Lookout, the four wheeled toys are moving in. And my current

[PirateRiderBen]

So as many of you know I sold both my K bikes and my R bike is up for sale.

About 3 weeks ago I picked up an extremely clean 1983 BMW 320i to replace the bikes as my toy for the time being. No worries, I have my trusty yellow VFR still and she is going to stay.

The last 6-8 months of riding have been very stressful for me from a riding perspective. Coupled with taking on a new job in a new town and tackling the finically responsibilities of an adult and not a college student has definitely taken its toll.

I haven't really discussed this with anyone at length other than my dad, so some of you may find this as a bit of a 180 from what you've known of me the last few years.

Most of you know I had my first wreck in May on my blue K1200S. While I and the bike somehow managed to escape serious injury, my confidence took a blow naturally. In the fall I organized a ride in Boone for VFRD forum members and this forums members as well. Through no fault of my own outside forces of weather put a damper on some of the fun for about the 3rd straight year. And after a couple nights there some conflicts with another guest ended up having the remaining attendees come to Morganton to ride out of my folks place. We made the best of it, but it was certainly not the game plan. And finally in October I went with Steve and one of our VFR buddies up to Franklin for a weekend. The trip was fun but I was unable to get my nerves under control and ended up bailing early the 3rd day due to what I can only describe as anxiety. I just couldn't calm down and I knew the bike was not the place for me when my focus was diverted.

Since that ride in late October I haven't been back in the saddle for more than a few miles at a time and I must say I've felt somewhat nervous and not as comfortable as I used to. No doubt this has drained some of my passion for riding that's burned so fiercely the last few years.

Having said all that I'm not quitting. But I'm looking for ways to relax and enjoy the ride. I've slowed down for starters. Secondly I'm losing some weight (down 20-25 pounds since October) to help myself fit more comfortably in my gear. Lastly I'm exploring getting some less restrictive gear. I understand that it's less protective than armor and leather, but being able to grab some jeans and a lighter jacket and just go cruise has some appeal to me from a stress management situation.

I'm also kicking around getting a bike more conducive to a relaxed pace. My current and former bikes all scream "go faster you wuss" whenever I am on them. Say what you will, but a cruiser, or a sport touring bike like an ST1300 may find its way into my garage in the next few months.

In the meantime the VFR is getting super bike bars for a more relaxed riding position, and I'm enjoying the heck out of both working on and driving my new car. It's a very pure machine with no power steering, ABS, or any computer mumbo jumbo. Just me and the car.

Making all these moves is also a shot at eliminating a large chunk of debt I've been carrying for a couple of years, which to me really saps the fun out of having a toy like a bike.

Anyways folks thanks for listening and I'll hopefully be able to make a ride with you all this spring.




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[Bob]

Nice clean bimmer. Slow down, enjoy life!

[Brick]

Very interesting. As an outside observer to me it seems like you have been like your trying to do everything at once. Never really taking time to really enjoy any of it. As a person who could never afford to buy, sell do as much/many things as you did/do at your age I learned to slow down enjoy life and all because well it's just the way it was done unless one was a rich playboy. I remember purchasing a Suzuki 550 thinking, at the time, that this was "the" bike for me. Wrong-O... it was boring and well out of necessity I lived with it for sometime because financially I really needed to. Over time I found the joy of owning that bike was not in what I had anticipated it to be but an entirely different direction. I learned another step of patience. Basically I was learning MY way in life... I'm not saying it should be your way... it's just mine.
I never felt good having lots of debt others can have lots of it hanging over there head and be just fine. You will find your way.


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[beachy]

I guess that Brick is a wise old fart . I agree you need to find your own way. The way that makes you happy.Nice 4 wheeler

[yamadog]

Nice ride, Ben. That 321i can give you plenty of "smiles" as you drive around.

I too, needed to make a change. The need for speed just started to cause "fear" as I rode. Can't really explain it, could be my age, lack of confidence, pier pressure or whatever but I knew it was time to regroup and decide if I wanted to continue riding. I decided to go the cruiser route. No, Broz, I do not wear assless leather chaps but I do have the wind in my face and enjoy a full day of cruising the mountains and, on occasion, scrape some metal. I applaud you for making a choice that only you can and should make. I also hope you continue to ride. It sure is better than being"caged".IMHO.

[007]

There are too many variables on the street, and K bikes add their own (long wheelbase, terrible suspension design for feel). Just say no to K bikes (and @ssless chaps for that matter). I have only owned one motorcycle for the majority of my life until age 34 (with the only exception being the few short weeks where I owned my Ninja 250 after I bought my first VFR). I'm fairly sure you've owned more bikes in your lifetime than I have. I was actually out riding your old bike this week to keep the fuel fresh and thought you should have never sold it to me. The fun quotient remains high despite being dropped 3" so Angeli can touch the ground, which considerably limits ground clearance to using about half the tire before the plastics scrape. Some sort of streetfighter approached in my rearview. His cornerspeed wasn't very good (I could pull away from him at about half my usual lean angle) but I waived him by on a straight as I'm putting around just appreciating the weather. I started to give chase on a section of road that I particularly enjoy, but backed off because none of this mattered. I probably would been in his tailpipe on any other bike, or never seen him on either of my other bikes. But there are other enjoyable parts to riding: I wanted to experience the bike and the 70+ degree February weather, error free. Besides, there has been a load of gravel in all of my favorite corners for the past 3 weeks. There is a reason I bought the 500X - I can only push it so hard, but the fun is still there.

LSL bars on the VFR are sweet and give it a more relaxing demeanor. Now that the first real test ride without horrible weaving from the steering stem bearing is complete: it was pure bliss. It is the touring steed I imagined, with sporting intentions when desired. The suspension needs some tweaking, but it didn't matter. The bike no longer needs to go fast to feel comfortable. Not quite CB500 slow comfort, but still not needing a massage after every hour of the ride. Do I want a track bike and a dual sport? Do I want a house with a garage? Absolutely. But why add the stress? Sometimes, less is more.

[PirateRiderBen]

There's certainly no risk I'll stop riding completely. I am keeping my VFR.

I've kicked around getting a cruiser or something but for now I'm going to be enjoying the local car scene with the new to me BMW. I was a car guy long before I was a bike guy, so there's some logical progression here.

I love them both, I just don't have the income right now to have everything I want at the same time haha!




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