Need some advice....Should i hang up the helmet?

[ryanh250ex]

I normally dont resort to the Internet for advice, but I need some outside , less biased input.

The question is, should I get out of riding?

I've been in and out of the sport for the last 5 years or so. I was 13 or 14 when I first started riding, and I loved it then- like most riders that age , I was really into it- I enjoyed it. I'm 18 now, I'm in college, I own a Jeep, and with my age and current position in life, have other responsibilities and priorities.

I enjoy riding with my usual circle of friends just as much as I did 4-5 years ago, but things have changed since then, regarding both riding in general (the NJ riding scene, or lack thereof) and outside of it (college, having bills to pay, etc). As a result, spending all this money/time trying to have a respectable quad has taken a backseat to having money in my pocket, having a nice jeep, paying off said jeep, and having money for flight.

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that I'm in college to be a professional pilot, and flight training of course costs money (lots of it). On top of that, I live in NJ and go to school in Daytona Beach, FL, so that means I'm away from home about 8 or 9 months out of the year. I still put a few hours on my quad here and there, but the fact of the matter is, I'm just not home much.


I'm not looking for someone to talk me out of riding, or talk me into staying in the sport...I'm just looking for some outside thought on my dilemma.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks again,
Ryan

[trick250r]

if you really really really did love it, you wouldnt have to ask. but, its up to you man.

Originally posted by trick250r
if you really really really did love it, you wouldnt have to ask. but, its up to you man. well put

if you love the sport so much, don't talk yourself into getting out of it. Just becuase you have other things poping up in life doesnt mean you sould take some things you love away.

is your atv paid off? if so, then it really isn't costing you any money but gas and maintenance. selling it will only get you a little bit of money that would just be like a flash in the pan- gone in an instant.

however keeping it will allow you those moments with your friends. you know the ones that you would have missed other wise. the ones when you are home and they are out riding and you are sitting in front of the tv wishing you had something to be out having fun with them.

[xtremefullbore]

you guys miss the poin the guy is going to be a pilot.. you cant ride atvs while flying and when your a pilot you dont have much time to do other stuff its a time consuming job.. but I agree if you really like it stay with it, but if you do it only to be with freinds dont do it.. I really disagree with speedyquad he basically said keep your freinds and keep the quad, who cares you have more things then just riding to do with freinds.. but If you even get this far into thinking about selling a quad sell it, you obviously dont like it as much...

[F-16Guy]

Take care of your responsibilities; quads will still be here when you get done. Oh, yeah -- DON'T GO THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY DRUNK!! :devil:

Originally posted by F-16Guy
Take care of your responsibilities; quads will still be here when you get done. Oh, yeah -- DON'T GO THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY DRUNK!! :devil: wow...

Originally posted by xtremefullbore
you guys miss the poin the guy is going to be a pilot.. you cant ride atvs while flying and when your a pilot you dont have much time to do other stuff its a time consuming job.. but I agree if you really like it stay with it, but if you do it only to be with freinds dont do it.. I really disagree with speedyquad he basically said keep your freinds and keep the quad, who cares you have more things then just riding to do with freinds.. but If you even get this far into thinking about selling a quad sell it, you obviously dont like it as much...

ok, you didn't get what i said

Do you think his friends are going to say, oh we can't ride anymore when ryabn is home because he no longer has his machine. that may happen sometimes, but not all the time

let me explain it in a little more simple way, using my own experience.

There was about 4 years that i did not have any bike to ride. I had sold my old 3 wheeler to my future brother-in-law. i figured that i dind't get to ride it that much due to college, part time job, volunteer firefighting, his sister, college activities. shortly after, my future father-in-law bought a quad. they would go out riding on some afternnoons when i had nothing to do.

my wife and myself would sit around watching tv, while they were out riding. i wanted to be out riding with them, but i had nothing to ride, and really couldn't afford to buy anything. had i not sold it, they would ahve bought my bro-in-law something else and i would have been able to ride with them instead of wishing i were riding with them

look at it this way...it is costing you very little money to maintain it, especially if you are not riding it a lot.

i have relatives that are pilots, they find time to do the things they enjoy...you don't have to ride every day to have fun...for the last few years, i consider myself lucky if i get to ride at least once a month because of my work schedule, but i still find time to ride. it is not the quantity of riding, it is the quality. all rides are good rides unless you come back hurt

[Crazy lil punk]

Originally posted by speedyquad
ok, you didn't get what i said

Do you think his friends are going to say, oh we can't ride anymore when ryabn is home because he no longer has his machine. that may happen sometimes, but not all the time

let me explain it in a little more simple way, using my own experience.

There was about 4 years that i did not have any bike to ride. I had sold my old 3 wheeler to my future brother-in-law. i figured that i dind't get to ride it that much due to college, part time job, volunteer firefighting, his sister, college activities. shortly after, my future father-in-law bought a quad. they would go out riding on some afternnoons when i had nothing to do.

my wife and myself would sit around watching tv, while they were out riding. i wanted to be out riding with them, but i had nothing to ride, and really couldn't afford to buy anything. had i not sold it, they would ahve bought my bro-in-law something else and i would have been able to ride with them instead of wishing i were riding with them

look at it this way...it is costing you very little money to maintain it, especially if you are not riding it a lot.

i have relatives that are pilots, they find time to do the things they enjoy...you don't have to ride every day to have fun...for the last few years, i consider myself lucky if i get to ride at least once a month because of my work schedule, but i still find time to ride. it is not the quantity of riding, it is the quality. all rides are good rides unless you come back hurt

well said x2

[brapbrap13]

if ur atv is paid off, and u really dont need to sell it to pay off your bills. leave it in the corner of ur parents garage and come back to it when u have time when your done with all you classes, ect. and you have free time and start taking it out again.

[ryanh250ex]

the whole reason behind selling my stuff is so that i can be a bit more financially responsible/comfortable. I've been stuck in daytona beach all summer long so far trying to finish up some of my training, so i havent had the time to work a summer job and make extra $$$$. i'll be home in hopefully about a week and then once i get home i'll be working my *** off but still the more you have the better off you'll be.

the quad is paid off. any money i get for it is more than what i have as i type this.

my riding buddies are unique in that i'm not friends with them BECAUSE they ride...i am friends with them first and foremost and they just happen to have quads. if i sell my stuff, it's not the end of the world. as a matter of fact, a few of them have sold their quads as well.

how long would the $$$ from selling the bike last you? would you be able to leave it a savings account, or would it be spent on this and that and be gone in a few months? if the latter is the case, then keep the bike, if the former is the case, then keep the bike or sell it.

as far as your friends go, i do other things with my riding buddies. we have cookouts, go golfing, shoot archery, etc, etc.
But there is always the feeling of missing out when you will be home and they are all out riding and you will not be. I still get that feeling when i have to work and my group is out on the bikes.

[Quad18star]

If I were you , I'd sell the quad .

The money you receive from it can buy you a few hours of flight training , help pay off any debts or just sit in a bank account as a sense of security in case something unexpected comes up ( rent payments , vehicle breakdowns, course fees , etc).

As a pilot , you'll hopefully be making some pretty good money in the next few years , so later on if you really want another quad , you'll be able to buy one .

Sell it and use the money to further advance your studies and career ..... Quads will be around in the future for you to enjoy .

[gippy1]

sell it! my son has been doing the GNC nats for about 4 yrs now and moved up to the A class this year but now he and his girlfriend are expecting a baby so I said, it's time to hang it up. I sold the practice quad and then the trailer last weekend. It's not worth killing yourself or getting badly hurt. Yes, he loved it, but whats more important is the fact that he will be here to enjoy his child. The only thing he has is a pic of his dad on his MX bike to look at. If you are making any decent money at it I'd say maybe keep it. Sounds like you're more mature and moving on to better things. Sell it now! You won't regret it!!

[ryanh250ex]

well, i think i've made my decision, it's time to call it quits.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to give their .02


-Ryan

[Plante400]

heres what u do
sell the quad untile your out of college and have a job as a pilot

we all know they bank alot

so just buy a badass bike when u have the money and time, im sure by then, there will be some crazy new quad out that you WIll want..

u have alot of your life to ride, and i think you will enjoy it more when you have plenty of money to afford it.

Originally posted by Plante400
im sure by then, there will be some crazy new quad out that you WIll want.. Renegade 800 ? :D

[ryanh250ex]

Originally posted by Plante400
heres what u do
sell the quad untile your out of college and have a job as a pilot

we all know they bank alot

so just buy a badass bike when u have the money and time, im sure by then, there will be some crazy new quad out that you WIll want..

u have alot of your life to ride, and i think you will enjoy it more when you have plenty of money to afford it.

I'm not really worried or concerned about getting back in it. I'm old enough to know that there's more to life than riding. What i am focusing on now is staying financially afloat and having the $$$ to pay the bills and still have some fun.

Thankfully i have a jeep so i'll still be on the trails, just perhaps a different set. :cool: