When do you know it's "Time"?

[Sunny]

Four years ago we realised we just didn't ride the bikes any more.

We'd got to the point of only riding for two weeks a year when we went touring in Europe (which we loved), and the odd track day.

And then, between getting a dog and our best couple friends splitting up (meaning we lost our touring buddies), we'd just, well, stopped riding completely. And had two relatively valuable assets parked in the garage doing sack all. So we sold them.

Muz wasn't bothered at all, one of the reasons we didn't do any other riding was that he'd just gone off the idea, and I didn't like the idea of sodding off to enjoy myself without him.
I REALLY missed mine though.

Roll on through the Covid years and different hobbies, and I started talking about getting a new one. Which raised a new problem: Muz didn't want me to, because he thinks that car drivers are getting worse and one will wipe me out, and doesn't want me to die.

Much serious discussion later, and I've got a new bike, and am reinvigorated with the whole thing.
He, on the other hand, likes hooning around off-road on our quad, and hasn't even had a go on the KTM. Different strokes and all that.

He's 51, and I'm 44. So who knows how I'll feel in another few years.

Bollocks to riding in shitty weather though. I've done my time as an AWB, and am 100% a FWB and proud now I think that makes a LOT of difference tbh...

[Count Steer]

I'm mid fifties now and I've got five bikes, four of them haven't been MOT'd or insured for several years, but I like them and haven't got round to thinking of selling them on yet.
The one that I do use gets about 500 miles a year, been out on it twice this year apart from to the MOT station. I don't ride in cold or wet weather any more, done plenty of that in the past, can't be bothered to get cold and wet these days!
I insure the ST3 every year (£70), tax it about May and SORN it again around October. Can't justify having it logically, but I like that it's there and that I can use it occasionally.
Maybe I'l get to ride it more next year, or the year after, who knows? But I don't worry that it doesn't get used much.

It's interesting. When I couldn't ride, it bothered me to have two marv machines sitting in the garage doing nothing. It just seemed wrong that all that time, material and effort had gone into making these things that could bring so much pleasure and there they were, gathering dust. So I sold them.

I know, I know, it's just plastic and metal to some but it seems as sad as keeping battery chickens when they could be feisty, bright eyed, free-range chickens. I get sad at bike and car museums - all that fun just wasted.

So the two I was most fond of I kept track of their MoTs etc and they piled the miles on.

[weeksy]

I just knew. Even today I was out on MTB and sitting in pub garden at least 10+ bikes came past and I never once wished I were them instead of being me on MTB.
I'd lost my mojo, my desire etc 3+ years ago but I still battled it until this time last year..

No regrets for a second

IMG_20231008_161133 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

But if you decide you want a bike again you can buy one, not saying you're going to, or that you should, just that it doesn't have to be a final decision

Well I could, but that wasn't really the point of the thread IMO, I answered with the expectation I won't ride again so for me it was Time. Sure I could change that any time I want, but I'd be surprised

[dern]

Been giving this a lot of thought lately, but when do you know it's time to pack it in once and for all?

I don't think this way. I'm in my mid-50s. Sometimes I ride a lot and sometimes I don't ride much. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why you'd make a conscious decision not to so something again unless you physically or mentally can't.

[Skub]

Been giving this a lot of thought lately, but when do you know it's time to pack it in once and for all?

I don't think this way. I'm in my mid-50s. Sometimes I ride a lot and sometimes I don't ride much. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why you'd make a conscious decision not to so something again unless you physically or mentally can't.

I think the crux of the matter is,when you've been into bikes for many years it kind of comes to be part of who you are. For some folk it defines them. The conundrum comes when it appears you are losing interest in something which has always been a passion and a source of enjoyment. It's easy to feel diminished and less of the person you were.

[Rockburner]

More serious answer...

Having seen the pain and frustration my Dad went through when he had a stroke and lost the ability to balance on 2 wheels (which is a learnt skill), I don't think I'll ever be stopping until something makes it ridiculously impossible to carry on.

I've had a few incidents over the years that have caused me to question whether it's worth it or not, but I've always felt that riding was so much a part of me, that not to ride because of an outside influence would be to deny part of myself and change who I am with no recourse to my freedom of will. So I've always come back to riding with the caveat that if I'm not enjoying myself again with 6 months I'd quit. So far it's only taken 1, maybe 2 rides to be fully committed again, even when i nearly lost my leg in a stupid accident.

I might not ride daily any more, but I'll always have a bike and will always have that yearning to get out on it.

But it's all about personal choice. I'd just say don't burn any bridges, keep your options open. Make it your choice, not someone else's.

[dern]

Been giving this a lot of thought lately, but when do you know it's time to pack it in once and for all?

I don't think this way. I'm in my mid-50s. Sometimes I ride a lot and sometimes I don't ride much. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why you'd make a conscious decision not to so something again unless you physically or mentally can't.

I think the crux of the matter is,when you've been into bikes for many years it kind of comes to be part of who you are. For some folk it defines them. The conundrum comes when it appears you are losing interest in something which has always been a passion and a source of enjoyment. It's easy to feel diminished and less of the person you were.

Could be. I don't feel like that but clearly some people feel defined by their hobbies. I don't though... bikes are just something I like mucking about with, I'd miss them if I couldn't ride but I'm not defined by the stuff I own. There will be times when I don't ride for a while and then start riding again but inevitably there will be a last ride at some point but it won't be a conscious decision unless I'm unable to ride safely. We're all different though.

[Count Steer]

Could be. I don't feel like that but clearly some people feel defined by their hobbies. I don't though... bikes are just something I like mucking about with, I'd miss them if I couldn't ride but I'm not defined by the stuff I own. There will be times when I don't ride for a while and then start riding again but inevitably there will be a last ride at some point but it won't be a conscious decision unless I'm unable to ride safely. We're all different though.

Don't you think that we're more 'defined' by what we can do rather than what we own? Most people will say 'I'm a pharmacist, computer programmer, pilot...etc' without flinching about being defined by what they can do/have skillz in. Walk down the high street and most people around you can't, haven't, won't and never will ride a motorbike, so yeah...add that skill/experience to my definition, I don't mind.

[dern]

Could be. I don't feel like that but clearly some people feel defined by their hobbies. I don't though... bikes are just something I like mucking about with, I'd miss them if I couldn't ride but I'm not defined by the stuff I own. There will be times when I don't ride for a while and then start riding again but inevitably there will be a last ride at some point but it won't be a conscious decision unless I'm unable to ride safely. We're all different though.

Don't you think that we're more 'defined' by what we can do rather than what we own? Most people will say 'I'm a pharmacist, computer programmer, pilot...etc' without flinching about being defined by what they can do/have skillz in. Walk down the high street and most people around you can't, haven't, won't and never will ride a motorbike, so yeah...add that skill/experience to my definition, I don't mind.

I can't speak for anyone one other than me so I don't know. I don't feel like that, I just have things I like doing and do as a job. I feel more defined by the way I am, treat people and react to circumstances. That's just me though.

[Cousin Jack]

I feel like that sometimes, especially if the weather is unkind. I find myself wondering why I bother, when I have a very comfortable car that is faster than the bike on most journeys.

Then I do something daft, like I did 2 weeks ago, and go off to Europe on the bike. Then I realise why I will carry on until I cant do it any more.

I am 77, and talking to the tour guide, who is also a blood bike rider, he has had customers, and fellow blood bike riders, who have been well into their 80s. So I reckon you have a few more years yet.

[Scootabout]

I am 77, and talking to the tour guide, who is also a blood bike rider, he has had customers, and fellow blood bike riders, who have been well into their 80s. So I reckon you have a few more years yet.

A guy on another forum stopped riding a year or two back, at the age of 85. Not because he felt unsafe, or because his fellow IAM members had any concerns, but because his wife had become worried that he might have an accident. (So he stuck to driving his Porsche.)

That's one way I might stop, although thankfully t'other half hasn't so far intimated that I should. As for my ardour for motorcycling cooling, I don't think it has, or not much. Like a few others I'm an FWB, in the sense that I won't go for a ride on a wet day if it's optional, but I still ride in the winter when it's dry.

Health-wise, fingers crossed, so far I'm OK. (I'm 65, btw.) I did get a bit worried after my accident 16 months ago, when I rode into the back of a van, that I might be losing it, but I've clocked up about 8k miles since without incident.

Unless something sudden stops me riding, I'll carry on but might go the route of others I know as they age, moving to a lighter/cheaper/lower-powered bike and/or a scoot. That would take me full circle and I could finally justify my user name on here again

[Buckaroo]

I'm 68 next year and would feel like I've had a leg cut off if I wasn't riding something with two wheels. I cycle to keep healthy and motorcycle for the pure joy it provides.

I hope to have at least another 10 years or more before I have to hang up my boots.

Good news is that my health stats suggest a fitness level of someone many decades younger, bar the constant back ache.

Yozzer still has it too!

Good man

[Taipan]

Not sure I'd have a bike if I didn't need one to commute on. When I get fed up with bikes I normally turn to scoot ownership as they are practical and surprisingly fun, but I always seem to get reinterested in bikes again. When I retire I doubt I'll have a bike, maybe a scoot to whizz around town but probably not a bike.

[weeksy]

Been giving this a lot of thought lately, but when do you know it's time to pack it in once and for all?

I don't think this way. I'm in my mid-50s. Sometimes I ride a lot and sometimes I don't ride much. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why you'd make a conscious decision not to so something again unless you physically or mentally can't.

I think the crux of the matter is,when you've been into bikes for many years it kind of comes to be part of who you are. For some folk it defines them. The conundrum comes when it appears you are losing interest in something which has always been a passion and a source of enjoyment. It's easy to feel diminished and less of the person you were.

I felt for a long time that bikes defined me, from racing, to trackdays to clothing, attitude and outlook on life, bikes were 'me'... but as time moved on they became less me, just something i 'had' and as more time passed people saw on here me drifting away from the 10-20 trackdays a year to not even taking a bike to Pembrey.
Most of the time i'm at Pembrey i'm wishing i was at BPW on the MTB with the boy instead... (only in a riding context, not in a seeing friends context).

Eventually i made the jump through circumstances of life rather than anything else, but i don't feel bad about it, i'm happy with where i am in the world of bikes/biking now. I still get a bit of fun through seeing you lot out, seeing your exploits on here and reading about bikes (YOU ALL should post more), but i don't see me buying one again. For me, they're just not fun any more. They're just a way of getting irritated by the roads, cars, humans.

Yesterday i was out riding the MTB, i scared myself several times, i made myself go "WOOOOAHAAAHAHA" a few more times and deffo pushed the boundaries of grip and speed... It's what i used to love about motorbikes.. but i can do it legally and without other people in the way (if you don't count Crust )

[mboy]

Could be. I don't feel like that but clearly some people feel defined by their hobbies. I don't though... bikes are just something I like mucking about with, I'd miss them if I couldn't ride but I'm not defined by the stuff I own. There will be times when I don't ride for a while and then start riding again but inevitably there will be a last ride at some point but it won't be a conscious decision unless I'm unable to ride safely. We're all different though.

I'm with @dern here...

Don't let things define you and it won't rule your life.

I like riding bikes. It's fun! But if it ceased to become fun for whatever reason, I'd move onto the next hobby...

I stopped riding in about 2005, didn't start again until 2017. During that time I'd grown up a bit, realised I wasn't invincible, but also that a bike wasn't just about the speed rush it gave me but also about the freedom too. Then as I realised most of the people I was riding with were borderline dangers to themselves, I took the conscious decision to get some advanced training, which then opened up another chapter for me... The pursuit of becoming a better rider, and the people I then started riding with and mixing with moved things on again for me...

I suspect if I was still riding regularly now with the same people I was riding with in 2017/18, that I wouldn't be riding regularly. Sporadically on my own maybe, but I was enjoying riding less and less as a result of some of the dangerous things I was witnessing from under skilled riders so something needed to change.

I've had periods off during the last 12 months due to health reasons. I am constantly chomping at the bit to get back on the bike each time! But I did spend 12yrs of my adult life totally uninterested by bikes other than to watch a bit of MotoGP occasionally... That might happen again, it might not. But considering most of the blokes I ride with are 15-30yrs older than me (I'm 43 btw) and mostly retired and loving riding, I suspect I'll always keep a toe in even if not fully active all the time from now on...

[G.P]

I'm 64 next birthday and I no longer need to brave it out commuting all year round but I still prefer to ride the bike to work and feel much better for it. I can see a time when I just want a little bike to bimble around the countryside, but for the time being, I'm planning on the Alps by bike next summer.
Each to his own

[Count Steer]

I'm 64 next birthday and I no longer need to brave it out commuting all year round but I still prefer to ride the bike to work and feel much better for it. I can see a time when I just want a little bike to bimble around the countryside, but for the time being, I'm planning on the Alps by bike next summer.
Each to his own

That's the bit I miss most during my current hiatus, never mind the weather....let's head off and go somewhere. I did the commuting thing where you look at the weather and think 'Probably should go in the car. Ah it, it'll not be raining on the way home, get suited up' for a while but it's the....'woohoo! heading for Eurotunnel and whatever lies beyond' that I miss. But, it's my co-pilot that is the issue and it's not as much fun on my own.

[Cousin Jack]

That's the bit I miss most during my current hiatus, never mind the weather....let's head off and go somewhere. I did the commuting thing where you look at the weather and think 'Probably should go in the car. Ah it, it'll not be raining on the way home, get suited up' for a while but it's the....'woohoo! heading for Eurotunnel and whatever lies beyond' that I miss. But, it's my co-pilot that is the issue and it's not as much fun on my own.

Do like I do, go on an 'organised' tour, with a group of like minded people to chat to at dinner and in the bar. Mrs CJ doesn't do pillion! I am happy to ride alone, but I do like to meet up for breakfast, coffee stops and dinner.

[Couchy]

I don’t have a motorbike but I do have two wheels with the mtb. Over the past years I realised the bit I enjoy is being on two wheels and importantly riding how I want. I can do that on a Trackday but then I get the same buzz on a mtb in local woods. One costs nothing once you have the bike the other costs £600 a day. Took me a while to work it all out but having a motorbike stood there that I just walked by to get on mtb showed me what I like most at the moment. It’s no biggie I’ll prob have another one day

[Bustaspoke]

I don’t have a motorbike but I do have two wheels with the mtb. Over the past years I realised the bit I enjoy is being on two wheels and importantly riding how I want. I can do that on a Trackday but then I get the same buzz on a mtb in local woods. One costs nothing once you have the bike the other costs £600 a day. Took me a while to work it all out but having a motorbike stood there that I just walked by to get on mtb showed me what I like most at the moment. It’s no biggie I’ll prob have another one day

That's pretty much what happened to me between 2003 & 2017,now the mountain bike's gathering dust & I spend much more time on my motorbikes.