Hey Brian,
As I understand the term, the "motorcycle life" is often a way of life I've never really been a part of or likely to be. Many consider that the sort of "being a 1 percenter" that is portrayed in films and shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and not for me. . . . And if not this "outlaw" life, the other aspect of bar hopping on bikes, going to big biker events, etc. is one I've also never pursued. I like riding motocycles a ton, but am not into "the life" at all. I just have them as transportation and the bike itself and the act of riding as my entertainment and in a way meditation. (One really can get deep in one's thoughts as you put miles behind you hodling onto those bars and operating those controls).
But I know what you mean, and I think it would be cool if more persons were exposed to motorcycles when they were young. . . . it would be safer for all of us and some would get a different philosophy and technique of being on the road.
I love how you're just a part of the environment, smelling, hearing, feeling, seeing all around you. You get hot, cold, wet, buffeted by the wind. You interact, engage, spread out from your innermost ego. And you get the sort of driving experience that sports car and hot rod and gran tourismo or rally car drivers can, where you can melt into the zen of gear shifting and throttle control, your body takes over and your mind soars along in thought processes and manners it doesn't seem to in other ways.
I started off on off road bikes, and have about fourteen years of experience overall on street bikes, and after the first two years in Ohio, all the times i've had a bike I've NOT had a car, so I've had to bundle up, slap on rain gear, bungie chord bags and boxes, I've had to tailor my driving to two wheels and "man up" in some ways I don't think I would have otherwise.
I know and occasionally ride with a gentlemen who is 65 and started riding when he was 57, so it's never too late. We met a few years ago in a motorcycle safety class, he'd been riding five or six years without a licsnse. He's a good rider, careful, mellow. . . . Those are the kind of riders I like to be around on the road.
In time it can get under your skin. I went without a car for ten years because. . . I just don't feel the same way about cars. My wife didn't want me to have a motorcycle, I didn't want her driving a car because she was the world's worst driver and prone to panic behind the wheel, so we set our lives up to use public transportation, the occasional cab, and a lot of walking this great neighborhood we've been a part of. I really am enjoying my current bike, my first "new" one, the most powerful and stately one I've ever had. June's trip of 3500 miles got me bonded to it in a way I hadn't yet the last few years; since then it's been hard to stay off it!
It's not for everyone, but it sure is for me. If you can try it sometime, do.