Why I quit riding Motorcycles - Peter Cheney (The Globe and Mail) | GTAMotorcycle.com

Why I quit riding Motorcycles - Peter Cheney (The Globe and Mail)

same poop different pile, writer needs to generate paycheck

I could write that for free
 
Another wuss scared of a 1000. I too gave up riding, on the street, because I can't enjoy putting along looking at the scenery. So the track and dirt is where I get my jollies now, the road can be had by the squids (not all road riders are squids so keep your panties out of a bunch) and terrible drivers. Enjoy.
 
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I totally get his article. I love to ride, but recently I've started thinking about how many more years of riding I can look forward to. The clock is definitely ticking.

My first kid on his way, and suddenly riding seems a whole lot riskier than it used to be.

Riding used to be the funnest thing I knew how to do, so it was definitely worth the risks involved. But now I'm a happily married man, and i'm super excited to be a dad, so suddenly biking in traffic is starting to feel like a cheap, dumb thrill that might just keep me from enjoying what is now the funnest thing I know.
 
Nothing surprising or eye-opening about this article. Just another poor sap who got old, married, had kids and got spooked by a close encounter with the reaper. I'm not hating. One day I might find myself in his shoes... I've already had a lucky-I'm-not-dead moment so all I need is something more to lose (i.e. family).But the article is still a testimony of a man who's risk tolerance has changed and is now extolling the virtues of being an "ex-motorcyclist". The catalyst in his case is the usual story of uncontrollable variables resulting in a crash.

At first I somewhat resented that he seems to be trying to dissuade people from riding using the axiom that one does not need to ride a motorcycle. I felt he had betrayed the activity he once (and we all) loved. But I get where he's coming from and in most cases his article probably won't convince anyone who isn't already prepared to be convinced.

Personally, I most closely identify with Jeremy Packard's 3rd approach "...Risk Valorization, where risk is accepted as an unfortunate but controllable component of a desirable activity". In reality, this principle applies to everything whether the risk is in personal error or external variables; while riding a bike or walking down the street.
 
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Full circle. I know his head space. Wait till you get to retirement age like me and you realize, among other things, you're just marking time til you die, have nothing to live for, life is fleeting etc.etc. It's refreshing. Ride how you want, say what you want, be less guarded, nothing matters anyway.
 
gramps got scared cause he didn't have brains to begin with " I decided to take Spadina Avenue so I could run through the curves just north of College Street. I clicked down a gear and banked into the first section, carving through it like a low-flying plane."
 
At some point in our lives we all have to make decisions. Some times these decisions go against what we want, we decide with what is best for others (family, wife, kids) rather than ourselves. I just got into riding, I read the article and thought how dare this guy try to dissuade me from riding, how dare he try to scare me out of doing something that i have wanted to do for so many years. he had a spill because he was riding in perhaps a dangerous manner for the city.

One thing I take from this article is that you need to ride in a manner that suits the environment you are in. If you want to soar like a low flying plane then take it to the track or a nice curvy roadway, leave it out of the city streets.

I have only been out maybe 15 times (5 commutes to work) and I can say that before every commute, I look at my youngest son's room window from the driveway and ask myself why I am doing this? why risk my life? I really don't answer myself, I just prepare the bike get on and ride off, I guess if I start to analyze I may just not like the answer I come up with. One thing is for sure, I ride more cautiously, am more vigilant because I know I need to get home safely to my kids and wife.

Will I, or we, ever come to the cross roads where we have to decide one way or the other? I am sure we will but I hope that day is very far off, for now, ride safe everyone.
 
BNKN - that's a pretty sad outlook...I'm having more fun riding now than ever and I turned 65 this year. Off road and on. I look forward to getting out every day.
Had a great 280k in mid January in Ontari and and even nicer 300k day on the forest tracks in Australia today.

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...9-Down-Under-on-a-KLR-650-second-season/page4

Riding in Toronto sucks - Ontario in the south you do have to work to have fun but I've been riding some of the same roads for 40 years and still find interesting new spots and especially now with a higher end camera it's just plain fun to get out and explore.

But commuting and running around Toronto is mind destroying even in a cage.
If you're scared tho....don't ride.
 
MacDoc said:
BNKN - that's a pretty sad outlook...I'm having more fun riding now than ever and I turned 65 this year.
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MacDoc, my internet friend, you may have misread my post. After seeing parents and friends get sick and pass on you're left with no choice but to take a realistic view of your own life. I find that very liberating and it allows me to live a more genuine life if I can put it that way. Not so sad really. I'm not burdened with doubts like the writer, I can ride free of mind.
 
Ride within your means, if that means not riding then do so.

We only have one life to life so do what you feel is right.
 
For myself, riding is a calculated risk. By that I mean I wear as much gear as possible, and try to adapt my riding style depending on time, road conditions, traffic, location, etc, etc. Even after only 1 season, most of my 'fear' of riding itself is gone, in that I'm not afraid of the bike itself -- moreso just the idiot drivers out there which also worry me (albeit less) when I'm in my car. I also told my family about my intent to start riding right from the start. I can't say they were overly happy (my dad was in a motorcycle accident years ago, but with no idea how to ride and with zero gear), but they were accepting of it, and knew I'd approach it as 'safely' as one possibly could.

Reading the posted article though, I'm surprised he didn't know better regarding riding 'aggressively' in downtown Toronto -- I actually try to stay away from there on both the bike or in the car (and commute down instead) as there are too many things out there to kill you or be killed (aka lemming pedestrians). Also regarding riding in the twisties, I always try to late apex and go into a corner in such a manner that I can see out of it if at all possible. If I can't, then I'll play it cautious just in case there is gravel, debris, etc on the road ahead, or in case there is a cage coming the other way.

Also as others have said, as cliche as it has become you do 'only live once' -- and riding is one of those things I'd rather take a calculated risk and do, vs always be wishing I had when I'm laying on my deathbed in old age.
 
I understand where the writer is coming from. I only have 1 year of riding under my belt. I believe the trick is to never put your guard down and expect the worst when riding. Thats how I made it through my first year. The ideal riding environment is not in the GTA with transport trucks everywhere...however its not going to stop me from riding. The danger aspect of the sport is more appealing to some people. I'm not saying I have a bike because its dangerous, but it may have encouraged me because not everyone has the guts to ride a bike. Personally, I am very confident with my riding abilities and I look forward to improving that over the years. Bottom line is....motorcycles are not for everyone....more specifically....motorcycles are not for people who lack driving skills/hand-eye coordination.
 
Lots of people ride that don't have the skills or mindset to do so within a tolerable level of risk. The writer seems to me to be one of those people. Good for us all that he decided to stop riding.

The level of risk for a well skilled rider with a good awareness of the road and traffic safety is very reasonable, in my opinion.

I find the discussion of risk and the rationalizations people make to be interesting. For example, I know people that won't ride a motorcycle because it's "too dangerous" but they don't wear a seatbelt in their pickup truck. If they were serious about being safe when travelling they'd drive a safer vehicle and wear their seatbelt. But, they're happy.
 
I've had numerous chats with Pete over the years - he's a true petrol head... Love's bikes, just loves cars more.

If you read the article again near the end he talks about enjoying having his wife by his side in a car - that's something that rings out to me. My wife and I used to ride together, but now with a kid we don't get to.

One of my bike's is going up for sale - I want a four wheel fun car so I can have my wife ride with me along with my daughter. I'll probably only do 10-12K kms a year over the next few years on a bike, but I'll be able to do thousands in a car having fun with my family which to me is a great trade-off.
 
jsv650 said:
I've had numerous chats with Pete over the years - he's a true petrol head... Love's bikes, just loves cars more.

If you read the article again near the end he talks about enjoying having his wife by his side in a car - that's something that rings out to me. My wife and I used to ride together, but now with a kid we don't get to.

One of my bike's is going up for sale - I want a four wheel fun car so I can have my wife ride with me along with my daughter. I'll probably only do 10-12K kms a year over the next few years on a bike, but I'll be able to do thousands in a car having fun with my family which to me is a great trade-off.
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Fair enough but why not do both like yourself? The reason is his risk tolerance has changed. Spending time with family seems to me like added incentive to justify the decision but not the primary motivator. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that but might as well call it what it is. While I'm still relatively young, my fear level has definitely risen and my risk tolerance lowered a bit with age.
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