Continue......or pack it in? | Page 5 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Continue......or pack it in?

If you are not into the "cruiser" lifestyle then I would say just get out. Trust me, your confidence and abilities will not improve with age and, you still have a fairly young son who will need a dad at least until he's self sufficient. Don't be selfish. Your primary responsibility is to your family.
 
Could be true, but don't get mad at me because the guy fell off his bike and ran away crying. You thinking of giving it up too?

Not mad, just pointing out the obvious.

and no, I am not packing it in
10523731_10154423737820328_2615252567082435649_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
...you still have a fairly young son who will need a dad at least until he's self sufficient. Don't be selfish. Your primary responsibility is to your family.

Wait a second! Do you mean anyone with young children shouldn't ride?

Mr. ABCarr, what's that they say about falling off the horse? Go on, give it another try. Enjoy the ride.
 
No, just that perhaps you should take a break when you are yourself questioning your riding abilities and have children who are still relying on you to support them. Doing otherwise is just selfish. Establish your priorities. If your priority is riding then go that route. Doesn't bother me at all. MY advice to this person based n what they asked for is to take a break. It doesn't apply to you or anyone else in particular.
 
When I took a spill on my bike earlier this season, I picked it back up, took a look at the damage which was mostly cosmetic and rode it home :dontknow:. Fixed a good chunk of the damage the same week and kept on riding. Quitting never crossed my mind for a second... but Im also quite younger than you OP with no kids as well so we're in different situations.
 
Last edited:
Although laced with sarcasm and a healthy dose of humor there is a bit of truth to what he says. Many a rider stops riding due to crashing. It is not quite as black and white as the post indicates, most things are not. Me, for example. I have crashed on the street and on the track. Never, ever considered giving up riding. But, it always took me time to regain my confidence. If I crashed at the track and was injured I'd have to do a full day of practice after to get back to my previous lap times. So, although I'm not a snowflake I'm also not a natural... :)

Exactly, almost. I'm just not a great rider. I've lost track of the various get offs spread over almost 4 decades of riding, but none of them ever had me considering giving it up. Then again these were all due to my own ineptitude. Things might look different if one had started with a bounce off the hood of a Buick.
 
I'm a little bit younger than OP, with kids in the same range. I never gave it up. Don't plan to either. I did swap from a SS to a sport bike though.
 
I haven't ridden since I had a low-side on some gravel in July 2016. Bike suffered some minor damage, but I was able to ride it home from near Burleigh Falls......I parked it in the garage and it sits in the same condition today. I must confess to being truly on the fence about my riding future. I walk by the bike in the garage daily and vacillate between "Geez....I really need to get this thing fixed and get back out there. I miss riding so much" and "Geez....I really need to get this thing fixed so I can get maximum return in a sale. My riding days are over". A bit of background.....I've only been riding since June 2011; I'm 61, married, with a 16-year-old son who is just starting to drive. My bike is a 2011 GSX-R750 with a few minor mods....I absolutely love it and can't even think of riding any other type of bike. My friends, family and riding buddies say "why don't you get yourself a nice cruiser....much safer and more appropriate for someone your age". I say BS.....not for me; no interest at all; I would sooner quit riding than switch to something like that. In honesty, I don't think I'm a "typical" 61-year-old; I'm still fairly fit and sharp; I don't feel that a rest home is in my near future.

In truth, my confidence is somewhat shot; and my sense of mortality and obligation to my family has never been greater. Reading about all the recent fatalities and knuckleheads out there is not helping. This is my second crash.....what's that saying "3 strikes and you're out"? I think I already have an answer in my head, but I'm trying to put it off as long as possible. I really don't expect forum comments to sway me one way or the other.....just curious what the opinions are out there.

Don't ever let fear rule your life. If you enjoy riding and want to ride; then do it. I truly believe when our times up, it's up....if you're riding a motorcycle, driving a car, walking across the street, or getting a medical illness - doesn't matter.

I've been in 2 death defying accidents. Broke both wrists, dislocated shoulder, broken clavicle, broke my forearm in half, heavy concussion, and finally broke my lower back. Although soon as I was done with Physio and could walk - I was back on a new bike soon as I was good enough to push it. Don't let fear or insecurities tell you how to live; and don't let anyone else tell you what you can and can't do.
 

Back
Top Bottom