Might be time to quit riding

[bobrebos]

63 years old, havent fired up any of the three bikes in over two months.  No interest to.  Had to push myself to put them on the battery tenders.  No motivation to ride.  So....it might be time to get rid of them.  I guess the time comes for everyone of us, each at different times.  Tough decision.  Oh well, life goes on either way.  Biggest thing i will miss will be the camping trips but i can still do that in the truck!  Anybody else thinking of puling the plug on riding?  My wife is against me getting rid of the bikes, so I have no idea how this will turn out.  LOL! 

[Joliet Jim]

Understand completely, bikes were ridden to storage in Feb while the house was being reconstructed. Managed to finally get out for a ride about 2 weeks ago and then the weather went bad. Bikes are still in storage and look like they will be all winter. It's ironic that this year I had been planning on Il and Wi rallies since in theory we were wintering away and would be around most of the summer. Best laid plans.

[oldbike54]

 Wait until things return to a more normal state Bob , then reassess your situation .

 Dusty

[Travlr]

I think you can go thru cycles like this.  Lose interest for awhile, then it comes back.  Especially during this very strange year.  2 months isn't very long and 63 is fairly young to quite (I'm 75 and still riding.)  I'd keep one for a year or two.

Mike

[Dave Swanson]

I think you can go thru cycles like this.  Lose interest for awhile, then it comes back.  Especially during this very strange year.  2 months isn't very long and 63 is fairly young to quite (I'm 75 and still riding.)  I'd keep one for a year or two.

Mike

+1!  Well said. 

[Ncdan]

Maybe sell 2 and keep one, just in case your heart leads you back there. 👍

[LowRyter]

I remember when I quit riding, I was a lot younger.  I hadn't ridden in 10 years.  I needed to help someone move their motorcycle and rode it about 50 miles.  I was hooked again and got a bike months later. 

Get rid of your bikes.  Then one day, take a small ride, "why did I ever give this up?"

[JJ]

I think you can go thru cycles like this.  Lose interest for awhile, then it comes back.  Especially during this very strange year.  2 months isn't very long and 63 is fairly young to quite (I'm 75 and still riding.)  I'd keep one for a year or two.

Mike

Agree with Mike...Wait till spring 2021 anyway, and reassess at that time...

[wavedog]

Hang on Bob. Winter is coming on. Don’t be hasty. Wait until summer. Maybe keep one bike and simplify.

[Huzo]

If you sell your bikes and cannot ride, that’s when you’re going to want to..

[bratman2]

Will be a whole lot easier to sell in the spring anyways. Maybe sell two, keep your favorite one and see what happens. I do know how you feel. At 60 and with arthritis i struggle with my hands and knees. Especially my knees.  So mine may go up for sale spring. Just not sure yet! I need both knees replaced and I am afraid that I will regret letting her go if that pans out good.

[Shorty]

If it is a matter of safety, or normal fear (common sense?), and your gut says "quit, " it might pay to listen. If it is merely a lack of desire to ride, then you need to ask yourself if you wish to keep one or all of the bikes as simply possessions. Absolutely nothing wrong with any of the options. I'm 68, and the only riding I'm interested in these days is putt-putting on back roads, or in the hills somewhere. So, I sold all my larger bikes and kept 2 dual sport thumpers. Now I can ride locally if I want, easily haul them (heaviest bike is <400lbs) somewhere to a rally, or I or my heirs can sell them pretty quick if need be.  I agree with the others that the cold, dark end of riding season in 2020 might not represent how you will feel about it come April. 

[moto-uno]

  MAN , how did you get soooo old at 63 ?  .   Peter

[ohiorider]

I'm now down to two bikes.  I enjoy both of them.  This year was for me a low mileage one.  1000 miles on one, 6000 on the other.  The low mileage one (1991 R100GS) used to be my high mileage bike.  The 2016 T120 Triumph has sort of filled the 'favorite' spot, mainly by being easier to reach the ground, and push in and out of the garage.  Oh, and the fact that it really gives good feedback and makes me feel like an expert when I'm far from it.  Did I mention, I love just looking at the Triumph?

I've found that it is more than putting on miles.  I have to enjoy the bikes I'm riding.  I've been fortunate that when I've bought one that just doesn't work for me, it's been moved on to another owner.

Different situation.  For 10 years, the Guzzi 1200 Sport was my favorite, and I looked forward to every ride on this sweet machine!  It got a bit heavy and tall for me, so the bike was lucky to find a new interested owner to pick up where I left off.  What a nice bike!

And yes, I've gone through the 'I don't think I enjoy this anymore.'  Then comes that one magical day, when the temps are perfect, the roads aren't cluttered with traffic, and the bike and I come together as one.  That's when I think "how could I give this up?"

Birthday 78 coming up in January, 2021.

Bob

[Scott of the Sahara]

How much winter riding have you done? Since it is getting to cold to ride for a few months, it may be good to wait.

Here is another idea: Get a sidecar. Something totally different. With a sidecar it can be an adventure to ride 2 or 3 miles to the store.
You also don't have to worry about keeping the rig upright.

Another thought is getting a smaller bike. It may be fun to ride.

[tazio]

Keep the chopper, Bob. Hit some bike nights with it when the mood strikes.
Oh, and get you that convertible and spend more time on the boat.
And, for heavens sake, keep planning  those campouts at your place in the coming year!

[Solorider73]

Bob your request is denied.   

Since I recently met you at the Fall Creek Falls camping trip, I though I might nudge you based on our last conversation.

Remember sitting on this?



I'm sure that you could trade the Stelvio for the lighter V85TT. 

I'll even help you with the link. 

https://sloansmotorcycle.com/Murfreesboro-Tennessee-37129/New-2020-Moto-Guzzi-V85-TT-Adventure/VDP/415917d8-df15-4fb6-a9a4-42f0ac6101bb

If you need someone to help you knock the dust off those bikes, just let me know.  I can ride up from Huntsville one weekend and we can rip the nearby mountains.

[Perazzimx14]

If they don't make you happy anymore.... sell them! If later in life you feel the need to ride again buy another. They are inanimate objects and nothing that cannot be replaced!

[Lannis]

A guy that I've ridden with for years dropped his bike on "The Snake" (lowside in a hairpin at moderate speed) in 2017.   Next year, he dropped it again, same situation.

He decided (wisely, I think) that it was time to pack it in.   He was 79 at the time and felt that he didn't have the balance or reflexes to ride safely any more.   

I'm 66 and I know that my capabilities on a bike are not what they were.   I still enjoy riding, and am compensating as best I can, but I'm not going to let my "pride" or my manhood or denial of nature or something force me to keep riding when I know it's really time to give it up.

PMX14 is right.   These are just inanimate objects.   I've sometimes thought it would be interesting to just sell all the bikes, sit back, look at the empty shed, and see how I feel about it after a few weeks or months.   I've had some of these bikes for 25 years ... It would be like starting a new life, and there are ALWAYS deals out there.   Instead of Brits and Guzzis, maybe I'd like a Gilera and a Water Buffalo or something.

Options are open!   Don't overthink it.

Lannis

[Ncdan]

A guy that I've ridden with for years dropped his bike on "The Snake" (lowside in a hairpin at moderate speed) in 2017.   Next year, he dropped it again, same situation.

He decided (wisely, I think) that it was time to pack it in.   He was 79 at the time and felt that he didn't have the balance or reflexes to ride safely any more.   

I'm 66 and I know that my capabilities on a bike are not what they were.   I still enjoy riding, and am compensating as best I can, but I'm not going to let my "pride" or my manhood or denial of nature or something force me to keep riding when I know it's really time to give it up.

PMX14 is right.   These are just inanimate objects.   I've sometimes thought it would be interesting to just sell all the bikes, sit back, look at the empty shed, and see how I feel about it after a few weeks or months.   I've had some of these bikes for 25 years ... It would be like starting a new life, and there are ALWAYS deals out there.   Instead of Brits and Guzzis, maybe I'd like a Gilera and a Water Buffalo or something.

Options are open!   Don't overthink it.

Lannis

True Lannis, to quit riding is really simple and easy, heck, I’ve quit 3 times in the past couple decades 😂

[John A]

At this stage of your life, only sell a bike in order to buy one you want more. That’s the advice my dad gave me.  He was talking about guns of course but I think it applies to bikes as well.  I’ve noticed that when a person stops doing a thing, it’s very hard to start again.

[redhawk47]

My first thought: Those are big bikes to be dealing with.  At age 68 I accepted the idea that my Stelvio was too big for me and traded it for a V7II Stone. It's not the super touring bike the Stelvio was, but it is more than adequate. In the four years with the V7 I have put 35,000 miles on it, about the same miles per year as I did on my Stelvio.

My recommendation, wait til spring, sell the current fleet, and buy a smaller bike.

PS: This - thing is messing with our minds. I have another hobby that usually consumes a quarter to half of my spare time. I haven't done anything with it this entire year, but I will be back to it shortly.

[80CX100]

     This whole year and especially the riding season was almost surreal, nothing played out the way I intended; working on some frustrating aspects of the modern over engineered bikes took the wind out of my sails, and I switched gears and concentrated on other mechanical adventures, trucks, tractors, hydraulics etc, for most of the year riding was the furthest thing from my mind.

     The funny thing is, as soon as the snow started blowing in, I had a real urge to get a simple 2 stroke trail bike and a vintage bike on the road, back to basics.

     I remember earlier in the year how excited you were when you got your old chopper out on the road, sometimes a change is as good as a holiday.

     I'd recommend to anyone contemplating making a big change on anything right now, if at all possible, wait until spring, everything in the world is a little topsy turvy this year, it's like a bad acid trip, but it won't last forever.

     Hopefully spring brings a little clarity and order to the chaos.

     Kelly

[cliffrod]

My opinion- The most important opportunity at hand is to be able to thank your wife and tell her she was right in the near future.  She's more important than any bike. 

Properly Mothball the bikes for now.  Sell them later if you still want or need to sell them.   

[MMRanch]

Bob I think I know what the problem is :

You , went to Motorcycles instead of Bikes . 

Everyone knows Bikes are FUN ,

Park your-self on something like a Honda 500 or 300 Rebel for a 30 minute ride , and forget about those "Motorcycles"

Or What about that RE - Himalaya  - Suzuki Van-Van 200

One of those FUN - LITTLE BIKES !   

[bobrebos]

If they don't make you happy anymore.... sell them! If later in life you feel the need to ride again buy another. They are inanimate objects and nothing that cannot be replaced!

Excellent point!

[s1120]

I tell you going through this past - year has been hard on everyone even if they dont know it. I can add to that, in that 2 years ago I quit a long time job to care for my MIL with alzhimers, and I tell you...  being home, and locked away KILLS any motivation you have!!!  You know you should...  and you want to do something, but you just cant. Its a real thing, and its tough, and the thing is some dont even know they are going through it. Hell I dont think I touched one of my guitars in 8 months... I used to play every day..  Its going into winter now.. Values lower on the bikes anyways, just mothball them up for the winter, and revisit this in the spring. We are hoping for a better year, and it might just be the spark to get you going.

[chuck peterson]

I remember the last few times I quit...

Given the choice of riding or not, i chose smaller, lighter, easier. Don’t rule out what one of these can do to bring a smile...

4 valve 350cc, 16” wheels, interlinked abs disc brakes, goes 85mph w a cup of coffee in my left hand, twist and go..and light weight around the garage

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/mcy/d/brooklyn-piaggio-bv-350/7226595751.html

[berniebee]

We all have our own reasons for riding, and if your reasons have faded away, then sure, sell 'em. But keep in mind that it HAS been a very strange year.


Wait until spring. If the fever doesn't hit you then, you'll know it's time. But keep your helmet.

[berniebee]

I tell you going through this past - year has been hard on everyone even if they dont know it. I can add to that, in that 2 years ago I quit a long time job to care for my MIL with alzhimers, and I tell you...  being home, and locked away KILLS any motivation you have!!!  You know you should...  and you want to do something, but you just cant. Its a real thing, and its tough, and the thing is some dont even know they are going through it. Hell I dont think I touched one of my guitars in 8 months... I used to play every day..  Its going into winter now.. Values lower on the bikes anyways, just mothball them up for the winter, and revisit this in the spring. We are hoping for a better year, and it might just be the spark to get you going.

About the ONLY thing that motivates me these days is my guitar playing. Once I've started I'll put hours and hours into it. If you like to jam but can't get out, you might want to try Jamkazam. It requires a high speed wired connection and an audio interface (and a bit of time to set up- many utube videos to help out.) but it allows you to play along with others in real time from the comfort of your own space.

Kudos to you for taking care of your MIL. It's a terrible disease, my mother had it. It's much harder on the caregiver than the patient and that's in normal times. So take care of yourself, especially in this awful year.