The enjoyment has gone out of riding! Have I been riding too long?

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by JIMLARCH, Jul 30, 2014.

  1. JIMLARCH

    JIMLARCH New Member

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    I've been riding for over 40 years. During that time I have had a fair number of big and small bikes, done long trips, raced, done track days, and been to Deals Gap about 12 times. I presently own a 4th gen. VFR750, a GSXR1000, and a soon to be 1989 track bike GSXR750. I recently sold a 1982 CB900f Honda which I owned for 27 years. Don't think I should have sold it.

    I'm not sure if it is age, or I've just been riding a long time and have lost interest, but I just don't seem to really have any fun riding anymore. Once a year I take the GSXR1000 to the Gap and have a blast with a bunch of friends, but once I return to Ontario I just park it. What's the point of riding it on straight boring roads, with the police lurking around every corner?

    Not that many years ago putting on my leathers gave me a buzz, now I'm more likely to get irritated trying to zip them up on a hot day.

    What I'm asking here are any suggestions on how to get my enthusiasm back, if possible. Is anyone else in their 50's feeling the same way?
     
  2. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Buddy buddy...you need to take a brake...dont sell..just put a cover on yur rides . Im in my late 50's was without a bike for 10 years and ride 350 a week to work.....and go out during the work week when everyones workin and blast the local canyons and lovin every minute.
    Dont ride for a month then see how ya feel...
    Ya screwed up selling that 900F...sweet ride....
    hows your health?

    Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
     
  3. JIMLARCH

    JIMLARCH New Member

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    You're right. Shouldn't have sold the 900f. Mind you I do have the parts to build another one. My health is fine, that's not the problem. Just a lack of interest in riding.
     
  4. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    Jim if you ride south I have so many place to show you and you might not want to return to the Igloo :thumb:
     
  5. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    Time to get something fun, but not overpowering. If I had extra cash, I think I would get CBR250. I have been riding about same number of years, but long dry spells in between. Will be get my original VF750F back in a month, and will start working on that. I know what you mean about the constables.
     
  6. RDMCD

    RDMCD New Member

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    Jim,which part of ontario are you from? I have to drive half an hour to find a road with more than a couple of curves. Sometimes wish I lived in the muskokas. Head north young man!
     
  7. jethro911

    jethro911 Member

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    I find that it's more than just the roads you ride, it's who you ride them with. I lived in Wichita for a few years and let me tell ya, there ain't no turns down there except interstate on ramps. We still had fun because we got together and went places together. Occasionally we broke the speed limit too but it wasn't just the riding, it was the comraderie. Oh and we would hit the 1/4 mile to see how we did just to have a laugh, and laugh we did.

    I grew up in Huntsville, right smack dab in motorcycle heaven so I know what fun roads look like but even those got boring without a buddy to chase or lead as the case may be.

    I know how you feel though. I have as much or even more fun working on my bike projects as I do riding these days. The riding just doesn't give me the same hit that it used to. The last time I had a really good time was doing track days in the states on my Duc. Not an option these days unfortunately.

    Damn I need another broken bike to fix bad!! LOL

    If it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't have anyone to share my VFR addiction. Thank god you all are out there! I'm stuck in a hotel in Halifax Nova Scotia. The fog outside is so thick you could ski on it and the constant fog horns blowing will keep me up and posting here all night long....fun eh
     
  8. roryforde

    roryforde New Member

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    you need to consider a trip to this side of the pond..you are more likely to come across a sheep than any cops here. We recently had a few Canadians do a week or so posting on our (local) website.. biker.ie - and these are some of the picture they took.. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rj0fwo0u04ejos6/AAAP_Hmvn-UpDCU83AtsVv0Za

    All ya'all are welcome anytime..:eagerness:
     
  9. timwicked

    timwicked New Member

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    The same thing happened to me a few years ago so I bought a $1500 dualsport.It had been years since I rode in the dirt and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but ridding a 400cc single around the back roads and dirt roads re-ignited the flame! Something to be said for " I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow". I just did a 2000 mile trip to Canada on my Husqvarna TE 630, approx. 1600 miles on dirt roads and trails, my poor RC51 just sits in the back of the garage not getting any attention. I think the challenge of aquiring new skills to ride in the dirt along with seeing new places with new rideing partners was a big part of why dualsports are my new passion. Sliding through corners on a dirt road at 50 mph gives me the same high as riding sportbikes fast,just at slower speeds. Check out ADVRIDER.COM if you want some dualsport motivation, there is alot of people from Canada on that site.
     
  10. REEK

    REEK New Member

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    JIMLARCH, I think Jethro is on to something. Mid forties for me right now and riding is not as much of a thrill as it was 20+ years ago. I can finally afford all the good gear and I finally have a colletion of my all time favorite bikes I could never afford, yet they mostly just sit there. I don't get that rush putting on my gear anymore either. I'm not sure its necessarily WHERE you ride or WHAT you ride but with WHO you ride. every time I think of how much I love riding, the memories of my riding buddies in my 20's comes to mind and every where we used to go on our cheapo junker rides.

    A few years back I came pretty close to just selling all of my bikes. The few I sold, I regret I did. Recently, bought my wife a Can Am. Yeah, it's not a real motorcycle, but it gets her on the road with me. We just got back from a 4 day weekend trip to Fort Bragg and several days of Highway 1 riding. All the same roads I've ridden for years. But that weekend trip was probably the most fun I've had on a bike in years! Already planning the next long road trip and can't wait.

    I'd say look for some riding buddies to re-spark the interest. Plan a few rides and see if that changes anything before you sell.
     
  11. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    So what it comes down to is why we ride... camaraderie.... good times with buddies.... And the thrill of it all..... when I was a kid all I lived for was. Jumping on my dirt bike every single day and getting away from my dysfunctional family. honestly I don't know how I would have turned out if I didn't have motorcycles in my life. its my therapy ,my girlfriend ( don't tell the wife) . I think you just need to get your swerve on you old fart and get back in the saddle and go... you'll fall in love again I guarantee it. take a trip with some buddies camp have a good time.

    Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
     
  12. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    I know what your talking about with cops just every where, I talked my way out of two tickets in less than a week. Its very hard to ride a vfr slow. My last ride -I was bit crazy and was pouring on the speed, but I spotted a cop close to a mile ahead-I just guessed it was a cop and it was. There is thing I learned is I can all most all ways spot a cop before they see me except when they just leave the radar on. But I know sometimes its best to not ride and its a better idea to clean the bike up.:brushteeth:
     
  13. FMB42

    FMB42 New Member

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    Do you ride dirt or Dual Sport? If not, why not give some dirt riding a try? There are some pretty cool DS machines out there these days.

    Meanwhile, I also know what it means to lose interest. I rode very regularly for almost 20 years; started on dirt, switched to dual purpose, progressed to racing MX, moved on to sport street, back to dirt again, and then to street cruising (I worked as a Yam mech for several years as well). Then I hit a try spell of doing very little riding for ~ 20 years (did a lot of mountain biking and a fair bit of 4x4 off-road stuff tho). I just didn't have the same level of interest in riding that I once had.

    Now, for the last couple of years, I've been having fun bringing a '94 Sportster back to life as a WLA (military) styled "dual purpose" cruiser. This, and a recently acquired '86 VFR 700, has restored my interest in riding to large degree. However, I don't think I'll ever feel quite the same about it as I did back in the '70s and early/mid '80s.
     
  14. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    Just getting old and lazy and good for nothing! (Bad Billy -aka Billy the kid-Troll!):torn:
     
  15. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    +1 " it's more than just the roads you ride, it's who you ride them with..."

    Its a shame the Ulysses-Club has not made it over to Canada yet. Ulysses-Club is not a simple biking club - its really a bikers social club - which spans all makes of bikes - you just need to be over 40 to join, and is really big in AUS/NZ and growing fast in Europe. In Europe here there are loads of small Ulysses-Club meets and rides, often arranged at last minute if the weather looks good- so perhaps just a run out to a biker café - but there are also much longer tours and meets which attract riders from all over Europe where we put the world to rights and then go explore some of the local roads usually with the local club riders acting as guides.

    So what to do - well don't give up biking or that VFR!

    If you want to get your enthusiasm back then perhaps its time to try riding something very different. For me owning a Street Triple was a real eye opener. Its a truly inspiring hooligan bike (rather surprised I have got a clean licence). The VFR is brilliant for mile munching, but the baby Trumpet is a mountain roads king, which will put a huge grin on your face and should help restore that enthusiasm for biking.

    If you're bored with local roads, then perhaps its time to spread your wings. Loads of European riders head each year across the pond to hire bikes and ride things like Route 66 - so why not consider heading over to Europe and try out some of the incredible Alpine mountain passes we have here?
    :vtr2::vtr2::vtr2::vtr2::vtr2::vtr2:



    Skimad
     
  16. Arnzinator

    Arnzinator New Member

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    I agree with the members that have suggested taking a break. When passion fades & becomes routine then leads to becoming a chore, its time to step back & push the reset button. Time away can make us appreciate the things we take for granted because we've had them for so long.

    Use that time to make some new connections, plenty on this website. Maybe its time for a different annual destination. Deals Gap isn't the only great road out there.

    Get your thinking cap on & don't make any irrational decisions. You know the decisions we end up regretting most in life.
     
  17. PawnBoy

    PawnBoy New Member

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    I can see why the OP could get bored in Ontario, if he's anywhere near where I live. You've really gotta cross the border or head to cottage country to find any roads worth a recreational ride. In fact I almost never go for a recreational ride, my bike gets almost exclusively commuting miles, and in that department it's still a lot more enjoyable than any car I can afford. If I want to go riding for fun I'd head down to upstate NY, they've got them some roads down there.
     
  18. Arnzinator

    Arnzinator New Member

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    Something else to consider, with 40 yrs riding experience chances are you have some knowledge to pass on. Consider becoming an instructor or riding coach. New riders tend to be very passionate about riding & bikes in general. That can be contagious.
     
  19. wazza1956

    wazza1956 New Member

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    I have been riding a long time as well you just need a break of about a month , join a club talk to other people about bikes etc
     
  20. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    Ask Bad Billy what to do-he will give you the best info!
     
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