I had an accident spring last year. I wrote about it here, and had opinions on both sides, but mostly to continue. It was not deciding should I continue or not, but was more of good points related to my decision to continue. Anyway, the accident meant that we canceled our trip to the baltics with one of my best friends. As I bought a new bike last fall, we made a trip this summer to Kaliningrad. And during that trip, we had a lot of discussion related to driving a motorcycle, especially as a family man with small children. He told me he drives 150-500 miles per year outside of our trips. It is our trips that makes him keep the bike. He more than enjoys our trips, it is the best of time of the year for him. He was also selling the bike due to not riding, as he doesn't like riding himself or to work etc. and last summer was really close. But just because our trips are great, he will keep it and we will do a trip yearly. I've also another friend in Paris. He drove a sv650, and it was his only transport for a couple of years. He really got fed up of driving, and sold it and didn't drive for years, until now he bought a new bike. He said it just become a chore. The point is, find out what is the best time you have on your bike. Is it commute, is it trips, is it one hour blasts with mates etc. Then just do that, skip the commute or the mandatory trip you don't like that much. Just do the thing you like, and make those times happen, even if it's once or two times a year. It can be mojo, it can be boredom. Think when you really had a nice time, and do it again.
All the lads that i hung around with in my early 20's have either sold them or weve drifted apart. Some of them i stay in contact with most, not, life kinda gets in the way when your trying to make your own way in life.... Got one mate left with a bike and we get together now and again which keeps it interesting. As others have said....its not all about the riding...defaintely agree with that...! Youve got the pani. Keep it, admire it, but dont sell it. I would say get something else that needs work....not money pit kinda work (well, in a way the better the result)....case in point for me is my hyper....the recent engine seizure accelerated my schedule but, stripping the hyper down to the frame was - well, therapy....absolutely loved every minute of it. My z1000 in a year or two's time will be getting the full overhaul treatment too. I cant wait...hopefully nothing will fail in the meantime if it does, doesnt matter but id rather it not. If you get something a bit older, the older it gets the more timeless (bit of a wet word) it becomes more than the some of its parts to a certain extent...sounds a bit crap but it really is therapy. I dont get to go out that much. I tend to ride mine (all of them to work) - that gives me my fix...!
I ride with my dad, occasionally my brother in law, best mate #1's brother and best mate #2, occasionally best mate #2's wife and increasingly SWMBO (who is doing her mod 2). When I ride on my own it's for kicks without fear of being led or leading others or to get to some far-flung airport to meet SWMBO... Riding to commute when the fancy takes but predominantly for fun. It's a quality of life thing. Being on a bike represents continuity, freedom and control. It's functional transportation and covering land around the planet to make sense of distance. It's the practical application of physics and the challenge of maintaining focus. It also is my vanity and conceit and makes me run and do exercises when my bike gear gets too tight or I feel silly on a sports bike (2017 and 2018... 2019 I'll be back ). My original mob of riders long since drifted / quit / died / got into Harleys...
I did 11,000 miles in 2016 on my 1299 & have struggled to do 1000 on it in 17/18. Keep toying with the idea of selling it but the 2020 extended warranty & huge depreciation keep me from doing so ( false economy I know- yearly service, insurance etc). The RR gets more use but mainly for commuting & tours. I haven’t done a single weekend pleasure ride this year on either bike. Kinda lost my mojo too, but with & 3 yr old & 5 yr old , I am happy not to fight this. Riding without purpose ( tour/commute) may come back, but my gut feeling is, it won’t. @Gp80 , perhaps the social element was as important as the riding. I agree with some of the other comments here, if you are happy to sit tight, wait & see what happens next season. With social media & this forum, I’m sure there will be members who live local to you who will be willing to ride with you & perhaps rekindle the passion. If you feel the same next season, as an extreme measure, if you can afford the sell/buy hit , offload & see how you feel. I have a sneaky suspicion that the first time you hear a glorious v twin ( or indeed a v4 now) pull up next to you at the lights on a sunny day, your mojo may return.
Just back in from the garage, a 10 minute stare at my hyper picturing a top of the line 3 way bitubo rear shock on there....itll be coming some time next year...
The thing is....everything gets old....take your 1299... tons of them around but....theyll start to get into short supply.....if yours gets light use then itll look better the old it gets. It would be a totally different argument if you'd found the edge of its limits but most of us wont. My hyper, z, rsv4 will never see my limits and for that reason ive got no reason lto sell any of them. Next job i have planned for the hyper is some custom metal fabrication....currently sourcing tools so i can do it myself....theres the therapy...
ive not been on mine this year due to competing demands on time and unfortunately the bike is at the bottom of the list. but theres something warm and reassuring to know that its sat there ready to make me grin when im ready like a dog really. unconditional and on your terms when you want it.
“seems a bit pointless just going round in a big circle” Isn’t doing track days just going round in a big circle ?
Glad to hear it's not just me that's been lacking in motivation lately. Last year my wife and I did a biking tour of Scotland... great roads, but also very wet most days, and we had some technical problems with intercoms which also dampened the mood. The scenery was spectacular and there were lots of activities I'd like to have done, but when you're on a bike in full waterproof gear, you just want to get to the hotel, have a hot shower, get changed, and retire to the bar. I felt like I'd missed out, and realised I'd spent much longer feeling soggy than exhilarated. I think I knew as I pushed the bike back into the garage when we got home that I wasn't going to be doing a trip like that again, and the final straw was an unexpected (big!) garage bill for new brakes on top of a routine service a couple of weeks later. I held on to the bike to do the UKMOC Weekender, but it's hardly moved otherwise. It's now up for sale, and I know I'll miss it in theory, but probably not in practice.
Hmm - id say its where you went....while i totally agree with some people that touring in scotland is great....the window of opportunity for good weather is very narrow...perhaps go south and into europe and even then - just get the bike shipped down there and follow on the plane.... As weather is so unpredictable, generally, i keep everything short, and go at the last minute....case in point - the British MotoGP...i held out til the last minute (aside from the ticket price being astronomical) it was a total wash out as we all know... Short and sweet....this year i think ive been out more than ever - but, only unplanned short trips....Loomies cafe a couple of times, Castle Coombe and a few bike nights. All of them have been hot, dry and in the evenings nice and warm so i could travel light and have some good fun on the a road twisties with my mate.
Blimey. Thought I was weird, but I too seem to have lost it. My riding mojo that is. Ive put it down a bit to the way modern bikes have become less user freindly in the mechanical way. Theyre all too reliable, everythings computer controlled and laptop needed. So I visit my garage rarely thesedays to do any mechanical work. All my previous bikes had to be fettled in some way. The pani just works. The parts you can buy are not as good as the parts already on it in a lot of cases. So I have nothing to fettle. My 916 is fine and needs no work, but some mild surface rust on frame is prompting me to restore her. Just for something to do. When my old 1198's sprag went I had a great time. So, I may just restore the 916 as that frame surface rust needs nipping in the bud. The roads in SE England are shit. I look forward to going to the alps every year where my mojo seems to live. Thats where I come alive. I'd do more track days but I dont trust the other riders, I trust my mates though. Not with my beer mind, but I trust em not to kill me on the road. Went out saturday and got stuck in so much traffic everywhere i just went home. Had a spliff instead and played music and read a book.
I agree, but that's a problem with any trip planned in advance. Once you've booked accommodation and the time off work, it's too bad if the forecast is crap. We did notice that on this year's trip, most hotels and B&B's were fully booked up, so a last minute trip really wouldn't have been possible, and certainly not if we'd wanted to include the same activities too. Too right; I have to ride for at least an hour in any direction before I can find one worth the effort, and by then, I've had enough. Funnily enough, we've actually talked about moving out of the area over the last couple of weeks, but since we both have work here, we can't just sell up and move north. Not right now, anyway.
Yes and no. It is but it's so much more. It requires a precision and focus that i can't match in normal life.
I wonder how many posters maybe have the wrong bike for where they live and riding style. I have moved over the years from supersports to monsters and I think over the last few years I have ridden more than ever . It is comfortable at all speeds and it is more than capable enough for my ability level . There are some days where I`ll set out and deliberately keep to below 5000rpm and make sure I enjoy the scenery and just being out in the open. This was really brought home to me earlier in the year , I picked up a gorgeous 749 and while I loved looking at it and thinking of riding it I decided to sell it after just a couple of months as it really was not a lot of fun at legal speeds or where there was any traffic . I ended up using the monster instead at nearly every opportunity. For those in doubt I would suggest picking up a cheap old comfy bike and just try that for a couple of months. I`d particularly recommend something like a Guzzi 1100 Breva as they are full of charachter and like going for a ride in your favourite armchair. It may rekindle your enthusiasm and if not you wont lose much. In fact if you buy now and sell in spring you`ll probably make a few quid.
