Should You Get Back Into Motorcycling If You Promised Not To?

Editor’s Note: Lots of riders put motorcycles on pause when starting or raising a family, and many grapple with the decision of whether to return to riding or not. That’s the scenario one Motorcyclist reader currently finds himself in, and he needs answers.

In 1983, my family left Iran for the United States. Awaiting permission to come here, we stayed in Caserta, Italy (near Naples), for about two years.

Living in Italy for two years during your formative years (age 11–13) will inform your entire existence for the rest of your life. From talking with your hands, to your love of soccer, food, and travel (life in general), to an early love affair with anything motorized on two wheels, your life will never be the same.

My introduction to motorbikes came at an early age. Older kids had access—with or without permission—to mopeds like Puch and Peugeot, as well as motorcycles (yes, motorcycles!) like Vespas. I am not talking about these new automatic Vespas that ride like a scooter. I am talking about the old-school ones where you hold the clutch down with one hand and shift with the other hand. Those were, and are, my favorite.

Once we got to the US I got into dirt bikes and my first one was this beast (a Husky) with a 500cc engine. I loved that thing. But in high school I couldn’t really afford it. While my friend’s clutch job for their Japanese bikes would cost about $50 (and plenty of people knew how to work on them), my Husky was five times more expensive as “everything is backwards” and “parts are more expensive.”

I, like every other teenager, next fell in love with Ninjas when we saw Maverick chase Charlotte in Top Gun. And once Suzuki came out with the GSX-R, forgetta ’bout it. It was all about sportbikes.

Throughout the years I have had a few sportbikes, starting with a Suzuki Katana 600 (good starter one) and ending with a GSX-R and a Ninja. At the end, I also had a 1968 Gilera. Got rid of all of them because my fiancée and I (between us, four kids) had decided to have a fifth child (she was born May 29, 2019). So I agreed to get rid of all the bikes and make sure I am there for the kids.

Now that I don’t have the bikes I miss them. Is it bad that I want to go back on our deal? What if I get bikes but no sportbikes? Maybe something with a sidecar? I am thinking if I pick up Leila (latest offspring) from kindergarten in a sidecar with a cool unicorn helmet, she will be officially the coolest kid at that school! No? Now I just have to sell this to my fiancée.