of less-than-dreadnought size. I'm an easy sell here, I'll admit, but even objectively it's fantastic writing. It's friendly and authoritative at the same time -- literal and metaphorical, musing and compelling. And you will not find a more sincere celebration of bug guts.

Credit goes, I believe, to Andy Goldfine, founder of Aerostich and editor of their wonderfully written catalog, which you can get for free.

"Few lightweight machines provide much wind protection. But having no windshield or body panels can be just fine. Average speeds are lower so shoulder and neck muscles can easily adjust to the apparent wind. It takes just a day or two. You will see much more without a windshield's layer of plastic to look around and through. And the wind's direct pressure helps keep average speeds lower so there's less chance of getting a ticket. Fighting head winds and enjoying tail winds also provides a sharper understanding of immediate meteorologic conditions. You'll better connect with the slightest changes in weather and front lines. Adjusting the throttle against varying ambient winds also provides a greater appreciation of the mechanical work that's being done to move everything along. It's an understanding that cannot be gained any other way. Finally, a helmet face shield unpredictably collects all kinds of bug splats. Each bigger hit sounds different, depending on the construction of the bug. Larger species with hard exoskeletons impact with a loud knock that's always a surprise."