As we travel our road our circumstances change. Initially we have no worries. Mum and dad pays for it all and the only thing we need to do is go to school. Then we start work. There is partners that pop in to our life. There is heaps of partying, having fun.
Then we make some decisions, we might buy a house, settle down with one partner, get a career, have kids.
Before we know it things change again. There might be a separation, or we stay with our partner. The kids grow up, we start to earn more money. But as a result there mostly also is more responsibilities at work including travel, meetings etc.
At the end is retirement. We can do what we wanted to do. But sometimes this does not really work out. We might not have the money we hoped for and so the freedom is not what we were wishing for. There might also be an ailing body that can not handle all what we had planned.
And for us on here (as clearly we have one common nominator: Motorbikes) through all this there has been bikes in some form. (Sorry to the ones who at a later stage have found out about bikes, this might not initially be about you). We have had crappy small ones to starters, then a little bigger ones. There has been dirt bikes. Racing bikes. Perhaps a workshop where we have modified and tuned. Even bike shows. Some trophies and recognition from shows, racing, competitions.
As those of us who have wandered this path (or ridden as it may be) know, it is never a straight forward path.
-When young money was often a problem.
-When getting a job we had more money but some of the freedom disappered and we could not ride as and when we wanted.
-Partners sadly often do make it tricky too (if you have not managed to find someone understanding or equally committed to biking)
-Mortgage and kids will put a huge dent in any riding.
-More responsibility at the job will also stop you riding as there is always something that has deadlines.
-And pension coupled with age has its own challenges.
How have you managed to balance all this? Do you think you have done well or have you fucked it all up? Broken relationships, lost your job your house even your kids? Are you now at older age so damaged from your riding at younger age that you can only dream of what you wanted to do?
I started riding at 12yo. Now at 55 I still ride. There has been no time in my my life I have been without a bike for more than a few months at the most.
- When young I used to ride to school.
- When I got a decent job I bought a decent bike and rode with like minded. This did kill some relationships, but at that stage I used to get over it by finding someone else to fill the spot.
-When I settled down and started my own business I took up racing. Family knew where I was and could be there also if they wanted to.
-Now when single parent and a decent job I ride to work and meetings around the country as often as I can.
-If I stay healthy I will retire in 10 years. My youngest will by then have started his own life and I can ride as much as I want. (Trying to stay in shape so I can do that as I would hate if it was my fault that the body was not able to...)
I wish I could have been riding more. Carry on as in my younger years and just take off for a few months without any plan apart from follow the road. And probably I could have done that. But it would not have been fair towards the ones that relied on me.
So what am I on about you wonder? Well, I wanted to know if you feel the balance you have maintained has been a good one. And if so, how did you manage that? And if not, then what do you wish you had changed?
(And in reference to Frostys thread re loosing the love of riding. I have never lost the love in my years of riding. Perhaps as a result of having other things balancing it out. And biking has always been "my time" that I looked forward to. At times I needed more of it, at times less. But never have I stopped the riding.)
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Originally Posted by porky
the R75/5 is all in bits awaiting a re-restoration and I ride the Darmah on the weekends
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