A Love Affair Ends
One of the toughest decisions of my life happened in the past two weeks when I decided to end my love affair with motorcycle riding. I'm almost crying as I write this and look at the included picture. I've been riding since age 14 when our family had a little Honda 50 for dirt riding (or in the back alley's of Fresno). From there I moved to a Honda Passport, Kawasaki KZ750, and finally to a series of BMW motorcycles. In all it is about 25 years of riding and a quarter million miles on a bike.
Why is this ending? I have been a very lucky rider. In the five accidents, I have never broken a bone or been seriously injured. This includes almost 10 years of riding in San Francisco. In the last decade I have considered selling the bike a couple of times but have never gone through with it. This time my gut tells me it is time. Earlier this fall another rider with my age and experience spent a month in the hospital after being hit at an intersection I cross daily. We get a lot of bikes in Ojai due to our fantastic curves, so accidents and deaths are not uncommon. On January 10, 2009 a fellow rider, sangha connection, and friend was killed near his home in Malibu. Peter Kollock is only a little older than I and rides the same BMW model. That same weekend, there was a death in Ventura and another on Highway 33 above Ojai.
All this has shaken me. I have two young children, and perhaps my decision would be different without them, but I want them to have a healthy and living dad as they grow up. I am saying goodbye to a dear friend and love but am embracing my responsibilities as a parent. It could be I'll ride again when older, but for now it is goodbye.
What I have are my memories. Taking my young love, Leslie, on a motorcycle ride through La Jolla Shores on my KZ750 only to slip on gravel and spill the bike. We're still together 18-years later! The ride from San Francisco to Saskatoon with Leslie on the back of my 1983 BMW R100RT. When we got there and looked at the map, Leslie couldn't imagine driving all the way back to California and said put me on an airplane, but we rode back. The ride to Fairbanks, Alaska along the Alcan Highway on my 1991 BMW R100RT by myself. What a trip! Riding to Durango, Mexico with my dad. The last big trip was with my dad and my dear friend Dana on my latest ride, the 2001 R1150GS. We rode through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It included a significant blizzard on the pass through the Rocky Mountain National Park; visability was less than 10-feet and the wind was howling. No choice but to move forward. The picture above - a self-photo at Mt. Shasta - is a madman ride from Fresno to British Columbia, and back, in three days for a family reunion. Surprise. There were so many more trips and adventures to remember, but these are a few of the highlights.
Will I have regrets? Maybe. Is it the right decision? Yes. I thank my family and friends who have supported me in this decision and in my riding all these years. I will miss riding deeply. Adieu mon amour.
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Comments (14)
Congratulations and condolences, Kenley. Is there a sequel within you to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?
Comment #1 Posted by: Tyler | January 20, 2009 07:34 PM
Maybe Zen and the Art of Greyhound. Gotta be something in that, right?
Comment #2 Posted by: Kenley | January 20, 2009 07:54 PM
Traveling by train is still a pretty romantic way to see the country, isn't it? Art of Amtrak...
Comment #3 Posted by: Tyler | January 20, 2009 07:58 PM
I understand your decision.
Comment #4 Posted by: spk | January 21, 2009 10:54 AM
Kenley, it's a smart if not sad decision. I've never known anybody who owned a bike who did not have at least one accident. I still ache and walk with a limp from mine over 35 years ago. That I am walking and still alive is the real miracle of that day.
Comment #5 Posted by: smythe | January 21, 2009 03:28 PM
Three cheers for your wise decision!!!
Comment #6 Posted by: Suza | January 21, 2009 04:21 PM
Kenley,
Good call. I used to work in an ER and by far the most gruesome accidents and the most deadly were on motorcycles. I also lived in Upper Ojai and there were at least 6 people who died in the stretch near my house...one of them an ex-astronaut.
May you know your children's children.
Comment #7 Posted by: Dennis Rice | January 21, 2009 07:53 PM
Hey Kenley:
Sometimes it takes more courage not to take risks, doesn't it?
I lost my first love in a bike accident -- while I understand their seduction, they are dangerous mistresses!
You'll find another love, I'm sure! (Along with the crew you live with, of course...) :-)
Best,
Leigh
Comment #8 Posted by: Leigh | January 21, 2009 09:37 PM
A friend suggested I pick this up to replace the motorcycle:
wingsuit base jumping
Comment #9 Posted by: Kenley | January 21, 2009 10:33 PM
Kenley, that wingsuit video just completely blew my mind. I'm stunned and awed.
Comment #10 Posted by: Raymond | January 22, 2009 01:10 AM
Kenley,
Will you be getting a 'cage' to replace your bike?
Comment #11 Posted by: Shangrilalife | January 22, 2009 09:35 AM
We already own an '86 VW Vanagon and I ride in a work van pool to Santa Barbara, so no immediate need for a second vehicle.
Comment #12 Posted by: Kenley | January 22, 2009 06:31 PM
Nourishing Sniv-ly...
Comment #13 Posted by: Anonymous | January 23, 2009 05:25 PM
I've been very badly injured twice on motorcycles and have seriously thought about quitting -- several times. So did Malcolm Smith. We both still ride but I've switched from 100 percent motorcycle to 20 percent motorbike and 80 percent bicycle.
Life is a risky business and when somebody leaves "early" it leaves many of us dazed and confused. If you decide to re-enter the world of two wheeled transport you will be welcome by riders everywhere.
Good luck with future decisions.
Comment #14 Posted by: James Thurber | January 25, 2009 05:14 PM