Breaking a riding rule | GTAMotorcycle.com

Breaking a riding rule

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noob_in_mid_age

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I have been breaking one of the main rules with regards to when you should not ride. It has always been said that one should not ride when tired, angry, distracted etc. I have a family member who was diagnosed with cancer and is terminal, only months to live. I go see him every morning before work then I go to work feeling devastated and drained as I leave the hospital. Once I get on the bike and start to go, the concentration required keeps me focused and shuts out all the emotions I am feeling due to this tragedy. I am thrilled when I throttle up and I get caught up in the moment and feel relief (it is at this time that I feel happy not to ride a powerful bike, a SS, because I would surely endanger my life), I have broken my personal speed records since this happened.

My question to you all is how does riding make you feel? Does it give you tranquility as it does me?
 
For me, when I get on the bike, I forget about everything. That's one of the main reasons I commute to work. I find that it really helps me to leave work at work. By the time I get home, I feel refreshed again. Riding definitely helps to clear my head.
 
It's why I prefer older, less sophisticated bikes. There are enough steps to take to get it running and things just feel more mechanical, keeping me involved. I don't have time to be thinking about anything else. Someone who has gone sailing probably has the same experience. Leave your problems on shore.
All that said, one individual in my past life could do or say something just as I was heading out and that would stay under my skin for at least the first hour. Being conscious of that "harshing my buzz" while I was riding really was aggravating - and distracting.
 
If I am worked up, I will ride my bike down the street out of view and sit down for 5-10 minutes to clear my head.

I have ridden tired..and usually the ride wakes me up, the cold air, etc. However one time I was totally exhausted from working 12-14 hr/s a day every day just after recovering from Vertigo...could have ended badly. Was feeling wobbly and with a slow reaction time all the way home.
 
I ride everyday to work and back, sometimes I will even leave an hour early in the morning just to squeeze some more time in. Always an amazing start to the day!
 
I'd say it's a mixed bag. If I'm looking to get away mentally, the bike does wonders. But if it's a problem that's on my mind, I find myself zoning out on a straight road and thinking too much of what I shouldn't be thinking off. Usually need to give my head a shake and remember to get back riding.

If I were in your position, I would try to be very concious of how your mood is affecting your riding. If you're aware that your feelings are making you ride differently, maybe you can catch yourself before you do something you normally wouldn't consider or deem safe.
 
I live just 15 minutes from work, but on a good day I can make it home in 2 hours.
 
I try to avoid riding angry...or at least not let the anger get to my right wrist....the rest of the emotions are fine.
 
Luckily, with my bike, a 250cc Ninja, I think it'd be difficult to get into too much trouble. I have been doing stuff that I normally wouldn't do but I think it is still tame compared to some of the stuff I read on here. What brings me back down is the thought that I have a family that I need top take care of.

It is a blast though, the best thing I ever did for myself was to get off my butt, get a moto-license and get a bike.
 
Emotional thread about how riding feels....creative posters, post away!! For me, riding feels NICE.

Serious note, sorry about your family member...make the time with them count.
 
One of the reasons I commute on my bike. Great start to the day, and makes a ****** day much better when I leave.
 
Most terrifying instance of rule-breaking on my part was the time I rode to Montreal and back in the same day and was dead tired by the time I got back.

I was almost home and fell asleep riding on the DVP!

Some fool was keeping my dumb *** alive that day, I tellya. Never ride that tired again, holy crap.
 
meme said:
YUP, helmet on and whole world goes away. Me,me and me
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I wish that were the case but unfortunately toronto traffic can still cut through that serenity pretty easily lol. But yea, riding is ME time.

OP, sorry to hear about your family member. I hope for the best.

My "friend" once rode his bike to work and then went straight to a work christmas party with the intention of cabbing it home. The next morning he awoke in bed with no memory of how he got home. When he went into the garage lo and behold... there was his bike! Scary...
 
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Regarding the terminal patient, keep this in mind that you are actually lucky.
You get to do and say the things that others would only wish one minute of going back in time.
A heart attack or stroke can end your life instantly.

Both of you can live on the time left on your terms. What is to be will happen regardless BUT you get to create that path.
It will no doubt hurt as it should when they pass but try to take photos, make movies, record stupid things, make your own bike commercial, whatever to fill those moments with laughter. Think about it, you guys make commercials for different things but make them funny. You will leave laughing every day and so will they one day.
 
cleaver said:
Know yourself. Don't ride otherwise.
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+1

I've found riding while being emotional can neutralize those feelings but there are the rare times where I end up wanting to take it out by using all the ponies on my bike. I pull over in those situations for my own safety.
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