I guess it’s two fold. For starters, 2008 saw some of the strongest new bikes for years escape from manufacturers’ R&D departments, inspiring otherwise happy bikers to shun their garage-wife, and buy a new one.

Secondly, our addiction to bikes isn’t about economic stability, the prosperity of the country, or the state of the banking industry.  In fact, it couldn’t be much more off a reaction against the status quo. Bikes are the escape, the freedom, the hedonism that give us the antidote to the real world that we need to function. We need more then than ever right now, and with the veritable flange of stunners we have heading our way this year, there’s every reason to keep bucking the trend.

Our bikes, and the way we modify and use them, defines who we are. It’s a lifestyle choice, not a fashion statement, and they’ve never boon so good.

This is a statement from the editor of FastBikes, Richard ‘Moby’ Newland, and I couldn’t have said it any better about the feeling of riders to their machines.