Has life gotten so busy that you don’t have time to ride?

[cloudbreakmd]

I’ve got 10 bikes now and I have ridden a total of 30 minutes this year. Between the maintenance and storage… I think it’s time to trim the herd.

[Big Block]

I findi if you only have a couple it works okay. I always have one "new" bike that is injected and I can pretty much ride anytime and also to my part time job 3 times a week. If I do maintenance on the old bikes I always have to go for a ride afterwards. No matter how busy I am, going for a ride is necessary to forget everything in life and just enjoy the bike and nature at the same time. I am less committed to long rides though and there's lots of local places where I can do a quick 1 or 2 hour ride. I admire Trevor taking his week long rides like I used to do but I don't commit to those anymore.

[rphillips]

I've got 6, one, the very fun to ride "99" Bandit 1200, has not been out of the garage this year... Others haven't been out near as much as they yus'ta... Big decision which ones to let go and which 1 or 2 to keep... Maybe if I wait a little longer I won't got'ta decide, they will all be sold in my estate sale

[LAB3]

Tell you what, if any of you guys want to pass along a 1000cc or larger bike along to a good home I'm more than willing to take it off your hands! It'll be ridden daily by a guy who "lives the life" as a full time traveler, if it's in real nice shape I'll even promise to wash it more than once a year.

[bwringer]

The problem goes deep.

Defending the time to ride is always a big problem. There is ALWAYS something "better" to do. ALWAYS. So you have to put riding on its own pedestal, so to speak, and sometimes you have to vigorously defend that time.

Like any other limited resource, tough choices have to be made, and sometimes... yeah, your boss, your spouse, your kids, etc. are just going to have to be unhappy. But you don't have to be selfish about it, either.


The thing is, riding motorcycles is something you have to take pretty seriously. If you've been on two wheels only thirty minutes this year, your skills are very rusty, in ways that aren't always obvious. Maintaining a high level of skill takes a lot of mindfulness and saddle time. And I'm not just talking about the "remembering which levers do what" skills; I'm talking about the vast array of "staying alive when the whole world wants you dead" skills. If you're going to ride motorcycles, you have to do it well.

In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (an 80 year old psychological model of motivation; there are many others, but this one is well-known) motorcycling sits right at the top, self-actualization. No one NEEDS to ride; we ride because we want to, because it brings us joy, because for the likes of us it is an important ingredient in a life well-lived.

Later on, Maslow revised the model to include "trancendence" at the top. Motorcycling fits there, too, at least for me; it's relatively easy access to a higher plane of being, a transcendent state of existence. I honestly feel bad for people who rarely or never enter that state of being.

There is no need to apologize or make excuses for the time, money, and risks of riding. You are doing what is right for you.

But you do have a responsibility to find a workable balance in your life.

Another part of the equation is the people who know you best and love you most. I've found that the mark of healthy relationships is that they want you to be happy, and even if they don't understand or share your passions, they see the joy that riding brings you, and they feel joy for your joy. Even when I've been seriously injured riding (yes, I know the risks up-close), I've found unexpected support and understanding from my wife, my sister, my mom, even my boss and co-workers; they understood enough, and respected my choices and my joy. This is a sign of healthy relationships in your life.

And of course, unhealthy relationships are almost always selfish and one-sided, with no respect for your needs, your joy, your self-actualization; they waste the time, energy and resources to ride motorcycles or do anything else that brings joy and meaning.

This goes both ways and all ways, of course. That's the key to ensuring that riding motorcycles is not selfish. It can be selfish if you're regularly neglecting everything and everyone else in your life.

Healthy relationships are \where the space exists to have a healthy, busy riding life as well as a healthy, busy career and personal life. And healthy relationships require mindfulness, work, and rational, healthy prioritization.

No one is "blessed" with healthy relationships and love; healthy adult relationships are deliberately built out of mutuality, respect, love, compromise, forgiveness, and all the rest. They take awareness, humility, and sometimes, hard work.

[rphillips]

"Pretty tempting", no doubt they'd appreciate being ridden regularly. Really got'ta get the "99" Bandit out just to get the old gas ran through it and packed back full of no ethanol.

[trevor]

I currently have 8 bikes....and not riding the older GS's as often as I used to has proven problematic...had to rebuild the carbs on two bikes this spring....plus just finished doing the carbs on the st1100 I recently bought....I'm riding it to Ontario in Sept for my niece's wedding...then leaving it at a friend's in Ontario and flying home....now I'll have a bike in Ontario for when I visit there...
The VFR1200F has been taking up some of my time recently rebuilding the front brakes. Right now all 8 bikes could be ridden anywhere but it's a lot of work and I too have thought about "thinning the herd". Trouble is I always justify keeping them all...
As for riding....I ride more now than I ever have...averaging over 30.000km a year since my accident 4 years ago....I'm making it a priority. I'm 58 and most of the guys I ride with are older than me and I see that someday this all comes to an end...I don't want to be that guy wishing he had said "yes" to motorcycle trips...I want no regrets in that department.
I'm lucky that I can work from my motorcycle...in fact with all the trips I've taken this year not one day of my vacation time has been used yet.
We are also lucky here that we can ride all year and that I have a lot of riding buddies...and I ride off road too.
I grew up in Ontario and my friends with motorcycles back there hardly ride at all anymore....I don't know but I think the mentality in BC is much different when it comes to getting off your azz and enjoying the outdoors.

[trevor]

I’ve got 10 bikes now and I have ridden a total of 30 minutes this year. Between the maintenance and storage… I think it’s time to trim the herd.

Hey, I didn't know you have a vfr1200f? I do too....please tell me more....I love mine

[storm 64]

Being 59yo, never married, with no kids, I ride a lot. I average around 20,000+ miles per year. After I get off work, I usually ride for dinner someplace. Weekends I'll find a interesting destination to ride to. Then once a year I always plan a big multi-week road trip... However they say to much of one thing is not good. My golf game suffers, my lawn doesn't get the attention it needs, my house could use a little TLC... The way I see it, I can concentrate on that stuff when I retire. Riding keeps me active. I like meeting people and seeing different things alone the way. For now, I'll keep on riding.

[bwringer]

As far as the "maintenance vs. riding time" problem, I've consistently found that the right number of motorcycles for me is three, all with very different "mission profiles". I've had more, I've had less, but I can keep three bikes maintained and reliable, and ride them all frequently enough to keep the problems of infrequent usage at bay. Three bikes also covers a wide spread of motorcycling, and fits in my limited garage space well enough. With four or more, I'm forever bumping into bikes or playing tetris to get anything done.

Three batteries, six tires, five carbs, three throttle bodies, two radiators, 16 brake pads, and 14 wheel bearings is plenty, but I can manage it just fine.

I have found that I generally avoid owning project bikes. I have one vintage bike, and I keep it ready for anything just like the others. But I'm not really interested in owning more vintage bikes, or taking on a project of my own. That said, I do end up doing a lot of work on vintage bikes anyway, through motorcycles owned by others.

Maybe if I had the space I'd have more bikes for more purposes, but honestly I really can't stand to have non-running bikes lying around. If I'm not actively in the process of getting a bike it up and running, I would not want it taking up space. And I have learned I don't really like to have much mission overlap.

As to cars, the fewer the better, and the less time and money I waste on the damn unwieldy things, the better. They're a necessary evil at best.

[JMHJ]

Depends what kind of riding you do... If you commute you don't have to worry about finding time. Just changing tires, oil, brakes and stuff. You can ride all the time like that : ).

Except for my first bike when I was single, I've generally found I get enough of it just doing that.

[cloudbreakmd]

i actually sold it last summer but forgot to update my list.

Hey, I didn't know you have a vfr1200f? I do too....please tell me more....I love mine

[trevor]

i actually sold it last summer but forgot to update my list.

Do you regret selling it? Why did you sell it? Cheers

[argonsagas]

The problem goes deep.

Defending the time to ride is always a big problem. There is ALWAYS something "better" to do. ALWAYS. So you have to put riding on its own pedestal, so to speak, and sometimes you have to vigorously defend that time.

Like any other limited resource, tough choices have to be made, and sometimes... yeah, your boss, your spouse, your kids, etc. are just going to have to be unhappy. But you don't have to be selfish about it, either.


The thing is, riding motorcycles is something you have to take pretty seriously. If you've been on two wheels only thirty minutes this year, your skills are very rusty, in ways that aren't always obvious. Maintaining a high level of skill takes a lot of mindfulness and saddle time. And I'm not just talking about the "remembering which levers do what" skills; I'm talking about the vast array of "staying alive when the whole world wants you dead" skills. If you're going to ride motorcycles, you have to do it well.

In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (an 80 year old psychological model of motivation; there are many others, but this one is well-known) motorcycling sits right at the top, self-actualization. No one NEEDS to ride; we ride because we want to, because it brings us joy, because for the likes of us it is an important ingredient in a life well-lived.

Later on, Maslow revised the model to include "trancendence" at the top. Motorcycling fits there, too, at least for me; it's relatively easy access to a higher plane of being, a transcendent state of existence. I honestly feel bad for people who rarely or never enter that state of being.

There is no need to apologize or make excuses for the time, money, and risks of riding. You are doing what is right for you.

But you do have a responsibility to find a workable balance in your life.

Another part of the equation is the people who know you best and love you most. I've found that the mark of healthy relationships is that they want you to be happy, and even if they don't understand or share your passions, they see the joy that riding brings you, and they feel joy for your joy. Even when I've been seriously injured riding (yes, I know the risks up-close), I've found unexpected support and understanding from my wife, my sister, my mom, even my boss and co-workers; they understood enough, and respected my choices and my joy. This is a sign of healthy relationships in your life.

And of course, unhealthy relationships are almost always selfish and one-sided, with no respect for your needs, your joy, your self-actualization; they waste the time, energy and resources to ride motorcycles or do anything else that brings joy and meaning.

This goes both ways and all ways, of course. That's the key to ensuring that riding motorcycles is not selfish. It can be selfish if you're regularly neglecting everything and everyone else in your life.

Healthy relationships are \where the space exists to have a healthy, busy riding life as well as a healthy, busy career and personal life. And healthy relationships require mindfulness, work, and rational, healthy prioritization.

No one is "blessed" with healthy relationships and love; healthy adult relationships are deliberately built out of mutuality, respect, love, compromise, forgiveness, and all the rest. They take awareness, humility, and sometimes, hard work.

That is highly accurate and one of the best opinion pieces on this subject I have read at any time..

Thank you for taking the time to write it all.

[Cipher]

Dont any of you incorporate daily driving of the bike for tasks not requiring a car? I buy groceries on my bike. Huge offset in fuel and a good use of a vehicle.