Mixed feelings.

[Triple]

Originally Posted by G-Rex

As nicely and seriously as I can say this...could you possibly be any more selfish?

You love motorcycles obviously. You love the idea of taking a long trip on one. You've said as much in previous threads that I've read. You love your dad. Yet, you are not willing to combine the two?

You're afraid dad will slow you down, worry about him getting hurt, or infringing on your alone time.

Well, has it occurred to you that he's worried he might slow you down. I promise you he's worried about you getting hurt, and he has already had his fair share of alone time I'm sure.

Once he's gone, you WILL regret your decision if you don't go with him.

I've been on many vacations, with my parents, and with friends. The bonding moments I've had with people out on the open road on my motorcycle trips top everything else, bar none.

You are going to miss out on a great experience and something that you will cherish for a lifetime even after your dad is gone.

Hopefully, sooner than later, you will come to your senses, and realize that this is something that is as important to him as it is to you.

You'll have PLENTY of opportunity to take a trip solo, at your pace, when he's gone.

Don't screw this up. You are trying awful hard. Don't do it.

I'm mailing you a bill for his insurance deductible if he crashes.

[Kerry_129]

I'm envious of you having a father that would even begin to want/be able to contemplate doing something like that with you. My advice: With appropriate caution & planning - be thankful for the opportunity & GO FOR IT!

[Bluestreak]

If my father showed any kind of interest in any of my hobbies, I wouldn't even hesitate. Another vote for take the trip with your dad.

G-Rex - Very well said...

[wildchild]

just a thought here, he rode through the 70's? where do you think your love of bikes came from?

my dad recently started riding again. at first I have to admit I was like you. i delivered a mesh jacket to florida from wis with orders he better wear it. made sure he had a good helmet, etc. told him to be careful in traffic. he looked up at me and asked if I realized where all that knowledge came from in the first place.

he wants to do a trip with me as well, I have to admit I can't wait to make it happen. even more so for us because when I was young he always rode HD. now days he couldn't afford one so he bought a honda shadow. we will definitely swap rides when we go. he loves my new bike, he never liked the sport bikes when I had them. he's always asking what I've done to the bike. this year we're looking at getting a camper to go down there. first thing he asked was "will it be a toyhauler"?
i took trips with him when I was younger. always on the back of course. been through ditches with him when he was trying to switch the fuel petcock over, been on some interesting drunken rides (him not me) rode with a broken leg even on one trip. I used to do anything to ride on that bike when I was young. I can't wait to ride with him on separate bikes.

you'll never forget the trip with him if you take it. as far as slowing you down, really? you can't ride fast some other time.

my girlfriend has a client that is older. he bought a bike to ride with his son. his son is hellbent to ride as fast as possible. now the old guy's bike sits in the garage with no miles. he feels "abandoned" by his son.

let the old guy feel like a kid again, like he can still run with the bulls if he wants to.

i'm kind of in the middle actually. i like to ride dirt with my almost 20 yr old son. oh I fly with him, having a great time. just as fast as he is you know, until I look at it realistically and know that if he wanted to he could leave me in his dust like I'm standing still.

[Triple]

Originally Posted by wildchild

just a thought here, he rode through the 70's? where do you think your love of bikes came from?

I'm not denying his influence at all. I love looking through photos of his cross-country trips from the 70's and 80's. He and my uncles used to do this sort of thing all the time. We talk bikes every time we're all together, even though I'm the only one currently riding.

My dad's 1972 Kawasaki H2 is the bike that sucked me in. So much so that in 2001, I tracked one down for myself.

Originally Posted by wildchild

as far as slowing you down, really? you can't ride fast some other time.

I'm not necessarily referring to speed; it's more about how little I intend to stop and how late into each day I plan to ride. My dad actually has much more off-road experience than I do. He started riding dirtbikes in... 71?.. and had an enduro in one form or another through the early 80's.

[wildchild]

Originally Posted by Triple

I'm not necessarily referring to speed; it's more about how little I intend to stop and how late into each day I plan to ride. My dad actually has much more off-road experience than I do. He started riding dirtbikes in... 71?.. and had an enduro in one form or another through the early 80's.

ah i see, so take a few extra stops, you'll be alright. wait a minute. now we're not talking about all out speed riding. how old is your dad? sometimes I forget how young some of the guys here are. not sure if you're one of those. my oldest son is 26, youngest is almost 20, when it comes to just spirited riding, traveling, long days and short stops. I can ride either one of them "under the carpet" per se. I only ask because he started riding in '71 I started in '72 but as a child of 6 years old. even if he was adult when he started riding he is still only in his 50's right now. (maybe)

ahha!! we see the real issue. you're afraid he'll show you up. LOL just kidding.

seriously as has been said many many times above. take him with. you won't regret it.

[Lamnidae]

Originally Posted by wildchild

ahha!! we see the real issue. you're afraid he'll show you up. LOL just kidding.

[HurricaneHeather]

Just for fun: My dad and my brother had this awesome trip planned together. It was gonna be perfect, just the two of them, bonding and what not. Best part was, my brother found out he was gonna be a dad the day the trip started! Perfection!

Then my dad pulled some douche move, decided after literally years of planning at the last minute(meaning: they were packed, and had driven 10 hours to get there) that he didn't want to go and called the whole thing off and left. That was in May last year and the two of them just started conversing with one another again last month and that is very minimal. Sometimes dads suck. Or at least in my case they do.

But everyone else is probably right...most dads don't suck like that.

[pauldun170]

I aint reading SHIT in this thread.

Your dad has been out ta the saddle for time a little bit and even up to then he sounds like he was barely riding.

Call em up "Hey Dad? Lets go for a ride this weekend....I want to see if your old ass can still ride. I'll buy you lunch and everything. You pick the route. "

If he says no...call him a pussy and tell him that you'll be there at 8AM sharp.

If my dad called up asking me to go riding I would shit my pants because my dad died a long time ago.
"Geez dad..I'd love to go riding with you but you're a fucking ghost. How the hell do I know you wont show up at my door as a zombie or something?"

fuck that...I'm not riding with dead people.

[Homeslice]

Damn......I was guessing the vast majority of people here were young enough that their dad was still alive.......Mine died a year and a half ago, and his brother 6 months after that

WTF are you thinking Triple....You already ride by yourself almost every day probably