Originally Posted by JunkdrawerDog
"When all the joy is gone, all that's left is the risk and hassle ". That is what happened with me. No big wreck or anything, the joy just evaporated. From age 13 until 62, I always had a bike or three. Plenty of riding buddies and places to ride. But around age 60, the joy was leaving. I began grumbling about the little hardships you go through to stay in the game. Cobwebs began to form on the bike between rides. One day it dawned on me that I had enjoyed a long and mostly safe riding career and that if I never rode again I'd still die happy. Sold the bike to a buddy, craigslisted the gear, bike lift, special tools, etc.. Cleaned it all out. Only thing I kept was my M endorsement. And you know what? Life has been fine. I know that if I change my mind I can always jump back in. But so far I've not been tempted. If the joy has gone away, there's no point staying in it. There's a million other hobbies out there to take up ones time and money and motorcycles will always be around if you change your mind.
I kind of went through the same thing. I had run the gammut of bikes. I had everything from a Yamaha 60 mini enduro, to a Triumph Rocket III. I have no interest in owning any Harley, never have, in fact even talking about them makes my eyes glaze over. Might as well be talking about an arts and crafts show. So I just walked away from riding altogether. I will be replacing my need for speed (that I used to get on bikes) with a Corvette. I like the idea of having seat belts, A/C, and not getting wet when it rains...