More people from all walks of life are hearing the call to ‘ride,’ and the reasons are as far and wide.

Since the price of gas skyrocketed in the United States a few years ago, people have looked for ways to save money on fuel. Many began taking public transportation. Some walked or bicycled. Others began driving less, or looking at buying alternative-fuel vehicles. And some began riding what was long considered an “outlaw” vehicle—a motorcycle.

But that image as the vehicle of choice for less-than-savory characters has changed. “There are no typical riders any more,” says Mike Mount, communications director for the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) in Irvine, CA. “It’s the person you live next door to. It could be your mom or your daughter, a doctor or a lawyer. It’s across the board.”

Motorcycle and scooter sales have grown steadily, with 2006 crowning 14 years of increasing sales. That year, 1,190,000 motorcycles left showroom floors.

“We would definitely say the increase in fuel prices has had an effect on motorcycle sales,” Mounts says. “However, we don’t think that’s the only thing that’s contributed to it.”

There are a variety of other reasons for the climb in popularity of two-wheeled vehicles. “Motorcycling has something for everyone whether they are young or old, whether they ride only on weekends or like to ride long distances,” says Charles Witt of Flower Mound, TX, who rides a Harley-Davidson Heritage Softtail Classic. “There are as many reasons to ride as there are riders.”

Allen Barr, 57, a director for Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, in Onaway, MI, rides his Yamaha 1100 V-Star (cover photo) to work almost every day, and sometimes to the Co-op’s district and board meetings.

“A lot of people are riding motorcycles to work because of gas prices,” says Barr, who works at Cheboygan Cement Products. “Bikes are also more comfortable now, and a lot easier to ride—they’re built more for pleasure,” he adds.

Dave Handy, a mechanic for Cherryland Electric Cooperative, near Traverse City, agrees. “A motorcycle is the ultimate convertible,” he says. “There’s no top, of course, and so you experience your surroundings and the ride as a participant, not just a spectator.”

Fun comes first, but Handy also saves by riding 12 miles to work. He gets about 45-55 miles per gallon with his Harley Sportster.

Andy Goldfine, owner of a motorcycle apparel and parts company in Duluth, MN, has organized the third Wednesday of July as “Ride to Work Day” for 16 years (ridetowork.org). This year it’s July 16.

“For many people, riding is an economical, efficient and socially responsible form of mobility that saves energy, helps the environment, and provides a broad range of other public benefits,” Goldfine explains.

Dave Matz doesn’t drive his Harley Davidson Road King to work, but says about 12 Great Lakes Energy employees do. “People are even riding tiny scooters now, and even Harleys get 50 miles to the gallon,” says Matz, who is the co-op’s operations director.

Matz has ridden most of his life, but stopped while serving in the Army. His hiatus from riding is another example of why more are doing it now. Re-entry riders rode in their teens or early 20s, stopped for work or family, and are now getting back on board.

“You can’t afford it until your kids leave,” Matz laughs. A Harley-Davidson averages about $20,000, Matz says, but even a lower-cost bike can run $8,000-$10,000. The 54-year-old now rides about 6,000-7,000 miles a year.

Then there are those who always wanted to ride, but never did, and now, at or near retirement age, have decided to try it.

Dave Handy, 53, is only in his second year, but it’s something he and his wife (rides a Honda Shadow) have wanted to do since they were kids. “It’s a lot of fun—riding has introduced me to a whole new group of people, networking, new friends, and exciting adventures.”

Cathy Teeter, Lisa Guyott, Chris Hart and Sue Parkinson fit another growing category: women who ride.

After riding on the back of her boyfriend’s bike for six years, Teeter, a customer care rep for Midwest Energy Cooperative in Cassopolis, decided to try it herself last year by taking a weekend class. The day she passed the class was also when her boyfriend, Steve Stanage, surprised her with a new Harley Sportster 1200 Custom. “It was the second happiest day of my life, after having a child,” laughs Teeter, 40. “I love it….there’s nothing like it.”

As to why more women ride now, she says, “We don’t mind being a passenger for awhile, but then it’s like, ‘I can do this.’ It gives you a sense of freedom.”

Lisa Guyott, also a Midwest customer care rep, used to drive a Harley with a side car for her son, but now rides with her husband “to enjoy more sightseeing.” Tom Guyott rides a Harley Duce and works doing custom painting (269-683-8844) on motorcycles, helmets and cars.

Chris Hart (cover), 61, Allen Barr’s partner, rode motorcycles as a kid with her father, brothers and sister, and had an aunt who was ahead of her time by “riding a big Harley in the 1940s.” Now, Hart likes short trips to meet friends for dinner or “riding by the lakes is gorgeous…we have this beautiful scenery up here [Presque Isle County].”

Sue Parkinson, 57, a Great Lakes Energy work order clerk, has ridden for 30 years, and says, “I got into it first because I was in the service and it was cheaper than buying a car.” Now, she rides to work every day it’s nice, about 18 miles round-trip from Ludington.

“About four years ago, I picked this one [Suzuki Burgman 400] up and I won’t ever get rid of it…they’ll have to take my license away,” Parkinson laughs. It’s geared more towards women and older people, with no gas tank in the middle. “It’s more like an oversize scooter, but it’s powerful enough to take on the freeway.”

She says women feel more comfortable and aren’t as afraid of riding now. “Before, we associated motorcyles as mens’ toys and didn’t really check into mens’ territory, but society has changed.” Today, one in 10 U.S. motorcycle owners is a woman, up from 6 percent in 1998.

Then there are those who ride for the scenery or speed thrill of rounding a tight corner. Others go for distance, and yet others for reasons known only to themselves.

Steve Stanage, Midwest Energy’s lineworker-in-charge, is a lifelong rider. “I got my first dirt bike at 10, a road bike at 18, and now have a Harley Heritage Softail Classic,” he says. He prefers motorcycles, “because you’re not in a cage…you can see so many things people in cars can’t see, as far as wildlife and scenery.” At age 43, he rides nearly 12,000 miles each year.

“If I didn’t have a Harley, I wouldn’t have seen all the places I’ve seen – Estes Park, Colorado, and the Rockies and Grand Tetons,” he says, “and it gets 50 miles to the gallon!”

One of his biking adventures found him caught up in a herd of about 2,000 buffalo during mating season in Yellowstone Park. Trapped between a cliff and the Yellowstone River, it took him over an hour to get out.

About the risks of riding, he says, “Well, I guess you dispose of those worries with respect. I respect the road when I ride, and I respect electricity when I work, so that takes the fear and anxiety out of it.” But he’d rather talk about what he loves about riding.

“On motorcycles, there’s no race, no age, and in a group of bikers you’ll never hear a racial slur—it’s all a big family,” Stanage says. “On a bike with everyone wearing black leather, we’re all the same.”

Karen Boehler is a writer from Roswell, NM, who traveled over 6,000 miles on her Kawasaki Concours last summer. Gail Knudtson is the editor of Michigan Country Lines