One of those "Life Changing" moments....or two...

K

Kframe

Street Tracker
I feel guilty that I've got 4 bikes that have been mostly collecting dust ever since my son was born nearly 15 months ago. I know it's no good for a bike to sit.

I tell my bike-riding friends that it's because I just don't have any free time anymore, which is mostly true, but a big part of it is I had a couple close calls in the last 2 yrs and I just can't imagine leaving my son fatherless and my wife a widow.

I mean, I still enjoy the ride, but not as much, especially in any traffic at all. Even on a wide open country road, when a car is approaching from the other direction I can feel myself tense up, especially if it looks like we may meet near a driveway or sideroad.
(In MN we've had a near-record year of MC fatalities, and many were due to left-turning cars violating right-of-way.)

The rides I've enjoyed most this summer have been taking the $350 '74 CB550 out on deserted gravel and dirt roads, devoid of traffic. Just putting along at 30-45 mph.

I don't have much free time, and when I do, even if it's a gorgeous day out, I seem to gravitate toward sitting on the couch with my guitar, or if I feel like being outside heading to the range for an hour. The bikes, just don't have that much of a draw for me right now.
But, knowing myself, my hobby interests wax and wane and I know if I sold all the bikes I'd end up wishing I hadn't. I love the T100, but it's getting harder to justify keeping 5-6 grand locked up in something I don't use much. I'm sometimes tempted to sell that and the Shadow and just hang onto the CB and the Helix. But, haven't come close to making up my mind.

Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread...
-K
 
slowgator

slowgator

750cc
Kframe said:
I tell my bike-riding friends that it's because I just don't have any free time anymore, which is mostly true, but a big part of it is I had a couple close calls in the last 2 yrs and I just can't imagine leaving my son fatherless and my wife a widow.
-K
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Nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution, especially when it comes to your loved ones. FWIW, I too got off the bikes during my child-rearing years, but now that they are all grown and on their own, I am back on.

We all have our priorities. Mine have changed over the years and I expect that yours will too. Best of luck to you and enjoy that new son! They grow up WAY too fast!
 
K

Kframe

Street Tracker
slowgator said:
Nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution, especially when it comes to your loved ones. FWIW, I too got off the bikes during my child-rearing years, but now that they are all grown and on their own, I am back on.

We all have our priorities. Mine have changed over the years and I expect that yours will too. Best of luck to you and enjoy that new son! They grow up WAY too fast!
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Man, tell me about it!
He started crawling 3/31, walking 5/22 (yes, it's all in the baby book) and just this week he learned how to climb onto the couch and coffee table! He's got no fear, runs like a track star (well, a drunk one, LOL). He's a lot of work, but such a great little guy, we're having a blast (albeit exhaustedly).
:)
-K
 
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Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
Worth reading


bikes-saved-my-life


I have less tolerance than ever for all those people who ...... talk about how dangerous bikes are. When something as random as a blood vessel bursting in your brain could kill you at any time, why waste energy trying to live life more safely? Safety is a myth. Let’s embrace life with all its risks, enjoy ourselves and really feel alive.
 
S

strokerlmt

Moderator
Sal thx for the good read......I am finding myself "can't wait" until week this Friday. Our small group riding to Pinnacles...set up camp....off to Hollister for an early dinner.....back to camp....then home through Naciemto back roads. Friday Saturday on the bike.
LMT
 
K

Kframe

Street Tracker
Sal Paradise said:
Worth reading


bikes-saved-my-life


I have less tolerance than ever for all those people who ...... talk about how dangerous bikes are. When something as random as a blood vessel bursting in your brain could kill you at any time, why waste energy trying to live life more safely? Safety is a myth. Let’s embrace life with all its risks, enjoy ourselves and really feel alive.
Click to expand...



Well sure, TOTAL safety is indeed a myth.
But certainly one can reduce their overall exposure to proven risks.
I'm certainly not now, nor will I ever be "anti-bike", but only a fool would deny that one's overall risk of being killed on the road is higher when riding a motorcycle.

Why "waste energy" trying to live life more safely. Seriously? Do you not buckle up, do you leave your doors unlocked at night, do you not look both ways before crossing the street or proceeding through an intersection, do you avoid maintaining fire extinguishers/smoke alarms, etc, etc?

Honestly, Sal, I'm not trying to start any fight here, just pointing out that what one calls 'wasted energy' another may call prudence.

Yes, people die all the time of random things like brain aneurysms, those things you largely cannot control - however, there are many things that are in our control and if that means I'm a wuss for wearing a helmet, anticipating what traffic is doing, avoiding riding in rush-hour traffic, or at night around bar-closing, or at twilight (the deer around here are insane), than so be it.

I also quit smoking, I try to be reasonable with salt and butter intake and I try to let things go instead of becoming consumed by stress/anger - incidentally, those things also reduce my risk of a devastating brain hemmorhage, so even that risk can be reduced. There are very few things that happen that are truly 'out of the blue'.

One can mitigate risk without missing out on the fullfilling enjoyment of life.
If one doesn't make any effort to mitigate risks - one risks missing out on life entirely.

My choices are just that, mine, and don't seek outside approval (nor are they subject to disapproval, makes no difference to me).

If I die doing something I love, I'm still dead, my son still doesn't have a father, my wife is still widowed.

Like I said, I'm not swearing off bikes, but I will point out that motorcycles had nothing to do with that man's recovery from a brain injury - it was the fact that he had the drive, the motivation and determination to return to something he loved dearly.
For him, yes, it was motorcycling, for others it may be playing the piano again, or skydiving (less risky than motorcycling, BTW) or seeing a child get married, or going fishing again or any one of 6 billion+ possibilities.
It isn't any of those external things that saves lives, it's the internal motivation to get back to them.

Like I said before, I'm not trying to start a fight, this is a discussion forum and I'm discussing. Simply that.
:)
-Kris
 
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strokerlmt

Moderator
Hi Kris....just a quick comment where I disagree. IMHO when dealing with stress, sadness, illness, and life threathening illness very positive energy, enjoyment, positive thoughts thrills all things positive help individuals to recover, bounce back and deal with life's hiccups and pitfalls. What I saw with Sal's link was a gent that had to bounce back from a freight train of mortality. It was not just getting back on the bike as you saw it, it was energy and healing inside with life's positive experiences whether a bike ride, hugging your wife or kids, laughing.....
positive vibes man.....
LMT

Donald Sutherland....."stop with the negative vibes"
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
Just a note that those are not my words - I should have put them in " quotes"

In my humble opinion, without that " positive energy" or excitement, life isn't worh living. I am a bit of an adventurer. I'm a sailor, I snowboard, I ride motorcycles, I hike, I canoe, kayak, camp, drive fast, love crazy women... I drink rum. When I give up those things, life will be over and I will be dead, whether or not I'm still breathing.


p.s and I have 3 great sons, pretty much all grown up now. They might be the most important thing. So I also do a heck of a lot to try and stay as safe as possible.
 
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T

thearcticsea

Rocker
I expect this post will be highly unpopular, but someone's got to say it. I don't mean to insult anyone in this thread, but...

Why would you come on to a motorcycle forum with these fucking horror stories? Everyone always comes on here and elsewhere whenever they've had a little fucking scare and shit themselves, and then announces to the group (as if anyone cares) that they're retiring from a hobby.

Why post that shit on a motorcycle forum? It's like walking into a room of people who are doing jumping jacks and having a really fucking great-ass time doing them, and loudly proclaiming "I SHALL HENCEFORTH REFRAIN FROM ALL JUMPING JACK RELATED ACTIVITIES!!"

What exactly is the expectation here? That everyone's going to hug you and say please don't go, or that everyone's going to shed a silent tear and walk that lonely, dusty trail with you?

These people come on to a site entirely occupied by people engaged in a hobby and then denounce the hobby, all while saying "This is just my opinion, no one else has to agree." All the while they inject these fucking stories of maiming and disembowelment in order to what, explain their fear? Convince others that they should also be fearful?

Honestly, everyone do what you want. But stop trying to spread the paranoia bullshit. I don't want to be out on a ride next week and suddenly be jacking on the brakes whenever a car goes by. I also don't want to think about it. I don't give a fuck what you chose. I have life insurance and my wife can fuck anyone she wants when I'm dead.

Basically what I'm saying is, if you're gonna leave, just fucking leave. Quietly.
 
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S

strokerlmt

Moderator
Hmmmm....nothing I read here makes me do anything other than what "I" want to fucking do ;-))). I just enjoy this site, the different people, the site freedom and reading all the different outlooks on our bike life.
LMT
 
B06Tang

B06Tang

Cafe Racer
thearcticsea said:
I expect this post will be highly unpopular, but someone's got to say it. I don't mean to insult anyone in this thread, but...

Why would you come on to a motorcycle forum with these fucking horror stories? Everyone always comes on here and elsewhere whenever they've had a little fucking scare and shit themselves, and then announces to the group (as if anyone cares) that they're retiring from a hobby.

Why post that shit on a motorcycle forum? It's like walking into a room of people who are doing jumping jacks and having a really fucking great-ass time doing them, and loudly proclaiming "I SHALL HENCEFORTH REFRAIN FROM ALL JUMPING JACK RELATED ACTIVITIES!!"

What exactly is the expectation here? That everyone's going to hug you and say please don't go, or that everyone's going to shed a silent tear and walk that lonely, dusty trail with you?

These people come on to a site entirely occupied by people engaged in a hobby and then denounce the hobby, all while saying "This is just my opinion, no one else has to agree." All the while they inject these fucking stories of maiming and disembowelment in order to what, explain their fear? Convince others that they should also be fearful?

Honestly, everyone do what you want. But stop trying to spread the paranoia bullshit. I don't want to be out on a ride next week and suddenly be jacking on the brakes whenever a car goes by. I also don't want to think about it. I don't give a fuck what you chose. I have life insurance and my wife can fuck anyone she wants when I'm dead.

Basically what I'm saying is, if you're gonna leave, just fucking leave. Quietly.
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:up::beer::motorbike2:
 
K

Kframe

Street Tracker
strokerlmt said:
Hi Kris....just a quick comment where I disagree. IMHO when dealing with stress, sadness, illness, and life threathening illness very positive energy, enjoyment, positive thoughts thrills all things positive help individuals to recover, bounce back and deal with life's hiccups and pitfalls. What I saw with Sal's link was a gent that had to bounce back from a freight train of mortality. It was not just getting back on the bike as you saw it, it was energy and healing inside with life's positive experiences whether a bike ride, hugging your wife or kids, laughing.....
positive vibes man.....
LMT

Donald Sutherland....."stop with the negative vibes"
Click to expand...

I don't think we actually are that far off from each other. Part of the guy's recovery was getting back on the bike, which for him had positive energy, enjoyment, thrills, etc. For him that was the energy and healing, my point was that for others it may be the other things I mentioned, not so much the actual hobby/experience as the desire and need to return to it. :)

Sal Paradise said:
Just a note that those are not my words - I should have put them in " quotes"

In my humble opinion, without that " positive energy" or excitement, life isn't worh living. I am a bit of an adventurer. I'm a sailor, I snowboard, I ride motorcycles, I hike, I canoe, kayak, camp, drive fast, love crazy women... I drink rum. When I give up those things, life will be over and I will be dead, whether or not I'm still breathing.


p.s and I have 3 great sons, pretty much all grown up now. They might be the most important thing. So I also do a heck of a lot to try and stay as safe as possible.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, without positive energy, excitement, new things, adventure I too think life is not worth living. I guess where I was going with my post is that sometimes, for some people, limiting or eliminating one activity may enhance the other parts of their lives. I really do love motorcycling, but there's a few areas that I've assessed as having too high of a risk:reward ratio. Such as using my bike to commute or riding at bar-closing time.
Just last week a guy on a bike braked hard during a rush hour slowdown and a typical cager following too close couldn't stop in time and rammed him into the car ahead, and he died. Helmet and everything couldn't save him. I drive past that same spot everyday and I've had to hammer the brakes in my car too, but am not as concerned about being rear-ended while driving a car.
To me, the most enjoyment on a bike is out on deserted roads, dealing with rush hour is not what it's about - for me. Other's may love the challenge of heavy traffic, YMMV.

To articsea, there's nothing wrong with posting up stuff about close calls or stories about accidents on a bike forum, there are many levels of experience here and years ago this and other forums were where I learned about the dangers of left-turning cars. What I read made me more careful and a better rider. Sure, if it seems like someone is fishing for people to say 'oh, please stay, please keep riding, don't go man', then that's another thing, but nothing wrong with pointing out areas of hazard. On other forums, such as shooting sports, there are always posts about mishaps and things that can be used to help one enjoy their hobby more safely, such as setting up steel plates at an angle that reduces the risk of richocet, or range safety tips.

It's all good.
-K
 
B06Tang

B06Tang

Cafe Racer
Then how many posts are you going to generate explaining that you are leaving motorcycling and telling everyone the unsafe nature of the hobby? It seems that your posts are intended to be persuasive rather than informative. Hopefully it is what you want and you are happy with it and you don't have to look back. All I know is that I don't go to a cigar forum and then start ripping up posts about smoking and that I can't do it because of the greater chance of lung cancer. I simply say goodbye and do what I have to do.
 
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thearcticsea

Rocker
I'm not trying to be an asshole, but I mean, I am from Massachusetts.

All I'm saying is that this shit isn't helpful. All it does is rain on everyone's parade.

Basically, again, don't be a wet blanket.

That's the last thing I'll say. I probably shouldn't have injected myself into this thread. Usually when things irk me I just let it go, because, honestly I practice what I preach. Shut your trap and go away, you're not important and neither is anything you have to say. Believe me, I hold myself to this very very often.

It's just that the past year or so my favorite hobby has been under attack by a lot of people in my life and it's starting to piss me off. I barely enjoyed riding this year and now it's too cold in this shit state. I let others ruin my whole summer of riding due to their being over-cautious bitches. I shouldn't have let them affect me like that, but before I knew it the riding season was ending and I'd put only 500 miles on. I didn't even realize it was happening, but whenever I ride now I'm a skittish little pusswagon. I actually got terrified because my brain made me think that a mailbox was a deer and it was going to run in front of me.

I'm just reacting at this point to anyone who even mentions the risks of riding. We all know the risks, we accept them. So just let us go on ignorantly and you people who give it up can sit back and enjoy a feeling of superior intelligence. I'm really just hoping that by next season I've shaken this dreadful feeling of impending doom that's been pushed on me whenever I sling a leg over the seat.

Woops, looks like I said a bunch of shit again.

I'm done.
 
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T-boy

T-boy

Rocker
BlueJ said:
Uh... so don't ride in traffic? It's not fun anyway!
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Right-o on that...I don't use the bike for work commutes too much anymore, but I still enjoy the hell out of early morning weekend jaunts in the country. There's something soothing and adventurous about being the only vehicle on the road and just going to places you normally wouldn't go in a car.
 
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