Sport Bikes banner

This might be my last post.. should i quit riding?

5K views 64 replies 45 participants last post by  Justice06RR 
#1 ·
I love my bike, but the pressure ive been getting from everyone to get rid of my bike has gotten to me.

A little bit of background about me. Im 24, been riding for 3 years. I ride my bike virtually every single day as a commuter year round in all weather conditions (except ice and snow). I love my bike and use it like crazy to split traffic and go into the city on occasion. The conditions in which I ride are by no means safe, but I do everything I can to be safe. Bright High Vis Jacket, full gear, heavy boots, full face helmet, etc etc.. and I ride fairly conservatively compared to most bikers I see...

I love my bike to death. Ive done a track day and want to do more, I just got all my gear to go motorcycle camping.. and I recently upgraded my bike to help me commute...

but I love one thing more...

Dancing... I am a professional dancer, meaning I use my legs alot. If I had a spill that went slightly wrong i could loose the ability to dance... Hell... I dont ever care about dying... I know I would feel horrible if this happened and I lost my job...

Everyone around me is telling me to get rid of it... ALL THE TIME. :bangdesk
My friend finally got to me when he said, "you had your fun, its time to move on" I want to keep having fun... but what is the sense in it? Is it worth it? Now he's got me watching crash vids on liveLeeks.com ....

In my mind im safe, because nothing has happened yet... but when it does happen, it might be too late to say... well, guess its a good time to quit riding... Is it better to quit while your ahead?

I dont see much of a point in cutting down in the amount of riding ill do.. because then I wont be sharp or as good a rider. Its probobly better to do all or nothing. I cant see it being safe to ride only when its nice enough out or its the perfect moment because those people aren't mentally prepared in my opinion.

I have invested so much time, money, and gear, in this passion of mine... But in my situation, where my dancing matters more, should I sacrifice this one? :(
 
See less See more
#2 ·
If it makes you happy, why stop? The reality is if you ride smart..and anticipate....not look for the next asshat that will pull out in front of you you will be ok...even more so if you wear all of the gear...to include proper full length sport boots and gloves etc....

I think you need to go strafe an apex..go do a wheelie and run it through a few gears.... Or maybe go on a trip alone. Reflect on it.

If you want a compromise?
Do things like drive the cage in the rain, avoid the city if you can, avoid dusk and dawn hours..etc... Lots of reading out there to help you stay safe.

Read this:

( Source: An open letter to every person I meet who finds out I ride a motorcycle | Hell for Leather Hell for Leather )

Let me stop you right there, mmmm-kay? I can tell by that little intake of breath what’s coming next. Thank you in advance, but I already know that motorcycles are “dangerous.” After nearly twenty years of riding on the streets, I am aware; telling me now will not be a revelation. It is not an insight into my lifestyle that has remained hidden from me until this, the moment of epiphany when you shine the light of outsider wisdom on my foolhardy choices.
Photo: Grant Ray
There are ways I can minimize the risk — by riding defensively, riding sober, knowing my own and my machine’s capabilities, etc. — but I also know there are some risks that are simply beyond my control. But you know what? There a lots of risks that are within my control. We’ve become so pathologically risk-averse that for most people it is inconceivable to assume any additional risk no matter how much joy you might get back in return.
You want to know what’s truly dangerous? Not taking any risks. Hanging out with like-minded middle-of-the-roaders. Absorbing the same brain-ossifying shit from media factories every day. Jogging. Putting helmets, flotation devices, and auto-deploy epi-pens on your kids every time they leave the house. Passivity. Not paying attention to where your car, or your life, or you country is going.
If you don’t get that, that’s OK. I’m not trying to convert anybody, but here are a few tips to save us both a little aggravation:
You don’t need to tell me the horror story about your uncle’s buddy who wiped out his chopper while drag racing at some hooligan rally. That just makes me wish I were talking to your uncle’s buddy instead of you. He sounds pretty cool.
Do not — do NOT — tell me about the time you almost Sausage Creatured a biker because you “couldn’t see him” or he “came out of nowhere.” I have never known a bike to come out of nowhere, but I have seen plenty of cars pull a Crazy Ivan and turn into a lane occupied by a biker or make an impromptu unsignalled left turn in front of an oncoming me. If you’re expecting me to share your outrage at the temerity of bikers to be in the lane you want, you’re more deluded than a goldfish with a passport. I can’t make you see bikes. I can’t make you hang up your phone. They won’t let me mount a .50-caliber machine gun to my bike. So really, there’s not much I can do to change the outcome of your anecdote, so save it for your coreligionists who also have stick-figure families and giant softball stickers with the name “Tailyr” or “Flynn” or “Shyly” on their rear windows.
I do wear a helmet, as a matter of fact, along with other protective gear. But, the fact that you “certainly hope” I wear a helmet is so condescending it makes me want to ride a tricycle completely naked doing doughnuts in your front yard screaming Beastie Boys lyrics at midnight. Trust me, you do not want that. My buttocks are extremely pale and unsightly, especially in moonlight.
Please, do not complain about bikes parking in car parking spaces. Where are we supposed to park? If they let us park up on the curb like in Europe, we would totally do that, and precious few parking lots have motorcycle parking areas. Most cops already have a hard-on for bikes, so parking anywhere but in a designated spot is asking to be impounded.
Yes, I know, some bikes have very loud exhaust. Maybe it’s obnoxious, but at least you knew they were there, didn’t you? They say loud pipes save lives. I don’t know if that’s true, because there hasn’t been a serious comprehensive study of motorcycle safety since 1981, the poetically named Hurt Report. And yes, I know, at one point you probably saw some kid riding his 600cc sport bike at 100mph doing a wheelie down the freeway. He’s a squid, and he’ll either grow up or just take care of himself. Some bikers do crazy things. Anti-social things. Unsanctioned things. I don’t represent him and he doesn’t represent me — that’s the great part of being a biker. I could be a Lowbrow Weirdo or Antoine Predock or Lyle Lovett or just whatever I want to be.
If you’re really so all-fire concerned about my safety, don’t preach at me. Just do me this one favor: pay attention when you’re driving. Keep your greasy fingers off your touch-screen, put down your phone, use your turn signals and lay off the booze before you get on the road with me. You take care of your part and I’ll take care of mine.
But hang-gliding, man, that shit is crazy.
Carter Edman is an architect, writer, and rider in Cleveland, Ohio. He teaches “Motorcycles and American Culture” and other courses at Case Western Reserve University.
 
#4 ·
feeling a little better... but not completely. Answer this:

If you had something that you loved more then motorcycles, as much as your own life, and riding your bike meant that you might not be able to do this thing anymore... would you continue to ride?

Is it worth sacrificing in this case
 
#10 ·
As someone who dances extensively as well. ...I can absolutely understand your internal struggle. I would be crushed if I couldn't dance. Its many center. .. it' an outlet and an inspiration for my life. When people ask my why I dance I ask them why you breathe?

So...its that important to me. But. On the other side- while I wouldn't say riding is as critical as breathing-its damn close!

But ultimately- no one can decide if it's worth the sacrifice is worth it. For me it's not. There will always be dangerous things in life. But I personally won't trade the maybe factor.

No one but you can make that call.
 
#5 ·
Brother, that's a decision YOU have to make. I love riding. I lost one uncle to it and another lost his leg. I've had good friends and acquaintances killed on their bikes (I've had friends and acquaintances killed in their cars) and I still ride. I have people tell me all the time how dangerous it is to ride and my reply to them is that it's pretty dangerous just to wake up sometimes. I still get the fukc out of bed.

If you aren't enjoying it, quit. You can always come back.
 
#6 ·
Id be looking for a new job, dancing seems sketchy, especially as you get older.

Everyone that rides will have crashes, it will happen, so if you believe you'll escape this fate, the odds are not there, in the learning spectrum.

I have seen people go multi years without, and then crash, unfortunately they didnt survive the one crash.

To avoid crashing, requires a High degree of countermeasure skill (bike control), you cant get that unless you enter the realm of a crash and avoid it, or crashed previously and learned how to counter it, later.

Next is Threat Protocols. Learning how to see threat scenarios develope to exploit them, or avoid. This is a preventative to testing bike control skills on the street.

Riding gear is all secondary to both of these, or a fall back as last resort.

When I was a Kid, I could tell when I was gonna crash, and I couldnt do much about it, I just felt it develope and sure enough it happened. Over a series of crashes , counter measure techniques started evolving= less crashing. Its not a 1,2,3 year type of thing, but 20 or 30 year type of thing.

One of the worst things is for riders not to experience crashes with progression, that keeps them humble, the crashes are normally far worse, if their developement doesnt incorporate some crashing.

I knew this guy who was progressing pretty good, more daring and more daring without incident, till he broke his neck. That kind of ended his progression. A few baby steps of Humblity might have aided.

Having said that, Life is too short and so is Youth. but just be smart, limit your risks and you'll live long and have fun.
 
#9 ·
Just my own observation but if you have to ask an internet forum if you should quite riding, it sounds like your heart isn't really in it. Only you can deem if the risk is worth it. It's a choice we all made when we started riding and must consider every time we throw a leg over.
 
#11 ·
Obviously you could get seriously injured in a car or walking down the street

How much higher are the odds on a bike, realty?

I've been riding on and off for 40+ years. I went 30 years crash free. Broke some ribs this summer. I won't give up riding again. I've gone some stretches not riding, and I miss it and love it too much to give it up again

Tough choice, since dance isn't just a paycheck it's a passion. But you have no conditions they increase your risks my wife does, and she has to have dance to keep physically viable, so riding is too risky for her to do much


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#20 ·
Obviously you could get seriously injured in a car or walking down the street

How much higher are the odds on a bike, realty?
Actually, if you're doing 12,000 miles a year or so, high enough to make "vehicle wreck" the #1 most likely cause of your death. Above even heart disease and cancer. This is assuming average rider, average conditions, etc.

Obviously "most likely" and "guaranteed" aren't the same thing, before anyone argues that.
 
#12 ·
I remember reading a few statistics out of a book Ride Hard Ride Smart. They basically said: the first 6 months that someone is riding are where somebody has the absolute highest risk of wrecking. After that, for the next 18 months, there is still a significantly high risk of crashing. If you make it past the first 2 years, you've made it past the most dangerous period. After the first two years of riding, the statistics say that you are much less likely to crash. As somebody else has said, riding at night is the most dangerous time to ride....and so since you've made it past your first two years, and if you don't ride at night, the statistics say that you have a very low risk of crashing/getting hurt.

Hope this helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#13 ·
Motorcycles are my first love (besides my family). I made a lot of sacrifices for motorcycles, but if my family needed me to stop riding, I'd sell everything off without thinking twice. I guess my point is, if dancing is your first love, then it might be time to start paying for taxi's. There's always life after dancing.
 
#19 ·
This just isn't true. You don't NEED legs. There are plenty of people who get by without legs. Life may be a little harder, but it's livable.

When I worked at my Uncle's shop, he had a guy that would come in regularly to drop off cars from a flatbed tow truck. The first time I saw the guy come in though, I couldn't fucking believe he was in a wheel chair. Yup. Tow truck driver in a wheel chair. Paralyzed from the waist down from a motorcycle accident. Instead of giving up and dying because he lost his legs, he adapted, and persevered and he was REALLY fucking good at his job from what I saw.

You may or may not get into a wreck. You may or may not get injured badly. You are however taking the right steps to ensure that your injuries aren't going to be as bad as the squid next to you that's likely wearing jeans and tennis shoes. When I got hit, I was wearing full gear, and while I couldn't really walk straight for two weeks due to the bruising on my leg, the gear did it's job and nothing got broken (Knee protection probably stopped my knee from getting busted)
 
#16 ·
'We all are gamblers just by living' is a line I heard somewhere. Just ride defensively, don't ride in bad weather, and keep it no more than 8/10 of the limit out on the street. You can also end up paralyzed in a car accident or die falling out of bed. People often have false ideas of risk; you'd be surprised how many people (including children) die from accidents in or around their homes.
 
#17 ·
First, only you can decide this one. IMO if dancing is your job then you don't want to risk your livelihood to ride. However, from what I've read dancing is a finite career much like playing professional sports. It would be a good idea to have a fallback plan for the career when that time comes.
I quit riding in the middle '80s when my son was a toddler because one of my friends crashed and ended up paralyzed and in a wheelchair. I wanted to be around and healthy to raise my son, so I sold my bike and quit riding. That lasted about 14 years before I bought another bike and started riding again, and I've been riding ever since.
Riding motorcycles is a lot of fun, and I love doing it, but it's not everything, plus it's a hobby that you can "put on the shelf" for a while and return to later.
 
#22 · (Edited)
"you had your fun, its time to move on"

Move on to what? So I had my fun, now I should just move on to a sad life? For what? to balance out all the fun I had before? I lol uncontrollably every time I heard someone said that.

OP, it is a decision you have to make alone. Cause we are not you and no one knows what means more to you in your life.

Also tell all those people to stop driving and tell them that they "had their convenience, now it is time to move on." and just walk. Did they know how many people were killed or seriously injured by traffic accidents every hour?
 
#24 ·
"you had your fun, its time to move on"
Only people who don't ride would say that.

I've been married for almost 8 years, and I have a 4 1/2 yr old little girl. Both mean everything to me. I've been riding for a decade now and when I got married I told my wife that bikes were always going to be a part of my life, so we shouldn't get married if she thought that I would give them up later on. For her part she has never even suggested it over the years, in fact she's been extremely supportive of my riding. (I just have to make sure my life insurance policy is up to date, and she's happy) :eek:nfloor

You have to decide for yourself if the risk is worth it, other people try to be well meaning, but it's not for them to decide what your life should be.
 
#29 ·
The tinge of irony would be, that you sell the bike, and on your way to the bank to deposit the funds, you fall down a staircase, and break your leg.

You can get hurt doing anything. You can get killed doing nearly anything as well.

Make a decision, and stick with it. You've got to make a decision with which you are happy, and continue to enjoy your short time with life.
 
#30 ·
it's on you to make the decision. i thought i would ALWAYS have a bike, but then we moved my family (wife of 6yrs in Jan, 2 lil girls - 3yr and 4yr old), got put in a job that really put a hurting on my riding. just didn't enjoy riding as much because of my new job. well, sold the FJR just over a year after getting here. went without a bike until this past April when my wife saw me "jonesin" for a ride, ANY ride for that matter. spent probably 3-4 months surfing CL and then my wife surprised me with the 750. she totally supports my riding and has no problem with me going back to the track (which was the 1 and only place i've wrecked). she knows i'm happier having a bike which makes her happy too. yes, if things changed that i needed to stop riding, i would do it no prob cause i know i may be back to riding again someday. maybe that's the case for you.... stop riding now to fulfill your first passion totally. some day down the road, you may get the inkling to ride again and jump back in. who knows but you....?
my relation gave up trying to get me to quit riding after i had my wreck. I could not WAIT to get back on my bikes. there is just that certain "something" that pulls me back to riding....

Good Luck on whatever choice you make.
 
#32 ·
Not the end of the world

Hmm, not the end of the world if you stop riding.

Riding is a ton of fun for me, but I stopped riding around 18 yrs old, and the starting again when I was 42 yrs old, then stopped a few years later and started again last July at 54 years old...and it's still tons of fun.

If you need to be careful for personal reasons, family, income, etc; then you should if it makes you feel better( safer). If you're riding, while always thinking you might crash and end your dancing career; you might make a mistake out of fear and crash.

Really not fair to ask this question as if you break your legs next week in a wreck everyone, who said ride, is going to feel guilty as shit.

I've crashed in the dirt and once on the street nothing serious, but I've been in auto accidents that were serious--even had an uncle who died riding a motorcycle...not all street accidents are preventable at the time they occur.

For example, my uncle died when a drunk driver made a left turn right in front of him without using a turn signal. I crashed in a car because some guy had been drinking, took off from the shoulder then promptly made a uturn from the shoulder right in front of me while I was driving 55 or 60mph.

Some accidents you can't avoid as you just do not have time to react...could happen in a car or could happen on a bike.

If you feel better( safer) about stopping riding, then do it for now although it's not the end of the world an you can start riding again after you stop dancing. You can also do both now like you have been.

When I was in my 20's, I once asked my 90 year old grandmother a similar question...you know what she said...

She said, "when you decide, let me know".
 
#35 ·
My legs have never been the same since my crash. I'm not a dancer, but I need my legs. I hurt all the time, and I've had to change, adapt, and overcome the pain and weakness to keep working. A lot of perservience and effort, but I never wanted to do anything but ride. Chances are I'll die on a bike, but I'll be living right up to that moment.
 
#36 ·
Everyone makes their own choices. If you dont like it or things change you can make the decision to quit or take a break. If you still like it keep riding. I find riding more of a part of my life rather than an alternative form of transportation.

Just remember to live your life because you only get one shot. Your not getting any younger and life goes by way too quick.
 
#37 ·
thx for the posts.

I think that for most people on this forum, Riding is on the top of their personal list of things that make them happy, and not something else. The thing is that dancing is completely different from other passions like, "playing guitar, exercising, reading, cooking, creating artwork, traveling, etc... If your foot is SLIGHTLY damaged... your never dancing professionally again. You can still do so many other hobbies and passions in life. Shit, you can still kick someones ass or scale a mountain or be in the Olympics with an aluminum leg, but your not dancing...

What makes this post different is that its about dancing. Most people don't understand this because they know if they got into an accident and fucked themselves up, they could still be there for their kids, they could still go to work, they could live life without loosing their greatest passion of all, etc. If I hurt myself even a little, I loose the greatest this I have...

If I get into an accident, I will loose this thing, dancing. It will be gone, just from 1 little stupid spill... Its easy for others to say you will continue to ride and you dont mind the risk, because your not risking what I am. We all risk the greatest thing which is our lives, but other then that their is even more we can loose... I feel like the pressure of even a minor tip off my bike is too much to bear, even with all of the safety precautions that I have made... Im fucking freaking out and I cant fucking take it because I love riding and dancing so much, but these 2 things WILL NOT LAST if I do both of them at the same time.

Am I loosing it?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top