Whats it like quitting MX?

[jesseweaver]

ive been tossing around the idea of getting rid of my bike lately:ermm: id sell it and put the money toward a crotch rocket, i just dont know if i could stand not riding, or if having a rocket i'd forget about it. ive been thinking about it and everytime i ride my bike its $40 to ride, $40 for gas at the least if i split with a bunch of people, $15 for oil and $5 for a filter every 1 or 2 rides, and stuff always breaks, im lucky to ride my bike for less then $100. im lucky if i get to ride twice a month too. a motorcycle i could ride for a lot less and i could ride it more often, and theres always new places to ride. i know people on here have had experience, whats it like going from mx pretty much being your life for a couple years to completley stopping? im thinking i might try it and if i still need to ride, i might buy another bike at the end of next summer:ermm: i still dont know though

[440racer66]

it sucks but thats what im planning on gettin next is a bike. i wish i could race everyday.

[jesseweaver]

yea i think if i lived closer to tracks id want to keep it, but it sucks never being able to ride. i know a motorcycle will be very expensive too with insurance and everything, but it wont even be close to $100 everytime i want to ride it:rolleyes:

[Warnerade]

it wont be 100 bucks everytime you ride, it will just be another payment that you gotta make year round, insurance will suck I'm sure

everything hobby is expensive and its all relative to what it is. Anything motorsports is gonna be pricey for the most part.

Oh, and to quit MX...it blows.

[JJs450r]

when i got out of it i got a bike to fill the gap, but it just didnt do it for me so i ended up putting more debt on my shoulders and stuck trying to get rid of a bike now

[STEVENJANNA]

Making the decision to quit mx is very difficult especially if your healthy enough to keep going. I made the decision to "retire" at the end of last season and to be honest I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would. For 5 years I did nothing but race mx and by the last race of the 2007 season I was so burnt out. I hated everything about racing EXCEPT being on the track and I promised myself that when my hobby started to cause "work" like stress I would stop and I did.

[hondardr4life]

I sold my MX 250r a couple years ago to buy my truck, and quit riding all together. I didn't miss it at all at first because of how expensive it was to go to one race. I was 16 when I quit and now i'm 18 and in college and I miss it big time. I'd kill to have my 250r back...

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by STEVENJANNA
Making the decision to quit mx is very difficult especially if your healthy enough to keep going. I made the decision to "retire" at the end of last season and to be honest I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would. For 5 years I did nothing but race mx and by the last race of the 2007 season I was so burnt out. I hated everything about racing EXCEPT being on the track and I promised myself that when my hobby started to cause "work" like stress I would stop and I did.

Giving up racing is one thing...he is just talking about giving up riding in general. Did you give it all up completely or just the racing part?

[450rRacer22]

I quit racing last year and yeah it does suck. I didnt even replace it with a different hobby, just more time with the woman lol. Its your call though, if it were me i wouldnt sell it. Gas prices are back down and i think it would be much more affordable now.

[ZeroLogic]

You never quit riding.:o

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme
Giving up racing is one thing...he is just talking about giving up riding in general. Did you give it all up completely or just the racing part?

I didn't own anything other than full mx race bikes and for 5 years that's all I did. So I guess the answer is yes I quit riding altogether, for now. When he said "Quitting MX" I equated that to racing because taking your bike to an mx track for practice or a race costs the same financially and that was the original posts main point.

[rbgnwa45]

I'd keep the bike just not race.

[Quad18star]

It's tough at first , but after a while you find other things that you're interested in. I got back to doing the things that I used to love doing , but which I had put on hold because of MX . I now enjoy my weekends fishing and spending time at the cottage.

I got rid of the racing quad and bought a 4x4 ..... best decision ever.

[outacontrol]

coming from a person who has many crotch rockets and have had quads all my life too. crotch rockets will never replace dirt riding. sure it will be fun at first cuz its different, but to convince yourself its cheaper to ride a crotch rocket than a dirt bike is foolish. If you finance one, your looking $150 a month at least, then for a kid your age to have full coverage on a bike is about $2000 a year at least ( i know because i was a suzuki salesman for 2 yrs and sold many bikes to teenagers), then your gonna need tires about every 2500 miles if you ride like an idiot. those run you about $180/tire. And you havent put gas in it yet. do what you feel is right, but you wont be saving money trust me....

What you have to find is a less-maintenance dirt bike. At least with the 400ex, you didn't really have to do much to the engine for long periods of time because they dont require nearly the maintenance.

Find something you don't need to wrench on all the time. Maybe sell the 450 motor and find something along the lines of an XR400 so you can have the reliability and modern chassis.

Just a thought.

[outacontrol]

Originally posted by DMC-4OOEX
What you have to find is a less-maintenance dirt bike. At least with the 400ex, you didn't really have to do much to the engine for long periods of time because they dont require nearly the maintenance.

Find something you don't need to wrench on all the time. Maybe sell the 450 motor and find something along the lines of an XR400 so you can have the reliability and modern chassis.

Just a thought.

He has a 250f bike, and he hasnt had to wrench on it cuz i think he has only had it for like two months.

[MX MaNiAc 06]

Originally posted by hondardr4life
I sold my MX 250r a couple years ago to buy my truck, and quit riding all together. I didn't miss it at all at first because of how expensive it was to go to one race. I was 16 when I quit and now i'm 18 and in college and I miss it big time. I'd kill to have my 250r back...

Whats up Dave? Where are u going to school?

Im selling my quad right now. It hurts to be honest. haha but ill keep the money and buy another one whenever im ready.

[ricksmx865]

i raced dirtbike when i was a little kid for years, when my Jr. yr of HS came around my parents finally convinced me to sell off the bike and focus on football. Well my sr. yr i got hurt and never got the shot to play college ball. I never really missed racing untill last year, i had always been so busy at practice or training to really think about it. but when college came and i had nothing else to train or practice for i began to miss racing more and more so before i knew what hit me...... I bought a quad!

best decision ive made in a while :devil: :devil:

[KXRida]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
ive been tossing around the idea of getting rid of my bike lately:ermm: id sell it and put the money toward a crotch rocket, i just dont know if i could stand not riding, or if having a rocket i'd forget about it. ive been thinking about it and everytime i ride my bike its $40 to ride, $40 for gas at the least if i split with a bunch of people, $15 for oil and $5 for a filter every 1 or 2 rides, and stuff always breaks, im lucky to ride my bike for less then $100. im lucky if i get to ride twice a month too. a motorcycle i could ride for a lot less and i could ride it more often, and theres always new places to ride. i know people on here have had experience, whats it like going from mx pretty much being your life for a couple years to completley stopping? im thinking i might try it and if i still need to ride, i might buy another bike at the end of next summer:ermm: i still dont know though

I got out of riding for a little over two years and it pretty much killed me everyday not being able to go riding with all my buddy's.

As far as money... Run rotella T for oil. $12 for 5 quarts. Try to get involved with your local dealer (I pay like $2.33 for a filter) or save up the coin and buy a stainless filter. This past summer I ran a lot of private tracks to cut down on the cost. It cost me enough just in gas to go riding. Also, start car pooling to the tracks or see if you can tag along with a buddy. Nothing wrong with asking, all they can say is no, then maybe the next time offer to drive them.

On a given race weekend, here is what my finances look like.

$35 for gas in the truck (if I ride with my buddy, he takes me up for free)
$15 gas for the bike
Approx $6 for an oil change including filter (if you run rotella, just change it often, which is usually after every other ride for me)
roughly $15 for drinks and ice
$30 gate fee
Then if we stop to get something to eat say $15

That's usually what my race weekends look like. As far as just going riding, take out the gate fee, food, less drinks/ice, and cut the gas down to about $25.

Anymore I find it hard to pay over $20 to practice. I guess that's what I get for being spoiled and riding all my friends' private tracks haha.

May as well just keep it. Speaking from experience, you'll want one sooner or later.

[hondardr4life]

Originally posted by MX MaNiAc 06
Whats up Dave? Where are u going to school?

Im selling my quad right now. It hurts to be honest. haha but ill keep the money and buy another one whenever im ready.

Hey whats up Dan. I am down at Robert Morris University rooming with Chris Glover. I can't believe you're selling your 450... I miss my R a lot. Me and Chris have been talking about our racing days a lot latey, thats what prompted me to get back on this site. I am in the process of selling my 01 2500HD right now.. It hurts pretty darn bad too... But I have moved on to bigger and better things. I just got an 03 duramax diesel, so it is just going to be different for me. Hopefully I will be able to make this truck nicer than my 01. Are you going to school anywhere or just working? I'd say we would have to go riding sometime, but all I have is my Artic Cat 300... lol

[jesseweaver]

thanks for all the input. im still not sure:ermm: i do know right now riding my ninja 250 is nothing compared to MX, but then again thats a 250. i dont think i could stand listening to all the stories and seeing videos of my friends riding. im thinking i might try and sell it and see how it goes all summer without one, and if i still really cant stand it i might buy another 250f at the end of next summer.

[MX MaNiAc 06]

Originally posted by hondardr4life
Hey whats up Dan. I am down at Robert Morris University rooming with Chris Glover. I can't believe you're selling your 450... I miss my R a lot. Me and Chris have been talking about our racing days a lot latey, thats what prompted me to get back on this site. I am in the process of selling my 01 2500HD right now.. It hurts pretty darn bad too... But I have moved on to bigger and better things. I just got an 03 duramax diesel, so it is just going to be different for me. Hopefully I will be able to make this truck nicer than my 01. Are you going to school anywhere or just working? I'd say we would have to go riding sometime, but all I have is my Artic Cat 300... lol

Oh damn i didnt know u were going to Robert Morris. haha My buddy Clay Drnek goes there ive visited. Im going to Mercyhurst. That HD was a sick truck. But the duramax has a lot more potential and i know what u do to ur toys. haha

[Toadz400]

I'd have to say it's always a hard choice to give up riding/racing for something else. I bought a brand new motorcycle this summer instead of putting money into my quad because of a lot of reasons. Nowhere to ride, parts are expensive, gas prices were insane for driving my truck and quad, etc. Now that winter is here and I can't ride my bike, I'm kicking myself in the butt for not putting money into my YFZ and/or Banshee!!

[SRH]

i spent alot of time and money, the thought of quitting crossed my mind this yr when it took me awhile to get my quads done, i started practicing said what the hell ill race, messed up my back big time and regret not quitting now...if it crosses your mind get out of it, the injury wont be worth it....

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by SRH
i spent alot of time and money, the thought of quitting crossed my mind this yr when it took me awhile to get my quads done, i started practicing said what the hell ill race, messed up my back big time and regret not quitting now...if it crosses your mind get out of it, the injury wont be worth it....

I had surgery last year from a riding screw-up, have a bad back, have no insurance and am still thinking about racing this winter and/or spring. I've been thinking about quitting for years but as soon as I start listing my quad for sale I always change my mind. I don't think I could ever give it up 100%.

[Sjorge450R]

i am semi retired????

I still have my 450r but i am away at school now. Just being here and hearing all of these street bikes rip by makes me wanna go ride. I cannot go more than 3 or 4 weeks without riding, even if its just for a half hour. Also, thanks to the AGP, I am able to race in the spring time because most of there tracks only take me a little over an hour to ge tto. Not bad. Plus, i need to fit in a adrenaline rush somewhere.

[fasterblaster09]

Originally posted by Warnerade
it wont be 100 bucks everytime you ride, it will just be another payment that you gotta make year round, insurance will suck I'm sure

everything hobby is expensive and its all relative to what it is. Anything motorsports is gonna be pricey for the most part.

Oh, and to quit MX...it blows.

insurance won't be bad (compared to a vehicle). I was 17 and it was my frist bike (zx9r) and I didn't take a safety class, and it was around $280/year. just be sure to go through progressive, and call their 1-800 number because u know its more through an agent.

and I did't regret getting rid of my atv for a bike, It's awesome to just go wherever on a bike.

[KXRida]

Originally posted by fasterblaster09
insurance won't be bad (compared to a vehicle). I was 17 and it was my frist bike (zx9r) and I didn't take a safety class, and it was around $280/year. just be sure to go through progressive, and call their 1-800 number because u know its more through an agent.

and I did't regret getting rid of my atv for a bike, It's awesome to just go wherever on a bike.

Where we live you can't ride a bike year round... paying insurance for half of the year and not riding your street bike is like adding insult to injury.

I say keep the bike.

After every injury, you always contemplate giving it up, but it's so hard. After my 7th broken ankle I said I'd be done... Two more broken ankles and a broken back later, I still said the same thing...

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by SRH
messed up my back big time and regret not quitting now...if it crosses your mind get out of it, the injury wont be worth it....

getting a rocket wont eliminate that risk though, it will probably be worse. im not getting one just to putt around on....

ive pretty much made up my mind, im gonna sell my bike sometime before next spring, and get either a 636 or gsxr 750. probably the ninja, theres no gixxers around here for cheap. i could probably get a cheaper 1000. at the end of next summer ill see then, if i want another bike, all probably get another 250f.

[JRP]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
getting a rocket wont eliminate that risk though, it will probably be worse. im not getting one just to putt around on....

ive pretty much made up my mind, im gonna sell my bike sometime before next spring, and get either a 636 or gsxr 750. probably the ninja, theres no gixxers around here for cheap. i could probably get a cheaper 1000. at the end of next summer ill see then, if i want another bike, all probably get another 250f.

any reason why a 750? Ive always wanted a gsxr750 also, but i rode one, and a 600, not much of a difference and lower insurance also.

[Warnerade]

Originally posted by fasterblaster09
insurance won't be bad (compared to a vehicle). I was 17 and it was my frist bike (zx9r) and I didn't take a safety class, and it was around $280/year. just be sure to go through progressive, and call their 1-800 number because u know its more through an agent.

and I did't regret getting rid of my atv for a bike, It's awesome to just go wherever on a bike. I'm assuming that bike was slow...this girl I know bout a buell, the thing was a tank...great for a first bike, and great for a girl...it was 350/year for her to insure...her driving record is crap too. Go buy yourself any model gixxer and tell me how cheap it is to insure it on your own plan ;)

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by Warnerade
I'm assuming that bike was slow...this girl I know bout a buell, the thing was a tank...great for a first bike, and great for a girl...it was 350/year for her to insure...her driving record is crap too. Go buy yourself any model gixxer and tell me how cheap it is to insure it on your own plan ;)

What Buell was it? A Blast? The Buell's I rode were definitely NOT tanks!

My insurance is $295 a year for my '08 Nightster. Insurance for my quad is $112 a year and I can ride it year-round. I regret buying a bike now because it's winter and I can't ride the damn thing until April!!

[Moto49X]

Dont quit, I quit a little over a year ago and regret it everyday. Alot of it was my stupid choices. I dominated B class, every weekend. Then I ran A class for 2 years back when I was in college. I drank alot and never trained, attempting to run A class nationals. I was gettin smoked every weekend because my head just wasn't in it, wasn't screwed on straight I guess. Got discouraged and sold my trailer on ebay, traded in the big truck for a smaller one, sold a quad to a guy in Canada and the other quad to a local guy. Probably one of my only regrets I have.

I do have 3 new EVS Takt helmets, and a couple pairs of Alpinestar Tech10s I have never worn. Been saving them forver in case I race again. Thats alot of money just sitting there not being used haha.

[KXRida]

Originally posted by Moto49X
Dont quit, I quit a little over a year ago and regret it everyday. Alot of it was my stupid choices. I dominated B class, every weekend. Then I ran A class for 2 years back when I was in college. I drank alot and never trained, attempting to run A class nationals. I was gettin smoked every weekend because my head just wasn't in it, wasn't screwed on straight I guess. Got discouraged and sold my trailer on ebay, traded in the big truck for a smaller one, sold a quad to a guy in Canada and the other quad to a local guy. Probably one of my only regrets I have.

I do have 3 new EVS Takt helmets, and a couple pairs of Alpinestar Tech10s I have never worn. Been saving them forver in case I race again. Thats alot of money just sitting there not being used haha.


you maybe wanna part with your tech 10's in the future? It never hurts to have an extra set.

[Mxjunkie]

Take it from someone who quit riding for a loooong time, it's the worst downtime in your entire life because nothing in life can replace the utter joy and rush you get from riding an atv or dirtbike.. I use to be so frickin bored, I got into the whole mini truckin thing but it didnt even come close to giving me a rush, only when i was out acting stupid borderline ticket range leaving shows.. I've been ripping on a atc350x everyday at work now for the past week and I've never wanted to ride so bad in my life! I'll never quit riding, I'd deff look into trail riding if I couldn't do any type of racing but racing motocross is such a rush that you almost can't live without it! the economy may of effected a lot of us as we feel the pinch of not being able to afford to ride as we please, but as a dim of good hope arises with the gas prices going down I cannot help but just smile with utter joy to get out to the closest track as soon as possible and blow the first berm spotted to pieces!

I have a feeling that we will all be able to ride joyfully again without worry or a care in the world... I'll be happy to see the open forum loaded with I went riding today (pics) threads and riding videos, *****in bout the goverment aint quads!! :)

[Mxjunkie]

Originally posted by Moto49X
Dont quit, I quit a little over a year ago and regret it everyday. Alot of it was my stupid choices. I dominated B class, every weekend. Then I ran A class for 2 years back when I was in college. I drank alot and never trained, attempting to run A class nationals. I was gettin smoked every weekend because my head just wasn't in it, wasn't screwed on straight I guess. Got discouraged and sold my trailer on ebay, traded in the big truck for a smaller one, sold a quad to a guy in Canada and the other quad to a local guy. Probably one of my only regrets I have.

I do have 3 new EVS Takt helmets, and a couple pairs of Alpinestar Tech10s I have never worn. Been saving them forver in case I race again. Thats alot of money just sitting there not being used haha.

get your arse back on the track you had talent man lol.. hell I'm getting back into racing full swing next season shiet.. lol I'll make you into the next bananaboy real quick, I know you dont want that to happen.. :devil:

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by JRP
any reason why a 750? Ive always wanted a gsxr750 also, but i rode one, and a 600, not much of a difference and lower insurance also.

im just going by what i've heard from people. they say the 750s are reallly good bikes cause there just a little bit faster then the 600s and everyones got a 600, and they handle just about the same. same with the 636s, there about the exact same as all the r6s gsxr 600s cbr600s but they have just those few extra CCs and are just a ilittle bit faster. plus i like how the green 636s look the most out of all the bikes. and the orange and black cbr600rrs look pretty good. i think ill probably get one of those 2 bikes because the 750s around here are so expensive, its rediculous.

[440challenger]

I was 20 when i bought my busa and my insurance was $200 through rider for a year(liability).

Bikes are dangerous no matter how you look at it. I raced mx for 10 years, and going on a street bike i rode in agressive and got my self in alot of trouble. Theres Nouthing like ridding in the dirt, tearing it up and not having to worry about a car slamming you or hitting the pavement hard.

I sold my bike a year or so ago and dont miss it at all. Much more fun going rididng with your buddies , crashing, making jumps, hanging out etc.

Not any cheaper having a sportbike either. Oil changes 1,500 miles,tires 3k miles, gas everyday , and i was always buying accessories. Not to mention getting a jacket,gloves,helmet, etc.

Not to assume, but tickets get expensive too...:D

[Moto49X]

Originally posted by Mxjunkie
.. lol I'll make you into the next bananaboy real quick, I know you dont want that to happen.. :devil:

Oh nooo. What happened to that f@g boy anyways :blah:

[blacknblue#2]

Originally posted by Moto49X
Dont quit, I quit a little over a year ago and regret it everyday. Alot of it was my stupid choices. I dominated B class, every weekend. Then I ran A class for 2 years back when I was in college. I drank alot and never trained, attempting to run A class nationals. I was gettin smoked every weekend because my head just wasn't in it, wasn't screwed on straight I guess. Got discouraged and sold my trailer on ebay, traded in the big truck for a smaller one, sold a quad to a guy in Canada and the other quad to a local guy. Probably one of my only regrets I have.

I do have 3 new EVS Takt helmets, and a couple pairs of Alpinestar Tech10s I have never worn. Been saving them forver in case I race again. Thats alot of money just sitting there not being used haha.

Dude your little story there just got to me for some reason and i know this is gonna sound weird. Im 21, got into MX 4 years ago and ran a strong hard pace all the way up to local PRO/A classes and am always in the top 3 ( sometimes worse, we all have off days). The first part of my MXing i was dating a girl steady. Quit partying, got full nights of sleep and was in decent shape. We have since split up and im living the average joe teenage life again. Drinking all the time, staying out till 4 and 5 the night before the races, never exercising just going out there and Signing up for Pro or A class. I still hold my own but im having more and more off days and it does get discouraging but what do ya do i ask myself. I mean i know ill never be able to do it for a living so do i just live my life and compete for fun or do i take is serious and miss out on the joys of being young on friday and saturday night.

[300ex_#387]

I've also thought about giving it up this year. I had a real bad wreck last July and i'm still doing physical therapy from it. I had high expectations for arenacross this winter but i'm out for that too and im pretty bummed. I'm rebuilding the 450 from the ground up and had everything powdercoated, and any bearing or balljoint that needed it replaced. I figured it I wanted to get out now would be the time, but I also know im going to hate myself come spring time when I can race again.