At what point is it not a hobby anymore?

[Mad Mike]

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I would throw Georgian Bay into the mix as well. When I did the boat thing I kept mine in rack storage at Bay Port in Midland. Lots of good boating leaving out of there with the different islands you can camp at, sand bars, restaurants on the water, day trips and lots of option for further trips. The facilities are great at Bay Port but I believe the others in the area are just as comparable.

If your the kind to never leave the marina then Lake Ontario would be alright but I always found it pretty boring to cruise around.

Georgian Bay is great to visit, but for me there are too many rough days (with nothing to do), and too much small boat traffic in the scenic cruising areas. I live in Markham, I can get to Keswick or Toronto marinas in 30 minutes, stay on the boat overnight and get to work the next day. The closest marina on Georgian Bay is 3x as far, and 3hrs each way on Fri and Sun evenings.

As for cruising, Lake Ontario has more points of interest for me, there are tons of places to visit, crossing to the US is a breeze, big boat docking is everywhere and there are fewer small craft down-days.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

I took a break from riding on the street for a season. It had gotten a bit boring so I went to play with dirt bikes. Then I missed having a bike I could just leave straight from the garage with no prep,getting to the track, clean up and maintenance so I do both now.

I think a big part of the problem is you made your toy a tool for commuting. Kind of takes the excitement out of going for a ride after work or on the weekends. I know it can be tough to swing but why not try to pick up a project bike? Something you can tinker with over the winter and only ride it for fun. Might bring a little of the fun back for you. Guys are always posting up cheap projects in the reasonably priced thread.

This is similar to what I did. I sold my trackbike and got back into dirtriding. I now dirtbike about twice a week (living beside the trails helps). I still love road riding and commute with the bike, do many daytrips, and usually do at least one week-long roadtrip 3000km+ a year.
I've also tried different bikes, gone away from sportbikes, tried a cruiser for a couple years, now trying something in the middle. Variety helps, makes you appreciate the same roads better.
now I dirtbike or street ride. if I'm not feeling those I take out the ATV. When it gets cold I don't whine that it's cold, I just put the bikes away and pull out the snowmobiles. Hobby variation is key imo.

 

[ifiddles]

@ Hardwrkr13 you my dear are living my dream!!!

 

[crankcall]

BOATS?? Dont do it! a small cruiser (28-30ft) eating 16-18 gal per hr is normalish, our ChrisCraft 34 / twin 5.7L mercruisers 26GPH per engine. Thats marina gas @ $1. 38L . About $75 an hr to operate if you give er. Oakville to NOL for lunch and back is $200 or so. I warn folks folks that say ' I'll buy lunch and pay for the gas!' .They have no idea. You can buy big old gas engine cruisers for peanuts because operational costs are a bit much.
Our 30ft sailboat burns 6L hr of diesel (yanmar 2GM) . But its a sailboat, however catching 'free' wind costs me about 3-6grand a year in sails.
Budget to keep powerboat, dock/in/out/fuel/winter store 8k ish, sailboat dock/in/out/sails (it gets raced hard) 8K ish
They both live in Lake Ontario, I hate simcoe, love Georgian bay, but live 15 mins from Lake Ont. There is almost never a day the sailboat cant go out, powerboat is less forgiving
We've owned cottages, they go up in value, cost about the same to keep as a nice boat, but boats never go up in value. We ditched cottaging because I hate the 3+hr drive. The last one was a 4hr flight, then a 2hr drive. All done with that nonsense.

Keep your bike and enjoy it when you can, biking is dirt cheap compared to some other activities.

 

[PrivatePilot]

My sisters boat is on the Trent severn. About 25 minutes from their door to their slip. They *never* sit at the Marina - as soon as the open up the bilge blowers go on, they load the days supplies, engine start, and gone.

That said, 9 times out of 10 they simply leave the marina and either anchor out somewhere offshore to go swimming, or they go belly up to the local sandbar and sit and R&R.

Every trip need not involve hours of cruising and hundreds of dollars of gas.

 

[crankcall]

absolutely true, most of the 40-60ft powerboats in Oakville dont burn $1000 in a season. I'm in Lake Ontario, anchoring is limited to look at anything nice till your east of Kingston, you can go a mile offshore and swim but its a pretty short season. I've sailed a lot in Georgian Bay, the north channel is one of the nicest places on earth to cruise. Everyone approaches it differently , sort of like motorcycling

 

[N234]

People in your situation sell their bikes and give up riding because they don't get to ride. They don't have several hours a week to go out and "play with their friends" on bikes. This is adulthood I suppose.

But I disagree with them.

I commute all the time, and take the long way home a couple times a week. Plus motogymkhana on some weekends and evenings.

Don't let it be a hobby like golf, which is consumes large chunks of time and might irritate the wife.
It should be more like the gym or something, an hour a day, maybe even 3 or 4 hours every other weekend.

It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle choice.

 

[Mad Mike]

BOATS?? Dont do it! a small cruiser (28-30ft) eating 16-18 gal per hr is normalish, our ChrisCraft 34 / twin 5.7L mercruisers 26GPH per engine. Thats marina gas @ $1. 38L . About $75 an hr to operate if you give er. Oakville to NOL for lunch and back is $200 or so. I warn folks folks that say ' I'll buy lunch and pay for the gas!' .They have no idea. You can buy big old gas engine cruisers for peanuts because operational costs are a bit much.
Our 30ft sailboat burns 6L hr of diesel (yanmar 2GM) . But its a sailboat, however catching 'free' wind costs me about 3-6grand a year in sails.
Budget to keep powerboat, dock/in/out/fuel/winter store 8k ish, sailboat dock/in/out/sails (it gets raced hard) 8K ish
They both live in Lake Ontario, I hate simcoe, love Georgian bay, but live 15 mins from Lake Ont. There is almost never a day the sailboat cant go out, powerboat is less forgiving
We've owned cottages, they go up in value, cost about the same to keep as a nice boat, but boats never go up in value. We ditched cottaging because I hate the 3+hr drive. The last one was a 4hr flight, then a 2hr drive. All done with that nonsense.

Keep your bike and enjoy it when you can, biking is dirt cheap compared to some other activities.

Similar experience, but I never got into big sailboats (when I put the hammer down I need it to make me grin). My 32 is welded aluminum, considerably more fuel and maintenance efficient than a glass boat. With a clean bottom at 8knots on one screw at 1200 rpm uses 16l/hr, plane at 14knots on 2 screws 2000rpm at 40l/hr (1.7mpg). I can compare to my old neighbour who ran a Trojan 32 at 60l/hr min.

Still expensive!

 

[nobbie48]

BOATS?? Dont do it! a small cruiser (28-30ft) eating 16-18 gal per hr is normalish, our ChrisCraft 34 / twin 5.7L mercruisers 26GPH per engine. Thats marina gas @ $1. 38L . About $75 an hr to operate if you give er. Oakville to NOL for lunch and back is $200 or so. I warn folks folks that say ' I'll buy lunch and pay for the gas!' .They have no idea. You can buy big old gas engine cruisers for peanuts because operational costs are a bit much.
Our 30ft sailboat burns 6L hr of diesel (yanmar 2GM) . But its a sailboat, however catching 'free' wind costs me about 3-6grand a year in sails.
Budget to keep powerboat, dock/in/out/fuel/winter store 8k ish, sailboat dock/in/out/sails (it gets raced hard) 8K ish
They both live in Lake Ontario, I hate simcoe, love Georgian bay, but live 15 mins from Lake Ont. There is almost never a day the sailboat cant go out, powerboat is less forgiving
We've owned cottages, they go up in value, cost about the same to keep as a nice boat, but boats never go up in value. We ditched cottaging because I hate the 3+hr drive. The last one was a 4hr flight, then a 2hr drive. All done with that nonsense.

Keep your bike and enjoy it when you can, biking is dirt cheap compared to some other activities.

Have I missed airplanes? They are a super discipline. I figured ours was about the same cost as a boat 30-40 years ago but you can run all year. The downside is that they aren't fun unless the motor is running. Fuel costs aren't too bad when you calculate the gallons per hour but spread that over the 120-140 MPH speed.

The biggest downside is that you spend too much time around the airport. Hanger flying is boring for the non pilots in the crowd.

 

[GreyGhost]

Have I missed airplanes? They are a super discipline. I figured ours was about the same cost as a boat 30-40 years ago but you can run all year. The downside is that they aren't fun unless the motor is running. Fuel costs aren't too bad when you calculate the gallons per hour but spread that over the 120-140 MPH speed.

The biggest downside is that you spend too much time around the airport. Hanger flying is boring for the non pilots in the crowd.

I just went out west with a friend to ferry back a 180. If you don't have time for bikes, I can't see a plane being a good idea. For better or for worse you are committing to hours every month in the air to maintain currency (and some ugly bills if you have a certified aircraft). If I was going this route, I would probably go experimental so I could do things myself. Paying someone every time the airplane needs anything would kill me (financially and in my soul).

 

[crankcall]

If it floats flies or F’s , lease it.


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com

 

[nobbie48]

I just went out west with a friend to ferry back a 180. If you don't have time for bikes, I can't see a plane being a good idea. For better or for worse you are committing to hours every month in the air to maintain currency (and some ugly bills if you have a certified aircraft). If I was going this route, I would probably go experimental so I could do things myself. Paying someone every time the airplane needs anything would kill me (financially and in my soul).

Agreed. To be honest I would often have to repair the work done by AME's and had suspected sabotage more than once.

Lot's of life challenges as well if you do more than flying around the patch. Plan a VFR day trip to Ottawa and can't fly back because the weather went sour. Bus everyone back until you can retrieve the plane.

I actually enjoy bikes more, the swoop factor of a winding road. A plane at 140 MPH feels like you're standing still unless you're 50 feet off the ground. Aerobatics would be cool though. I loved doing spins on a 152.

 

[GreyGhost]

Agreed. To be honest I would often have to repair the work done by AME's and had suspected sabotage more than once.

Lot's of life challenges as well if you do more than flying around the patch. Plan a VFR day trip to Ottawa and can't fly back because the weather went sour. Bus everyone back until you can retrieve the plane.

I actually enjoy bikes more, the swoop factor of a winding road. A plane at 140 MPH feels like you're standing still unless you're 50 feet off the ground. Aerobatics would be cool though. I loved doing spins on a 152.

I saw a Sukhoi SU-26(?) in Yorkton. That thing looked like fun. Apparently +/- 9 g, thrust to weight of 1.6. When you aren't barfing or unconscious, you would have a %&%-eating grin.

Similar to sukhoi, I don't know what model it was.

 

[PLau]

Commuted on my bike since I got into it (8 years ago) but ended up moving (twice) making my commute an avg of 1h45mins each way.

This 100% killed it for me.

Ended up trading my Impreza + $ for a Tesla.

Bike been sitting in the garage for nearly the whole season. Pretty much ride almost exclusively to practice MotoGymkhana in a nearby lot.

Might need an Electric Motorcycle or legalized lane filtering to get back into street riding.

 

[Jayv]

Been doing the downtown core commute for the last 10 years, 150 km a day round trip. Love the fact that i can take a completely different route everyday, and the free parking in the City is a bonus. I used to love doing the hooligan runs up north, but after i started doing track days, then racing i no longer got any real enjoyment from riding like an idiot on the streets.

 

[LePhillou]

People in your situation sell their bikes and give up riding because they don't get to ride. They don't have several hours a week to go out and "play with their friends" on bikes. This is adulthood I suppose.

But I disagree with them.

I commute all the time, and take the long way home a couple times a week. Plus motogymkhana on some weekends and evenings.

Don't let it be a hobby like golf, which is consumes large chunks of time and might irritate the wife.
It should be more like the gym or something, an hour a day, maybe even 3 or 4 hours every other weekend.

It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle choice.

I don't see myself stopping the motorbike commute (well not until it snows)... maybe as i get more time to get back into the more leisurely use of it as the kids get older i might get the fun vibe again!

Commuted on my bike since I got into it (8 years ago) but ended up moving (twice) making my commute an avg of 1h45mins each way.

This 100% killed it for me.

Ended up trading my Impreza + $ for a Tesla.

Bike been sitting in the garage for nearly the whole season. Pretty much ride almost exclusively to practice MotoGymkhana in a nearby lot.

Might need an Electric Motorcycle or legalized lane filtering to get back into street riding.

Moto Gymkhana is fun and nice but i wouldn't be able to justify ownership over just doing that (although i guess it's easier to just keep the bike rather than sell it and start over with insurance when you're ready)

Been doing the downtown core commute for the last 10 years, 150 km a day round trip. Love the fact that i can take a completely different route everyday, and the free parking in the City is a bonus. I used to love doing the hooligan runs up north, but after i started doing track days, then racing i no longer got any real enjoyment from riding like an idiot on the streets.

I salute you! 150km is quite the mileage you gotta put on to get to work. The alternatives must be so much more tedious though! In perspective my commute is just a blink of an eye lol

 

[PLau]

Moto Gymkhana is fun and nice but i wouldn't be able to justify ownership over just doing that (although i guess it's easier to just keep the bike rather than sell it and start over with insurance when you're ready)

Precisely why I keep it.

It allows me to go for the random quick ride if I ever get the itch, and I'm paying a bit less than $50/mo for insurance currently.

 

[N234]

A few of us are going for a 1-1.5hr loop in the Halton Hills.
I'm bringing my cones and timer in case we pause for some MotoGK.

Meeting at Campbelleville carpool lot at 5:30p.
ChargePoint Charging Station

 

[moarmoto]

Precisely why I keep it.

It allows me to go for the random quick ride if I ever get the itch, and I'm paying a bit less than $50/mo for insurance currently.

Moto gymkana, like set up cones at a parking lot? Sounds fun. On what bike? Maybe it's something I should look into.

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[N234]

Check out Ontario Moto Gymkhana.
Facebook: Ontario Moto Gymkhana
Website: Ontario Moto Gymkhana

Any bike can do it, from trials to cruisers. It's like Rider Training courses on steroids. It's so much fun, very safe, and builds up the skills that can save you on the street!

Precisely why I keep it.

It allows me to go for the random quick ride if I ever get the itch, and I'm paying a bit less than $50/mo for insurance currently.

bike? Maybe it's something I should look into.

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