As much as I loved them for so many years, yours truly gave up the two-wheelers in the early 90's. Broke my heart. But, my wife made me promise that I would after our son was born. I did, and at times, I've regretted it. It was the right thing to do. I had a lot of good years on Kawi's and Harleys and still have the itch for another really nice touring bike, p'bably a Gold Wing or Interstate. Used to love my Kawi Voyager - six-cylinder 1500cc - launched like a rocket ship and all the comforts of home! I have a long commute every day. And I see a fair amount of bike wrecks. Kinda back to that thought about "safety being a perception" in the other thread. There is no safety on a motorcycle no matter how careful you are. Cars and trucks are bigger and drivers are more distracted now with cellphones, texts and such that there's not even an illusion of safety if you're on a motorcycle. I nearly got walloped back then a few times in some very close calls; I don't even want to imagine it now.
Still doesn't stop me from missing it, though. Had the same heartfelt dilemna when I finally had to give up playing softball. I absolutely loved to play, but I was hurting myself doing the simplest things (so it seemed) and it kept taking longer and longer to heal. I was always a member of the "Die young, stay pretty" mindset. But now that I'm getting older, that "riding off into the sunset" seems like a much better way to go!
