Does anyone here not ride, or not ride anymore?

[darthpunk]

Just curious as to why people maybe don't ride or gave it up?

I don't, always wanted to, something always got in the way (parents, money, wife, money, kid) - now I can finally, my 10 year old has laid on the guilt trip quite heavily and my poor ADHD rattled mind is continuing to go back and forth on it.

So yeah, just curious really

[weeksy]

I lost interest in bikes as i got older, arguably i should have stopped mid 40's but hung on until 51. In simple terms, no-one went out, we didn't do meet-ups, then add in having a child and even throwing in a love for MTB, then motorcycles ended up being canned.

I couldn't get the excitement, the fear, the fun from bikes and more. Partly traffic, partly roads and partly because doing 150mph is just a bit daft. I can get more fun at 15mph in the woods.

[Cousin Jack]

I haven't given up yet. I love riding and touring on a bike. Mrs CJ lays the guilt on me at times, and stuff gets in the way, but I intend to carry on riding as long as I can.

[Rockburner]

I've ridden since I was 8 or 9 years old. Not having a bike would be like not having an arm.

I've reduced my riding by about 90% in the past few years mainly due to not commuting daily any more and now living in a house that requires a fair bit of maintenance and gardening which robs time from the weekends.

I fully expect to still have a bike in the garage when I peg it, and I'm hoping to have been able to do a fair bit more riding before then.

I suppose I'm lucky that my family are all also bikers, so I don't have anyone to lay guilt on me for the risks that exist.

[Pirahna]

I reckon I'm somewhere close to 750k motorcycle miles, most of the them done commuting. When I stopped commuting in 2017 I had no further need for a motorcycle so sold the bikes and either gave away or binned all my riding kit. I'm thinking of buying a trials bike but currently I need hand surgery (again), doctors appointment on Friday.

[Skub]

Just curious as to why people maybe don't ride or gave it up?

I don't, always wanted to, something always got in the way (parents, money, wife, money, kid) - now I can finally, my 10 year old has laid on the guilt trip quite heavily and my poor ADHD rattled mind is continuing to go back and forth on it.

So yeah, just curious really

No matter what it is,if you don't want something badly enough,there'll always be a reason not to pursue it. Conversely,if something is really eating away at you for years,then that itch is going to be scratched at some point.

For the most part motorcycles and riding are quite a selfish interest. Family members can play the 'danger and irresponsibility' card and having kids can be a turning point for some. I've always had at least one bike insured and ready to go,even during the times biking mojo was low,then at least there's not the obstacle of having to buy a bike on top of the drama of you riding again.

Old age/infirmity/injury will stop me eventually,but I'm not handing my notice in early.

It's an individual choice,but if you buy,try and don't like,then you can always sell. Beats boiling your head wondering.

[Noggin]

I didn't start riding until I was 32 (took my test before but a parachute accident soon after made it financially impossible for a bit!). I found riding bikes gave me a reason, a passion and enabled me to make to sort of friends I'd missed all my life.

My family, especially my mother, did the guilt trip/emotional blackmail, but I lived alone and had no dependents, so I just continued!!


Sadly, since August 2017 I've not been able to ride much, a bit cos physically it was difficult/painful and a bit due to not being able to register my bike on French plates.

However, this summer, hopefully I'll be able to do some making up for the last 6 summers I've mostly missed!!

I can't imagine giving up due to age. I can imagine having to give up due to physically not being able to ride and that will be devastating. But if my legs work I'll do everything I can to adjust the hand controls so I can still ride. And if it's legs, then I'll try one of those 3 wheelers with the wheels at the front!!


I've missed it so much - the actual riding and how it makes me feel, but also the social side, the camaraderie. Here's hoping I can find it ion foreign soil when I get going again

[DefTrap]

Not as much as I used to. Since I stopped commuting my mileage dropped massively.

So I'm strictly an "if I want" biker now. The trouble with that is that you need a reason to go somewhere (I don't find motorcycling so user friendly that I use it as transport for shopping for example) so I just blat about occasiona;lly for fun. And I was always a fair weather bike - annoyingly now that I live further south there's an awful big chunk of the year when it's too fecking hot for riding (unless I get up reet early ...)

[Ditchfinder]

Mainly summer commuting here in the UK with the odd tour of the South Dales on a weekend. Plan is to ride more at our place in France where as we move towards retiring we'll be spending more time.

There's a good chance some of that riding will be off-road as our place is 3km from the TET

[gremlin]

Not as much as I used to. Since I stopped commuting my mileage dropped massively.

So I'm strictly an "if I want" biker now. The trouble with that is that you need a reason to go somewhere (I don't find motorcycling so user friendly that I use it as transport for shopping for example) so I just blat about occasiona;lly for fun. And I was always a fair weather bike - annoyingly now that I live further south there's an awful big chunk of the year when it's too fecking hot for riding (unless I get up reet early ...)

I fear that when I jack in work, whenever that may be, I'll have time, but no purpose. I've never been one for jumping on the bike and going nowhere in particular. I like a purpose and a destination, a reason, if you prefer. Give me a map, somewhere interesting to go and something to do when I;m there, then I'm a happy little biker. Hence I do kinda like my commuting. It has purpose.

I'll be one of those old duffers walking around, telling the young 'uns with bikes, 'I used to have one of them, back in the day...'

[Rockburner]

Not as much as I used to. Since I stopped commuting my mileage dropped massively.

So I'm strictly an "if I want" biker now. The trouble with that is that you need a reason to go somewhere (I don't find motorcycling so user friendly that I use it as transport for shopping for example) so I just blat about occasiona;lly for fun. And I was always a fair weather bike - annoyingly now that I live further south there's an awful big chunk of the year when it's too fecking hot for riding (unless I get up reet early ...)

I fear that when I jack in work, whenever that may be, I'll have time, but no purpose. I've never been one for jumping on the bike and going nowhere in particular. I like a purpose and a destination, a reason, if you prefer. Give me a map, somewhere interesting to go and something to do when I;m there, then I'm a happy little biker. Hence I do kinda like my commuting. It has purpose.

I'll be one of those old duffers walking around, telling the young 'uns with bikes, 'I used to have one of them, back in the day...'

Buy a classic and get into the relevant club.

It gives you that small bit of motivation to get out and talk bollocks with other like-minded nerds.

Why do you think I want to get the JAPton working reliably!

[Count Steer]

Sold my bikes when I was hobbling about, with difficulty, for a while. Intended to get another one once/if I got fixed (I did ).

However, I don't commute any more, never really just hopped on the bike to 'go for a ride' but did do touring over the water and would use the bikes rather than car to go places ie visit family etc. Used to enjoy the meet ups/rides with other folk from the previous 'here'

Always planned to get another, still got some kit inc boots and helmets (donated a lot to a local bike bunch that auctioned it off in a charity event - raised a few £00). May still get another but the main reason would be to go touring again. One of these sunny days....

[Horse]

I started riding in October 1976. Involved with rider training from 1979.

For many years, bikes were my only transport. Bought first car in 2008.

Medical stuff meant that my balance is FUBAR'd (actually a lot more complicated - ask and I'll tell).

That happened in 2016. I'd always said I'd only stop when a medico told me to. By then, I'd already decided.

It's not fixable.

But I rode a trials bike in a field last year, to scratch the itch, see whether I could.

20240417_142249.jpg (322.33 KiB) Viewed 1036 times

[Taipan]

Only commute on a bike now and don't ride socially or for fun anymore, although I do enjoy my commute.

[Skub]

Buy a classic and get into the relevant club.
It gives you that small bit of motivation to get out and talk bollocks with other like-minded nerds.
Why do you think I want to get the JAPton working reliably!

[Horse]

I started riding in October 1976. Involved with rider training from 1979.

Forgot to say, still involved with bike-related stuff.

Medical stuff meant that my balance is FUBAR'd (actually a lot more complicated - ask and I'll tell).

Three pages, if anyone's interested

viewtopic.php

[tricol]

I'm in my 4th year of my second stint of riding. My first stint wasn't much to write home about, mostly commuting with a bit of dicking around in between. Mostly because I've always loved bikes and it was much cheaper than having a car that I couldn't afford.

Must admit, I'm starting to feel a little bit meh about it now. Always ride the same roads, by myself. The trackdays have been brilliant though. Maybe I need to find some riding buddies or start planning overnight stops in new places. I think I'm almost done with just riding locally by myself now.

[636mick]

Ridden bikes since I was a kid, couple of times without a bike due to family, money etc. health problems stopped me dead in about 2021 so sold up and gave up.
Bought another bike in November last year as I was missing it and the health stuff allowed me to resume my previous life.
Hope to always have a bike until I’m gone, after which I won’t care much.
Justifying having a bike will always be harder than justifying not having a bike as there’s always money needed somewhere else.
Mick

[KungFooBob]

My local bike club have a points system.

If you plan/lead a run you get some points, if you go on the run you get a smaller number of points.

There's two trophies, one for the nice(r) six months of the year and a brass monkey trophy for the wintery bit.

They're all Uber competitive, so there's at least one run on every weekend. Ive found some great roads with them that I would never have found on my own.

They're all mostly retired types, but a few of them can shift a bit so it's never dull.

If I'm ever struggling for an idea of somewhere to ride I just turn up for one of their runs.

They stop for breaks too, which I never do on my own and probably should.

[Dodgy69]

I must admit, atm I'm happier bimbling around on the RE than riding the MT or GS. With the exception of a trip away for a day or 3, but just for a few hours it's RE everything.