I saw the title and thought someone may be selling one to get me back in the wind, I don't want it now that I've read your post. I Bought a scooter in Seoul in 87 and have been on and off 2 wheels regularly since. Motorcycling to me is like smoking pot, once you've seriously done it, you'll always do it again if the right situation comes up, combined with how I feel about SCUBA diving, it's like flying, being weightless, feeling free like few other things you can do, and makes you part of a fraternity. Burt Munro, the Flying Indian movie, that's who I want to be, 85+ yrs old with a greasy pants leg because a Honda Twin head gasket will never not leak for long and to Hell with texting drivers I plan to be down the road before they run me over. Keep it till spring, if you still want to sell it you'll get more money out of it. To Hell with getting old, being sensible and acting your age, RIDE THAT MUTHER!
-signed,
Desperately Seeking Suzuki
I think a lot of people who don't spend enough time on a bike tend to ride tense - which leads to things like heating pads and NSAID abuse. And panic near misses. It's not something you can do very infrequently and fall right into a groove with unless you have a lot of miles under your belt in the recent past. I've read somewhere it takes 10000 hours to truly master a skill and a quarter of that to have unconscious proficiency. Which is why you can hop in any car and immediately be fine with that - but you couldn't do that when you were 16. And a lot of motorcyclists don't have 10k hours in many years of riding. (that's 450k miles at an avg speed of 45, and over 100k to be proficient w/o thinking about it). I figure myself to be somewhere near halfway and I think I ride a lot for a guy with responsibilities. I don't know your history but ... the point being ... to ride well most people have to ride a lot at one point in their lives to be able to dabble later and not freak themselves out, make their arms and shoulders and backs ache from the tension.
So, my advice is: RIDE MOAR. Get 300 miles of pure recreational riding every weekend in addition to the short commutes during the week for a couple months and then reconsider. The more time you spend the more comfortable you get and the more enjoyment you can take from it. A leisurely Sunday with nowhere to be out away from the stoplights and school buses and shopping malls is therapeutic. If you can, read the book or even better take a Total Control class so you have some cool new moves to practice at while you are out and your mind is thinking about riding well. Plan a trip, take the bike on a little adventure for a couple days. Immerse yourself.
If you do that and it's not coming together for you - sell it. Life is too short to spend time forcing yourself into hobbies because they are already paid for.
In reply to Huckleberry :
As much as I'd love that it's not conceivable for me to get 300 miles a weekend every weekend for a few months. The main reason this one happened was not the first time she tried to hit me, not the second but the 3rd in less than a mile. I don't care how loose you are, 3 near misses in a minute will tense one up. Doesn't help that I was still not 100% from a weekend of truck work.
8valve
New Reader
12/18/17 6:31 p.m.
I never really got into the dirt or track stuff, but I did commute daily by motorcycle. I stopped riding after a jack hole almost took me out with his truck (no offense to truck dudes). I miss it, but I think the other guys who recommend the track days and dirt days have it right. That is how you do it.. not in rush hour.
In reply to Bobzilla :
i used to ride a lot but lost interest. Are there times I miss it? Sure, wish I hadn’t sold my Royal Enfield 750 interceptor. Wish I still had it.
But it turns out I was done with riding. While I’ve had an occasional ride since then it’s not the same
However the money is one thing that shouldn’t be a consideration. I’m not sure how much we’re talking about but two things to consider.
How rare is money? If you’re under thirty you’ll likely have more than a million dollars go through your hands in your lifetime ( assuming nothing extraordinary)
If money is critical and sometimes it is then you have to do what you have to do. But it doesn’t sound like that’s the case
but things you like and enjoy? That is a much shorter list.
