For those 35+: Did you start riding b/c of a midlife crisis?

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Started riding at 30 maybe a quarter life crisis but always wanted one and now I could reasonably afford one. First it's a mysterious/cool thing but then it becomes something else - u love the freedom - you "grow" so much as a person and I believe, learn so much more of the world around you - just from a few short motorcycling excursions. Now starting a family don't know how much time will have for it ... so did my M just in case. The sense of accomplishment is exhilarating - and it had been so long since I'd been that nervous. If u can do it - why not?

The love of riding is realizing that most rules don't really matter, and when u wake up to that reality, people that are still "asleep" say you are having a mid-life crisis.

If you can't come up with a good enough answer to the question "why not?" then keep enjoying your life.
 
I am 58 an I got my M license maybe 20 years ago. I don't remember what prompted me to do so. Maybe I had a free weekend and decided to do the course out of curiosity.

But I never got a bike after that. At first it was a confidence thing as I did not trust Toronto traffic and the truth is my family and spouse were not very supportive of the idea. So to keep piece I just kind of dropped the whole idea.

A few years ago I got a vespa- my wife must have been ok with it as she put the down payment on it is a fathers day present. I have been riding it for 7 years and am very comfortable with in 416 traffic. I am now looking to get a much bigger bike to take on weekend drives out of the city.

I don't think it is a mid- life crisis thing, unless you define a MLC as spanning 20 + years.
 
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I'm 32 now and am just now completing my first full year of riding. I've always wanted a bike, always thought about it, always considered it but until this stage in my life there was always something else...family (mom) against it, money, space, own home, etc...now I'm at a stage in my life where I can afford it and can actually enjoy it freely (and with some maturity in riding). I don't do as many rides outside of commuting as I want but it's a daily commuter where I enjoy those commuting minutes much more than I could've imagined before I got the bike. Wakes me up better than coffee, less stress going in to work, everything gets forgotten after work and it just brings me a simple pleasure to ride instead of driving whenever I can. Been through the sports car stage and it was fun, but once it stopped being fun it became tedious...the bike's still fun...and once I get bored of this one...well there's another one sitting somewhere on Kijiji with my name on it!
 
I got my M1 a week after my 40th Bday this year and I don't believe it has anything to do with having a midlife crisis.

Like others I have always wanted a bike but for one reason or another it just never happened until later on in life. I am sure from the outside world I do look like I am having a midlife crisis. I'm 40, bought a bright green Ninja, white Icon Overlord Prime leather jacket and the rest of the gear and it was something that most people were not expecting. I think when I am out and about and take off my helmet a lot of people are likely surprised that I am not some younger person with between my gear choices and style of bike. Though I do have a few reasons why I don't believe I am having a MLC......

1. I now have the time: My son is 18/out of the house and my daughter is early teens and self sufficient. I am a "single Dad" who and I had my kids most of the time in the last 10 years since the happy divorce so many years ago. Anyways with the kids growing up and doing their own things I have the time to take up riding.

2. Money: I have the money to spare now, I was a young parent so I never thought about putting money into an expensive hobby that riding can be. Kids, housing, food, clothes etc all came first before what I wanted. Its the classic "needs" outweighing the "wants".

3. It was my GF that "reminded" me how much I wanted a motorcycle. My GF of 2yrs began seriously thinking about getting a bike which in turn got me thinking again about it earlier this year and we were going to do it as couples thing. Since then we have gone our separate ways in life but I stayed with the plan an got my Ninja.

4. I don't feel like I am having a MLC.... I am not trying to recapture the glory years or trying to act like a kid. I am not trying to show off, just doing something for myself which is something I rarely had the time or money to do when I was younger. I know I am older but this is something I am doing for myself and I don't care what others think. Plus when I start dating a girl 20yrs my Jr.....well that will be my mid life crisis and that isn't something I am planning on anytime soon.

I do laugh at people that insist that I am going through a MLC, because it's usually them that are having some personal issues or more often there is some hidden jealousy. Not jealous of the bike but more so its about the freedom and fun that goes along with making a change in ones life.
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