I’ve been a bit crap this year

[Gee68]

As per title really.
I’m fortunate enough to own a few bikes of different genres but have hardly ridden any of them this year.
A mixture of health problems ( getting old sucks) and general can’t be arsedness have meant I’ve hardly used any of them.

Anyway enough woe is me so I’ve decided to get my backside into gear for next year so have set myself a few goals.

1. Booked an off-road tour of Vietnam with my son for ten days with Ride Expeditions,second tour I’ve done with them,first being Cambodia for my 50th and can’t wait.Did the first one on my own and it was the best holiday I’ve ever had by a country mile so can’t wait to share another with my boy.
2.Enter my first MX race.
Had MX bikes on and off for most of my life but have never raced, mainly due to lack of funds ,time and the fact I’m old and slow.
3.Do a season of Enduro,only managed a couple even though I’ve owned a KTM 300 EXC for what feels like forever.
4.Learn how to wheelie.I find it highly embarrassing that I cannot do this even though I’ve been riding bikes most of my life.
5.Do more track days ,only did one last year(Caldwell).
Kinda of lost my love for trackdays so this one might not happen.
6.Enter my first trials event.

That’s it really,if none of that happens (apart from no.1) then I may have a few bike for sale next year if anyone is interested.

[spoodler]

Best of luck with your plans - I hope at least a few of them work out for you. No. 1 sounds good.
It's easy to lose years at a time with health problems and the like. I'm awaiting surgery at the moment, which will need three months convalescence. After which, my other half is donating a kidney to her brother which will mean another few months where we won't be doing a lot... So that will probably wipe out next year. I'll probably be selling my old custom van as I don't want it sat for that sort of period.
I already feel like we've missed a lot of this year - all a good reminder to enjoy life while you can.

[KTMsm]

Good to have some goals - I ought to sort some out, I didn't even manage a single track day this year

[shirt]

same here. bought and built a track bike over summer [middle east summer!], haven't ridden it yet and our season is in full swing. i should have done by now but tore my achilles tendon 6 weeks ago, still not cleared to ride :/

[Rubin215]

Yeah, I've been a bit crap for about five years now, keep promising myself I am going to get my arse in gear again and get back to it.

Best of luck.

[Skeptisk]

Those are some great goals. I’d be happy with achieving just one of them! I haven’t ridden in about 18 months and unfortunately I don’t think that will change any time soon.

[Rob 131 Sport]

shirt]same here. bought and built a track bike over summer [middle east summer! said:

, haven't ridden it yet and our season is in full swing. i should have done by now but tore my achilles tendon 6 weeks ago, still not cleared to ride :/

Does the UAE Sportbike Championship still run at the Dubai Autodrome. I remember seeing with my son Scott Smart race there in I think 2009 and 2010.

Whilst it wasn’t well attended, it was a little bike fix and you could access all areas.

[Alex@POD]

Add me to that list, I've been using my bike quite a bit this year, quite a few day trips around here, rode down to the south coast one weekend, went to ABR... Or so I thought! I took it for MOT to realise I've barely covered more than 1000 miles

I also looked back through my emails to check when I last did a track day last year... Wrong again, the track bike hasn't turned a wheel for 2.5 years!

I really need to make that right next year, I feel I got myself in a bit of a rut. Things are going well but I just plod along day in day out and don't realise that time is passing...

[KTMsm]

Alex@POD said:

I really need to make that right next year, I feel I got myself in a bit of a rut.

Things are going well but I just plod along day in day out and don't realise that time is passing...

Me too

I always wondered why people booked track days etc as soon as they are released - it's the only way to ensure you will go !

[shirt]

Rob 131 Sport said:

Does the UAE Sportbike Championship still run at the Dubai Autodrome. I remember seeing with my son Scott Smart race there in I think 2009 and 2010.

Whilst it wasn’t well attended, it was a little bike fix and you could access all areas.

Yes is still runs, attendance is about the same!

Shares race weekends with tin tops, for which I’m usually spannering or scrutineering, although competed one year before costs spiraled. IanUAE on here scrutes the bikes. I know several who compete and bought my Ducati from the series organizer. Biking is a very small world out here. Harley boys aside, everyone knows everyone.

[GM182]

I remember walking the course of Dubai Autodrome when it was just pegged out in the sand. Left the city and never been to the finsihed circuit unfortunately.

I fully understand how easy it is not to get plans done but for next year I've started laying out money and booking things so I'm more likely to go. Weekend in Snowdonia in May, ABR in June and now I just have to pick a big trip - might depend on having enough cash but it will be overseas trail riding - Portugal more likely than Morocco but the Balkans still a possibility.

Done 4k on my adventure bike in 2023, probably only 600 green-laning and about 3k commuting on my scooter. Maybe I can manage 10k miles next year.

[Birky_41]

Try get out with your boy more and a couple of riders you can chat with in the week via whatsapp etc and plan weekend rides

Get an intercom system where you can joke and laugh riding with these selected friends on the weekends etc

You will start thinking and wanting to do those rides in the week from such a great laugh on the weekend

I cant ride solo too often I get bored. This weather doesnt help. I personally lose motivation or interest

But for me at least getting a small close group of riders that you just chat in a group chat in the week goes a long way to enjoying the rides when you do them. I have two I met from here that I now ride and tour with all the time

[Hungrymc]

All I would add is that most of the list are fairly big things that involve some planning and a big commitment ahead of time. They're all cool and will be great, but do you want to get biking into your normal weekly life a little more ?

Summer evening rides somewhere nice for a bite to eat or a cool drink?
Impromptu weekends away?
Long rides out through Wales / the peaks / lakes / scotland / cornwall depending where you are based?

I go through spells of wanting to do the big organised stuff but that comes in waves. And I always keep the general rides ticking over (but I am a bit fair of a weather rider).

[Gee68]

Birky_41 said:

Try get out with your boy more and a couple of riders you can chat with in the week via whatsapp etc and plan weekend rides

Unfortunately my lad is of an age(21) where his dad and bikes come a very distant second to booze and birds.
I don't have any friends who ride bikes so all my rides are solo and too be honest i've just fallen out of love with riding around on our crap roads dodging t-wats that seem to want to kill me.

[Gee68]

Hungrymc said:

All I would add is that most of the list are fairly big things that involve some planning and a big commitment ahead of time. They're all cool and will be great, but do you want to get biking into your normal weekly life a little more ?

Summer evening rides somewhere nice for a bite to eat or a cool drink?
Impromptu weekends away?
Long rides out through Wales / the peaks / lakes / scotland / cornwall depending where you are based?

I go through spells of wanting to do the big organised stuff but that comes in waves. And I always keep the general rides ticking over (but I am a bit fair of a weather rider).

Based in the midlands and most of the good riding round here takes a fair amount of time to get to and if i'm being honest I just can't be arsed.
I keep thinking a change of bike might get me out more but deep down I think my road riding days are numbered hence all the offroad goals as I enjoy it way more.

[Birky_41]

Gee68 said:

Unfortunately my lad is of an age(21) where his dad and bikes come a very distant second to booze and birds.
I don't have any friends who ride bikes so all my rides are solo and too be honest i've just fallen out of love with riding around on our crap roads dodging t-wats that seem to want to kill me.

Same age as my son...I know the feeling

[KTMsm]

Gee68 said:

Based in the midlands and most of the good riding round here takes a fair amount of time to get to and if i'm being honest I just can't be arsed.

I keep thinking a change of bike might get me out more but deep down I think my road riding days are numbered hence all the offroad goals as I enjoy it way more.

You could try joining a club / group

There are a few on FB

I found I hate road rides in groups

I prefer off road by myself too as I like to do what I want, when I want but joining groups meant I forced myself to get ready and go even when it wasn't great weather and once out in it, I thoroughly enjoyed it

IAM, TRF, Dirty Days Out...

[Tonberry]

All of my riding is solo weekend blasts (2-3 hours) around the Midlands.

I have a series of loops that I run around the Staffordshire area and it never gets old. Knowing the roads well makes it just as fun as I know where the hazards are and can wind it on along certain stretches.

Not a fan of larger group rides due to unpredictable riding and bunching up. Riding with a small group you know well would be better in that respect.

[Hungrymc]

Gee68 said:

Hungrymc said:

All I would add is that most of the list are fairly big things that involve some planning and a big commitment ahead of time. They're all cool and will be great, but do you want to get biking into your normal weekly life a little more ?

Summer evening rides somewhere nice for a bite to eat or a cool drink?
Impromptu weekends away?
Long rides out through Wales / the peaks / lakes / scotland / cornwall depending where you are based?

I go through spells of wanting to do the big organised stuff but that comes in waves. And I always keep the general rides ticking over (but I am a bit fair of a weather rider).

Based in the midlands and most of the good riding round here takes a fair amount of time to get to and if i'm being honest I just can't be arsed.
I keep thinking a change of bike might get me out more but deep down I think my road riding days are numbered hence all the offroad goals as I enjoy it way more.

I'm mids too. And yep, it takes time to get anywhere really nice, but I do have a few OK loops that have some good sections for an hour ride.

I also turned to more off-road / enduro about 5 years back. But that's an even bigger time commitment really (fabulous fun though).

I've slowed down a lot on the road, I try to get my biking pleasures a lot less from speed but from other aspects that I had no time for previously. I've had some fabulous days over the last few years just riding beautiful roads in beautiful places. And some lovely evenings doing shorter rides and having an ice-cream. I don't know what you used to enjoy about riding (I suspect it was the speed / scratching as it was for most of us), I'd just say that I've enjoyed my biking more since it has been more varied than flying around on superbikes.... Just an idea, might be worth a try or might not, but a day out around the Elan Valley, or a ride to Barmouth for breakfast in the spring is something I'm really looking forward too. It doesn't replace the brilliant off road days, and I don't mean to replace anything on your list, but its maybe worth a thought.

[KTMsm]

Hungrymc said:

Just an idea, might be worth a try or might not, but a day out around the Elan Valley, or a ride to Barmouth for breakfast in the spring is something I'm really looking forward too. It doesn't replace the brilliant off road days, and I don't mean to replace anything on your list, but its maybe worth a thought.

I've done both those runs and like you, I enjoy the off road too

I'm trying to find a bike that would mean I could ride there in comfort and then ride some of the lanes before riding back

Currently thinking 990 Adventure as I really don't want to pick up my 1190