Getting out of the game

I guess the time has come to accept my fate and move on with life.

I'm a long time VFR/bike lover but my new "daddy" status has changed my rose colored glasses to clear. It's time to get out of the game. I'm not looking for condolences or "support" really, it's a decision I made after several months of pondering. Do I want to be home every night to put my little boy to bed or do I want to be out in the garage or up a canyon somewhere on 2(or 1) wheels?

Boy wins. He's just too darn cute.

So, Preliminary ping going out to see what you guys think is a better idea. I have 2 RWB '86 VFR750fg's. Bought one from the original owner and took it from a pristine 11,400 miles to a loved but not "cherished" 32,000.

Some of the best times of my life.

The other is a basket/project(complete but disassembled) that I got from a military man in Ohio during the peak of my "gear driven cam" fever. He was bent on restoring it to pristine condition. Several years, and moves, later and he got out of the game too. I got all of his old stuff along with several NOS factory parts.

In addition to both of those, I have the better part of 10 years worth of random spares and hard to find stuff for the bikes. Spare wheels, 4-1 exhausts, raceteched forks, those little aluminum fender braces for each side(the ones that look like a squished bic pen), spare OEM fairing, spare fiberglass fairings and several clutch sets.

The real question I have is about dispersing these things. I have contemplated putting the whole kit and kaboodle into the local classifieds as a set and making a deal with an eager bike buyer. I considered selling each bike separately and then just dumping the parts or sending them to the ebay $1 auction graveyard. A friend of mine, however, recently reminded me just how impossible it always was to find a part for my bike when I was looking. He mentioned my several fruitless trips and calls to dealers around the country and the hours I had spent scouring classifieds and websites. Do you think there is any merit in parting these beauties to "give back to the community"? As heinous as that sounds, it may make it easier for the owners of this dying breed to keep their "cherished" specimens on the road.

I've been reading and posting here for a long time and I know you guys have a good idea of what's going on in the "community" so I'm asking for opinions. Should I sell all of my honda parts as one big fat lot? Sell one running/decent bike and one project/basket bike separately and then just dump the spares? Or should I commit the unforgivable sin and part these rare beauties so that others may live?

The money and space are not high priorities, I've owned/stored this stuff for the better part of 10 years. I just want it to be used and loved as I would have done in another life.

It's a hard position to be in, I want do do the right thing.

Thanks in advance. Happy riding.

 

Sorry to hear you're hanging it up, but it's your decision to make. Congrats on the baby-boy, kids are waaaay more fun than anyone ever seems to have told you in advance.

As for the bikes, I wouldn't try for a "lot" sale. In this economy you aren't going to find someone looking to take a bunch of stuff for the money. You're better off selling the individual bikes, possibly packaging the "basket" bike with a few choice pieces that will make a restoration look more feasible to a potential buyer. The rest of the parts I'd put on ebay (or here on the classifieds). You'll have to do some shipping, but you'll get fair market value for all the bits you've collected over the years.

...and before long, you'll want that money for an XR50 bike for the little guy.

Best of luck!!!

 

Thanks for the input Zen. I only hope bikes are still legal when my little guy is old enough. I've tried several times to explain to people how it feels to be out on a machine like this. At 31 years old, I can honestly say I've never felt more free. I want my little guy to feel that someday, I just know I don't have the chops to keep the old 750 going so it's ready when his time comes.

Happy motoring.

 

If there is no hurry and you aren't pressed for space I say take your time and sell the extra parts to others that need them. I know firsthard how hard it is to find parts for older bikes and it's nice to find someone selling specific older parts they may need and not a whole parts bike. With the internet now you don't even have to leave the house. The post office drops boxes off to me, I print the postage at home on my printer and then hand to box to the mail courier. Doesn't get much easier than that.

Rollin

 

Makes sense but your children will be grown and teen agers before you know it. So, take a break for a while.

You will be jonesin For a ride every spring etc. So same some money dor that day you cant take it anymore.

 

Any way you can store them for a few years?
I did not start riding until my kids were older for the reasons you are considering taking a break.
Maybe when the boy is older, you can get it out of mothballs and show him a piece of history. Even include him in the resto. It will be a memory he will cherish for a lifetime.
I would hate for you to regret giving them up for the rest of your life.

 

The timing is ironic. The guy that turned me on to this place asked me to post some of his loot he has rat holed for years, gen 2 goodies. He is an uber lurker but not a member but felt this would be the place to offer some impossible to find parts. Down loading pic's as I type. Good luck, I understand but the two of you will be back when he is old enough to ride.

 

Did the same but pretty well always had a dirt bike. When the oldest was 10 I got him a CRF 150 and me an XR 650, we live in the country so he could ride anytime he wanted. That bike became a handmedown for #2 boy and #1 got a 250. It was great fun with the boys and I think it really helped when it came to them driving the street and making better decisions even in a car. I got the VFR when the youngest was 16, I hadn't ridden the street for 20 years, but didn't seem like that long. Went from a Norton to the VFR, talk about culture shock. I think your doing the right thing, but you can get back to the street sooner than you think, the little years go way to fast, nothing better than kids. Its nice your not in a hurry you will get more for the bikes. Congratulations.

 

well < you've made your choice, I have a four year old daughter, and a 25 year motorcycle..(86 VFR) I ride the bike to school and when it comes time to turn wrenches she is right there with me... even when she was only able to crawl I had her in the stroller outside helping.....
sell the good bike sell the other one as a "kit bike" and flea bay the rest... I am actually looking for a clutch master cylinder.... the whole thing if you got one thats in good shape PM me a price...

and the best part of watching you kid grow up, is being there..... I pretty much gave up all my overnight jobs when she was born because I wanted to be home with he3r every night....

Good luck..


Crusty

 

Put that stuff in storage. It will be a huge PITA to round it all up again in 20 years when the itch returns...

 

20 yrs? I doubt that it'll take that long, maybe 3 to 4 tops, kids are fun and all and then they start thinking and getting into all kinds of stuff until they become teenagers and then they start thinking they know everything and you know nothing, when that kid first starts making trouble, you're gonna wish you had a stress reliever and a bike is perfect for that, but by no means I'm telling you to go out every day on the thing just as a weekend toy, especially if space and money aren't the issue with you right now, and you can get rid of it if, or should I say when, you need the space/money...

 

Whatever you decide just let us people in the forum know what you plan on doing and if you do plan on parting the part bike out we will try to make it as easy on you as possible for you to get rid of it. People are always looking for gen2 parts on feebay and here.

 

I was 31 years old when we had our first, and after riding since I was 13 it just stopped, and so did my interest in bikes and nearly every other thing that I was into. I think its a natural thing when you first start a family.

About 6 years later though I watched the Long Way Round, got real restless, and realized I wasn't doing a single thing just for me any more. Now its 5 years and about 8 bikes later, and I'm loving it more than ever.. although I must say I'm a bit more cautious (read smart) about what I do.

Enjoy your little one. They're not little for long! There will be time to do things for yourself in a few years..

 

I have a 7 and 3 year old. I know what your thinking. If money and storage aren't an issue and if the VF is THE bike for you, store them. You will be back. Good luck!

 

I didn't ride for almost 20 years, because 4 kids'll suck every dollar outta ya! But, I'm back, from outer space... Or something like that... If you can keep it, and you want it, I wouldn't get rid of it. If on the otherhand you need the dough, or space, or whatever, when the itch returns, there are a lot of nice bikes 20 years later...

 

This kind of desicion is for you alone, but I'll give my opinion as I have gone through this twice.

I have two kids, one is 4 and the other is 2 months old. I too contemplated leaving motorcycles. Then enlightenment hit me with this thought:

There is more to motorcycling than just STREET RIDING. I realized I can't leave for 2 to 6 hours at a time to hit the twisties. The reality is most riders only ride street so they never think outside the riding box. In addition, our society has some weird idea that once you have a kid or kids your life is over. That is the most fucked up thinking. Kids area gift from God; they do not symbolize the end of your life. They just change your life; for the better if looked at correctly.

So, people have already said this, but I'll focus it more with some questions.

1. Do you have an area close by to ride a dirt bike on?

2. Do you live fairly close to a race track that hosts track days?

For me, when I started doing trackdays a few years ago I had no idea that that would turn into pretty much my ONLY riding. But I can say that for only doing 4 to 6 trackdays a year. Those 90 miles logged on the track, per day, are way better than all the street miles I log. At least for me. I come home tired and not in the mood to ride for a bit.

Explore all your riding options. dirt, track, or even the ocasional hour long street ride is better than no ride at all.

BZ

 

Dump the junk stuff and get something you don't have to wrench on for two hours to ride for half an hour.

 

Seems like a consensus to me. I'll start listing parts here next week, a complete bike and a "kit" bike maybe in another week. I'm not giving up on riding forever, just want to take things easy until the kid is a bit older. When my boy is 10 or 12, the 3rd and 4th gen bikes will be just right for a project. I know how much motorcycling has changed my outlook on life and I want him to have the same experience.

I've gotta say, though, I can't think of another online community with such strong feelings about their chosen niche. I'm on several subaru forums, wrist twisters and lots of computer tech sites too. Most of those guys are ready to ditch their "cool" toys for the next hottest and coolest thing that comes along. Kudos to everyone here for picking a horse and staying on it.