Thinking of selling my Max....

[zippo6]

yup, started having the thought today..... here's why...
My, now ex, wife and I have separated, I had enough of her **** and told her to leave. She's moving to NFLD in September, which leaves me with a house, mortgage all the bills.... but most importantly, 3 of my kids (we have 4). I realized today that if anything happened to me, there is no one here for them, I'm their sole provider and care taker. My accident last summer never once scared me away from riding, but it has changed my riding and driving style. I'm far less aggressive now on the bike(s) or behind the wheel. Anyway, that accident should have taken my life, but I'm still here and for that I am grateful.... but I'll be damned if I can take that chance now given the current situation.

I'm not looking for anyone to talk me into or out of selling. I'll make that decision myself. I just wanted to 'think out loud'

 

[SpecOps13]

Wow, having sole responsibility for 3 young ones is a game changer. Maybe you should ask them. Sometimes it's important to have them be part of the choices. They're gonna have some rough times over the break up and it may help them to see they're important enough to you to be in on the decisions... Best of Luck, would hate to see you go... Always a Brother though...

 

[MikeTD3]

In your situation I would sell it and concentrate on the kids.....there can always be another bike in the future.

JMHO

 

[wildweasel_pt]

Sell the KAWA mate... If you are a calmer rider probably that won't fit you as well as the mighty max

 

[zippo6]

the Kawa is hers and she's selling it along with her car.
I'll definitely include them in the decision. Good call.
It's not like the boys are young, they are now young men. 12, 14 and 16. My daughter is 8, she's going with her mom.

 

[zippo6]

Not that it matters, but the damn thing is paid for now and I could always just park it... seems like a shame though... I dunno...

 

[Lew L]

Make sure the " ex " is removed from life insurance policies as a direct benificary. The kids should get the estate.

I still miss my ex--- but my aim is getting better!!

Lew

 

[Rollie]

Not that it matters, but the damn thing is paid for now and I could always just park it... seems like a shame though... I dunno...

Drop the insurance on it for 6 months . See if you can live without it .

 

[zippo6]

Good point!

Make sure the " ex " is removed from life insurance policies as a direct benificary. The kids should get the estate.

I still miss my ex--- but my aim is getting better!!

Lew

 

[zippo6]

No way, if the shed burnt at least it would be covered.
It's not about not wanting to ride or losing interest, it's about being responsible to my kids....

Drop the insurance on it for 6 months . See if you can live without it .

 

[twistedmax]

I here you LOUD and CLEAR zippo, I rode when my wife and I met and Ive been married for 25 years next month.............................but there were alot of years inbetween when we were raising our son that I didnt ride,one didnt have the time with baseball,soccer,bowling,golf,and atv racing and two it wouldnt have been right for my wife to have to rise him alone(it was the "responcible"thing to do)but my son is 23 now(and ride himself) and Ill never be bikeless again and if something were to happen to me now my wife may be better off and my son is a fine young man now. you'll do whats right for you and the kids,and one day you'll all ride together,as my son and I do now!

 

[zippo6]

So true....

I here you LOUD and CLEAR zippo, I rode when my wife and I met and Ive been married for 25 years next month.............................but there were alot of years inbetween when we were raising our son that I didnt ride,one didnt have the time with baseball,soccer,bowling,golf,and atv racing and two it wouldnt have been right for my wife to have to rise him alone(it was the "responcible"thing to do)but my son is 23 now(and ride himself) and Ill never be bikeless again and if something were to happen to me now my wife may be better off and my son is a fine young man now. you'll do whats right for you and the kids,and one day you'll all ride together,as my son and I do now!

 

[bobzdar]

You can still ride but pick and choose when you ride to be the least dangerous, ie don't ride at dusk or night, don't ride during rush hour or in other crowded areas, don't ride during deer season, stuff like that.

Or, don't ride at all and sell the bike, whatever you feel comfortable with. Until I hurt myself and now can't ride at all for a few months (unrelated), I was mostly just riding around my area which is rural and has very few other cars around. I have a 7 month old and that was always on my mind. I probably won't ride again until next year as about when I'd be able to this fall, it'll be smack in the middle of deer season and I don't want to mess around with that.

I'll just say, any hobby can be dangerous. I race cars and play sports and (increasingly occasionally) ride. So far, the most dangerous for me has been what is supposed to be the best for my health! Worst I've done with the cars and motorcycles so far is bust my knuckles working on them. I've now torn my left ACL twice, ruptured my left achilles and pulled back muscles a few times playing sports (basketball mostly). I will say, I'm now very aware of when I ride my bike to give myself the least chances for issues and am increasingly worried about my safety equipment in my cars. But, oddly enough it looks like the first hobby I'll be giving up is the one that was keeping me in pretty good shape for the last few years.

Good luck with your situation, maybe you need to put the bike on the back burner (or back of the garage) for a few years, maybe just dial it way down to nice weather weekend riding, or maybe find something else altogether.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Hear you Man, I didn't ride at all till my Daughter was mostly grown up and I knew her college was taken care of......

The money you'd get for selling it isn't going to change your cash flow situation, it'll just fill a short term gap if there is one........

Just park it and wait.....it'll be there when your ready..........

And I admire the fact that you are thinking about uour kids during all of this, hang in there.......It only gets better

 

[zippo6]

That's the thing, it's not about money. Bike is paid for and insurance is only a couple hundred bucks a year to cover fire and theft... food for thought I guess...

Hear you Man, I didn't ride at all till my Daughter was mostly grown up and I knew her college was taken care of......

The money you'd get for selling it isn't going to change your cash flow situation, it'll just fill a short term gap if there is one........

Just park it and wait.....it'll be there when your ready..........

And I admire the fact that you are thinking about uour kids during all of this, hang in there.......It only gets better

 

[gamorg02]

i can't say i disagree with your mindset shane!

 

[Klatuu]

Ditto on the analysis that your problem isn't assets, it's cash flow. Paid off motorcycles don't hurt that. Drop the insurance, put some stabil in the tank, and see if you can keep it. My experience is that, unless you can get a premium price for a bike, they're always more expensive to replace than keep.

Friendly advice, and worth every penny biglaugh, motorcycles are cheap, divorces are expensive.

 

[[email protected]]

I did the opposite. I bought my bike when my kids were 3 and 5. I had a dirt bike or street bike from the time I was 9 up until I got married. I went without for a few years and really missed it. I feel that having an interest (whether it be your bike, your bowling league, or whatever) provides a healthier, happier life. Having an interest and persuing it is not selfish. It makes you a well rounded individual. Yes, riding is dangerous but, you could die getting the mail! I don't worry about it. You can't plan for these things.

You may not get out much but just knowing that its there is a big plus. I don't get much time on the road. Most of my bike time is doing mods in the garage, late at night when everyone else is in bed. I will work on others bikes for something to do too. Its just something that I enjoy. It takes my mind off of other things and I like to do stuff with my hands and since I've been "promoted" to a desk jockey at work I really miss tangible work.

Another option that I think would be awesome (at least if I were in your position) would be to sell the max, buy a dual sport, and buy some cheapo dirt bikes for the kids. That would be an absolute blast. Go out riding with the kids. Father/son relationships grow stronger when you both have a common interest to share. Plus, if you can ever get a sitter, you get to go out and have some fun on your own.

Don't give up on something you love because of something that "could" happen. Enjoy life. You only live it once. Even if its only one ride every other month.

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Bottom line here is that you have to do what you feel is best. I applaud you in that you are thinking about your boys first. One thing to keep in mind is your own sanity too. I find that if I am having a really crappy day a couple of hours on the bike sure makes me feel a hell of a lot better. Having an outlet that is yours alone is a good thing and quite healthy. Ultimately the decision is yours to make.

 

[KJShover]

Don't give up on something you love because of something that "could" happen. Enjoy life. You only live it once. Even if its only one ride every other month.

+1

If you think you will fail, chances are you will. If this is the case, sell it. we don't want you to get hurt.

But if your mindset, is that it might happen, and your riding style changes, unsafe choices start to fade away and you are more aware of your surroundings and what it takes to prevent a bad situation. Keep it, ride it, hell throw a sidecar on it to make it family friendly.

I try to avoid "what if" scenarios. I'm a firm believer in "if its going to happen, it's going to happen". So far growing up, working in bars, putting out fires and being a cop. I've been stiched up, had bullets taken out of me, and burns treated. I still walk the earth, My former GF thought in the what if patterns. She was a basket case with her thoughts when I would go off to work.

Its tough to make a opinion on this situation, cause I'm not you. But if I had advice to offer; I'd say Prepare for what if, don't live in it. Setup a nice life insurance policy, video your time with the kids, spend great quality time with them. That way if IF come to be fact. They wont hurt financially, they'll have pictures and video of you to cherish, and they will know that you loved them deeply.

What ever your choice is, I'm 100% positive that the people here will back up your pick.