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You sound like a good dad, which means you know that the kids absolutely come first. I am that way too, and what it meant for me was this: I had to put Motocross on the back burner, but it was a lit burner, set to low. I no longer rode a new bike every year, raced 20 times a year, or had new gear, but I had the bike and rode when I could.
My '06 YZ250 lasted me 18 years; I kept it running on a shoestring budget. I raced once each in 2007, 2009, 2015, and 2021. I wore one set of riding gear, instead of the 3-4 sets per year that I had grown accustomed to. But you know what? I still had fun on practice days and desert trips. My kids learned to ride too.
As my bike got older and more thrashed, I realized that if I sold it, I would have the temporary benefit of maybe a couple thousand bucks, but I'd never ride again. The stress relief you can get from riding (or even just knowing you could) outweighs the cost at some point. You'll be a better dad for having some balance in life and you won't feel resentful of your kids.
Smart man.
Being actively involved in your kids lives gives them a better shot at staying away from trouble and temptation.
It never ends. I just helped my son start his own business. We will always support our children.
Stepped away from racing for, oh, 35 years. Was a trail rider durin that period. Got back into racing vintage during the pandemic.
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I stopped riding in '10 when my son turned three. 15 years later i started riding again because my son wanted to see me ride. I never sold my bike. (2000 YZ 250) We've been having fun with it. My son loves moto but has never wanted to ride, his true passion is fishing. It's been really fun starting back riding with his full support. I get to ride 3-4 times a month and I'm not taking it very seriously, just having fun with my son.
Guess what I'm saying is there will time to ride in the future, put your family first. Moto will always be here for you when you return...
I tried to get my kids into riding, they love going to the track but never wanted to be competitive. My 16 year old now plays club soccer. The 7 year old scares me on the dirtbikes, hes a mix of scared of it and clumsy, I dont want to see him get hurt. We go fool around 3-4 times a year on the track. That's probably the most I'll ride from here on out as soccer and other stuff take up most of my time.
Ill probably have my 2019 yz250F for ten more years, I might have 25 hours on it. :D
I see people with reasons why they don't ride. That's OK. Its not your time. Just realize the reason you don't is because you really don't want you or really can't. Not because it's someone's point of view you shouldn't ride. Plenty of people with kids and a family enjoy dirt bikes. People we care about sometimes don't understand our passion of dirtbikes. I'll go as far to say riding makes us better people. We all need our limited freedom. We have Mother Theresa. We ain't going to out Saint her. No one is going to give us a trophy at our grave for being best at giving up things we love.
Just realize if you give up riding it's your choice. I gave up a lot and I regret my choices. But I regret it every Sunday morning no more
Agreed on your point.
I gave up riding, at least for now, because it isn't as important to me as it once was and I have other priorities. It's not right. It's not wrong. It's just me.
Everyone else should just do them.
Or get the family riding with you. My wife and daughters first bikes
I got lucky, they liked it. Wife even rode the "New" 96 Elsinore Gran Prix on that bike. Still the biggest plaque in the rafters lol
The great thing about moto is you can pretty easily turn it into a family day. I have a boy and a girl about a year apart. 3-4 years old. When we go to the track, I ride for about 20 min, then comeback and hangout with the family till it’s my turn to go back out again. I bring a tent for the wife to sit and relax under, and the kids play in the dirt or ride their strider bikes. I haven’t been riding at all this summer however. We just had our 3rd kid and it’s getting to be a lot. Maybe once the kids get a little older we will start going again.
But not riding for a while hasn’t really bothered me. I still have the bikes in the garage, so the option to go riding is still there.
I rode from 75 to 95, then I took a few years off, got way into MTB (95-2002) and healed up. My first was born in 2001, that changed my perspective on life a lot, for the better. Got another bike in 2002, and haven’t really stopped since, but my riding is far from hardcore now. Just whatever sounds fun, trails, GPs, Sprint Enduros, but nothing serious. Mixed in with occasional MTB rides.
The point that was made about doing what makes YOU happy is really important. If you want your kids to be active throughout their lives, you gotta be active while they are growing and beyond. The kids see me racing, they don’t know how hard I’m pushing, they just know that I ride and race and they love it!
The first time you overhear your kids talking about you and what you do, you’ll see what I mean. And you’ll see how motivating you are for them, that example proves to the kids that they can do anything they want to. My kids don’t have much interest in riding, but they both dive headfirst into their passions and that’s great stuff for a parent to watch!
Dont post here much but i felt i'd chime in. A lot of good perspectives here on what others have done but ill specifically address the "guilt" of being out of the house doing your own things... I have two girls and since their birth i have been a MT biker, fisherman, runner, car enthusiast and occational moto guy. My family has never critized me for pursuing my passions and i encourage them to do the same. My girls (now 21 and 18) have both said to me independently in a private moment that they respect the fact that im an active person and dont just sit on the couch watching sports like their friends dads. They love to hear how my day went and i share my riding/ biking/ fishing /etc experiences with them. Being gone for 10 hours with a 2 year old is probably not going to happen often but a couple hours is pretty reasonable. I used to go to my kids sports and school functions and then go ride after even if it was only a quick session. Win - win. An important caveat is that my wife supports all of this which makes it possible. I also encourage her to do things with friends without the kids as she needs a break sometimes too.
In terms of riding i have a 125 which limits my speed but is loads of fun. I focus on railing turns, "sending" the bush league tabletops (lol) and riding technique which i find rewarding and pretty safe. Anyway i took 15 years off starting in 07 just because i was sick of it but im glad i got back on. Pretty much every time ive gone to a track i have met people of all ages and enjoyed the conversations we had.
Life flys TF by. Live it.
52 as of Monday with 2 daughters 12/14 just bought my 14 year old a new motorcycle yesterday. We camp and ride together all the time wouldn’t have it any other way.
Took 18 years off. Getting back into it the last few years. Kids aren’t interested. However, my 17 year old is EMR certified so he has a reason to come to the track in case “dad needs help again”.
Some help with the decision process:
Do you like riding dirt bikes? If yes, then ride dirt bikes. If no, then do not ride dirt bikes.
If still not convinced, then consider the following:
Do you want your daughter to marry a guy who maintains his fitness, engages in a physically demanding hobby, pushes himself to improve, and is willing to take calculated risk, or would you rather she marry a guy who is home a lot, always plays it safe, and never takes time for himself? Be the kind of guy you would want your daughter to marry.
Signed: Father of 3 who rides almost weekly and races once a month.
You make a very interesting point and one that I’m just starting to see first hand. I was 35 when I had my son and I really thought it was a blessing that I had accomplished many things in life and I could focus on him. Fast forward 10 years and I really started working on myself and training myself instead of just joy riding and being a moto dad. Showing my kid first hand what it means to get up and spin, or bike, or lift , whatever is very impactful. I was a collegiate athlete, but the only version of dad my kid knew was the guy sitting in the recliner too sore and tired to do anything meaningful.
There's a book I need to read but listened to the author's interview called Die with Zero, he speaks about living your life to it's fullest in the now, you only get so many years with this level of health, this time, etc. Between that podcast and what you mentioned and other's the bike is gonna stay, I think 70 year old me would really regret doing anything else.
Totally agree, still ride better only riding 6-8 times a year than being off the bike for years. Plus it still makes me feel connected to the sport.
Pit Row
Thank you, trying to leave a legacy and example for my daughter, I agree it's about balance and also setting an example for her, thank you for the help in realizing this.
Feels, my 25 CRF250R I picked up last year has maybe 3 hours on it.
This really resonated with me, never thought about it that way, always thought if I'm always there for her thats the key to super Dad but I also want her to live her life and experience it all and set an example and totally agree and can see teenage version of her saying how boring I am without Moto, etc. Thanks for that perspective.
Thank you, love this point and wisdom.
I was fortunate enough to ride quite a bit while my kids were growing up, often by moving riding up to early morning, so I’d back home when they were up.
That’s one idea that could help you find time to ride while not missing time with the fam.
...and 4days later I just happen to get the same thoughts, but I'm 50yo and I'm getting scared of the high speed at rough tracks and high speed jumps (not the height, but the speed). I've have absolutely NO interest in Enduro or 'woods riding' etc, I love motocross but maybe I finally have to admit, motocross is a young mans sport (except if you have been an elite racer when young, I guess you can ride safely fast until you are 60)...
Haven't lost interest in "SMX series" or the sport, but maybe I need to become an active fan, not a rider.
btw, when my kids were younger I felt the same... I felt bad being away from home on a Saturday for a whole day, so I usually did short sessions.
I’ve got a 2 and 4 year old. Have been riding less the last few years but actually trying to ride more now. My 4 yo just got a PW. May not be racing for awhile but i just love being on a bike and will have fun even putting around with him.
Whether you're riding often or seldom, slow or fast, the way to be the safest (and have the most fun) is to always be in the moment. I can overcome fatigue with focus, but for motocross, mountain biking or skiing, if I'm losing focus, I call it a day.
It's important to be present in your kids lives for obvious reasons. It's also important for kids to see their parents work hard and have modeled how to overcome adversity in life. Realizing things aren't always easily handed to them is important and valuable. That needs to be modeled. Sometimes parents have to make sacrifices, and that's really difficult. The most valuable lesson my family taught me growing up is that each generation worked their asses off to help the next generation have a better life than they had. My siblings and I were all first generation to go to college. That doesn't mean being a workaholic, but we never uttered the phrase "work life balance" that so many millennials love to throw around today. Work hard, play hard, and invest in your family. Include them in your past time activities when at all possible. Help them pursue their passions. Our son rode dirt bikes with me starting at 4 and still does now at 23. We also camped and hunted together, still do to this day. I still ride. It's my stress outlet. It's also the driving reason for why I workout - to stay in shape and remain healthy for the activities I love and enjoy. I don't like playing golf or other sports and I'll keep riding until I can't do it anymore. That doesn't mean a man can't ride regularly and still be invested and present in their kids lives.
Getting the balance right isn’t easy. I’m there for my kids events 90% of the time and they come with me about 40-50% of the time. It’s not a big deal to me that they be there every time, they have busy schedules too, but it’s important to all of us that we all have our own things and we all share them. You just gotta find the balance for your family!
The latest thing we started doing together is taking desert rides in a SxS. That let’s everyone keep up and the kids don’t have to work so much like they did when we all tried riding bikes together. I’ll ride my bike sometimes, sometimes not, but we get to explore together. The wife loves driving the SXS..
Stepping away does not have to be a permanent decision, so don’t fear it if you go that path for now.
There’s a lot of good perspective in here that I agree with so won’t repeat. I was away from riding for a very long time and recently actually raced again.. A mere 40+ years since previous gate drop.
If you want to ride, even just very occasionally, do so. Do what you enjoy. You can be a good dad/husband with riding, or without.
I am in this same situation. Just turned 44yrs old and I have a 2.5 year old son, I work a lot of hours etc. The last couple years I haven't ridden much. Also, in the last couple years, injuries have caught up to me and I have toned down my riding a bit more. I think you have to think abut your family first, both with your time and also with your health. But most of us have lived the sport for most of our lives and it's who we are. So I don't think it's healthy (mentally) to step away unless you are totally ok doing that. Most won't be. I have a few MX bikes and have been out on each one, only a handful of times this year. But that keeps me happy, that I at least got to ride a little bit. I have been doing MTB or BMX rides on weekend mornings or after work in the evenings. It takes up way less time, so I don't feel as guilty. Being back into bicycles has really helped, giving me an outlet. I also have an R6 street bike and I haven't touched it this year (or ridden much in recent years) but I can't bring myself to sell it, as I love it. I know my wife doesn't like it and my father was killed on a motorcycle, so those things wear on you. It's an internal struggle for sure lol. Everyone's situation is different though. It seems silly having several bikes and not using them much. But being able to get out on them, even if it's every so often, really makes me happy. So to me, it's worth it, as I'd like to share the sport with my son. He's just too small right now. So maybe in a couple years we can get out together and I'll be riding more often. It's just tough to say because we don't know what our kids interests are going to be, as they get older. But I'd say hang onto the bike and see where things go. Each year will be different.
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