It's indescribable how, when this two-wheeled bug gets into one's veins and you find yourself getting up in years, that a common series of thought enters the mind; "Do I ride enough to justify having and maintaining this small stable?", "Should I give this up?", " Aren't you tired of reaching over and tripping over motorcycles to get a broom in the corner of the garage?", "Who's going to want all this stuff when I'm gone?", "At this age, how difficult will it bee to heal after an accident - If I'd even survive it?", Yes, I have all these thoughts and a plethora of similar ones all the time. Truth is, the immediate answers to many of those questions is - Get them out of your hair while you still can and move on. But, I just can't do it. Those several hundred mile rides to no place unparticular have become just 5 - 10 mile rides to a bike night, car cruise, or, just an ice cream cone. Those almost daily rides have changed to once per week or sometimes month. The days of riding year round have changed to warm seasons only. The days of riding for hours in a downpour have become fair weather only. Still, I just can't do it. The bug still swims in my veins. The dream of one really big adventure reappears each time I straddle a saddle. And some days, just sitting on the garage floor with a hand full of tools or some polish and rags does what that long ride of yesteryear once did, So, in short, if you want the bike - forget all those thoughts of apprehension - Get the bike.
