Comments on: Can Commuting Cause Motorcycle Burn Out?

By: ryde4ever

ryde4ever — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:56:51 +0000

Allaina hit the nail on the head. Riding should be fun and enjoyable. If it isn’t right now, due to weather, or boring route, paranoia, etc. Make a change. Stop riding for a bit. Hop in the cage (if you have one) or ride the bus. It lets your mind work in a different way. It gives the “full alert biker mental state” a chance to rest and recover. The joy comes back and you can’t wait to get back on the bike.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:23:05 +0000

I’m happy to report that things have gotten better. The improvement in weather helped a lot, as did the end of the school year. I live in a college town and the difference when the students leave is amazing.

I’ve been riding more for pleasure and taking longer trips, too.

By: LifeOn2Whls

LifeOn2Whls — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:11:12 +0000

Curious how you feel now a few months after this post. I’ve been riding/commuting for about 6 years now and have gone through some changes. I think I’ve put about 40,000+ miles on my two bikes combined in that time. When I started riding I couldn’t get enough. Need something at the store? Cool…I’ll take the bike down and stuff it into my backpack. Its freezing outside (for Los Angeles)…no problem I’ll just bundle up for the ride…Hey its only Midnight and I can’t sleep, I’ll just cruise to the coast and go for a ride. After a while though I would only use the bike to commute. I still loved getting on the bike but I no longer took it when I went out at night or need to run a quick errand to the store. I stopped going for canyon rides, etc. Now that I have my new SV, I’m trying to do some more recreational things on the bike but 90% is still commuting 70 miles round trip. Now, I haven’t been burnt out. When my other bike broke down and I wasn’t able to repair it, I went through about 8 months of not riding before I bought the SV. As my girlfriend describes…I was depressed. Driving to work made me angry and I was not a pleasant person when I would get home after spending an hour in traffic. So my habits on the bike may have changed but she is the same drug that I am still addicted to.

By: Dean W

Dean W — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:39:43 +0000

I thought that was the next TEAM OREGON instructor training class, but I'm told it's the week after that.

By: tbolt

tbolt — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:54:11 +0000

Uh oh, what's going on then? Now you've got me curious!

By: Dean W

Dean W — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:10:40 +0000

You need a challenge to freshen your viewpoint. Got any special plans for 4/25-26? *evil laugh*

By: irondad

irondad — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:44:18 +0000

I have to say, judging by the photo, that I like what you've done with your bike. Not many people would have thought of that modification let alone have the guts to do it!

The long winter has drained me a lot. There's some days I suit up more for pure stubbornness. As to the other thing, maybe it's not directly related to riding. Is there some other issue in your life making your self image and confidence suffer? Or really draining your energy? It's possible that these things make you feel less on top of managing risk when riding. Not that I expect an answer here. I've found that when I ride all the time, as you have, riding and life become intertwined. What I feel on a bike translates to life otherwise. The opposite is also true.

You'll bounce back. That's how life works. Either that, or you'll have a psychotic episode!

By: fasthair

fasthair — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:00:48 +0000

Ms. Stacy: I thought of this post as I was riding yesterday. Like you my commute to work isn't that far. I think the boring part is just going to work because I don't have the same ho hum feeling when I leave work. It felt so good to just get out of Dodge and watch the road fly by that come Monday it won't be quite so bad. So get out enjoy some back roads and enjoy the feeling of why you fell in love with riding in the first place.

fasthair

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:36:50 +0000

Yes he's fine, recovering slowly, he banged up his leg and broke his collarbone. It was inattention on his part, he missed the corner until to late.

It's possible that the paranoia and burnout are different but it's also possible that they are the same. The easy way to check is commute for two weeks (now that the weather is nicer I don't think it will take longer) with the truck, when the desire to ride the bike becomes too much, go out on a ride where there's less traffic, in other words make these rides just like when you first started riding two years ago. On that ride see if the emotions are calmed. I'm guessing they are related, if you are forcing yourself to do something which is dangerous (which riding is) and is no longer fun, then the paranoia seems a logical consequence. It's your brain telling you to ease off and in that emotional state you probably are more likely to make a mistake. As you start enjoying yourself more and more the riding the paranoia will lesson and you will want to take longer more challenging rides again. That's exactly what I did and it worked.

By: Allaina

Allaina — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:39:53 +0000

I went through the same thing at about the same point in my riding. I commuted as long as there wasn't ice on the roads or on my helmet visor. And then one day, I felt like I lost my mojo. I saw hazards everywhere and thought they were out to get me. I went through a long few weeks of being afraid of potential road kill. It totally freaked me out. (So much that I posted about that on the Rebel board.) What helps me is to just not ride for a day or two. I just take the car. A couple of days of being in the car, especially on a sunny day, puts me right back into the riding frame of mind. I tell myself, just because I can ride to work every day doesn't mean I have to. We do it because we love it. So, on the days when I'm not feeling the love, I do something else. It helps me to refocus on the bike and maintain the awareness that's so necessary to be safe on the moto. Cheers!