Have you ever taken an extended break from riding?

[notabikeranym...]

Sup BCF, been a while.

Has anyone here taken an extended break from riding, and I mean completely, sold up the bikes and all, taken years out, and then come back eventually when they caught the bug again?

After having the first M1000RR nicked, then buying another one out of my own pocket & doing it up, getting shafted by insurance on the first M1000RR's theft claim (payout was about 4.5% of the value ), then highsiding the other M1000RR a few months later and that costing me £10k to repair, which I then sold on... I just completely lost the bug for riding.

I noticed before all of this that I fell out of love with bikes as soon as I moved houses in July 2021. Since that day I've had to force myself to go out on the bikes. I bought the shiniest ones in order to convince myself to be excited about riding, even got a Supermoto to change it up, custom gear, was upgrading and modding things left and right on them all, but no matter how many bikes I got or what I did to them or with them, or whatever bike meets I'd go to, it all felt completely forced.

I've recently sold the R6 and the Husky 701 is going to get listed at some point this week too.

I'm wondering if I'll ever catch the bug for it again. I genuinely don't even miss it and haven't missed it. I was sentimentally attached to my bikes until I SORNed them and uninsured them. Now I'm selling them and I don't even care.

These days I'm enjoying the CLA45, walking my puppy, and hanging out with the GF. Have I gotten old before my time? I turned 29 last November.

Will the joy of riding ever come back?

[Nobby the Bastard]

Yep, stopped riding around 1994-5, started again in around 2010.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[MCN]

Had a Moped for work before I was legal to drive. Hated mopedary. The cold, the wet, the lack of speed.
Was a car-ist for years until about the 2000s when Bikes got Tech.

Never looked back.

Before 2000. Any reason to give up biking was legit.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Polarbear]

I did for about 10 years. I was at sea and when home other things seemed more important. Later I got back into biking because I still had friends that had bikes but I also got into a different style, I went serious touring rather than the bike hooligan(ish) I was. (read Glodwing touring )

Saying that, if I hadn't got back into it I wouldn't have missed it. I had many other interests then and it is/was just a hobby.

Wifey at the time rode as well so we would go out together then she stopped and my biking friends (who are younger than me) go out on their race reps and also do green laning so I am in reality falling out of love with bikes again. My Trophy is the garage queen of all garage queens.

I suppose I'm saying it was as much the friendship I had with like minded people as well as the enjoyent of riding bikes that kept me biking. When that waned, so did my love of riding.

Will you go back? Who knows but you will need a catalyst to fire you up about biking again. If you don't get one? Model railways are a good hobby.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[to v or not to v]

from 1998 to 2021

after 23 years i bought a Thunderace. jumping on it for the first time was quite a memorable experience
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Not as such, but I've gone of kinds of riding. So e.g. there was a time a couple of years before lock down when I honestly began to think I would only ride green lanes and similar. I loved "off-roading" (even though technically I was still on roads - just not metalled ones). But then one thing and another happened (fell out with a mate that I green laned with, etc.), and now I never seem to go out on those trails and tracks I used to be so into.

I'm not even sure I could do it now. It can be a whole other kind of 'bike fit' - if you're up on the pegs for 90% of the time (which you kind of should be), it can be really knackering. I'm probably heavier, and more out of shape generally these days, and I'm pretty sure it would wreck my knees and ankles even more than it used to.

As for road riding, I can feel that dropping off a bit - but I reckon I'll probably always go out once a week, even if only for a 100 miles or so. I wouldn't mind a little two seater like an S2000, TT or mx5 though - but I keep chickening out of actually buying one. A couple of years ago I spent a fair bit of time trying to be a better driver, reading up on it, doing advanced, etc., and started to enjoy it more. It can't rival bikes, but it's better than I ever really gave it credit for.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[slowasyoulike]

Yeah, from 1991 to about 2007 iirc.

[tatters]

Not so much a break but a massive de-escalation since moving to Canada in 2013. I used to ride 7 days a week all year round in the UK, even when owing a car bikes were still my main form of transport.

I own 4 bikes but in all l ride maybe 4-5 times in the summer and no futher than 30-40 miles. I spend more time tinkering with them in my garage over winter than riding.
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Past:NRG50,AF1125(x2),NSR125RR,ZZR250,CX500,VFR400,KR1S,ZZR600(x2),CB400N,YZF1000(x2),KH125,Z200,FX400R,CBR954RR(x2)GPZ500S,GT550,VFR750F(x2),RD350N,XR650R,CBR600F,CB250,KDX250,YZF750R,CRM250,400EXC,KLR650,TTR600RE,DR350S,R100GSPD,RGV250,VMAX1200,DL650 Present:G650XC,C12,KZ750,1190ADV

[grr666]

1992 to 2014 give or take. Couldn't afford to do both car and bike test so had to pick one. Was blatting around
illegally on bikes I wasn't supposed to be on and copped 9 points on my licence. Chose car because it opened more
doors for me employment wise. Then became a bit of a modded car wankah for a bit, I bought a SAAB 9000
and it was so much better than the Fords I'd had before it.... Blah blah blah, many years passed then decided at 40
to throw some money at getting that bike licence I'd been meaning to do for two decades. Did CBT on a 600 Fazer, then
pissed the tests, 1 minor on mod 1 and a clean sheet in Mod 2 off the back of just 7 hours training after 20 something
years away. Turns out it's like riding a bike.... Here I am about to turn 50 and on the MT10 currently
or will be when the weather warms up a bit... Never really lost the urge to ride, just life got in the way and time
moves quick. It's probably for the best, I'd have offed myself at a young age if I'd legally been able to blast
around on big bikes, I still did it but not very often because they weren't my own bike and there was a big
chance of getting caught again by the rozzers. Unfettered access to the roads on something fast and it would
have only been a matter of time. OP, you sound like a bloke who's dumped his cheating ex and CBA with all
that noise again. Understandable since you've had a shit time of it with bikes, but you'll get the urge again.
I'll not stop riding now until it either cabbages me or I can't maintain the costs involved anymore. I dare say the
bikes will get smaller and less fruity as I age but while ever I can swing my leg over something I think I'll
be keeping at it now.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[Rob W]

I did 5 years off, '16 to '21 after passing my car test. I've never really enjoyed driving at all, feels alien to me whereas being on a bike just feels like home.

Literally just woke up one morning and thought fuck this, I want a bike again and that was it, bought a Fireblade which was way too uncomfortable for me, as I'd 'changed' slightly in that 5 years and that was that, can't see me ever not having one again now. Swapped the Blade for my current GSX-S and been happy as a pig in shit since, think I realised that having an absolute track weapon on the road isn't the be all and end all like it was before, and the GSX does everything and more than I'll need.
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'16 GSX-S1000F

[Tyke_]

I've had bikes/mopeds since age 7, i'm now 48, have gone a few years here and there several times without a bike/riding. the thing that's most changed with me over the years is that as i've got older i ride the bikes i have less. i think in large part this is because nowadays the friends i have don't ride anymore and i'm not seeking that thrill of riding fast like i used to. still enjoy bikes and riding though.

[Fizzer Thou]

I had a two week break back in 1979 when my CB550F1 was stolen.I was not the happy go lucky person I was before the theft.

Now been riding as often as possible and never looked back,even when my R1 is SORNed for a few months.But it all comes flooding back to me when I blew a shitty 2022 X5/M5 piece of junk into the weeds
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[Evil Hans]

I had a brief break - from 1988 to 2013. 25 years!

I'm now on a mid-life cricycle.
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[Ayrton]

Had maybe 4 years where I didn't own a bike mostly because I sold mine to fund university stuff and after that had to save for a house. Wouldn't say the love of it ever went away but I wasn't spurred into getting another until I met someone in work that rode. I don't think I'll ever be without a bike even if I end up rarely using it.

[pepperami]

I seem to be in that place now? .
Not fussed about bikes right now for some reason.

They all seem extraordinaly expensive for what they are these days.
Even to keep an older bike is expensive, tax, insurance, etc, etc,.

I can’t speak for the rest of the Country, but here it ALWAYS seems to be raining here if I even think about getting a bike out of the shed .
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Freddyfruitba...]

30-year gap for me. Quit reluctantly in my twenties when life got in the way - wife/young family/no time/money - but after a major life event I decided I owed myself to to get back into it and see if the love was still there. And it so was. Life saver for me, too
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[Zen Dog]

I was bikeless for a 6 month period when I was a student. And I hated it. Told my mates I'd rather cheesegrater my own nipples than be bikeless again. But I do feel myself getting a bit jaded with biking as I get older.

As they put the average speed cameras up everywhere it's slowly sucking out the joy for me. Not that I want to do starship speeds, I just want to be able to ride at a speed that feels right for me and the bike and not have to worry about it too much. But I feel like that time is coming to an end. I'm already seriously considering moving to a lower capacity bike just to be able to thrash it and not lose my licence. When they put up the average speed cameras on my favourite local road I'll probably pack it in altogether.
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Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[pepperami]

[blurredman]

Do speed cameras have cameras watching over them for vandals I wonder?



After riding to work every day for 9/10 years, my wife now works at the same place as I do since August last year, and the kid goes to Nursery, which we drop off/pick up on the journey.

I've never been one much to go out for fun, primarily my miles were commuting. So- my bikes get no mileage now as I have too much to do on the weekend as it is
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (bored to 295cc) - 38k, 1990 MZ ETZ251 - 49k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k.

[Lord Percy]

I've never been a diehard rider. I enjoy it in any weather (obviously sunny is way better) but I have no interest in the latest 'bike stuff' or anything like that. I just like getting out for a ride every now and again. I don't strictly mind what bike I'm on either because for me it's just two wheels moving me along (not interested in knee-down, off-road, super-touring or whatever), I just like to ride out every now and again, on open roads with nice things to look at (thanks Yorkshire).

I went a few years without a bike, firstly due to living in China and then after coming back to the UK I planned to get one but lockdown happened. So it was about 5 years of no bike.

Then shifted to Vietnam where two wheels is the norm so I've been a motorcyclist every day for two years whether I liked it or not.

Arrived back to the UK last week and the first thing on my mind was MOTORBIKE, I had one bought and delivered ready for the day I arrived. So much fun.

I suspect I'll ride less when winter comes back around, but that's a good 6-7 months away.

In future I might ride so little that it classes as "doesn't ride any more" but in my mind a motorbike is always just a vehicle that I'll have a play on every now and again, sometimes for necessity and sometimes for fun. Just another vehicle to me.

[PotatoHead202...]

I've had at least one bike consistently since I was 16 (now 32). The only time I've not really ridden - or at least a max of say 200 miles per year was between 2016 to the start of 2018. Job moved into central london and they paid for rail fare so commuting by bike didn't make sense. When that job ended I turned to riding again in a big way and haven't looked back since. Apart from thick snow I will ride year round, occasionally have to do so if it's icy and i get up too late to use public transport/the car is being used by the GF.
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Honda VFR1200F, Honda CBF500 ABS, CZ125 now CZ175

[dransy]

Yep . Had no garage at the last house and it's no good just keeping them under a cover . I ended up selling up but had a dog to occupy my time . Dog got put to sleep two year ago .

Moved house now and have a garage . Misses and the kid are doing my fucking head in so I've just bought a falco and I'll be honest I just can't wait to get out of the fucking house . Even my misses was moaning that I was mooping about all the time .

But that was my only hobbies motorcycles and walking my boxer dog !! My itch never went though bikes have been thing since forever I just didn't have time or space for them .

I'm hoping it'll give me a kick up the arse having a bike again and maybe put a smile back on my miserable face
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Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles

[dn38416]

[temeluchus]

Over the years, all the cameras, the inconvenience, discomfort, shit weather and commuting robbed the joy of it all from me. On top of this, some 19 year old put me in hospital for a week, the subsequent surgery and implants means holding handlebars causes pretty bad pain after half an hour. This really put the nail in the coffin for me.

I now indulge other hobbies where again a bike would be a huge inconvenience I just don’t care to try and work around.

I might come back to riding, but looking how things are going with the price of vehicles and the impending death of internal combustion it’s a pretty grim prospect.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Lord Percy]