thinking about cashing out

[thibtyson]

I was in San Diego a couple weekends ago on North Island Navy Base and we made it in to Coronado and downtown San Diego and I'm glad we were in a car.

[lvrsnr]

takng a break from riding is always a tough call. and you can aways start riding again, but there are always ways to improve your chances; 1. of being seen, 2. of avoiding crashes, & 3. of limiting injury. and BA80 is right about fear of "what if". none of us are going to get out of this alive, enjoy life and treat those you meet well. best wishes friend.

[mack]

Know what you

mean, Cy's passing was a shocker. I too was under the impression that once he was out of ICU he would be sore but recover. I had my first XS11 four days and was run over by a 5 ton truck in 79. It took a lot of effort for me to get back on another. I quit riding back in 91 when i had my first child and never even looked at the bike for 18 years. Once I restored it and started riding again I doubt I could sell it.
I thought long and hard about it after hearing of CY, but as my mom used to say, "if your born to be shot, you won't be hung". I figure what will be, will be, so I'm riding!
My will and financial affairs are in order and everytime I throw a leg over Hermes, I wonder if today is the day. I always kiss my wife and kids goodbye and tell them I love them. Just thinking about it makes me a more cautious rider.
I get shivers just thinking about what I used to do on this bike when I was twenty and thirty years old. However, I find it much more dangerous out there now and as others have stated, I know my eye sight and reaction time aren't what they once were and now I too stay out of cities, major highways and never travel at night. I also never mix drugs of any kind and riding.
Perhaps you could haul you ride out to the country and leave it at a friends house and just ride when the urge hits you. These bikes are best out of traffic on an open country road anyway.

[Cuda 69]

I fully understand where your coming from Garth,a few years back I almost got t-boned by a little old man who ran a stop sign.My wife was on the back,which shook me up. We decided to sell the bike.BUT I got the throttle itch two years ago and bought the xs. The beauty of the xs is,no payments and I don't feel I have to ride it because I owe on it. I ride it when I have the itch, to ride. As a few have also said on here.I never ride at night or early morning(alot of deer around these parts). Selling your bike is a personal decision,but if your not completely sure,put it in storage and wait a while.

[geobiker]

Insurance?

Everything in life involves risk and we all have to decide at what point the risk of any activity, outweighs the benefits. I am in no way connected to the insurance business, so this isn't a sales pitch, but if you have dependents buy a reasonable amount of term life insurance. I have carried a policy for years and although the kids are now grown-up and out of the house, I still keep the policy in-force so the wife can pay-off the mortgage and other debt, if something should happen to me. It is a relatively cheap price to pay for "peace-of-mind"

[slow mo]

hi all! i,ve been down twice neither one my fault ,not that that matters,,i now have the side car and i live in the country did n,t think for one second that i would live to be in my sixties,,, yet here i am and my love of riding is still there the side car forces me to be more observant ,,but as i know from my previous accidents the guy doing it right is often the victim,, we will miss Cy, but we all know the consequences of the sport we love ,,ride safe ,,,slow mo!

[Rasputin]

This is just my opinion but I would keep it unless it is a cost you can not afford. You may think differently in a month or maybe next spring.

We all have a time to pause and reflect on life after an accident whether we were in it or not. Hundreds of bikers across the world die every day while riding. This did not bother you before, so why is it that you now think it should. Cy passed on doing something that he loved.

I am a firm believer that if your name is at the top of the page on the day you are supposed to die, nothing will prevent that. The day that your name hits the top of the page, it will make no difference if you are riding a bike or walking across a street and a Bus hits you.

By all means I do think the decision to ride or not is yours and yours alone. There are steps to take that will help you ride safely, like re-doing a MSF course or riding in areas you know well only. High Vis gear is an option. Many other things you can do as well but I am not going to try to list them all.

If you are not comfortable in your mind riding right now, then do not, as it will not only endanger you but will take away from your enjoyment of riding. Just do not give up on something you love because of a knee jerk reaction to some very bad news.

I also did not ride much for many years because of family etc. I quit working on the Oil Rigs for the same reason. Damn I loved doing that. Looking back I wish I had kept doing what I loved as I could just have as easily been killed in a car crash or similar and the end results would have been the same for the family.

The choice is absolutely a personal one...whether to ride or not... and when in life it suits you. Myself I would rather remember Cy by riding.

[Yard Dogg]

I'm 34, no kids, never married, can't even see myself there, And I've still had the fear before. I can't even begin to understand what you with kids may be thinking when you get that fear. I live in a wide open area in the desert with no big city traffic except for routes that I can easily avoid, no deer, no trees, no rain, so I can twist the throttle and ride like an idiot all I want as long as I know the roads. The only time I've had close calls is when other idiots are around. There is no way to take that chance out of things if you live in a populated area. If you want to hang it up, do it, but keep the bike.

[soccer4m]

Store the bike

Howdy Garth,,,,,,its not like your bike is a buried treasure, dont take it personally, but its not really worth a bunch. I suggest store it until the kids get a bit older, once they hit the older grades you will want to cut loose. Maybe by that time the convertible will be driveable also. At least you know the bike thoroughly and wont need to do a lot of repairs down the road. I took a break from riding also when kids were born to age 15, mainly didnt have the time. I got into dirt bikes in the desert with the boy through high school and picked up a road bike, the xj and a bunch since then. Or sell it, and buy a bike in a dozen or so years. Either way, the xs crew will miss you........Mike in Norte Sun Diego