Any longtime riders quit for good?

SheepnJeep

Active member
Hello all,


I'm just sort of posting to maybe vent and get this idea out. I'm thinking about selling my Triumph and giving up the two wheel life this spring. Anyone else out there made this choice?

My reasoning sort of follows this line. I have been really lucky to not have a serious crash or accident, and I could put the money to some better use. As it is now I have never had a scary highway get off and aside from normal stuff no injuries off road riding. At this point I have a very cool Willys jeep that everyone in my family really enjoys. Sometimes it gets stored at my parents cabin and my mom in particular loves to use it. My girlfriend also likes what adventures we have had with the jeep. It just seems like the jeep is obviously what I should spend time and money on. The motorcycle only benefits me. Of course everyone needs their own thing, but I think I have plenty else to do. So in this way it seems obvious that the motorcycle should go away. I have also tried to really clean house and sell off or donate things that I really don't need hanging around and it feels good. It feels good to just have less stuff to worry about. I'm not selling everything and starting a van blog mind, just getting a little more in control of my space. Just getting rid of the bike would take care of so much extra junk and whatnot that goes with it. Coats and boots and helmets and insurance and everything else could go away.

On the other hand there just is nothing like riding. It seems to make sense doesn't it? 1 person doesn't need to drive a truck to the grocery store. A guy can hop on and travel for a lower cost than taking a car. It's so fun to pack a sleeping bag and head out for a little weekend camping trip and just take what comes along be it good/bad weather or anything else. A triumph scrambler while not really a great highway bike and not the perfect off road machine really does work great as a commuter or for travel. Greater than the sum of its parts of you will.
For what it's worth I have been riding for about 20 years, I guess about 10 years as a licensed rider. So a long while to soak in all that motorcycling has to offer both good and bad.

I don't know. Part of me thinks that I should just leave the motorcycle in storage this summer and see how badly I miss it. Part of me wants to get it for sale this spring before I can change my mind. Like I said this is probably more venting than anything, but perhaps others have made the same choice and have something to say about it.


-Jesse
 

BADDANDY

Adventurer
I will always have at least one bike in my garage. It may only be a dualsport, but at least I'll have one. Bought my first bike in '83, and haven't been without one since. My 2 current bikes sit a lot more than they're ridden the past 10 years due to being a Jeep owner with an offroad tent trailer, a MTB rider, and now a motorhome owner. It would take pages to list/describe all the different riding and camping gear I have. Variety is the spice of life!
You could sell the "T" and buy a used DS if money is a factor.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Motorbikes where my only mode of transportation for almost 10 years. Did about 500.000km on several bikes all over europe and Africa. Do I miss riding? Yes. But you know what? There are other very cool things in life to discover.

Cheers!
 

Peneumbra2

Badger Wrangler
I'll quit when they pry my cold dead hands off the grips.

You could get killed on a motor; you could get killed slipping on a banana peel.

I HAVE given up bananas, but only because people make fun of you if you wear your helmet while you're eating one...
 

daninghram

Adventurer
I stopped riding for 10 or more years when my first was born. a few years ago I bought a 200 TW rode back and dirt roads, went though some other bikes and am back up to a big bike. I understand completely and still try to ride back roads dirt roads as much as I can.
If I lived anywhere less safe than Northern NH and Vermont I would quit again.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
I tried to quit, back in 2007. Sold my Thunderbird 900 because I needed money and was, honestly, getting a little bored with riding. Figured I'd devote myself full-time to 4 wheeling as I had just gotten a real 4wd for the first time in 8 years (a 2004 Tacoma.)
.
It didn't last. After less than a month I was jonesing BAD! Climbing the walls, and scanning CL for a cheap bike. Picked up a 1983 Kawasaki Spectre 750 that had not been well loved - badly faded paint, an intermittent electrical glitch that would blow my main fuse, etc. Cleaned it up, put new handlebars on it (what a difference THAT made!) and rode it for another year and a half or so until I got my Triumph Scrambler.
.
The last time I was completely without a bike for more than a couple of months was from 2001 - 2003 when I was a broke college student and National Guardsman. Except for that brief stint in 2007, I've had a bike since June of '03. I'll keep one until I'm too old to ride and even then, well, I have a sidecar for my Triumph that I'll be putting on probably next month. That should extend my riding time by quite a bit!
.
To sum up, some people can give up riding and not think twice about it. I don't think I could.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I stopped riding for 10 or more years when my first was born. a few years ago I bought a 200 TW rode back and dirt roads, went though some other bikes and am back up to a big bike. I understand completely and still try to ride back roads dirt roads as much as I can.
If I lived anywhere less safe than Northern NH and Vermont I would quit again.

Somewhat same story, but 65,000 commute miles in 4 yrs. Before that lots of cycling and MTB riding. Taking the responsible kid rearing break with the occasional MTB ride for my fix. When I return it will be off pavement only, no interest in being texting cager bait these days.
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Thats just it. I worry about getting wiped out by someone not paying attention.

I get the point about slipping on a banana peel and biting the big one. I could get killed by my toothbrush. But my toothbrush doesn't go 100 mph.

It is a tough choice! Sorry to be a little lame and sappy about the jeep, it's just an example of a project I feel has gone by the wayside.

Ugh why are motorcycles so life altering...
 

Maddmatt

Explorer
I think I get what you're saying, but I come at it from a bit different perspective as I've only been riding for a few years - kind of a late starter. I feel the guilt about spending money and time on something that only benefits me, and also the concern about an idiot pulling out in front of me. So my compromise is to only ride in the early mornings - it lessens (but doesn't eliminate) the texting idiots, and on a weekend day I can ride 100 miles of canyons, stop for coffee and breakfast, and still get home about the time the family is waking up. Next step is to give up the street bike and move into the dual-sport/adventure bike realm. Less time on the street and easier on my old back.

AND - I've been purging the house, and I know what you mean about how good it feels to get rid of clutter.

Is the bike paid for? If it is, I like your storage for the summer idea. My first love is skiing, and living in Colorado my bike goes into storage - which just means under a tarp with the battery on a tender and stabilizer in the fuel - every winter. The first couple of months I don't even think about it, usually around the end of March/early April I pull it out and start inventing reasons to ride it.

If it's not paid for - there's also a peace-of-mind you can get from lessening debt. It took years, but not making vehicle payments is life changing. Makes the idea of an expensive toy that only benefits you, and only for a few months of the year, a lot easier to justify.

Good luck with your decision - the nice thing is Craigslist is always full of motorcycles. Even if you sell it, you can always get a new one...
 

Florida Native

Active member
I feel like I could have written the original post. Been riding 20+ years but have only taken one motorcycle trip the last two years and I'm about to get rid of my remaining motorcycle.

The truth is my GTI is almost as much fun in the twisties and a lot more enjoyable the rest of the time (dry, climate controlled, considerably safer, no extra gear required, no worries about my stuff getting swiped while taking a leak, plenty of luggage space, no worries about flats or other mechanical woes, etc).

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
Couple of the dads in my group will probably get some type of light trail bike and trailer or hitch rack them to dads away trips in a few yrs. I ve had too many friends hit in just the last 3 yrs everyone texting driver hit them from behind while on the move! Not while stopped given we filter here in CA so getting taken out while stopped is very rare but the texting drivers are taking out cyclists and motorcycle riders who are moving these days.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
I quit riding on the street years ago, mainly because of other drivers not paying attention...and that was before smart phones.

Now only ride on the dirt...still get the thrill...but if I wreck it is usually only my fault.
 
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SheepnJeep

Active member
At least some folks agree with me that it is getting more scary to ride on the road, I thought it was just my imagination.

The bike is paid for, I could just keep insurance suspended and let it set for the summer. I just don't want it to turn into something that sits for 5 years and then doesn't run right anymore on the other side.

I still have my first dirt bike stored away, a Yamaha Mini-Enduro. Maybe I should put plates on it for the occasional fix! ;)
 

vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
I rode dirt bikes as a kid. For some reason I always "thought" that I would get hurt on a street bike therefore I have never ridden a street bike. I know quite a few folks who have been hurt on street bikes.

I have vintage road raced all over country running 160 MPH+ and never thought anything about it or about getting hurt racing however the only "bike" I will git on is a pit bike.

Strange animals us humans!
 

Clutch

<---Pass
At least some folks agree with me that it is getting more scary to ride on the road, I thought it was just my imagination.


I loose count of how many people are looking at their phones...

Warming up here, heading out today to go play in the dirt. Though we are pretty lucky where we live, can go for 100's of miles without seeing much of anyone else...even the roads I take in the truck to the trail head are mostly back country roads.
 

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