What would it take to get you to stop riding?

[Gary856]

Yeah, like that. The lead scientist, engineer, or even programmer...

Or anyone like you's.

My wife would pay a lot to get me to not ride, if I had a price. My mom would too but she doesn't have as much resources.

No one else cares.

 

[Rtmac]

My wife tells me pleeease start riding again! Hmmm

 

[Das MotorRad]

I don't know if I could. I've been on two wheels since I was two. It's how I catch my breath.

 

[redtail]

I don't know if I could. I've been on two wheels since I was two. It's how I catch my breath.

This really resonated with me!

My uncle taught me to ride on his Yamaha 80 when I was young, way too young to ride in the street. It was a small town that most of my family had lived in. I was out on the Yamaha and the local cop, a friend of the family, saw me and I waved and he waved back. I've been hooked ever since, not sure I even ever thought about quitting, even after a car took me out when I was 18 and totaled my R5350. In the hospital I was reading motorcycle magazines to find my next bike.

 

[ctwo]

I remember my single digit riding years. Not enough of them. Dad did not have time for me after spending it on my stepbrother, so I had to learn it on my own, and it was slow. When I was 11, my Mom said I could buy that Yamaha 80 if I could get the money. $200, which came from collecting bottles and cans. I got to ride it all I wanted for a time. We jumped over parts of the Mississippi river. When brass tax hit the floor, the answer became no. I hid my first street bike at a friends and never said anything. I must have been riding that on a permit, up and down Page Mill road.

 

[budman]

Interesting interaction with the other half tonight.

She said you break shit again and you are done riding.

My response.

So you are saying you should leave me now then… because you do not dictate my life. I Got mad so dropped real feelings. (Firm)

She did not like that and I refused to repeal the statement. I said it depends. I would not automatically agree but if you don’t want to deal then perhaps it is best to just move on.

I hate those face up moments but I know if I don’t she takes it as a verbal contract that I agreed too.

Told her .. It is my decision. 100% and her input would always be seriously considered but she does not rule me (at least when it comes to motos).

 

[WoodsChick]

She should be trying to ban you from going up and down the stairs with socks! I mean, that's what caused this, right? That shit's dangerous!

 

[budman]

She has.

That was an easy yes dear.

I have always drawn the line when it comes to riding.

She knows it is true. Losing battle.

 

[budman]

We have these moto vational moments once or twice a year. So we are well over 50 at this point Always have. Shit is over in two days max. We both know that our points are worthy of flying a middle finger. There is life passion involved. For each other. For family and for the ride. Some of you must have had these experiences.

Back to our points.

Hers - Agree if I crash I never ride again. You are old now.. I don’t want to nurse your ass again. This could be a huge future impact.

I did not agree to her reasonable request that included never riding again…,probably made worse after her awesome effort taking care of my broken ass.

Mine - you know this is me and my soul feeds off riding a motorcycle. It is not fair to demand actions that would cut the fucking passion in my life at the knees. .

I totally get it. She has picked up the pieces a couple times and she does not want to see me get hurt and all the loving stuff and the anxiety that goes with it.

Generally she is super cool with me riding and I think me being busted up means her faith in me needs to heal too.

Means I got to show her.

 

[tuxumino]

I bet ya if you were riding a moto down the stairs you wouldn't have broke you ass, you neck maybe but not your ass.

I'll give it up when I can't do it no more.

 

[BillSmith]

Socks? No problem.

When my wife introduced me to skiing, I started surfing the stairs at home using socks as my make-shift mogul slats.

The way I handled stairs until a few years ago was to gather, knees bent and launch myself like Superman. Not being he, I reached out to catch a banister or wall on both sides, lift torso, swing legs under and land upright at the bottom. Did this everywhere. Hotels were particularly fun due to the acoustics. Hit every landing all the way down. Last regular showing of this was at Woodlake Condos (apts.) in San Mateo. It was a BOOMfest from the fifth floor, echoing in the stairwell and probably did a number on the elevator shaft as well.

My riding passion is distance. My wife, like yours D, has the same objections. Yes, it would be FAR safer, even easier, more comfortable, etc. to ride in a cramped convertible than on two-wheels. Cheaper too, as I could occasionally nap in a car and extend legs on a coast-to-coast run.

But I want to ride US-50 from Sac to Ocean City, MD. Would not be the same on four, so two it is. Hopefully in 2026. Hope you are on your retirement ride as well.

 

[CDONA]

I was thinking of this yesterday, "stairway surfing" skipping off the edges of the stairs, as moguls,
or Grinding the handrail, like there IS room.
It is like looking down a narrow squeeze, from a cornice , , ,
ATGATT, for stairways ? carabiners & rope ?
Anything better than an Acorn power chair, with ATGATT ?

Fall down the stairs once,

 

[Blankpage]

A broken femur would have me reconsider riding although I’d probably still own a bike for Starbucks runs. But then I haven’t been inside a Starbucks in over a year.

 

[SlideSF]

First.. really cool to see @SlideSF and @redtail chime in.

Wish you the best best in the Windy City Slide and Mr Redtail and I have the same expectations and years of living this wonderful two wheel experience.

To follow on Kuro’s tangent it is way more likely a rider has to face the choice from their life partner than $$ so that feels real.

My wife first met me shortly after seeing me doing wheelies on my RD when I was 16. She was the hot younger girl living next to my best friend.

She kinda has known who I am since. She still tried on and off after I wadded in front of her and my daughters at Laguna.

T11. She has pics.

Ten year effort. Respect to her for never demanding. Strong requests met appropriately.

The returning rider group is statistically as high as teens / young adults to have crashes. I have reasons I believe to be the case but don’t want to bore anyone with those here.

Thanks for the kind words Dennis. Yeah, it's going to be difficult to stop riding, but really, my bike and a lot of my gear are on their last legs, and there's no point in (and no money for) replacing them for a few months of straight line riding in the Midwest. My wife, of course, wants me to get rid of my bike NOW, but I will hold on to it until the last possible moment. I probably have at least a couple good rides in me still.

 

[two wheel tramp]

having recently spent five months off the bike, it would need to be in the “work this job for a year and you’re set for life” range.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I'd give it up temporarily for $50K+yr on top of my base pay......I don't have that many years left to work, so it would shave off 4-5 years from my career assuming it was invested properly and then I could go enjoy it even more sooner?

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I managed to break myself twice in less than 24 months, in both cases it put my on crutches and required more effort from the S/O to manage simple things like groceries and dog walking. Nothing to do with riding, but I was told I was not allowed to get hurt again for a while

 

[budman]

This OG busted himself up at my age doing MX. Much cooler than falling down stairs.
Sounds like he is back racing after 10 months. Pretty cool that he came back.

Cycle News - Cycle News 2025 Issue 46 November 18

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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[Motor_Bay]

Honestly, nothing’s really gonna make me stop riding unless I physically can’t do it anymore. The joy it gives me is on a different level — there’s just nothing else that hits the same.

Money, pressure, whatever… none of that compares to the feeling of being on a bike. As long as my body can still swing a leg over, I’m riding.

 

[ST Guy]

The only thing that comes close to a motorcycle is a sporty convertible. When I bought it in LA, I felt something was wrong as I drove up highway1!back home. Turned out I felt like I should have been wearing a helmet. I laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my drive.