Do people think you're crazy for riding?

Anonymous (not verified)
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Anonymous (not verified)
Edited Date/Time 12/18/2013 12:39pm
Do friends, family, or even yourself at times think you're crazy for investing so much time, money, etc. into the hobby? I love riding dirtbikes and have for over 10 years, so I've heard all the negative comments in the past from family and friends. Would love to hear your thoughts or experiences.
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gharmon
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gharmon 12/15/2013 5:23am
12/15/2013 5:23am Edited Date/Time 12/15/2013 5:24am
As my boys were coming up riding and the bones started breaking, the stitches started appearing, the concussions made appearances, yes, everyone wondered what was wrong with my head for letting my boys do it. My wife and my parents both got mad at me. BTW, we still ride together today so guess who won!!!!
jtomasik
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jtomasik 12/15/2013 5:32am
12/15/2013 5:32am Edited Date/Time 12/15/2013 5:32am
1. At my age, 99% of the people around me have zero clue what it's like to ride.

2. At my age, 99% of the people around me have zero clue a guy my age would do this.

3. I like it that way.




Headed to a new sand track today with the 500AF. Pin it.
Vet57
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Vet57 12/15/2013 5:45am
12/15/2013 5:45am
If you have to explain...they wouldn't understand!
jchek779
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jchek779 12/15/2013 5:46am
12/15/2013 5:46am
I just tell them the alternative is cocaine and whores.

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rallendude
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rallendude 12/15/2013 6:00am
12/15/2013 6:00am
Crazy isn't really the word. If you want to really get to the core of what "normal" people think about those who ride, or especially race, the word is "stupid.". People not involved in this sport cannot fathom why anyone would do things that put their bodies at risk of damage. Some people who have been involved and stopped due to injury or fear of injury are the same way. I'm like Mr 99% up there. I'd rather just not talk about it with those people. What's worse is, given the opportunity, those people would take away your right or ability to do so. If it meant your work restricting it, insurance restrictions, property restrictions, so be it. Those are the ones who really gripe my crawl. Ride on.
kxfsledder 12/15/2013 6:18am
12/15/2013 6:18am
I hear it all the time that "I am to old" or "isn't that something for kids". Or that its a waste of money and not worth the risk.
sleeve1
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sleeve1 12/15/2013 6:52am
12/15/2013 6:52am
i must be one of the lucky ones. most of the people in my life support my riding. i do get told that i should slow down but wheres the fun in that? now that my son is starting to ride it is more fun than ever. i don't race anymore due mostly to past injuries and cost but i see my son wanting to race in the near future. that's something i'm looking forward to.
MX4EVR
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MX4EVR 12/15/2013 7:04am
12/15/2013 7:04am
I let my son race because he wants to
When he doesn't want to race anymore we will just ride.
Most ACL injuries in children are girls per the statistics
To me that would mean soccer
All sport has risk
Practicing good habits help lower the risk and exercise to be strong enough to compete safely
We focus on that every time we ride in all of his sports
keeptwostrokesalive 12/15/2013 7:17am
12/15/2013 7:17am Edited Date/Time 12/15/2013 7:17am
My granddad told me he wont come to my funeral if I get killed while riding my dirt bike. That was his attempt to scare me out of riding when I was 16 or 17. It didn't work at all and at 20, I have no intentions to ever stop riding.
Harry Backmon 12/15/2013 7:22am
12/15/2013 7:22am
jtomasik wrote:
1. At my age, 99% of the people around me have zero clue what it's like to ride. 2. At my age, 99% of the people...
1. At my age, 99% of the people around me have zero clue what it's like to ride.

2. At my age, 99% of the people around me have zero clue a guy my age would do this.

3. I like it that way.




Headed to a new sand track today with the 500AF. Pin it.
^^ This! I'd also like to add that after I broke 3 ribs last January, my doctor looked at me with a glance that was a tad askew. When I went back a month later after I had done a giant endo and had a huge tire burn across my stomach, she wanted to know if I had ever "considered another hobby?"

I don't think I'm crazy. After a 20 year lay-off, I'm happy to be at it again. I have to endure the good-natured ribbing of my coworkers when I come in limping, or when I got a concussion a while back and was a bit fuzzy for a week or so, but that is all part of the fun. I've added two new scars since coming back just over a year ago, 3 broken bones, a pulled groin, a concussion, a pulled calf muscle, shoulder injury, ankle sprain, fingers dislocated, and spent over $3000 making my YZ how I want it. The injuries I call "battle scars." The money spent I say is "well spent."
ToolMaker
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ToolMaker 12/15/2013 7:27am
12/15/2013 7:27am
My son got his first PW50 at 5 years old. Growing up it's the one constant thing that we could always do together. We are fortunate to never have had the "big" injuries. He's 24 now and it's still something we can share when all other opinions are different about life. Right now my bike's collecting dust in the trailer, but I look forward to the next time I can go out riding with him. If I had to do it all over, he would get his first PW50 at 5 years old but I would practice more so he doesn't leave me in the dust like now.
TM
JOHN CHOATE
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JOHN CHOATE 12/15/2013 7:37am
12/15/2013 7:37am Edited Date/Time 12/15/2013 8:04am
I grew up in a neighborhood where it was the same group of kids from kindergarten through college years. Nobody moved away during that time. To this day, I know where two of those friends are. The people I talk to three or four times a week or even a day sometimes, are the guys I grew up racing with. They are my MX family.

I was lucky to travel around the world and meet people and see things that will stay with me forever but there are few people that still don't "get it". I sometimes think that the risk is part of the attraction to the sport of MX though. I agree with vet57, if you have to explain...they won't understand.

Note: I want to thank my dad for taking me to see "On Any Sunday" and for getting me my first dirtbike. I can't imagine life without a dirtbike.
Trav138
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Trav138 12/15/2013 7:38am
12/15/2013 7:38am
jchek779 wrote:
I just tell them the alternative is cocaine and whores.
X 2
slipdog
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slipdog 12/15/2013 8:06am
12/15/2013 8:06am
This sums it up pretty nicely...


motodriller
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motodriller 12/15/2013 8:07am
12/15/2013 8:07am
Yes, but I don't care becouse when I can't ride I'm miserable.
JM485
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JM485 12/15/2013 8:09am
12/15/2013 8:09am
rallendude wrote:
Crazy isn't really the word. If you want to really get to the core of what "normal" people think about those who ride, or especially race...
Crazy isn't really the word. If you want to really get to the core of what "normal" people think about those who ride, or especially race, the word is "stupid.". People not involved in this sport cannot fathom why anyone would do things that put their bodies at risk of damage. Some people who have been involved and stopped due to injury or fear of injury are the same way. I'm like Mr 99% up there. I'd rather just not talk about it with those people. What's worse is, given the opportunity, those people would take away your right or ability to do so. If it meant your work restricting it, insurance restrictions, property restrictions, so be it. Those are the ones who really gripe my crawl. Ride on.
This is dead on. The scary thing is they don't see anything wrong with telling people what they can and can't do. I don't understand how people can be so stupid as to think they have the right to tell us we can't do something because it's too dangerous or some other form of BS like that. Tree huggers are the worse of them all.
JOHN CHOATE
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JOHN CHOATE 12/15/2013 8:11am
12/15/2013 8:11am
slipdog wrote:
This sums it up pretty nicely...


Funny, I just watched that movie (again) last night.

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yak651
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yak651 12/15/2013 8:29am
12/15/2013 8:29am
My dad always told me "quit that before you get hurt". My parents didn't go to the races with me but my mom would leave a twenty on the table (this was 25 years ago) for gas for my brother and I to go to the races. I was always jealous of the people I raced against that had their parents at the races with them. Funny thing is the majority of those people no longer ride and I still do.
MauriceR
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MauriceR 12/15/2013 8:32am
12/15/2013 8:32am
There used to be a NO Fear T shirt in the 80's

Those who do can't explain
Those who don't can't understand
DANGEROUS SPORTS
Travis_Hudson
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Travis_Hudson 12/15/2013 8:36am
12/15/2013 8:36am
My wifes family always comes down on me for it. They say it's cool I used to race, but I'm older now so I shouldn't be doing it anymore........it's classic, I get so much shit for cutting out on sunday football with them. Of course her dad also thinks that it's not a sport, and you just sit on the seat and twist the throttle. Grinning
motogrady
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motogrady 12/15/2013 9:00am
12/15/2013 9:00am
It got so bad for me, I stopped talking about it.

Approaching the big 6-0, I've chosen to switch from dirt to street.
Had to, moto was on the verge of crippling me.

But that still isn't enough.
I see it in their eyes, they look at the bike, they look at me, and say, "How old are you?"

Used to bother me, now I kinda laugh at 'em.
rocketsocks26 12/15/2013 9:11am
12/15/2013 9:11am
remember that shirt that the hot chick says ''its me or the bike'', ?and the rider says im gna miss u! we'll I was givin that ultimadum from my wife before we where married, she now understands my passion for this sport, n have to boys who are on their way, I bleed this stuff!!!!!
harescrambled
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harescrambled 12/15/2013 9:18am
12/15/2013 9:18am
My family supports my riding and racing...even when I come home injured (which, thankfully, hasn't been often). The owner of the company I work for hates motorcycles, and has told me numerous times that I shouldn't be doing it. I just tell him he doesn't get to tell me what I can do when I'm not at work. Last time he said something about it, I showed him my racing results and he shut up...lol

People have been telling me for years I'm too old, and I should stop. I ask them what I should do instead...lay around getting fat on Sunday drinking beer while watching football or nascar races? I hate both, and I'm far happier when I ride or race regularly
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 12/15/2013 9:35am
12/15/2013 9:35am
jchek779 wrote:
I just tell them the alternative is cocaine and whores.
Laughing I'm going to use your line the next time I limp into work and catch shit for "trying to do a younger man's sport ".
Sandberm
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Sandberm 12/15/2013 9:47am
12/15/2013 9:47am
Travis_Hudson wrote:
My wifes family always comes down on me for it. They say it's cool I used to race, but I'm older now so I shouldn't be...
My wifes family always comes down on me for it. They say it's cool I used to race, but I'm older now so I shouldn't be doing it anymore........it's classic, I get so much shit for cutting out on sunday football with them. Of course her dad also thinks that it's not a sport, and you just sit on the seat and twist the throttle. Grinning
"... I get so much shit for cutting out on sunday football with them..."

Screw people thinking we're crazy for riding dirtbikes....I think there crazy for sitting on their asses all day watching football.

Thats like my worst nightmare. How can people just sit around and watch football all day? The only way to make the boredom of sitting around and watching football on a perfectly wonderfull day would be to drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of fattening food. Whats worse, getting fat and being hungover or spending a great day outside riding your dirtbike with a good chance the only bodily harm will be a sore back?
Brent
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Brent 12/15/2013 10:41am
12/15/2013 10:41am
Don't even get me started....

You are either all in this sport or have no fucking clue.

All of the people who call me an idiot for racing and riding are the latter.
bvm111
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bvm111 12/15/2013 10:57am
12/15/2013 10:57am
Of course they do!

My parents never understood and 12 years ago they were the main reason I stopped riding. The most miserable time of my adult life have been the last 12 years I didn't ride. Now at 40 I'm married with a stepdaughter and newborn son and I was the one trying to convince myself that I shouldn't start riding again because it is the mature thing to do!

Last year I finally found the bike a wanted, an unridden 2006 KX250 and I said now or never!

I met my wife after I stopped riding and she was the first to say after I came home from my first ride.... You are so different!

My response.... "I am different, I am alive again, and I'm not concerned what everyone else thinks" with a large childish grin on my face!
plynn41
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plynn41 12/15/2013 11:19am
12/15/2013 11:19am
I was in the emergency room in 2009 with a broken ankle, broken humerous and dislocated shoulder, getting morphine shots on a regular basis. My extended family came in and someone said, "Well I guess you finally learned your lesson and should be ready to get rid of that motorcycle." I said there was no lesson to learn--I already knew motocross had risks and folks got hurt sometimes. Then I told them to jump in the lake because I was keeping my bike. Thank goodness my wife has been a good sport.
friday10
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friday10 12/15/2013 12:18pm
12/15/2013 12:18pm
bvm111 wrote:
Of course they do! My parents never understood and 12 years ago they were the main reason I stopped riding. The most miserable time of my...
Of course they do!

My parents never understood and 12 years ago they were the main reason I stopped riding. The most miserable time of my adult life have been the last 12 years I didn't ride. Now at 40 I'm married with a stepdaughter and newborn son and I was the one trying to convince myself that I shouldn't start riding again because it is the mature thing to do!

Last year I finally found the bike a wanted, an unridden 2006 KX250 and I said now or never!

I met my wife after I stopped riding and she was the first to say after I came home from my first ride.... You are so different!

My response.... "I am different, I am alive again, and I'm not concerned what everyone else thinks" with a large childish grin on my face!
Nice! A different kind of "Born Again".

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