Here I am, 4 years into the riding adventure and I am starting to look to the future of my riding. Though I am relatively young, I have things to consider. Risk really is not the major concern for me, every day I wake up is a risk. Taking a shower is a risk. Riding is just another risk, one that I mitigate with gear, but still a risk.
For me the future of my riding is more about the type of riding. When I first started this adventure, it was on a tiny displacement scooter strictly for the office / home commute. My wife who is extremely afraid of motorcycles was not thrilled, but she did not dig her heels in. The longer I ride though, the more I want to just go. These days, I ride a 500cc scooter and while it is alright for many uses, 500 mile days on the super slab is not really where it is at home, certainly not at the speeds that the US highway system travels at.
Having looked at what I want to supplement the scooter with, I think I would like to move to a full sport touring bike for those longer business and recreational trips. Though I have been given a lot of advice to look at the adventure tourers, I just feel more comfortable with the fairings and trappings of the sport touring segment. Looking around, there are a handful of serious options for me. The Kawasaki Concours, the Honda ST-1300, the Yamaha FJR1300a, the Honda NV700v or the Triumph Sprint GT. Of these, the FJR and the Sprint GT are probably the front runners for me. The ST-1300 is really hot in the bubble and when you live in an area that sees 90+F days for 3-4 months, hot is not all that attractive. The Concours is a great bike, but I cannot seem to find a comfortable spot in the saddle. I suspect that an aftermarket seat would correct that. The FJR seems to be an excellent bike, but I have been unable to find one to test ride. The Sprint GT is new enough that it falls in the same category.
Unfortunately, the hurdle is not choosing the bike. The hurdle is the wife. Her fears are suddenly triggered when the PTW is no longer a "scooter" and is now a "motorcycle". There is the conundrum. I love to ride, but I also love my wife. She loves me, and likes the improvement in my general mood when I ride, but her fear of the motorcycle is creating a roadblock. Love is funny like that, and life is always good for a curve ball or two.
So it happens that I am pondering a future where I have to make a choice: stay with the scooter (status quo), move to a bigger bike (angry wife), return to a car (angry me). None of these options hold much appeal. What is truly frustrating about it is that when she was younger, she spent many many hours riding pillion with her older brother. Her fears are rooted in an accident that same brother had with his daughter riding pillion. She was too small to be there safely (bungie cords holding her in the saddle), and he was riding too fast on a road that is unsafe at any speed due to inattentive drivers. In short, her trauma is the result of the poor choices made by a person who has a history of questionable choices. Yet, these choices directly impact my options and choices.
No, I do not know what direction I will go. I have a winter to make those choices. Perhaps time will provide wisdom. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy what I have, and perhaps will simply make peace and stick with the status quo. Only time will tell if the future will hold something new and different.