cv_rider
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Recently, I've been doing some soul-searching on if the risk-reward ratio of motorcycling adds up for my lifestyle (weighing heavily on that is having a 5 and 7 yr old). I have this niggling concern that something awful is down the road if I keep logging too many miles. I've considered some actions, ranging from continuing to focus on safe riding and ignore those concerns; to selling the FZ6 and bailing out of motorcycling for another decade or so; to reducing the time I spend on the motorcycle. The last idea is the topic of this thread.
With the hectic life associated with having young kids, it's hard to carve out time to do weekend trips. Most of my riding is commuting, which is still so much more enjoyable than the cage. But it's probably also the most dangerous time - crowded freeways, fast speed, all the usual hazards. One way to reduce exposure would be stop commuting on the motorcycle. That would leave me only occassional weekend rides. I'd maybe get out once or twice a month.
So I wonder on people's thoughts about being such an infrequent rider. While less miles is less opportunity for something to happen, it also means dulled skills and less predictable emergency behavior. I know a guy who rides only irregularly like that, but has decades of habits already built up. I've only logged about 12k miles in 2.5 years of riding. Even recently, as schedules resulted in no commuting for two weeks, I found I was getting out of practice. In one instance, I was on the fwy, and I thought for a moment someone was merging into my lane. I intended to brake, but instead pulled the clutch! I had been riding a bicycle much more than a motorcycle, and a bicycle habit seeped into my motorcycle behaviors (as left lever is front brake on a bicycle). Got me to thinking that perhpas you've got to stay at it regularly if you are going to do it at all.
Comments, please.
With the hectic life associated with having young kids, it's hard to carve out time to do weekend trips. Most of my riding is commuting, which is still so much more enjoyable than the cage. But it's probably also the most dangerous time - crowded freeways, fast speed, all the usual hazards. One way to reduce exposure would be stop commuting on the motorcycle. That would leave me only occassional weekend rides. I'd maybe get out once or twice a month.
So I wonder on people's thoughts about being such an infrequent rider. While less miles is less opportunity for something to happen, it also means dulled skills and less predictable emergency behavior. I know a guy who rides only irregularly like that, but has decades of habits already built up. I've only logged about 12k miles in 2.5 years of riding. Even recently, as schedules resulted in no commuting for two weeks, I found I was getting out of practice. In one instance, I was on the fwy, and I thought for a moment someone was merging into my lane. I intended to brake, but instead pulled the clutch! I had been riding a bicycle much more than a motorcycle, and a bicycle habit seeped into my motorcycle behaviors (as left lever is front brake on a bicycle). Got me to thinking that perhpas you've got to stay at it regularly if you are going to do it at all.
Comments, please.