what's the thing that held ya back but you still kept moving forward?

want to know..because we've all had incidents..what kept yall moving and pushing? regardless just kinda why?

I have been on 2 wheels since I was 5 never the best always tried for 1st but always a top 10 person.. after many broken bones/injuries... it still never took the passion away.. the broken bones were always more dirt related..legs back etc... there is always a risk. I don't want to be negative.. to me it's always been a passion but where how and why, did you start getting the bug etc? just curious.. ?
beautiful thing 2 wheels..

 

Held me back?...lack of talent. Kept me going? ...obsession with the sport.

 

Insisting on racing an old BMW.

 

In life? The beeb..

 

In life. Anger. Held me back, pushes me forward to this day.

Motorcycles. Need to make a living held me back. Passion for the sport and the bikes drives me to this day.

 

Booze.

 

Myself.
Myself.

 

Cutting off a finger initially, but it really only keeps me from being any good at PlayStation and pointing at things.

 

RE: keep moving forward. When I get asked what motivates me to continue to try, even after countless number of failures, I like to quote a line from a song by Midnight Oil:

"It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees."

 

what I'm seeing so far is the passion..and for me taught me alot about myself...dedication every month always learned from a fellow racer..with that passion I try to apply every day and keeps me moving.. thanks for honest answers. I'm trying to get back into all of it... Kids are grown bills paid..debt to society! still have the bug.. and don't want to race for points anymore. but just want to go play... work sucks..can't play at work!!

 

so true!!

 

totally understood..definitely honest answer

 

Nothing makes me feel more alive than being on two wheels.

Riding and riding on the track is why I work to exceed my financial real need to have enough disposable income to afford to be on the race track.
It's the reason I work to maintain my overall health and stamina. To be able to do the laps for a full 20 minute session or a 8 lap sprint.

 

The song I quoted above?

 

Pituitary tumor that had me sleeping 18 hours a day and weighed around 285.

chased doctors for ten years until we figured it out thank god.

 

Midnight Oil borrowed that line from Emiliano Zapata.

 

Took me 17 years before I won a race. That was awesome when it finally happened but I have always just loved racing a motorcycle. I made it another 22 years before calling it a day. It wasn't because I didn't want to race anymore that got me to stop. I've had four concussions from various activities in my life and I don't want to go down the cumulative trauma road. At 58 I still love roadracing as much as I did when I started and I miss it but sailboat racing is in the mix now.

 

This for me. Finally decided it was time to quit because it was no way to live. I had responsibilities as a husband, parent, friend etc to quit and one day I decided I needed to quit, not just stop. Guess it’s been over 8 years or so without a drop or even coming close to having one. I was a HEAVY drinker since age of about 18, quit at 38. All my friends drink, wife drinks, around booze a lot but the people around me actually like it because there is a sober one to drive them around, go grab the kids if they want to have a few beers, go get more beers if they run out.
What’s really funny is I still buy rounds of drinks and shots for people. One thing I always said is never do and have kept my word to myself is be a sobriety pusher. Next month 4 couples are going on this food and drink tour in Greenville, last time we did it the smart ones learned quick to sit next to me as each place we go to makes their signature drink which was there for the taking

 

Very similar to my story, with money, time, and injuries, holding me back. started racing mx at 18, raced for a few years on my own dime, not mom and dad's, kid came along, I stopped at 21, in 1989. kept getting pulled into the dirt bike, street bike scene for years once I started to make a life, and "enough money". but, sold them all a few times, for various reasons.

was drawn back in 2005 at 38, 2 sport bikes, and several supermoto bikes, for me and the mrs, and have had several bikes at a time since. started racing NASMOTO, MI Supermoto, etc... squeezing in track days with STT, then racing with wera up until 2015, then bought our place in Ontario, and completely migrated to dirt, and sport bike, "touring".

with the covid border situation not allowing us to travel to our vacation home, it allowed me to race sprint enduro in 2020 for a few events, and enjoyed it. went full commitment in 2021, was able to win my first race at 54 years old, went on to win 3 last year, never finished lower than 3rd, in the series races, walked away with another concussion, broken bone in my hand, injured shoulder, and the championship for my age, and skill class, and a little smaller bank account.

with my accumulative injuries, from bikes, sleds, with many concussions, surgeries, and not getting any younger... last year was my last kick at the can, for points, and racing a full series. I understand, the need to learn to slow down, or I will not have a cognitive future. I may do a one off race, here or there, when the mood, and weather is right but, I am going to enjoy weekend, riding trips with the Mrs, and friends and family, waiting for my 4 year old grand daughter to grow up, to enjoy "the 2 wheeled life", with us. bought her a Stacyc for Christmas, we will see how that goes.

it has been a great ride, and motorcycles have been a great part of it. I have met many lifelong friends, through 2 wheels, and wouldnt trade much of it, for anything else. Ski

 

I came out of the gate and won my first (not my fault there were only 6 of us out there in my class ). But like a heroin high (or so I hear) the rest never did live up to that feeling of the first (some were more memorable than others). But I chased them anyway, until the point they were harder and harder to get, and eventually were not attainable at all. Smacking my noggin was a contributor to that, and finding out I was going to be a father another big one. Ultimately racing motorcycles became something that I used to do, that defined a small period of time in my life that I wouldn't trade anything in the world for. Well, I WOULD like to have some of that money I spent back, but you can't un ring a bell.

The kids are growing up (9/7) and I just got them their first bike this past fall (pw80). We'll see where this leads, but I can see some trial riding in our future. Racing? Probably not, but ya never know where the future will lead.