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One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle

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thx1138
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PostPosted: 00:08 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

After a five year break, I got back into motorbikes in Sept 2005. Longest I ever went without riding was a couple of weeks until 2019. This year I've hardly ridden, went green laning once I think, maybe twice. Rode it down the bypass a few times to keep it ticking over, then.. didn't even do that, SORN'd it.

I used to eat, live and breathe motorbikes. And, now I don't. Left the CMA, cos I don't ride bikes anymore, am still in the TRF, but membership will expire.

Don't think it's a midlife crisis. But... I did start to shy away from "long trips" south on the VanVan. The wife's 200cc is still on the road, and it's my transport if I need to go somewhere, but cos I hardly ride bikes, I don't like the idea of a long trip on one, cos i've lost confidence. Confused
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 07:00 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Riding a bike is like swimming or ....... riding a bike?, you never forget how , you just get a bit rusty at it.

Don’t give up, you know you’ll regret it the day you do.
Find a new direction, literally!
Even if that means becoming the dreaded fair weather rider Shocked Laughing .
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 07:57 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Burn the heretic! Laughing

I haven't ridden my bike for months, and although I miss it and would get back to it in a flash if I could, it isn't all there is in the world.
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wr6133
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PostPosted: 08:07 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Find the bike that fits your life.

Last year I barely did more than MOT miles. I had a ZZR600 and a GSXR1000. Problem was I was professionally so busy I didn't have time to get them out on long runs (and my daily commute was no longer very nice on a bike). I live rural and short evening rides here involve lousy roads, if you want to open up a fast bike you need to go for 2+ hour ride, not happening on a light summer evening when knackered from work. It wasn't that I'd stopped liking bikes it was more the bikes I had didn't suit the time I usually had. This created a bit of a circle where from not wanting to ride them in the week began to carry over to my spare time on weekends.

Bought an Enfield in January always wanted one and does well being ridden hard on shit roads. I've done more miles now on that in my local area than I did on both the other bikes last year in total. Knock on effect is I've also added miles to the faster bikes on weekends because for lack of a better word I'm back in the "groove". Infact I can't recall when I last enjoyed riding this much, in comparison 12 months ago I was pondering selling my bikes and taking a break!

Just an idea to ponder, maybe you need a new direction.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 10:50 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, if confidence is the issue and green laning is your thing, do you have a mountain bike? Go throw that about some. Then when you get bored pedalling along slowly, you know what to do...
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 10:54 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

thx1138 wrote:
After a five year break, I got back into motorbikes in Sept 2005. Longest I ever went without riding was a couple of weeks until 2019. This year I've hardly ridden, went green laning once I think, maybe twice. Rode it down the bypass a few times to keep it ticking over, then.. didn't even do that, SORN'd it.

I used to eat, live and breathe motorbikes. And, now I don't. Left the CMA, cos I don't ride bikes anymore, am still in the TRF, but membership will expire.

Don't think it's a midlife crisis. But... I did start to shy away from "long trips" south on the VanVan. The wife's 200cc is still on the road, and it's my transport if I need to go somewhere, but cos I hardly ride bikes, I don't like the idea of a long trip on one, cos i've lost confidence. Confused
Some bikers, when they get old like you just have, turn to Harleys. I think giving up instead is the right thing, well done you. Very Happy
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 13:20 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

yen_powell wrote:
Some bikers, when they get old like you just have, turn to Harleys. I think giving up instead is the right thing, well done you. Very Happy


HellKat has a Harley.....................' INCOMING Laughing
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 20:34 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
yen_powell wrote:
Some bikers, when they get old like you just have, turn to Harleys. I think giving up instead is the right thing, well done you. Very Happy


HellKat has a Harley.....................' INCOMING Laughing
Yeah but she ist a girl, so it's okay.
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Islander
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PostPosted: 21:10 - 30 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

yen_powell wrote:
Polarbear wrote:

HellKat has a Harley.....................' INCOMING Laughing
Yeah but she ist a girl, so it's okay.


It's been nice knowing you. Flowers? or a charity donation? Can I have your stuff?
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 17:34 - 07 May 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
HellKat has a Harley.....................' INCOMING Laughing

Yes but I am famously old.
Been out on it today, as it goes.
Wink
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 17:40 - 07 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'll always be cool to me, droidypoos
Bike or no bike, you're properly alternative to ordinary boring peeps.
Cool
Ya never know, the confidence might come back.
I lost mine for two years a while back.
Just took a while to find the right bike (GPZ500) to get my bikery mojo back again.
Fuckin loved that GPZ Wub
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 17:58 - 07 May 2020    Post subject: Re: One day, I woke up, and didn't want to ride a motorcycle Reply with quote

Islander wrote:
It's been nice knowing you. Flowers? or a charity donation? Can I have your stuff?

https://media1.tenor.com/images/efdd1740a6a92f95322e5bdbb5e60b73/tenor.gif?itemid=9713357
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Howling Terror
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PostPosted: 19:15 - 07 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

That happened in a short time thx1138 Surprised

'Seems' like only a few months since I was uprating your posts in the 'Where have you been' thread.

Anything that springs to mind that may have caused the dip in confidence?
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 23:41 - 07 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't even imagine not being interested in bikes anymore. When I got hit recently and it wasn't my fault, I had no panic and my only thought was to get back on and ride. Years ago, when a bike went out from under me because of a mechanical fault, and I suffered a serious injury, the same. And before that, when I chucked it down on a bend on gravel (my fault), the same. There is surely nothing better than the internal combustion engine on 2 wheels. From your profile it seems you ride a pedal bicycle a lot. Perhaps you prefer the pleasure from the endorphins of exercise? In any case, the pleasure of riding is different. Some people ride very fast bikes, going on the track, barrelling down A-roads between the traffic, etc. Yet others like tinkering, and classic bikes from their youth. Others prefer off-road riding (your preference). The one observation I would make is, we don't have that many "green lanes" in this country. I have only ridden off road a couple of times, and I loved it. The memory of those times is ingrained in me. However, I didn't do it in this country.

If I were to hazard a guess, riding for the sake of only greenlaning isn't worth it in England. You have to ride out a long way to find roads you spotted on an obscure map shared by insiders on a forum somewhere, and when you get there the temperature is max 16 degrees, there's a light drizzle, the clouds are overcast and the fun bit is short. This is a highly developed country and there are lots of rules and norms here. Conditions aren't ideal for trails. You probably feel like you're not getting enough adventure, and this is because you've exhausted the potential of your current riding habits, which may be simply taking a CRF(?) out to some shire like you did last year, and the year before. In your shoes I would try one of two things: 1) try a light trails bike (2-stroke) and pack light, or 2) leave the bike at home and book an adventure holiday in Europe or Africa. Toro is on my bucket list. If you have a few quid lying around, there are also some interesting touring packages in the Himalayas. None of these appeal? Then you surely must have already ridden the Grossgluckner, toured northern Italy, the picos de Europa, etc. I would hazard that you still love bikes but are bored of the shires.
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thx1138
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PostPosted: 03:29 - 10 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a 2 stroke, a 300cc x trainer.

Might be the problem, I sold my CRF, the XT is a hit, but a total pita to ride on tarmac.

Had a few bad offs, sky/trees/sky/trees/sky ouch.

Also cycle lots. Maybe I'm just not wanting to trail ride.

Had "trigger finger" needed injections in hand, also have tennis elbow and carpal tunnel in same arm. Some days everything hurts just getting out of bed, back, knees, hips. Etc

Maybe, need to just be a fair weather road rider
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 09:42 - 10 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

In about 95 I got fucked off with riding. It was a combination of shit gear making me cold and wet (no heated grips which help a lot) my right wrist giving me gip all the time due to an undiagnosed broken scaphoid (yes it had been x-rayed but I later found out that the picture was fuzzy and so didnt show the break) and a big off when I almost ended up with gangrene in my knee.

So I got a car (already had the license) and drove quite happily for a few years.

A couple of years later my wrist was fixed, ended up living in Bath and a few years later started a family with mrs bastard. Living and working in Bath I couldn't really justify or afford a second car to go the couple of miles to work.

I spent about 6 months walking to work and then Inherited my brothers old and cheap cycle. This was preferable to shanks pony and, although it's still far from perfect because the bone graft didn't take fully, I found my wrist was up to the rigours of cycling without suspension.

When its replacement was knackered, it was around the time I found that my job was moving to Bristol in a couple of years. I didnt relish the prospect of public transport or commuting by car and my financial situation was much better so I thought I may as well get a new bike and get used to riding again by riding across Bath to work.

So I went and found an fz750 in Swindon tentatively road it back to Bath because it had been about 15 years and the biggest I'd previously had was a 250.

The rest, as they say, is history.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 11:17 - 10 May 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

thx1138 wrote:

Maybe, need to just be a fair weather road rider


And what did wise old Pepperami say in the first reply in this thread???

The wise sage that is Pepperami Thumbs Up

Fair weather biking is better than no biking at all.
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Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 3 years, 323 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
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