If I were responsible for a disability or death of a pillion, or just lost my apetite for riding. Having raced the last 2 years, and likely no more, I have considered selling my 848 as well and stopping for a while. Not been doing the miles I would normally, and dont find road speeds fun But really thats only because I cant ride so wold be the wrong choice.
Bradders, I've always found that a complete change normally reinvigorates the riding gene. Like swapping from a large sportsbike to a small trailie, maybe even - and don't flame me for this - a different engine from what you're used to. Mind you, I change bikes so often I don't get a chance to get bored...
Figgy - been considering replacing race bike with an enduro, which I reckon I can ride with my fecked knee still in a brace but enjoy some kind of road action, and off road when its built up. So know what you mean; change of pace and direction rather than stop. And thats the dilema for some of us. Sure if I lose my license its also my job (45k miles a year driving) but soon as it came back, its in my blood, so wold the bike. Even f I lost a limb I'd be seeing what I cold do. Get back on like those guys at the Odium Snetterton trackday last month. Giving up through fear leaves a gaping hole of ambition; giving p because it doesnt do it anymore no gap at all
I can't really understand people who say they might give up biking "if they saw a friend die", or "if they had a big accident". The fact is, the risks are there all the time. Whether you see a friend die tomorrow or whether you don't surely makes no difference at all to the risks you face the next time you go out on your bike. How can it actually happening make any difference, or increase the risk? Can it be that some people have such limited powers of imagination that they simply cannot imagine someone getting killed - they cannot understand it unless they see it before their eyes? As I said, I don't understand this. It is true you can get killed as a pedestrian, in a car, on a train or walking down the stairs. That does not alter the fact that riding a big bike fast carries much greater risks of injury and death. No good pretending otherwise. But so what?
Well, I made the choice to ditch in biking recently. For 3 main reasons. 1) I want onto the property ladder soon and I need to save every penny. 2) I saw too many friends getting hurt, one of which was a very good friend breaking his back right infront of me. 3) It's simply not fun on the roads anymore. The detailed reason, I just didn't enjoy riding my 1098S unless I was hooning it around like a yob who had just nicked it. As a track bike, pure bliss. Road bike. Really don't see the point. My 748 was perfect, not alot of power, but was an awsome bike to ride. Didn't have to keep it above 80 to enjoy it. As for the house, I recently moved back in with my mum after not being able to afford a high rent on my own after a break up. So it's time to buy my self a nice house hehe. I also do a bit more travelling to see family now, and on the 1098S, it was killing me on the motorways. So, I sold both bikes, literally selling everything bike related that I still have. And have just bought my first car! Theory test tomorrow and hopefully book my test tomorrow afternoon haha. I got... A Mazda MX5 mk1!!! Here she is: Cheap as chips, tons of fun and the previous owner spent a BOMB on upgrading it in terms of engine performance, handling. Body is in ok shape, roof is 2 years old. Overall, best £1k I ever spent! Oh, if anyone needs a hair cut, let me know. Haha. :tongue:
It's not hard to understand. People are more governed by emotion to make decisions rather than reason. You don't make a decision based on statistics. You make it as a result of your personal experience. If you see a best friend killed in front to you, most people have a different reaction from just reading that it happens every day. If you were thinking purely rationally, you wouldn't ride a bike at all. As you point out, it's an inherently dangerous, quite potentially life-shortening pastime.
Life is invariably fatal. We all must die one day. I would rather die having fun doing something I love, and I definitely don't want to cling to life until age 90 then die of cancer, or Alzheimers. Surely this is a rational approach. It is living a dull life wrapped in cotton wool which is irrational, isn't it? You may be right, that many people are simply not very rational - they often respond to events in unreasonable ways. I freely admit that this emotional stuff is the kind of thing I have the greatest difficulty understanding.
I have friends unfortunate enough to suffer serious injuries, and despite folk telling me life is indeed precious, I have always had and intend to have bikes. Its something in my blood, something I could not imagine filling with anything else, for me just having a bike sometimes is enough, not even riding is essential. My wife of 10 years has always been supportive of this despite her fears but even if she asked me to stop riding, I would still struggle to leave them alone....
There have only ever been a few months in the last 30 years when I haven't had a bike - after one was written off. But I was in my car when I saw a couple on a sports bike in their matching Dainese outfits and immediately felt I was using the wrong mode of transport. I quickly got the hunt for a new bike under way.
Short of physically not being able to I can't think of anything that would stop me riding. Over the years I've lost three friends to bike accidents and as much as I miss them it's not enough to stop me riding. Most people who ride understand this. After a fairly bad off myself resulting in partial disability, my family tried everything they could to make me give up but after three years I'd had enough and carried on where I left off. That was a long time ago now and I don't regret making the decision at all, if I couldn't ride occasionally you might as well shoot me. H&S is everywhere these days, from the car you drive, to where you work etc, sometimes you can forget what it is to just feel alive. If there were no bikes I'd just go base jumping or juggle chainsaws or summat equally as daft, in the end I think it just a primeval response/necessity caveman tiger type thing. A need in some of us that has to be fulfilled. Anything else is just tedium ........
Motorcycling does get a bad rap. Here in the Alps we are reminded frequently of all those who come a cropper on the mountains skiing, snowboarding or mountaineering. No one much suggests that people should stop doing those.
Most of my ex-biker mates cite this as the reason they gave up, although it's more to do with needing the money than worrying about the kids.
I don't have kids, but my brother does, sure he'd have murdered them if he didn't have his bike! :biggrin:
I had one of those back in the day, brilliant, cheap and fun motoring.....As long as you can put up with the gaylord comments...:biggrin:
