Make him an offer he can't refuse...
05-24-2010, 11:11 AM
#1
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Make him an offer he can't refuse...
So after owning my hawk for about 2 months (and loving it) I am approached by my father who says this to me. "I don't think you should risk your life anymore. You have your whole life ahead of you and I don't want it cut short because someone wasn't paying attention and ran you down. I will make you an offer: if you sell your motorcycle I will match whatever you sell it for, in cash, and give you my mountain bike (this is a $2000 Cannondale Jekyl)." And then he walked away. So here I am torn between enjoying the last summer I have before law school with the hobby I truly have a passion for, or putting my father and family at ease while at the same time pocketing some money. This is a tough one. I need the input of the brain trust! Help!
05-24-2010, 11:24 AM
#2
2nd mouse gets the cheese
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Ultimately your call but the way I see it is for me motorcycling is one of the only things I have that I truly feel alive on. Sure it is dangerous, I don't think it is the adrenaline I thrive on as I do my best to not have those moments, instead the feeling of flying just a few feet above the ground. The simple connection of man and machine mated to the road. It is hard to sum it up, but after I had my little girl a year or so ago my pastor of all people approached me asking if I was done with the motorcycle, I laughed because I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. I thought about it some later but in reality I chose to continue riding, life is short anyways you may as well fill it with the things you enjoy, to reason at least just because some people get a rush out of doing "stupid" on their bikes... I will say there is a sensible line to be drawn as far as how much danger you do expose yourself to.
For me not riding would be like an eternal prison sentence always confined to a four wheeled cell. I would look out my cell windows and see others who were free dancing their two wheeled cycles like a sparrow in blue sky, and a part of my soul would slowly die.
At any rate if you love it as much as I do you really can't say no. Maybe for you though if it doesn't mean the same thing, but you still want to ride, you may just buy a race bike and take it to the track. Less chances of getting hit by cars.
For me not riding would be like an eternal prison sentence always confined to a four wheeled cell. I would look out my cell windows and see others who were free dancing their two wheeled cycles like a sparrow in blue sky, and a part of my soul would slowly die.
At any rate if you love it as much as I do you really can't say no. Maybe for you though if it doesn't mean the same thing, but you still want to ride, you may just buy a race bike and take it to the track. Less chances of getting hit by cars.
05-24-2010, 11:30 AM
#3
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I feel the same way cornandp. I dont do foolish things on a bike. For me, it's almost a form of meditation. If it comes down to bike vs. money then I'll take the bike every time. But if it comes down to bike vs. family happiness then I have to step back and think. I certainly don't want to be selfish. I could get a dirtbike but it's just not the same. I would do the trackbike thing but we dont have a track anywhere near 
05-24-2010, 11:39 AM
#4
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agree with above. I am in same boat as cornandp. I also tell friends who are thinking of starting that its awfully risking if you don't 'need' to do it. Ask yourself if you ended up in a wheel chair was it worth the enjoyment you are most likely going to get out of it. That said, I KNOW I am much safer spot on my motorcycle than my bicycle - at least on the MC about 1/2 the drivers give me respect. On the bicycle, its maybe 10% so don't blow the risks too far out of proportion.
For you, if biking isn't your zen moment in life, don't bother, give it up. tell your dad to help you buy a cheap used convertible and you'll hardly look back. But if you are hooked, have a heart to heart with your dad and tell him how vital it is too you and your asking for his understanding of what it means to you.
For you, if biking isn't your zen moment in life, don't bother, give it up. tell your dad to help you buy a cheap used convertible and you'll hardly look back. But if you are hooked, have a heart to heart with your dad and tell him how vital it is too you and your asking for his understanding of what it means to you.
05-24-2010, 11:45 AM
#5
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He knows exactly how much I love it. Crazy thing is, he's the one that got me into to begin with. He just sold his BMW R1100 because he said he feels his own mortality now more than ever before. That being said, I could sell it now and get another when I graduate but I snagged this one for such a good deal and it runs so perfectly that the thought of giving it up saddens me greatly. The question is, can I deal without a bike for the rest of the summer? I could, but I'd be unhappy.
05-24-2010, 12:24 PM
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I was given the same offer from my Mother. She's kind of a wack job, but I understand her concern. What gets me most is... her brother has multiple Harleys - the old ones with drum brakes and kick starters. Her parents bought motorcycles before I was born and gave me a photo of them with their bikes. Its something I love, and living in Morrison CO, I have one helluva jump off point to bliss in the mountains.
She knows I want a mini cooper real bad, and offered to buy me any one I wanted if I gave up the bike. But really, I just can't do it. The rest of the family perfectly understands. They don't exactly support it, but they don't tell me to sell it at every opportunity like Mom does. The rest of the family does understand having a passion in life.
So, I'm still here with my Hawk. And I'm having the times of my life.
She knows I want a mini cooper real bad, and offered to buy me any one I wanted if I gave up the bike. But really, I just can't do it. The rest of the family perfectly understands. They don't exactly support it, but they don't tell me to sell it at every opportunity like Mom does. The rest of the family does understand having a passion in life.
So, I'm still here with my Hawk. And I'm having the times of my life.
05-24-2010, 12:33 PM
#10
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Desire delayed is passion achieved.
Do school, do life, get on your own track and wait patiently for everything to settle. Then get back on and ride. The wait will be worth it. I promise. 'Sides, you're on the final countdown to when no one else can push your decision buttons for you.
Delay makes consummation all the sweeter.
Do school, do life, get on your own track and wait patiently for everything to settle. Then get back on and ride. The wait will be worth it. I promise. 'Sides, you're on the final countdown to when no one else can push your decision buttons for you.
Delay makes consummation all the sweeter.
05-24-2010, 12:37 PM
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05-24-2010, 12:41 PM
#12
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Well motorcycle racing (more dangerous than just riding) is more dangerous than cheerleading, and less dangerous than fishing: http://www.sportingo.com/all-sports/...s-sports-world
05-24-2010, 01:10 PM
#14
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Desire delayed is passion achieved.
Do school, do life, get on your own track and wait patiently for everything to settle. Then get back on and ride. The wait will be worth it. I promise. 'Sides, you're on the final countdown to when no one else can push your decision buttons for you.
Delay makes consummation all the sweeter.
Do school, do life, get on your own track and wait patiently for everything to settle. Then get back on and ride. The wait will be worth it. I promise. 'Sides, you're on the final countdown to when no one else can push your decision buttons for you.
Delay makes consummation all the sweeter.
05-24-2010, 01:33 PM
#15
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This is essentially what my father is saying, and it makes sense. While I may love motorcycles above and beyond most everything else, what if a 16 year old driver is flying down the road texting LOLOMG to his/her best buddy and runs through a red light and turns me into street pizza. No law school, no career, no family, no anything. Are 3 months of fun in the sun worth the risk of possibly never having another day in the sun? I usually never have this kind of morbid thinking regarding my bike. I ride safe, gear up, and pay attention constantly. And yet here I sit thinking about my remains in an urn and everyone I know sitting around balling while listening to something sappy like "I hope you dance." Awful thoughts right :P
05-24-2010, 01:55 PM
#18
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My dad was pissed when I got my first bike in 1981...and I was 35 years old, had been married for 15 years, had a mortgage for 10 years and 2 daughters, and I'd put myself through college. My ex-wife actually suggested I get a bike to save gas on my 20 mile freeway commute (I'd ridden friends bikes since I was 17). I think she was trying to get rid of me.
Here I am, 29 years and 190,000 miles later, and I'm married to a woman who loves riding about as much as I do. She rides an SV650S.
But bottom line...is your dad paying your way through school and are you living with your folks? That kind of complicates things. Every time one of my teenage or 20 something auto students would say they wanted to get a bike, I'd cringe thinking how dangerous it is, especially for a new rider. Then I'd get on my bike and split lanes on the freeway riding 35 miles home.
I'm retired now, and my neighbors think I'm nuts for riding a sportbike. This is a decision you need to make yourself. We on this Forum all share a bond, but I for one would never try to push someone into making a decision like the one you are facing now.
05-24-2010, 02:05 PM
#20
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And this is not taking into account who wears a helmet and who doesn't, who rides safely and who is a total idiot, who rides sober and who rides drunk..
So if you ride sober, safely and wear a helmet you could ride well over that 2.5 million miles and survive.
Really the "dangerousness" of riding a motorcycle, while real, is vastly overblown in the minds of most of the public. (and I am saying this as someone who has been hit while riding my bike)
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcyc...statistics.htm
05-24-2010, 02:12 PM
#21
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I think if you truly have a passion for riding you wouldn't have needed to post this. Yes, the sport is inherently dangerous, yes your parents will always worry about you. Do I want my son to ride when he is older? No. It is a very personal choice. Don't let someone else make it for you. However, if you're at the point were you have to wonder if this is the day you get your ticket punched every time you get on the bike then you've already made up your mind. And if you're worried about now, wait until you start a family! There will always be worries.
I am also an avid road cyclist and I remember a quote where a cyclist was asked if he has rear-view mirrors on his bicycle. His reply "Why would I? I don't want to see the car that's going to hit me." To a non-cyclist this seems rather foolish but everything in our lives is not about being as safe as possible. There are risks that are worth taking.
I am also an avid road cyclist and I remember a quote where a cyclist was asked if he has rear-view mirrors on his bicycle. His reply "Why would I? I don't want to see the car that's going to hit me." To a non-cyclist this seems rather foolish but everything in our lives is not about being as safe as possible. There are risks that are worth taking.
05-24-2010, 02:18 PM
#22
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My wife and I met a guy riding a SuperHawk yesterday when we did our breakfast ride. He bought his 1999 VTR last September with 600 miles on it. The original owner evidently had a scare (could have been unintentional wheelie) then parked it for 10 years.
If I'm not mistaken, Harry Hurt found in his extensive studies of motorcycle accidents that if a new rider survives the first 6 months of riding, the chance of a fatality goes way down. The riders skills, actions and awareness are big factors in staying safe.
If I'm not mistaken, Harry Hurt found in his extensive studies of motorcycle accidents that if a new rider survives the first 6 months of riding, the chance of a fatality goes way down. The riders skills, actions and awareness are big factors in staying safe.
05-24-2010, 02:46 PM
#23
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I think if you truly have a passion for riding you wouldn't have needed to post this. Yes, the sport is inherently dangerous, yes your parents will always worry about you. Do I want my son to ride when he is older? No. It is a very personal choice. Don't let someone else make it for you. However, if you're at the point were you have to wonder if this is the day you get your ticket punched every time you get on the bike then you've already made up your mind. And if you're worried about now, wait until you start a family! There will always be worries.
.
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05-24-2010, 03:52 PM
#26
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If he really wants to do something nice for his dad he'll sell the VTR and refuse the bribe of the mountain bike and cash.
05-24-2010, 03:57 PM
#27
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Passion!
Tough choice?
For me motorcycling is a passion. Something that I as person can not live without! Maybe it's those zen moments you can have on a motorcylce. Riding at the track can be the highest high. But! and this is a big but,it sure can bring home the lows in your life. Lost loved one's never to ride with again or share those magical moments that riding motorcycles seems to give. Yes motorcycles are dangerous, thats a given. How many of us have lost friends playing soccer or golf? not many I bet!
Motorcycles are not going anywhere, finish your school, make your dad happy (for now) just let him know that you are doing this for him, but someday you will ride bikes again. Here's another idea? how about letting him read this thread?
Best of luck with your choice, Ride safe.
For me motorcycling is a passion. Something that I as person can not live without! Maybe it's those zen moments you can have on a motorcylce. Riding at the track can be the highest high. But! and this is a big but,it sure can bring home the lows in your life. Lost loved one's never to ride with again or share those magical moments that riding motorcycles seems to give. Yes motorcycles are dangerous, thats a given. How many of us have lost friends playing soccer or golf? not many I bet!
Motorcycles are not going anywhere, finish your school, make your dad happy (for now) just let him know that you are doing this for him, but someday you will ride bikes again. Here's another idea? how about letting him read this thread?
Best of luck with your choice, Ride safe.
05-24-2010, 04:19 PM
#28
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05-24-2010, 04:48 PM
#29
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I'd say you have to live your own life. Those two quotes about not living in fear, especially somebody elses / Lifes a journey not a destination, sum it all up.
Ride sane, you'll most likely be fine. Millions of ways to die out there. Would you want to live forever if meant you could never step outside your room? I've ridden probably 150,000 miles or more, road raced several years, drag raced, sidecars, and so on. Wouldn't trade it for the value of every bike I've ever owned, even if you threw in all the money I blew around owning and running them
Ride sane, you'll most likely be fine. Millions of ways to die out there. Would you want to live forever if meant you could never step outside your room? I've ridden probably 150,000 miles or more, road raced several years, drag raced, sidecars, and so on. Wouldn't trade it for the value of every bike I've ever owned, even if you threw in all the money I blew around owning and running them
