Uncertain future

[Motu]

Good heavens Motu, what has happened to your usual chipper self??, I hope you're ok up there in boganville, summer is on it's way and all will be well after your next ride ya know!!!

Yeah,I must of written out my life story.Most of the older (and younger!) riders I meet are on a flash new bike,they are on megebucks in some mindless job with more holidays than they can use,the wife earns more than they do,they are mortgage free and the kids have left home,a life out of the book How To Do It Right - non of the above applies to me.Depends on how you measure happiness,happy go unlucky,that's me...it's exciting anyway!

[Ms Piggy]

could be worse.... heres my cousins leg

Yikes. It's times like that when I realise what an ungrateful whinging bag of poo I can be sometimes.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Most of the older (and younger!) riders I meet are on a flash new bike,they are on megebucks in some mindless job with more holidays than they can use,the wife earns more than they do,they are mortgage free and the kids have left home

Or at least thats what they want you to believe

[scumdog]

Yeah,I must of written out my life story.Most of the older (and younger!) riders I meet are on a flash new bike,they are on megebucks in some mindless job with more holidays than they can use,the wife earns more than they do,they are mortgage free and the kids have left home,a life out of the book How To Do It Right - non of the above applies to me.Depends on how you measure happiness,happy go unlucky,that's me...it's exciting anyway!

And what made you choose the lifestyle that you DO have Motu ?

[Antallica]

Well, I don't know what to say to you guys/gals. I'm simply amazed that some of you can share your personal stuff. I really appreciate it, the valuable advice/experiences and I know a whole lot of you also feel the same (there's a lot of love in this forum). I'm speechless.

Also this was brought up the same day, only before we went to the hospital (for a really minor thing), so the whole feeling of death and the such wasn't as high as it was last night. But yes my sweet does feel the danger part of my hobby.

I have had a chance to have a chat to her about this briefly, and she knows in her heart that I have a passion for these mechanical beings that won't die. I'm not sure who said it earlier, but the reasons I gave for her bringing this subject up were indeed correct.

There are a lot of things that I feel I could say but at the end of the day it's hard to express them in word form.

BTW I ride like a nanna & generally don't go hardcore, I don't feel I am a hazard to myself & neither does my partner.

[Kwaka-Kid]

Ant brother! Hows things? sounds like your pretty flat out to me and without much time to step back and take a look at the big picture.

But dude, Your 18! Being faced with pretty damn Massive decisions to make here. Sorry if it seems a touch off topic as i wont give any advice on the answer you must present to the particular question asked... (oh here i should also say i havnt read everybodys posts, sorry if someones already done it but im already typing...) but id just like to say please try and find some time to step back, re-evaluate your whole situation (yeah, by the sounds of things u may need quite a bit of that time stuff) and then come back to this question, despite the fact that youll prolly have a whole load more questions for yourself, its possibly worth doing.

Stuff it, i wasnt going to but ill tell you the answer. "No, i wont give up bikes" Right bud i made this one easy just for you, because although i cannot relate directly to the causes of the pressure you are under, i do understand too much pressure can make a man fold!

Finally id like to say dude, 18... from a fellow 18 year old (well i was only a few months ago) there is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much wiiiiiiiiiiicked stuff to do out there man! like Seriously wicked stuff! Stuff which at our age we shouldnt have to ask to do!

Dude its like i only just got out of school and having to get my parents to sign forms for me to go on a feild trip, the last thing i want is to jump back into that situation all over again (and trust me, my dad told me all about it... they always want to know where your going, what your doing, and if there are any other girls there! my dad is an honest man!)

After all this poisoning of your mind dude- i will say if it is all real and its all good dude, then go for it, just dont be cursing your west-auckland brother when hes out doing doughtnutz on the dirtbike in the local park breaking arms legs and loosing braincells whilst having imense fun...

and your doing the dishs





Shit sorry dude! will talk MSN but i gotta go. Mums yelling at me since i went off to work a number of hours ago without doing the dishs, and she still hasnt gotten over some of her chopping board going missing. Take is easy dude! - and you are lucky to have a wicked relationship like that.

[Antallica]

but id just like to say please try and find some time to step back, re-evaluate your whole situation (yeah, by the sounds of things u may need quite a bit of that time stuff) and then come back to this question, despite the fact that youll prolly have a whole load more questions for yourself, its possibly worth doing.

Your quite right on that one my good friend, since I've started my new job the other half has been feeling more distant from me etc. (I'm sure we know how it goes). Anyway, yes you are absolutely right. Need to make time to think about this more before I go in guns blazing. We've both agreed on this anyhoo since there are more important matters in our near future lives together.

But I can say that giving up the 2 wheels isn't going to happen unless the budget says otherwise (but hey, not like my FXR is worth much anyway these days right?)

[Morepower]

Some interesting replies and all quite valid .
However as the add says the most dangerous passtime in NZ is boating . Tell her you wont take up boating but keep the Bike.
I gave up bikes when my first was born but it was my own decision fueled by a scary 120mph tank slapper. I replaced bikes with big V8 cars and drag racing. Now I have both . Once a petrol head always a petrol head.

the decision must be yours.

Dave

[thehollowmen]

I replaced bikes with big V8 cars and drag racing. Now I have both . Once a petrol head always a petrol head.

Where do we sign up to get both?

[Motu]

And what made you choose the lifestyle that you DO have Motu ?

Well,it just happens don't it - if you just go with the flow and don't make concious decisions to plan your life.I have resisted all efforts to fit me into a polite box,and in the process backed myself into a corner of my own making,laughable really.

Anyway - give up bikes until the kids leave home? my eldest is 23,my youngest 8,all 4 live at home...I would never ride again by that theory.

[What?]

I thought it needed lightening up..

You have two choices in life: you can stay single and be miserable,
> or get married and wish you were dead.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends.
>You order what you want, then when you see what the other person has,
>you wish you had ordered that.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>At the cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing
>your wedding ring on the wrong finger?"
>
>The other women replied, "Yes I am, I married the wrong man."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>After a quarrel, a husband said to his wife, "You know, I was a fool
>when I married you."
>
>She replied, "Yes dear, but I was in love and didn't notice."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>A lady inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Husband wanted".
>Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing:
>
>"You can have mine."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>The bride, upon getting engaged, went to her mother and said, "I've
>found a man just like father!"
>
>Her mother replied, "So what do you want from me, sympathy?"
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to
>let her keep him.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get
>married?"
>
>The father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life
>thinking they had no faults at all.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
>You know the honeymoon is pretty much over when you start to go out
>with the boys on Wednesday nights,................... and so does she.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
>During a heated spat over finances, the husband said, "Well, if you'd
>learn to cook and were willing to clean this place, we could fire the maid."
>
>The wife fuming, shot back, "Oh yeah??? Well, if you'd learn
>how to make love, we could fire the chauffeur and the gardener."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>My wife told me I should be more affectionate, so I got two girlfriends.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>How do most men define marriage?
>
>A very expensive way to get your laundry done for free.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to
>forget it once.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>First guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
>
>Second guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street
>with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are beautiful

[toads]

Well,it just happens don't it - if you just go with the flow and don't make concious decisions to plan your life.I have resisted all efforts to fit me into a polite box,and in the process backed myself into a corner of my own making,laughable really.

Anyway - give up bikes until the kids leave home? my eldest is 23,my youngest 8,all 4 live at home...I would never ride again by that theory.

you sound much like us motu, so don't feel too badly, life has a habit of sneaking up on ya and grabbing ya by the goolies, raising and large family is hard yakka, our eldest is 20, next one down 18, then 16 and triplets of 10, still got 4 of them at home, the others visint when they want pete to fix their cars!

[Antallica]

Hehe What?

[matthewt]

I got asked a very uncomfortable question today (well, yesterday as I type):

"Will you give up Motorcycling? At least until our last child has left home?" - Note that we aren't even married yet nor do we have children.

Hmmm. Don't do it. There are ways to fit riding and family into your life without doing a half-arsed job of both. Probably now because you don't have any kids you go riding a lot. Maybe your partner thinks that with kids she'll be stuck in the weekends while you tour the country. The fact is that when you start a family you probably won't spend all weekend riding but the chances are you may not want to either. Kids are only young once and it'd be a real pity to miss those early years. I missed the first two years of my daugther's life because I was working 60-80 hour weeks non-stop under the illusion that work was important. It's not.

I now have 4 kids, Brianna is 7, Mason will be 5 in April, Cameron turned 3 TODAY and Ben just turned 1. My wife supports my riding but would prefer I didn't because of the risk factor. With 4 young kids our weekends are pretty full-on but I still manage to get out for rides each weekend. I also commute during the week.

If you decide at a later stage to give it away then that's cool, but make sure it's your choice and not someone elses. I nearly flagged it last year after a bad spill, Ben was 3 months at the time so the call from the ambulance went down like a lead balloon I can assure you.

As curious George mentioned I do have a large large life insurance policy so that if the worst did happen (on or off bikes) then at least the family would be supported.

As people have said it's all about give and take and I think you're too early in your relationship to start giving things up.

[Blakamin]

Yikes. It's times like that when I realise what an ungrateful whinging bag of poo I can be sometimes.