I’ve been a rider for ~8 years or so. In those years I have had many wonderful camping trips on my bike and met some great friends. But things seem to be changing in how I feel.
Last fall I set out with a friend on a 2100 mile trip across 8 states. We had 5 days to complete it and we were both psyched.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed maybe 25% of that trip. Mostly I just felt bored and like any adventure was gone. That feeling seems to have come up repeatedly the past few years.
It used to be that I’d get up early on a Saturday and just head out to where ever by myself and find nice roads and take some photos along the way. But that bored feeling above had been coming on more and more.
So last fall, when I got back from my trip, I decided I would sell my bike this season. I was finally finishing school (been done 2 weeks now! still can’t believe I finished) and figured I’d use the cash to pay off most of my school bills.
I left work early today in order to wash and service my bike in order to get it ready for sale. Servicing and maintaining my bike was something I always loved; time always just slipped away and left me with a euphoria like a runners high.
I decided to go for a long ride in order to burn out the old gas and refill the tank and add stabilizer. As I was suiting up it dawned on me that I had just spent 2 hours working on my bike. I swore it seemed like 30 minutes. I also noted that I felt really, really happy!
So I set off, my bike running perfectly and smooth. The weather today is incredible. The mesh jacket I bought last summer felt great with the air coming through.
I ended up riding almost 3 hours. I only ended up coming home in order to eat and because it was getting dark.
And now I sit here, no longer wanting to sell it. I’m conflicted. I’m getting excited about the places I’m going to ride tomorrow, but I also was excited all winter at the thought of paying down debt with the sale.
Mindless and Pointless and feels good to write. I guess I’ll see how the weekend goes before I decide.
Dude…you still love the bike. Keep it a little longer. Use it to hold on to your youth, which will be gone soon enough. It’s a used bike. Another year or two worth of use probably isn’t gonna lower the resale value all that much anyway.
No help, but a story. I like working on them more than riding them.
I’m an intermittent rider. Where I live is just not that great for riding for anything but for fun. Well, the roads and views are great, but we still have snow and it’s almost June. And I don’t have a garage.
I’m a dirt biker for the most part.
I bought a 78 Yamaha 650 a few years ago. A lot of it was in boxes. I have history with that machine. The most fun I had was getting that old beast running again. It had been previously rebuilt 180 degrees off (I didn’t know that). It was quite the puzzle.
Since it had be previously rebuilt 180 degrees off, all the valves where doing the wrong thing. It wasn’t until I pulled the valve covers and watched the points and valves until I figured out what was wrong.
One of the great joys that I will always remember and that I actually did a happy dance too was when I put the plug from the left coil on the right cylinder, and the right to the left. BANG. Thump, thump thump thump.
Keep it. Find something else laying around your house or garage and sell THAT instead. Pat yourself on the back for it, and celebrate with a ride on your motorcycle.
Keep the bike. I used to be a major rider, as in 20-30K a year. I’ve been to 48 states and 10 or so countries. Then I meet my wife and had kids and the amount of miles dropped, I think last year I did 2500 total. This year so far I’ve done maybe 150, maybe.
There have been times when I’ve thought about selling, then I figure no way, if I do that I’ll not be able to get back into it for years. She’ll stay.
Keep the bike and ride when you can. Don’t make it a chore, make it fun, like I plan to do in a few minutes. When you do this you’ll know it’s worth it.
Also, not enjoying activities you once found pleasurable is a symptom of depression. Might not mean much by itself; it’s just this one thing, and sometimes we just change and no longer enjoy something we used to. But do a little research and if some of the other symptoms are there, get yourself checked out. There are also a bunch of physical maladies, notably diabetes, that can mimic the symptoms of depression, too.
(I’m not a medical doctor or mental health professional and I’m not trying to provide any sort of diagnosis, here.)
Or, sometimes, you just have to learn how to re-engage with a part of yourself. Sounds like maybe that’s what you need to do here.
Well, I haven’t completely decided on keeping it or not.
I went for a long ride with a friend on Saturday. The ride ended up being about 200 miles or so. Basically I tried finding as many scenic and twisty roads as possible. The weather was again perfect with a touch of humidity that caused enough sweat under my gear to stay cool.
I’m writing this and realize that Bikergeek is probably on to something.
I find it interesting that one of my main issues in life is being in my head too much and not enjoying the moment. What had really attracted me to riding was that it used to break that; the sensation of being surrounded by nature and beautiful sites, of not just seeing weather, but feeling it, and that almost base drive to chase adrenaline were all things that I loved.
I felt all that here and there on Saturday. But mostly I felt the same boredom that I wrote of earlier.
We ended up going to a friend’s for BBQ after the ride. Following that I headed home. And this was weird because like a switch, I just wanted to ride and ride (just like Friday). And so I did. I felt great afterward.
Here it is Monday, a Holiday and I have no plans at all. So, I’m going riding.
This is something of a highjack, but I am curious: When I see bikers around much these days, they all look, well, old. Are motorcycles no longer an in thing for young people?
Well, there’s all the crotch rockets out there that usually have younger guys on them, but I don’t think that’s what your talking about.
I think more younger bike riders have helmets on so you never really get a chance to see their face or color of their hair and their age doesn’t even cross your mind.
I’d say it’s an even mix. Joey P is also correct in that a lot of younger guys wear helmets. Most of the people I see on a weekend will be older guys on cruisers without helmets.
Myself and the guys I ride with all wear full gear, so you’d have no idea that we’re young or old.
My hubby was getting really bored with riding a couple of seasons ago. This was making me quite sad, as he is my primary riding partner so I wasn’t getting a lot of weekend saddle time either. While I will take any riding I can get, my commute just doesn’t cut it with the fun factor. He actually started talking about selling his bike. :eek:
We ended up changing out our stable. He went with a Thruxton, then moved up to the Daytona 675 because, while he loved the Thrux, he couldn’t keep up with me.
It was the best thing ever. It’s like he’s rediscovered the joy of riding.
So, maybe you just need a slight change to make it all new and interesting again? You obviously still love the bike and the sport, but possibly exploring another angle might help? If you currently ride a sport bike, maybe try a dual sport and hit some off road paths? Or swap to a sport bike from a cruiser (not sure what you ride, so just tossing some ideas out)?
I had something like that so I changed habits. My touring became almost like riding in a car with all the various comforts I packed along. Now when I do longer distances I use my Sportie and go “Bronson style” and the dresser is mostly around-town shopping. Changing my habits brought some of the fun and challenge back to it for me.
you’ll know it’s worth it.