After one year of riding...

[Sane_Man]

I'm just reflecting on riding one year since i've started last year.
something happened and got me thinking if its really worth it...
I was posting on another forum cuz I'm getting a new car. And this guy was like, buy my blue s2000. Then he died this afternoon from a fatal crash. Its unknown who is at fault, the lady is like over 80 yrs old so i'm pretty sure its his fault.

Have you ever thought about quitting?

Just as there are bikes the inexperienced shouldn't own as their first bike, the same applies to cars. You don't jump in a fast sporty car like a S2000, if you don't have the experience and maturity level to handle the power. Those cars get real twitchy, just like an R6, when you get hard on the gas. It doesn't take much for it to get away from you.

 

[motogirlie]

Never!

 

[i8marcus]

I've accumulated 16 years of riding since I got my 1982 Honda CR80 when I was 12 years old. In that time I've crashed, had a bike stolen, fell off a cliff at Hollister hills, seen friends lying in the middle of the road with bones sticking out of them, slid down about 150ft of a hillside at Carnegie stuck to my bike, and been without a bike for over 6 months, etc. Throughout all that I've thought about quitting a few times, then always come to the conclusion of "what the hell else am I going to do with myself?"
Considering I spend such a large portion of my life wrapped up with either working on/maintaining my bikes, riding them, watching them on TV, playing motorcycle video games, reading motorcycles related books & magazines.. It would be like giving up a huge part of who I am...

 

[budman]

After decades of riding.. the body parts creak from some of the injuries, but I still feel something special when I put on my helmet and throw a leg over a bike.

I have kids... I rode with kids.. I raced with kids.... I did go out and buy a big insurance policy to protect them, but I still chose to live life rather than sucumb to fear of leaving them behind.

The payoff was great.. traveling with my sons and so many treasured memories.
And great friendships and memories of my own as well. I can draw on those whenever I want.. and that is a good feeling.

While I give the greatest respect to my duties as a parent.. I also chose to live my way during those years and still do.

Do I think about quiting... not ever any more.. I think rather once in a while about when age will force me to quit... I think that would be purely a balance and reaction thing.

I doubt that I would stop for any other reason.

Good luck with your decision Tony.. we all have to make our own and risks are certainly out there.. If other pieces of life are so valuable that potential injury makes them stand out and creates fear when you ride then maybe hanging it up is the right call.

I always subscribe to this thought:

"If I die without going for the things (riding) that make me feel really alive and give me a source of self pride and a feeling of substance as a man and fun.. I would be really pissed in my dying moment"

Living on a couch is not the way I want to live.

:ride

:smoking

 

[Spec-ECU]

"If I die without going for the things (riding) that make me feel really alive and give me a source of self pride and a feeling of substance as a man and fun.. I would be really pissed in my dying moment"

Living on a couch is not the way I want to live.

:ride

:smoking

:thumbup

My brother's been bed-ridden going into three years now after a brain hemorrhage while he was having lunch at his work.

Knowing my brother, I know that this is not how he would've wanted to carry on through his formidable years (and maybe - though hopefully not - his later years). Because I know this, I made a personal vow to do everything that I've always been passionate about, and will be passionate about.

Like someone said, we all die. Eventually, death's going to collect, whether I'm sitting on a couch or a motorcycle.

I simply figured I'd have more fun chasing death and have it run away from me because it's not my time yet, than wait for it.

 

[rummel]

I had a solo accident about 2 years ago and that made me pause. Recovery took about a month, 2 weeks couldnt walk right. Luckly I didnt break anything but was sore as hell! It put a healthy fear and respect for the sport in me. Although during my recovery, even though I was very nervous about riding I knew I needed to get back on my bike.

After all this time(some aould say 3 years is not very long and I agree) I still have my wtf moments. Commuting is a bitch! But I know I'm not ready to leave the sport because I dream about riding! I still get scared in the twisties and I cant take massive leans but I love mounting twins! Every day I get on my bike is a day worth living.

 

[injun]

Quiting

Yea did quit owning for a while think it was about 5 or 6 years still rode friends,it was a choice I had to make for my son who was just learning to ride, had 3 long time friends die all within 6 weeks 2 were pro and 1 long time rider, have had many friends die in bike accidents and 1 brother and I just wanted to do something a little safer with the kid now he is 31 and making his own choices he doesn't ride but will be doing some trail and trials in the near future (after the Grand kids are a little older).
my self just started my 43 year on bikes and hope to ride till the day I die, don't know how many bikes that I've owned or how many miles I have gone, down to 3 bikes now and just picked up a future super moto and flat tracker just want to re-live some of my youth, so far only 1 major accident 20 or so years ago couldn't wait to get back on took a couple of months of healing but didn't have any fears about it.
We Do What We Can But Theirs Nothing We Can Do:ride:ride:ride

 

[hcop33]

I've seen you around town, and if i rode like you, i'd think about quitting.

Just looking at his avatar, i think he should quit also..

 

[nsreidy]

I've seen you around town, and if i rode like you, i'd think about quitting.

I haven't seen you ride... but...

YOU BOUGHT AN RC51???

I have 6 years and nearly 80,000 miles of experience (40K on literbikes), and that bike makes me very nervous.

I don't entirely subscribe to the "buy a literbike and you'll certainly die n00b" school...

But the RC51 is a fire-breathing, evil monster. Why the hell would you buy one, with as little experience as you have?

 

[Ironbutt]

I haven't seen you ride... but...

YOU BOUGHT AN RC51???

I have 6 years and nearly 80,000 miles of experience (40K on literbikes), and that bike makes me very nervous.

I don't entirely subscribe to the "buy a literbike and you'll certainly die n00b" school...

But the RC51 is a fire-breathing, evil monster. Why the hell would you buy one, with as little experience as you have?

He's about to get experienced!!

 

[DucatiHoney]

riders who quit.

First :They are usually riders with less than 5 years of riding experience.

They don't have confidence in their ability to stay free of injury.
They have "other things" in their their life.
They have a spouse or GF that wants them to quit.

Most of all, they do not really LOVE riding enough.

Curious as to where you got these stats. I'd say that I'd notice the same thing about riders that quit, but if you have a source for this information it would be really interesting to know more about it.

 

[NorCal Factory]

There are many different types of riding - if you are not excited by what you are doing, or feel nervous about safety change something.

Touring, cruising, adventure riding on dirt roads, dual sport, mountain riding, commuting, sport riding and many forms of dirt riding are available. Maybe you will like the community of riding with groups or riding by yourself. Give some of the other options a try.

Listen to your own gut - not what posters on a Forum do. We are the most committed (or should be). The attitudes toward riding are far different here than across the country or in Europe. Many of us have personal experiences or attitudes that formed a judgement that will not be right for you.

If safety is your concern, reconsider your gear, training, where and when you ride and your style of bike. Try dirt biking, the low speeds and limited traction allow for pushing it and getting more thrills for less general risk. But as others have mentioned, you can still pay a big price riding on dirt.

If it's the fear of leaving a wife and kids with no parent, then consider riding where there are less cars, or riding on the track or taking track schools or getting bikes for the kids and going dirt bike riding.

Maybe the answer is to ride less for a few years until the kids are older. I remember tempering my riding when I first had kids, and then getting into trackdays and sportbikes once they were on their own.

Have fun! That says it all.

 

[donoman]

But the RC51 is a fire-breathing, evil monster. Why the hell would you buy one, with as little experience as you have?

RC51 is tame in comparison to any inline-4 literbike. It's not slow, but it's not an evil bike. Those fscking R1's are evil bikes.

 

[moto-rama]

Curious as to where you got these stats. I'd say that I'd notice the same thing about riders that quit, but if you have a source for this information it would be really interesting to know more about it.

I did not quote/use statistics (if that's what you mean by stats) and do not have any actual data to back up anything I said.


But .......
I have seen, known, mentored, ridden with, hungout with, palled around with, listened to literally hundreds if not thousands of riders since took up riding at the age of 15 in 1967. And therefore am a self proclaimed know it all when it comes to this sort of thing....like most cranky old riders.

Based on what I have observed, I stand firmly behind my conclusions.

It's just the way it is with riding, you either love it enough to continue doing it regardless of the risks involved, or you stop, because of the things I mentioned in the original reply.

That pretty much happens within a few years of that initial introduction to the sport. If anything, 5 years is being generous, I would venture to guess that most of those quit riding people are gone in under two years.

Do I have a poll or study conducted under strict guidance, and cross checked, no. I just know, that's all. I am also a good guesser!

As an example, browse motorcycle for sale ads on a regular basis and you will agree with me soon enough.
If you do a search on CL using the term "wife", or "selling due to..", or similar , you turn up many results like this one:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/923749972.html

I couldn't tell you the volume of listings I have seen like that.

Another thing, I am 86.42% sure of, is that all official stats are made up on the spot as a convenience.

Additionally I am 100% sure that I am a walking encyclopedia of riding lore and information, with a measure of bs thown iin as well.

 

[Z3n]

RC51 is tame in comparison to any inline-4 literbike. It's not slow, but it's not an evil bike. Those fscking R1's are evil bikes.

How are those bikes evil? They don't even have a midrange!

I haven't met a motorcycle I didn't like yet. Even the harley that lit itself on fire while I was riding it was a cool experience.

Actually: That's not true. I had a friend's GSX-R1000 that I rode on the track that wasn't set up for me and my god that bastard of a motorcycle wanted to spit me off. But that was a problem with the setup and my weight, not the bike. It was still a blast though, just a different form of a blast to pass someone on the front straight as the speedo rolls up on 150mph and the bike is headshaking. :laughing

If you quit riding, you're still going to die.

Honestly, though...this pretty much explains it all. Why would I give up something I love because of the fear that I'll get hurt or die?

 

[Spec-ECU]

How are those bikes evil? They don't even have a midrange!

An I4 literbike has no midrange?

 

[Z3n]

An I4 literbike has no midrange?

The R1 I rode didn't. Of course, I was at the track, so it's a slightly different situation. :laughing Built power nicely, just didn't have the midrange grunt that even my 929 did. Bike felt dead until you really got it spinning. I don't mind, it's just not what I was expecting...and my friend's GSX-R wasn't like that at all.

 

[Spec-ECU]

Man, don't ever ride an I4 600 then! :laughing

 

[ThumperX]

RC 51 is a twin

 

[Var]

I've seen you around town, and if i rode like you, i'd think about quitting.

haha wtf