At what point is it not a hobby anymore? | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

At what point is it not a hobby anymore?

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LePhillou said:
People get excited to ride their motorcycles.

They plan out rides. Go touring. Go to the track. Ride with some friends. Bask in the high speeds, air against their faces and all the smells from country roads.

I used to do that, but it seems that lately, i can't be bothered. It's basically a utilitarian vehicle for me to go from point A to point B. I enjoy it, 1000x more than my car (even on those cold days), but does that previous enjoyment ever come back? Do i need to get a new bike for that to happen? We're a 1 car household with 2 kids, we can't really afford a 2nd car (hence why i ride a fully paid bike with low insurance costs instead)

I've done probably 2-3 joy rides in the past 10k-12k km(last 2 seasons) as i mainly use it to commute, rain or shine... or run errands. Anybody else in the same situation? Am i missing out? Or is that just one of the stages of being a rider?

(this is all happening cause low rider dared us to create some content)
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2 things come to mind:

Though you primarily use the bike to commute and run errands you say you "enjoy it" way more than taking the car. Finding some joy/fun/happiness in day-to-day mundane duties is awesome. Don't underestimate the value/psychological benefit of these frequent moments of happiness or contentedness.

Twice, nearly very day you get to put your helmet on and shut off EVERYBODY else for X minutes during your commute. You get to focus intently on some serious business (commuting on a bike) while everything else settles into the background. They call that "mindfulness" nowadays, and not many people actually achieve it.

Were it me - I'd keep commuting, because a little bit of regularly occurring happiness is better than rare or occasional excitement.
 
Trials said:
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Is the last challenge of the day riding your bike up into trailering location?
 
Majority of my riding the last few years....or is that decade?....was commuting. I'd rather commute on my bike than the car. Haven't had the chance to commute by bike much the last year, but the bike is not going to be retired. The full on "passion" may not be there, but there's still a simmer. Plus finding the time when yer doing 70+ hour weeks is tough. Though commuting to Orangeville gave me a chance to run around the roads up there a few times before the homeward leg. ?
 
I
Wingboy said:
You need a big change.
Take up fishing...... Or take motorcycling in a totally new direction. Trials is a perfect change that doesn't break the bank and sharpens the mind.
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I'm going to make a change next season - gonna head back to the water and spend some money on dockage and fuel. Boating used to be one of my my passions. That waned as the kids grew up and started managing their own weekends.

Next big decision is Lake Ontario or Simcoe.
 
Don't do it! Water is dangerous, you can drown in that stuff.
 
I love boating as well. My sister and BIL have a rather sizeable express cruiser liveaboard. I don't get to spend as much time aboard as I'd like honestly, my wife hates boats....especially that one. Long story. :confused:
 
PrivatePilot said:
I love boating as well. My sister and BIL have a rather sizeable express cruiser liveaboard. I don't get to spend as much time aboard as I'd like honestly, my wife hates boats....especially that one. Long story. :confused:
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One of my wifes friends kept inviting us up to their boat on Simcoe one summer. We were busy that summer and never made it. My wife then said they were selling the boat and sent me the listing at >$400,000. Damn, i should have cancelled some of the other plans. We got out with them on their subsequent boats. Meh. I take no great joy in driving a condo down the lake while constantly being terrified of leaving a mark on it (no coloured food allowed on that boat, all white carpet). I can see why some people would like it, but I'm much happier in a small, nimble, fun boat.
 
Oh, it's not a new boat, nor a show boat. It has it's share of bumps and stains and you can eat and do whatever you want anywhere aboard LOL.

It's all about the relaxation. The love when I come up as I enjoy being the guy at the helm constantly so my BIL (who's usually captain) can just sit and relax himself - I grew up around big boats and love the technicality factor of operating anything with multiple powerplants. ;)

This was from a weeklong trip we did up and down the trent a few weeks back during that one last incredible week of summer we had before things really changed. She's out of the water now.

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GreyGhost said:
What type of boating? If you like to be able to get away from people, Ontario wins. If you like to hang out with people, go for Simcoe.
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I've had years experience on both. Lake Ontario socializing is in the marina, Simcoe is on the water.

Marina Location is close about the same, Ontario is closer but thru traffic -- driving time is about the same.

Ontario wins out on virtually everything -- Simcoe's main advantages is there is more good days on a smaller body of water. I lived on Simcoe for years, I can't recall very many days that would stop me from heading out. Lake Ontario offers the city (cheap accommodations downtown), I've also heard you can AirBnB boats for $100/night. Lots to think about.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Oh, it's not a new boat, nor a show boat. It has it's share of bumps and stains and you can eat and do whatever you want anywhere aboard LOL.

It's all about the relaxation. The love when I come up as I enjoy being the guy at the helm constantly so my BIL (who's usually captain) can just sit and relax himself - I grew up around big boats and love the technicality factor of operating anything with multiple powerplants. ;)

This was from a weeklong trip we did up and down the trent a few weeks back during that one last incredible week of summer we had before things really changed. She's out of the water now.

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Mine is neither new, nor show. I do have 3 power plants (2 inboards and a gennie). She's a welded aluminum wide beam so even with twins handling is a bit knarly when the breeze hits 25. That's another plus for Simcoe.
 
I need more friends with boats! You guys make it seem super fun!

As for the OP....sometimes you just need a break from riding to appreciate it, and see if there's something else that can replace that spark.

I've also gone away because:
1. It just stopped being fun after nothing but commuter miles
2. Being away so much, I felt guilty the minute I left the house. "I'm off 2.5 weeks maybe I should just spend it at home with the wife and kids." Almost felt selfish.

I'll probably get back to it, but right now I'm an idiot and deciding on whether I really want a Miata for a weekend toy. I'm really hoping I don't buy it...
 
Thanks for all the replies! Not to get it wrong, i still get a kick out of it when i commute.

My wife is supportive and if i have to ride with friends i will and she'll understand, i'm a pretty relaxed person and that's part of how i decompress; on a side note, i think my neighbors (who's kids play with my kids) are more disgruntled than my wife would ever be with me getting the time away i want, and i'll say it's out of jealousy :p
She gets to do what she wants when she needs to and same goes for me. Our kids are relatively young (6 and 2) and yes they do take a lot of time and energy but i don't really think that's it causing an issue...

Even though she's done the boating, quadding, skidooing growing up and what not, motorcycles are just not her thing and even when i got my license, i knew it was going to be like that. I always thought that i'd want to do big tours (like a week on the motorbike, roadtripping down to florida, or to the west or east coast in canada) and i'd talked about it with some friends...but now that appeal is just gone.

I know there's nothing wrong with feeling different about how i use or want to use my motorcycle, i guess i just want to like that idea!? (if that makes any sense). I guess I'll just keep commuting until i have the time or means to make some kind of big change. In the meantime we'll keep living life on 2 wheels as much as possible ;) I mean, i can't ever imagine myself despising it as much as taking public transit.
 
mimico_polak said:
I need more friends with boats! You guys make it seem super fun!
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You can make a lot of boating friends if you crack open your wallet at the fuel dock. Anything that planes uses fuel like crazy! A 21' mini cruiser with an efficient drive will use 4GPH (4mpg) at planing speed, a 32' with duals will chug down about 16GPH.
 
Sea-Doo Spark is claimed to be the most fuel efficient personal watercraft currently on the market.
;) obviously that comparison does not include sailboats.
 
GreyGhost said:
Does it run? I have what I was told was the first evinrude with recoil start and kidney tanks as a project to clean up. It still has gas in it from when it was last started 50 years ago. Not seized though so it may work out.
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It's not seized.But it has been about 30 years.
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