Motorcycle riding conjures up such potent images and emotions. A feeling of freedom with a sprinkling of spirited rebellion. A hint of lawlessness, yet a strong sense of patriotism. Danger, power and control, all in your leather-gloved hands.

Rocky Marks smiles. Why, that's just scratching the surface.

"There's also the family connection," he says.

Motorcycle riding has evolved enormously from the iconic days of its -- and our -- youth. The subculture has become more of a community, and dealers say that it continues to grow.

Marks, 33, of Bellevue, has been riding motorcycles since he was 16, when he convinced his dad to let him take a spin around the block on his old Ironhead Sportster chopper.

"There's something romantic about it," says Marks, whose hobby has become his way of earning a living as sales manager at Hot Metal Harley-Davidson in West Mifflin. "Couples share it. My parents, my wife's parents.

"When you're sitting in a car, there's that distance between you [and your passenger], and you're listening to the radio. But when you're on a motorcycle, there's just you, the wind and your passenger right on your back. You're together and you're closer."

Marks says he's seen a steady stream of fathers coming into the shop with their sons -- and daughters -- showing them the bike they started on and how they moved up through the years. It's a scene common to motorcycle shops in Western Pennsylvania.

"The industry is getting huge right now," says Melissa Szczerba, 25, racing coordinator for Tom Clark Motor Sports in Belle Vernon. "We're seeing people who haven't ridden in 20, 30 years coming into the shop. Some are restoring old bikes, others are shopping for new ones. Some are commuters trying to save on gas, but others are just getting back into biking."

The flexibility of motorcycles -- for use as transportation, weekend recreation or sports competition -- has given rise to a growing number of races, rallies and charity runs.

"There is probably something every weekend," Szczerba says. "There are local tracks, amateur shows and several national events that come within an hour of Pittsburgh during the year."

Marks and his family have been riding the Dog Run in Windber, Somerset County, for years. It gives them a chance to ride, enjoy the outdoors, have fun and socialize with other bikers -- all while raising money for the town's playground equipment or holiday lights.

Over the generations, a kinship has developed among motorcyclists. They wave to each other on the roads. They might ride alongside for a while.

"You're in a sea of cars, and then there's you and that other motorcycle," Marks says. "And when a motorcyclist breaks down on the side of the road, other motorcyclists are likely to stop to help. You don't see that camaraderie with people in cars."

"It's a very big family thing," Szczerba says.

Amelia Burget, 29, of McCandless, purchased her first motorcycle -- a 883 Sportster Low -- in April.

"I was tired of riding on the back," she says. "It's something I've always enjoyed, with friends and boyfriends."

Burget says she didn't get a motorcycle to deal with the rising cost of gasoline.

"I mean, it helps, definitely," she says. "I take it to work. But I also take it out to play."