Best time of your life was when?

[FF68]

...Was it when you were young and dumb and didn't know any better or was it when you got older and wiser and started understanding what life is all about???

[Polarbear]

Easy question for me.

When I first went to sea in the 70's. Everything was new. Exploring the world. Seeing and experiencing so much from brothels in Valparaiso to street food stalls in Borneo (how we never got food poisoning I'll never know) . In the era when you had booze on ships and no one frankly gave a fuck as long as you did your job.

1973 - 1989ish. It all deteriorated after then. H&S. No booze. Drug and alcohol tests. Not being able to scream at cadets. No or very restricted shore leave. Ports miles away from civilisation.

That first 15 or so years were fabulous, and I got paid for doing it!!!
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[FF68]

[Polarbear]

[Robby]

On balance for me, being middle aged is better than being 21. It's not to do with being older and wiser, it's almost entirely down to being older and richer.

When I was 21 I was broke and that was stressful. I had an awful lot of fun and squeezed in a lot of living from about 20-25, but with an undercurrent of stress.

Now I'm not stressed. I could technically still do all the things I did at 21, but the consequences of a fuckup are more severe now. I'm also better at self control than I was.

[BanditsHigh]

When I was a kid playing hide'n'seek, cowboys'n'indians, two man hunt, grave tig, marbles, rope swings and death slides, diy go-karts, bows'n'arrows etc ... growing up just meant you had to face life as a grown up ... feck that!

Oh, nearly forgot, C.D.C cheesy straws crisps ... if I had a time to go back to in my life it'd be when they were still being made

[Easy-X]

Ten years ago I stopped smoking, stopped doing drugs, stopped unnecessary sugar intake (haven't had a coke, lemonade or Red Bull - even diet versions even once in the last 10 years) cut down drinking to 3 pints of being sociable...

Life is so much better when you're clear-headed enough to appreciate it.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stinkwheel]

The gap between finishing finals and graduating. Nothing I could or should be doing so did what I wanted.

Had no money mind, spent a lot of the time sleeping in a bivvy in various places. Seemed to manage to scrape together enough for fuel for my bike, food and cheap cider.

Came close to similar when I took a 3 month sabbatical and did the Round Britain Rally in a oner. Again, left on the bike with a ten and didn't come back for 3 months. More responsabilities by then though so there was always something hanging over me a little.

Must do something similar again soon.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[to v or not to v]

definitely the last decade or so. regrettably, i had a very mis-spent early life.
i was never really content until i met my current wench.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[MarJay]

I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. I do have a misty eyed feeling for that time when I lived in Reading in my 20s (2005 to 2012) and I had a bunch of bikes, enough money to put fuel in, and not a lot to do so I did a lot of riding.

However, I know that's not reality because I also know the stress I had at work, the stress I had with my personal relationships. I don't think on balance it's much worse (or better) than it is now. I'm now physically fitter, but I do have issues such as an arthritic left ankle.

I had a particular feeling I remember vividly of playing GTA San Andreas in my spare bedroom with the windows open on a hot summer night. I don't tend to get that kind of feeling from games these days, but I still get the feeling I get from bikes. People say riding bikes makes them feel young again and I can't say I disagree.

I now have a large airy light garage with an epoxy sealed floor, all the tools I could ever need, 4 bikes, a Porsche 911, more video games than I can play and a fantastic partner but I do have a job that needs a bit more time putting into it, and I do need to train more often to keep up my fitness, so I do feel like I've got less time. I can't get away with drinking the quantities of fizzy drinks I used to, and I have to watch what I eat but I still treat myself when I want to.

Dunno. I couldn't tell you whether I'd rather live then or now. There are certainly moments I'd like to relive from that time, but I'm pretty happy right now too. Nostalgia is a deceptive drug too - and you can tell that from the bullshit you see in the news all the time. People saying we should go back to the old days, where we didn't have mobile phones, not every house had double glazing or central heating, we didn't have the worlds knowledge at our fingertips, and the most exciting thing you could do of an evening was watch a mediocre sitcom on TV or read a newspaper. We forget how good we have it now, despite the drawbacks of modern living IMO.

I should say, I do miss many of my BCF friends from back in the day. I still message G from time to time, and I did pop in and see Bendy a while back, but we've drifted apart, live in different areas etc. I occasionally see Robby, Nowhere_elysium etc too.

I will add that I do miss having people of similar pace to ride with. My other half rides, and she's reasonably handy but because she's my partner, it can be quite scary. Riding with friends in your 20s is a much more carefree experience. That's the other thing I miss, is my innocence and my fearlessness. I now know what can happen, in relationships, in life, on the road, on track that means that I can't go back to that "Just f'in ride hard" attitude. I was never super quick on the road or track, but I know now I *could* be quicker, and feasibly have more fun if I just didn't care about it. But I have had enough crashes to know that I do need to reign it in a bit, and I think that is now holding my riding back a bit. There's nothing I can do about it, it's a fundamental part of me now, in the same way that the breakdown of my marriage is part of me - but I didn't realise that the innocence and fearlessness I had was a thing until it's gone.

So that's the only real issue, but I do need those things as they form part of my experience, and they make me safer and allow me to have healthier relationships... so *shrug*
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[blurredman]

2015. Before I had a wife and children that I have now, and importantly before I met a girl (not wife, different woman) who was (as far as I know right now) the biggest mistake in my life in being involved with a year later in '16.

I had a job in newspaper pre-production that was half day shifts and half night shifts. I spent my non-working time at home working on my hobbies, and the night shifts just watching films and tv series (notebly Miami Vice and Stargate SG-1 which I had set pre-recorded onto vhs for 4pm). The vending machine gave freebies if you knocked it in a specific way occasionally, I ate awful food but was still pretty slim, and I had hair and my body was pretty healthy.. No arthritic knees or cauda equina.

Was a good time.
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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, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 39k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 50k.

[to v or not to v]

[superstacker]

Probably around 2008-2010. I was coming to the end of my time in the RAF, we had a good group of friends who used to drink together at the weekend.

All my family rode motorbikes and we'd always be round my dads. sometimes there would be 12 motorbikes outside the house! We loved going on rideouts all the time.

The years went by, Dad passed away 3 years ago. 3 of us still have bikes but we barely ride any more. I did 400 miles last year.

[P.]

Pre Feb 2008, probably mid-2007 to start 2008 was perfect for me.

Would replay that part of my life over and over.

[spnorm]

My forties. I’d just married my wife, had plenty of disposable income after years of being skint in my 20’s so I could afford to travel and buy new bikes for cash, and lost weight and felt fitter and stronger than I’d ever been

[jeremyr62]

When I could get a boner and it lasted for more than 2 minutes...

[to v or not to v]

[Moxey]

Quality of life wise, 2023 to now, met my other half, became a stepdad and had my own daughter last year first time in my whole 33 years I've ever felt comfortable and somewhat normal.

Financially and time wise was a lot more secure 2014-2022, 2 incomes no kids or dependents....utter misery! In hindsight I was trapped in an abusive relationship where every good time swung to the other extreme in due course, was regularly battling the latest gas lit nonsense from her or her controlling family (didn't realise it till a good while after that my own family were very much the same, rock and a hard place situation).

I got out a lot more on the bike back then, rallies, leisure rides etc but then it was almost an essential chore for my own sanity, nowadays still got the bikes & the offered freedom just no desire to get out, quite happy just tinkering in the garage on them & spending time with the kids.
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Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 51 Moto Guzzi California Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[stinkwheel]

[Ste]

2003-2004 was filled with irresponsible two wheeled fun without absolutely no sense of consequences. BCF now would disapprove of BCF then as lots of us were riding bikes that we were not licensed for, add in some driving without car licenses and other such stupidity.

Lots of fun was had and in hindsight it's quite lucky that none of us died or ended up in prison. Life was good but then everything changed thanks to a car crash, we weren't even doing anything fun, it was a diesel car and we were just plodding along at the speed limit when something went wrong.

2005-2006 more fun was had although I think a large chunk of that time period was spent living on the sofa at G's place which as it happens was across the road from where MarJay lived.

2007 bought a flat in Reading which turned out to be a bit crappy, sold that six months later and bought a house in Wiltshire instead.

2010-2013 many things went to poo thanks to a couple of people who at the time I thought were friends but in actual fact they were only there to financially ruin me.

2021 I started marathon canoeing again which is very excellent.

Best was easily 2003 however the being young and dumb with no responsibilities seems to be a common theme for when people had the best times. Now is also good even if it's a different good.

Meh.

[mentalboy]

[Ste]

Yarp.

How long ago did you race for them?

[A100man]

In the 80s and 90s - when I had enough money and no responsibilities - before I foolishly got married..
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[tatters]

2005-2013 were the best years of my life, up until I came to Canada in 2013. Riding motorcycles every day, working on motorcycle projects, Traveling by motorcycle to far-flung places, great engineering career, friends and a social life.

Wifes family are extremely controlling on a cult like level so work became an escape from the nonsense. Spent the past 12 years working silly hours away from home each week in a construction job l hate which was detrimental to my health, two major spine surgeries in the past 4 years, and a heart attack last year at age 38. Been debt and mortgage-free since 2020 but would rather have my health and freedom.
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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,KZ750 Present:G650XC,C12,CRF450X,1190ADV

[DaddyStu]