Are babies messing with my head?

[-Ralph-]

My wife and I had our first baby last year, now nearly six months old.

I haven't used the bike much for "pleasure rides" over the winter. This is my first Suzuki (other than an old X7 when I was 17, a rust bucket which I painted with hammerite anyway) and I didn't realise how much damage winter salt does to them. So this winter it was all sorted under warranty and the bike has only been out on city centre commutes through traffic, dry days or days when I had time to wash it after. It's been getting covered in FS365 after every wash.

I got out for the first good dry 150 mile run recently. I did roads that I know quite well from SV Ecosse rideouts and roads which I would normally take at a fairly quick pace.

I'm much happier to bimble along and watch the scenery than I used to be. Overtaking cars doesn't have the urgency it once did and I'm being very careful in executing them.

On bends I'm not tipping in and sweeping round at speed like I used to, I'm taking it steadier and find myself worrying "what would I hit if i came off?". On lefties watching the traffic coming the other way, on right handers looking to see if theres armco and a wall on the outside of the bend. If its fairly safe like a hedge and a field, I say "OK, that wouldn't hurt me as much" and I tip right in and open the throttle back to my normal pace, but if theres something solid to hit I maintain a nice steady pace.

I wasn't expecting any of this and it's been screwing with my head ever since that ride. Whilst I've always been aware of dangers, I never used to "worry" about any of these things, I just enjoyed leaning hard into bends and thrashing the bike as all the ecosse guys would testify.

What's the matter with my head? Is this just lack of confidence after a low mileage winter or is the fact I now have responsibilities messing with my subconcious? Any other parents had the same thing? Is this permanent and the SV Ecosse guys are going to see a different Ralph this year? Because if it is I may as well go and trade in for a DL650.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the ride. I just seemed content to bimble along, which is not normal for me.

[Grinch]

Yes... I found the same, it easies with time but it is still there in your mind. But then with the mileage I do, the coffidence comes back alot quicker.

[dizzyblonde]

I feel like this every ride. I don't care how everyone else rides, you can stay behind me or overtake..its fine I don't mind. its not over precautionary, just i like to bimble and I'm no petrol head show off. But I also have a six year old, single mum, and if I get silly, well its not a good thing if I come off.

Nah, just carry on how you like

[skint]

What's the matter with my head? Is this just lack of confidence after a low mileage winter or is the fact I now have responsibilities messing with my subconcious? Any other parents had the same thing? Is this permanent and the SV Ecosse guys are going to see a different Ralph this year? Because if it is I may as well go and trade in for a DL650.



Quite possibly you've gone all paternal, but don't worry - teenage years will soon bring you back (I understand that these start at about 7 years old now)!!! :D :smt030

[husky03]

Nowt wrong with bimbling mate, you ride how you feel at that particular time,come the better weather no doubt you'll be back to your old self on occasions,but parenthood does change people

[dizzyblonde]

Nowt wrong with bimbling mate, you ride how you feel at that particular time,come the better weather no doubt you'll be back to your old self on occasions,but parenthood does change people

wish it did, then Im Indoors would bimble too...lol

[husky03]

wish it did, then Im Indoors would bimble too...lol

ok "some peeps"-well it did me:D

[dirtydog]

wish it did, then Im Indoors would bimble too...lol


I don't think it is possible to bimble on a raptor thou is it? Well i couldn't ;) :smt102

I see where people are coming from on how they're thinking but for me personally I tend to be concentrating on riding not thinking what if i... my riding has calmed down a lot in recent years though. It's gone from being fairly reckless (speeding just about everywhere very dodgy overtakes etc etc) to the extent of passing my IAM test last year

[Lozzo]

Hah, give it another 20 odd years, that's when you find yourself caning the living wotsits out of your bike while being left for dead out on the road by your eldest daughter, who is riding an inferior bike...that's what happened to me.

Ride as before, that's what I did and I'm still here 27 years and 4 kids later.

[Grinch]

Later on they will mess with your head in other ways while also screwing with your wallet.

[Fizzy Fish]

not sure it's the kids, as I'm also going through an uncharacteristic bimbling phase at the mo, and i don't have any nippers. let's hope it goes away by the track day anyway!!

[shonadoll]

It's party parenthood and partly confidence I imagine. I was off my bike for 10 weeks, and really felt odd when I got back on initially, thinking constantly what it, etc.

You'll get your mojo back!

[Biker Biggles]

Its an age thing.When I was twenty I was utterly indesructable and behaved accordingly.By the time I was thirty I was amazed at how brittle some bits of me had become in those ten years.;)

[Stu]

an uncharacteristic
150mph run
phase at the mo,
well that was me this morning :smt102

[-Ralph-]

OK, thanks for your thoughts so far, keep em coming. Nice to know it's happened to other parents too...:confused:

Confidence is never a problem I've suffered. I went without a bike for 12 years only riding a bike maybe once a year on average and I'd always get back on and unless it's some really indimidating sportsbike, think "uh hu, remember this, nae bother, away we go, twist throttle!". It's just like riding a bike as they say!

You'll get your mojo back!

Now I never said I'd lost that! ;)

[-Ralph-]

Quote:
Originally Posted by -Ralph- http://forums.sv650.org/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=1444833#post1444833)
150mph run


ha, ha, ahem, original post getting edited next! 150 MILE run. Dare say if I went out in the last couple of days I could get a 150mph run on an SV, there's been a hell of a tailwind. ;-)

[DanAbnormal]

I'm never having kids. :rolleyes:

[skint]

I'm never having kids. :rolleyes:
Err not enough seeds, no mate, or just a matter of choice;)

[kitkat]

its probably partly having a new baby to consider and the fact that you are getting older lol

I usually think what if, when Im out on bike (especially as I usually have one or other of kids with me). For me its cos im a single mum and if something was to happen to me (even a trip and overnight stay in hospital) I dont have anyone that could look after the kids.

next rideout we can bimble along at the back with northy

[Paul the 6th]

im 22, self employed, co-habitating and mortgage free. I get a few weeks at a time where Im quite content to get into 6th asap and enjoy the scenery. Then there's other times where I'm rushing for no reason other than feeling alive. Who knows, maybe it's a mood thing?

[sv-robo]

understand exactly what your saying mate,i used to be one of the craziest idiots you,d ever meet on a bike(probably why at the time nobody ever dare go on the back of me lol)i thought i was indestructable as well as unbeatable hence why i was going to be sponsered to race for a living.

Then BAM... near fatal accident,but that didnt really slow me down to much(even though i feel i maybe lost a bit of the edge which i feel seperated me from other riders.

No the thing which has slowed me down is(like yourself)the thought of my kids 7+4yrs and what would become of them if daddy did'nt return home, god pray that never happens(things like what kind of people would they become and all the things we'd miss out on together.

So really mate your not on your own,your just being a responsible parent....but now i,m going to contradict myself a little here because i,d be lying if i said i did'nt still have my moments,but all said and done for the above reasons i try to make them few and far between......once in a while makes you :) hth.

[-Ralph-]

No the thing which has slowed me down is(like yourself)the thought of my kids

Thanks for that, do you actually conciously think of the kids when riding?

I wasn't thinking about my son at all. Not conciously anyway. I was only thinking about the concequences of having an accident when faced with increased risk, ie: overtake, fast bend, etc, and it messed up my concentration. I only usually think about the riding, nothing else, thats the main reason I love biking, its an escape. I ended up bimbling along 'cos I wanted to enjoy the ride, and bimbling stopped me worrying about having an accident.

It's only afterwards on reflection, I wondered why these thoughts were breaking my concentration, I concluded it must either be because of my son, or general lack of confidence after the winter. Hence posting this thread and asking what goes through other parents heads.

[sv-robo]

Thanks for that, do you actually conciously think of the kids when riding?


It's only afterwards on reflection, I wondered why these thoughts were breaking my concentration, I concluded it must either be because of my son, .
Ithink by the sounds of it we are in the same boat(along with others)

Idon't conscously think of the kids while riding,as you say riding is an escape and you need to be focused on what your doing.

It is usually before,during a stop off (especially if ive let the inner demon control me for a couple of miles just to blow the cobwebs off)and again like you say on reflection afterwards.

At the end of the day your just being a responsible,thoughtful parent who bares his kids in mind and theres absolutely nothing/unusual wrong with that.

Hope this puts your mind to rest:riding:

[-Ralph-]

Hope this puts your mind to rest:riding:

Yes, it helps, thank you. I'll just have to see how I go, and accept it. If I find I spend most of this year bimbling, then I'll change my bike for a big enduro or something. If my pace returns I'll keep on drooling over big italian sportsbikes.

[yorkie_chris]

At the end of the day your just being a responsible,thoughtful parent who bares his kids in mind and theres absolutely nothing/unusual wrong with that.

Everyone thinks twice when they know there's something meaningful to loose