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losing motivation to ride?

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Deleted member 23845

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All,

Not sure if this is the right forum, but anyway. I am wondering if I am losing the motivation to ride. Seems I find excuses more than reasons: too cold, too windy, too wet, Friday afternoon traffic. Maybe its watching three cars blow through a red light last week and wondering if I would have survived if on a bike.
Maybe its winter blues. Maybe its the same old Gulf Coast/Houston roads. Wow do I wish for a cruise on my home turf of SW Colorado. Tried to get myself on my Triumph today, and it was a decent day: opted for a nap, then bicycle ride instead. Oh well....carry on.
 
:tab I go through waves. It's the same with many things in which I have an interest. Motorcycles and photography are the ones I keep coming back to though. I can tell you that when I first started riding and making trips to places like Colorado, Arkansas, and North Carolina, it was hard to get excited about riding once I got back home to East Texas... :twitch:

:tab I have also found that the longer I go without riding or taking pics, the more I tend to lose interest. However, the more I do them, the more I get into them. It's kind of strange, but I think it boils down to us being creatures of habit. If you have a habit of riding, you will tend to want to ride more often because it is just part of your routine. If you get out of the habit of riding, it becomes more work to go riding because it disrupts your current routine. Disrupting your routine usually generates negative feelings unless you are disrupting it for something much better, like say a trip to Colorado :-P

:tab I bet if you made a point of getting out and riding, you'd start getting more into it and enjoying it. Being in Sugar Land makes it tough though... :huh2:
 
Riding in Houston can be a real soul crushing act in and of its self. Its hard when the roads once taken are now dissected by traffic light, stop signs, strip malls and phone using millennials that do not pay attention.

That though is the very reason why I try to seek out those places where the road still quitely flows and where the next bend in the road still leads you to those untravelled places.

It’s funny, even though riding might take some commitment, my girl friend still can tell when I am off the bike or have not been riding regularly. It does make a difference. The beauty of riding, for me, is the stillness that it brings and the fact that you are always in the now. Always seeing, feeling, assessing this wonderful experience that not many share when they’re boxed into their metal cages. There will always be reasons not to do something but, its like I always say “the world is just a better place on two wheels.”

Even Jerry Seinfeld, who confessed to owning and riding quite a few motorcycle, was awestruck, as a young boy of 17, by a soaking wet motorcyclist who answer his (Jerry’s) question by saying “that he did not want to own a car, he just wanted it to stop raining.”
 
Life happens, time marches on. Less enthused than I was 10 years ago where I went from 15-20K a year to around 5k. Getting older now, time to slow down and enjoy life and family...
 
I think most people go thru this with their hobbies. There are times when I don’t want to get on the bike and other times when I can’t wait to get on it. The middle of Summer for me is when I don’t have any desire to get on it. Then the weather cools down some and I am ready to go again.
Sometimes a different route or new scenery can make all the difference. Take a short weekend trip somewhere new with a couple of friends or by yourself . Take a ride to a new restaurant. The point is get out of your routine and try something different and I bet it will give you a new outlook.
 
Wow, thanks for many kind and uplifting replies. You are all full of wisdom.
 
it comes with age. I know how you feel. I generally talk myself out of riding while i put on the gear, wheel the bike out, start the engine to warm it up, but when I throw(actually climb on) a leg over and raise the kick-stand up, the smile comes on and to heck with it just go.
No, actually I know too many guys that are giving up riding. It hurts me to see my 80 year old friends that I have shared so many great times with quit. I know someday that will happen to me, so I try to at least get on a bike everyday,may just ride in the neighborhood or to the gas station, or to get candy for my better half, just go.
Yeah, getting old sucks (and hurts).
 
viffer07,

You nail how I feel this morning: clear, but 36 degrees and frost on roof of house. High this afternoon of 63? To ride this time of year requires layering and my leathers, and my hands always get cold and stiff. The less I ride the less I want to ride? And I can feel my skills rusting a bit--in Sugar Land traffic that can be lethal. Like all, I get really frustrated dealing with the crappy, rude cagers especially trucks and random road lane closures.

Spring will come. Yeah I am 63-- and have had a lot of friends quit. Universal road construction in this area does not help much either.

Given that after my volunteer gig this morning (lunches of love), I will give a go on the Triumph triple. She loves to wind up. Adrenaline rush above 9000 rpm.

Apologies for venting.

blessings,
Greg in Sugar Land
 
Lucydad said:
Apologies for venting.
Click to expand...

No apology needed. In fact, I'm grateful that you started this thread because it described exactly the way I've been feeling recently and now I know I'm not alone.

Last weekend there was some decent weather at last so I made myself get ready for a ride - checking tires, oil, lights etc. Got dressed up ATGATT and was pleased that all the effort (and there is a lot of effort required) was worth it when I actually started riding.

At 70, I know I won't be riding for ever and I can feel myself getting into the "I'm getting too old to ride" frame of mind. It's taking mental and physical effort to overcome it but it's worth it when you do get out on the road - traffic be blowed!
 
Dang. I'm really not much of a reader .

I believe age doesn't factor into this. There is a guy on her that is 70 that can whip my butt in the dirt and there is a guy on here that just turned 58 that there is no way I can keep up with him anywhere . I just turned 50 .
I also believe if we live a life that has us sitting in an office chair all our lives and never work out, that will make a difference when we get old.

Lucydad , if you really want to ride ,you would. Sitting on here and whining about not being in Colorado and the traffic in Houston is not going to get it done. Either get out and ride and enjoy it or give it up. Sorry to be so blunt but sometimes thats what we need to hear.
 
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I think your problem is not lack of motivation or getting tired of motorcycling, its the surroundings. Several guys suggested dirt bikes. That's probably because the roads around your area are so boring. I lived in Houston 13 years, the only road worth riding was out near SFA golf course. We used to go out at night and race up Alan Parkway just to decrease the boredom with riding. Now that I live in the Hill Country, going out on the weekends with friends and periodically on long trips is fun.

One of our 3-5 trips long weekend trips per year is to Fort Davis. One time we decided it was cold and we'd drive our cars. Even though we did the same things, Juno Road, cigars at Pecos River Bridge, etc,...it just wasn't the same trip. We decided to always go on the bikes even if we don't plan on even starting the bikes while we're there.

I will add, going with a friend or two makes all the difference in the world to me. Stay with it, motorcycles have dramatically changed my life. I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Same lack of motivation here. For me, we moved from Houston to Central Oklahoma. You'd think with all the rural roads and lack of ANY traffic I'd be well motivated. Not the case, just the opposite. First off I road my bike to work almost everyday, so they were always up and running. Then I had lots of friends to ride with on the weekends and plenty of bike nights to go to.

Here, no bike nights, just one real friend that rides and his schedule and mine don't always jive. The winter months riding day opportunities are fewer here as compared to Houston. Then age, then family commitments, insert multiple excuses here. Now, neither one of my bikes run. Nothing major, just dead batteries and dirty carbs from lack of use. I cant seem to get the motivation up to getting them running again.

In Houston I had a 60hr a week job that had me totally stressed out. Riding relieved that stress and a break from the rat race. In Central Oklahoma its so laid back and I am semi-retired and I no longer have that daily stress from a job bringing me down. In my case its several factors. Maybe a change of scenery with a different bike and if I had some more friends to ride with..... Here most rides with others involve riding 30 miles or less, stop and take a break, next town, stop and check the phone, 100 mile ride is considered a LONG ride. I'm used to 250 miles or more on a Sunday ride with few or no breaks except to stop for lunch or gas. Its a different culture here and that is also one reason for my lack of motivation.
 
:tab I had some time last Sunday and thought I might sneak out for some riding on my GS. I really needed it. I got the bike out, geared up, and headed down the road to the gas station to top off before heading out. When I remounted the bike and hit the magic button... nothing :tears: The dash would come on, but the FI system did not spool up, so even a bump start attempt did nothing...

:tab With the help of Rainmaker here on TWT, we tried jump starting the bike. No joy. He gave me a ride back to the house to get the truck and trailer. We loaded it up and got it home. I put the charger on the battery and let it sit over night, hoping it was just a weak battery issue.

:tab Monday after work, I rolled it out and it fired right up without hesitation. What a relief! I grabbed a volt meter and checked to make sure the charging system was putting out enough juice to charge the battery. It showed 14 volts. So, I guess maybe the cold weather the week before got the best of the battery. It was just strange that it started fine when leaving the house and was then totally dead not five minutes later. I guess that start used up the last of the juice and it didn't have time to recharge on the short ride to the gas station before I needed to start it again :shrug:

:tab It is hard to describe that sinking feeling of realizing I would not be going riding that day and it would likely be a while before I got another chance. It is easy to get annoyed and irritated, feeling like the universe is conspiring against my mental health. When I realized my thoughts were drifting that direction I stopped myself and made myself realize that this was just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. All things considered, life could be a LOT worse at that moment. Just like that, my mood lifted and I felt better.

:tab Sometimes we can get locked into a rut in our thinking, feelings, and habits. If we let this control us, we just dig the rut deeper as we trudge back and forth through it. The longer we go, the more effort it takes to climb out of that rut. At times, it can seem pointless to even make the effort because we've gone so deep we can no longer see what's outside the rut. If we are not careful, we can start to think that our rut is all that there is and there's nothing outside the rut that matters. My experience has been that regardless of the effort required, it has always been worth the effort to climb out and reorient my vision. When that effort becomes a habit, the amount of effort for each climb decreases, and it gets easier to explore new ground and experience new things. This is what really charges my battery!!
 
Chris - I've been meaning to reach out to you. Let's make it a point to meet up and take a ride together when it gets a bit warmer. I am about 90 minutes east of you.
 
I would MANFRED but nothing I have is running right now. Keep in touch though, I might get some motivation and either buy something or get what I have running.
 
The Big Spank Daddy said:
I would MANFRED but nothing I have is running right now. Keep in touch though, I might get some motivation and either buy something or get what I have running.
Click to expand...

I understand how that goes. We'll stay in touch and if you get something running we can have some fun.
 
Okay. So I've owned one motorcycle for 38 years. At least a decade of that time I didn't ride it, or any bike at all. There are no rules that says you need to put in an iron butt or head to Copper Canyon to qualify. Just ride when you want to.

There is an old joke about three students bragging on their Gurus.
The first say, "My Teacher is so disciplined he can go for days without food."
The second replies, "My teacher has so much willpower he can go days without sleep."
The third laughs, "My teacher is so wise he eats when he is hungry and sleeps when he is tired."

Ride. Don't ride. :zen:
 
All,

So this morning I geared up, wore my Aerostich leathers and gauntlets. About 55F, overcast, a bit of wind. Checked air pressure: yep needed some fill. Rolled the Triumph out: dead battery. Last ride was over a month ago, and battery is 3 years old. Rolled it back into garage, and hooked up tender.

Fired up the Moto Guzzi, after also checking and adding tire pressure--and we had a nice ride out and about Ft. Bend County. Bike is a dream. Saw one other bike on the road, typical for a January Friday morning I guess.

Plat du Jour from the cagers this morning were illegal U-turns in front of motorcycles. Lovely, and always a possible. Next was pipeline construction near Rosharon: long line stopped cars/trucks and then me exposed, at the end, waiting for construction truck to turn around. Watchful of my 360 for behind me vehicle not seeing me and stopping (not much construction zone signs)-- finally we got the go ahead and avoided mud on road.

Overall a fine ride. Some crabbing into the wind required near George Ranch. A self observation: I very much prefer riding mornings. If I don't get out before lunch, mostly it does not happen. I am a morning person, my energy high for the day.

Triumph will likely get a run into Houston/church on Sunday if roads-rain reasonable. Will test battery to be sure it keeps a charge first, might be replacement time.

That is all, carry on.
 
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