Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Confession time: My Tuono hasn't turned a single mile this year. :(
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Yeah, but I hear you've been mooching an EX250 off someone.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
nhbubba
Yeah, but I hear you've been mooching an EX250 off someone.
Truth
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Eh... Only with her on the back.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
markbvt
Obviously it all depends on what you get out of riding a motorcycle. Personally, as time has gone by I've found myself caring less and less about riding around in circles on a track or bashing through the woods -- both waste time and gas that I could be spending out on the street seeing the world around me. For me, riding is about movement and variety, and experiencing the world we live in, which can be a pretty spectacular place. I love a good twisty road, but I don't usually turn around at the end of it to go back and forth over it a few times. It's part of the larger experience, and when I'm done with it, I move on to the next part. Life is pretty damn short, and I'd rather be out seeing the countryside and enjoying the sense of moving through it, the moments of astounding beauty, the smells, the visceral feeling of being out in the world, than narrowing my focus to riding in closed-course conditions.
But just because that's what I get out of riding obviously doesn't mean it works for everyone. I have the advantage of living in the middle of great motorcycle riding country. To get out for a good street ride, I need only ride out of my driveway. If I lived in a congested urban/suburban area, I'm sure I'd feel differently about riding (though to be honest, if I lived in a congested urban/suburban area, I would lose my fucking mind).
My point is, it's helpful to do a little reflection and give some honest consideration to what you love about riding, and let that guide your actions. There's no point feeling obligated to anything in particular -- this sport of ours is supposed to be fun.
But for me, I've realized that what street riding gives me is so valuable to me that I'd rather lose my life than give it up. If I end up getting killed by some idiot texting, so be it -- at least I'll die happy.
--mark
+1. This.
I just enjoy riding, period. Sport riding is fun, but so is leaf-peeping, and going out with the wife for ice cream, and just damn going to work. I've been enjoying NH a lot, and it turns out I'm riding even more than I did in CA, since there are more secondary roads and you don't have to take the freeway to get anywhere. I used to do about 12K a year in San Diego; now I'm doing about 16K a year in an 8 or 9 month riding season.
And traveling for me is way better by motorcycle than any other option. I get to experience the places I travel through in a way that a car just doesn't allow, yet can actually get places that are far away in a reasonable time, unlike a bicycle.
Another option than the cheap DS could be a cheap old sportbike, like a CBR600 Hurricane or F2. Those are cheap to buy and keep, and practically indestructible, yet still fun to ride and capable of a decent pace.
PhilB
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Sounds like you've got several issues.
No time to ride. It's not going to get any better until the kids get much older or your work situation changes. My kids are 3 and four and I have not ridden much in the past four years. This year I took a week long trip which was a lot of fun and the format seems to work for my family. Aside from that most of my riding is commuting which I do enjoy. I was doing track days for a while when they were young but that was as much or more time as street rides.
I can't tell if $ is an issue but you could always get a cheap bike as others have suggested. As someone said you need a bike registered to satisfy the MREP code of conduct - to try and work around that would be a disservice to your students. IMO that is there to ensure that you ride often and ride well - to keep your work in context if you will.
In my experience kids really cramp the riding mojo. How often you get to ride depends on a lot of things but I think mostly on how many you have and how well you married!
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
$ isn't the issue. I can easily afford the bike but I'm not one that likes to waste money. Maybe it's time for a break from msf as well. Been doing anywhere from 5-15 classes a year since 2006. Will see what happens over the next few weeks
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
I do think you need a sit down about with yourself about lack of free time
If you have time msf and not riding ????
All work and no play makes Jack a mean man
The only family fun activity was when I had a speed boat summer then work on skiing in the winter
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Msf is work. If I'm not working then I'm home. My wife works weekends so if I am not teaching class then I am home with our daughter.
And it really boils down to the fact that I don't have the urge to ride on the street even if I do get free time.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
I've never been an MSF coach (though did think about it at one time) and as such my riding is purely optional. My day job requires that I drive the company car, and after work I'm so busy taking care of my mom with dementia that riding is out except weekends. I turn 55 soon, and the most riding I ever did was probably 1999 to 2005 when I averaged 12,000 miles a year with virtually no commuting to my then machine shop 7-4 job.
I bought a new bike in 2011 after two years without one, but have only put 9000 miles on it so far. I feel no obligation to ride, no inner push. I did a few track days but never got hooked on speed and lean angle the way many others do. No one here would want to ride with me because I ride (mostly) at the speed limit and am just fine with that. We all have different motivations, and differing levels of it. I'm happy doing what I'm doing, and you got to make you own rationalizations. No need to be firm about anything, life situations and feelings are in a constant state of evolution. Just roll with it.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SprintPoser
I've never been an MSF coach (though did think about it at one time) and as such my riding is purely optional. My day job requires that I drive the company car, and after work I'm so busy taking care of my mom with dementia that riding is out except weekends. I turn 55 soon, and the most riding I ever did was probably 1999 to 2005 when I averaged 12,000 miles a year with virtually no commuting to my then machine shop 7-4 job.
I bought a new bike in 2011 after two years without one, but have only put 9000 miles on it so far. I feel no obligation to ride, no inner push. I did a few track days but never got hooked on speed and lean angle the way many others do. No one here would want to ride with me because I ride (mostly) at the speed limit and am just fine with that. We all have different motivations, and differing levels of it. I'm happy doing what I'm doing, and you got to make you own rationalizations. No need to be firm about anything, life situations and feelings are in a constant state of evolution. Just roll with it.
Thanks for that reply. I know my feelings in riding street will change with time and life situations. Guess I'm just in a street riding funk.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SprintPoser
I feel no obligation to ride, no inner push. I did a few track days but never got hooked on speed and lean angle the way many others do. No one here would want to ride with me because I ride (mostly) at the speed limit and am just fine with that. We all have different motivations, and differing levels of it. I'm happy doing what I'm doing, and you got to make you own rationalizations. No need to be firm about anything, life situations and feelings are in a constant state of evolution. Just roll with it.
That is exactly the point I am at. However, I know it is a temporary feeling, and won't go bikeless while I am waiting. I'm content to ride when I do feel like it, and enjoy my limited time out there safely and "slowly", waiting until my daughter is old enough to make family trips on two wheels.
Re: Thoughts/Opinions- Dropping street riding- MSF Coaches encouraged to reply.
The solution for grocery shopping is bigger luggage on the bike. That, and you can bungie pizzas to the seat.
I count my lucky stars that both my (high school age) kids enjoy riding, and my daughter loves it. It's like a treat when we have time to go for a ride so it's win/win/win. I used to get annoyed that her soccer season included games that were up to two+ hours away; now I can't wait for those games.