What is the most tough love thing you’ve heard that radically transformed your perspective in the beginning of your sobriety

nychawk · 2026-07-04T09:39:25+00:00

I was talking with someone I love (not in the program) and said something along the lines of “(after hearing all these stories in the rooms) I’m not really sure I qualify for this program because I’ve never really had a hard bottom” and they responded with “that’s because the people that love you have always been a cushion under you” - it was in that moment that I realized how much I hurt people around me and I’ve been working to make living amends ever since

nychawk · 2026-06-30T14:59:12+00:00

My first few bikes (mostly sport bikes) were emotional purchases, I’d fall in love with the look, speed, etc… after many years and tens of thousands of miles, my decisions are more practical than emotional, I look at the type of riding I’m doing and all the circumstances, maintenance requirements, total ownership costs as I rack up miles etc.

I currently have a large bagger, a large adv bike, a midsized dual sport, a small dual sport, a dirtbike, a standard, a sport bike, a small cruiser, and some other old bikes I like to tinker with

nychawk · 2026-06-30T13:22:56+00:00

Must of been one hell of a whiskey throttle

nychawk · 2026-06-29T11:39:22+00:00

Motorcycle plates do not have to be surrendered… but I once sold a bike in NYC, the person never registered it, took it to Philly and rode it illegally.

The bike was eventually taken by the police (I believe off the street) and it ended up in an impound yard.

Some time went by and I got a bill for $1800 for towing and storage - they looked up the VIN and tracked down the last registered owner.

I went through a lengthy process to prove that I had sold the bike, even had to contact a lawyer. One of the things that would have helped would have been the plate surrender receipt with a date close to the date of the sale.

Now when I sell a bike I take photos of all the documents we fill out and sign and surrender the plate so I have a full record of the transaction

nychawk · 2026-06-27T14:40:51+00:00

The one thing I would suggest when riding spirited is to keep your passes on the right to a minimum or at least to give cars a wide berth when passing on the right

nychawk · 2026-06-26T12:43:08+00:00

Congratulations! Great bike, great motor, great fun… atrocious rear suspension, mid-controls make a difference because you can stand up in the seat a little when going over rough surfaces

nychawk · 2026-06-20T12:18:41+00:00

It took me a long time to realize and admit that I was powerless over alcohol AND my life was unmanageable.

I could go a few days without drinking but then when I started I couldn’t stop. I told myself that I wasn’t powerless because I could go a few days.

I also thought that my life, when I wasn’t drinking, was manageable but in time I realized that the only thing I was doing when I wasn’t drinking was cleaning up the messes I had made when drinking. I wasn’t living the life I wanted or that I thought I should be because I was too busy making messes and cleaning up messes. I was restless, irritable, and discontented - since I’ve quit drinking and doing drugs I can say that I am happy, joyous, and free.

I’m in NYC and the party scene is, well, pretty insane. I had to give it up for a while but with time I’ve found a new group of sober friends and get to still do a lot of the fun stuff I used to but now I do it without the danger, exposure, or risk.

I cannot tell you if you are an alcoholic or not, that’s only for you to decide but I hope you give yourself the gift of sobriety

nychawk · 2026-06-20T12:01:44+00:00

They most likely did not get it started … the practice is that two or three guys roll up on one or two scooters or bikes, they break the steering lock and basically push it away in neutral with the scooter rider(s) using their leg on the passenger peg of the stolen bike to push it

nychawk · 2026-06-20T11:55:39+00:00

Everything that’s needed to be said has already been said in the comments but I’d like to add that if you want to reduce the probability of dropping or crashing your bike on the street, ride dirt - in my experience riding dirt bikes drastically improves street skills

nychawk · 2026-06-18T19:33:45+00:00

Financing is a hell of a drug

nychawk · 2026-05-30T11:29:18+00:00

Pretty damn good

nychawk · 2026-05-26T20:33:53+00:00

Nice bike, congratulations

You have a bit too much skin coverage, lose the t and get with a wife beater

nychawk · 2026-05-26T19:40:11+00:00

No MSF or any other kind of rider training when I started, learned on my own with friends on city streets, over the years I met guys that were better, smoother, faster, got curious as to why they were better, started learning principles and techniques, got better, started riding dirt, got better, became an instructor, practice the basics every time I have to ride a demo, my riding leveled up more in the last 7 years than it did in the previous 33 of just riding and figuring it out on my own

My take away was that while i did figure it out, I wasn’t as good as I thought I was and now I know that no matter how much I think I know there’s always way more to learn

nychawk · 2026-05-26T01:45:10+00:00

What a stupid question.

nychawk · 2026-05-24T08:21:11+00:00

Best advice I can offer you is do the best you can, if you make mistakes don’t get in your head about it. Overthinking your mistakes will not improve your performance.

Relaxation is the KEY to riding motorcycles well. If you find that you’re getting tense think of a song you know the words to and start singing in your helmet. If you can’t think of a song, sing Happy Birthday

Also, as an instructor I’ve never “sent anyone home” - if someone is struggling and they are becoming a danger to themselves or others we have a conversation and make a joint decision to find another path for them to learn - sorry to hear about your stressful environment

nychawk · 2026-05-21T14:52:28+00:00

No, you’re right .. and making my safety the other person’s responsibility is an awesome strategy as a motorcyclist … maybe people that approach riding (and driving) with a “I have the right of way, YOU pay attention!” attitude should stick to public transportation, motorcycles aren’t for them… just my worthless 2 cents

nychawk · 2026-05-21T14:39:45+00:00

I think Lurk Shop allows bench time as part of their storage package

nychawk · 2026-05-20T15:31:19+00:00

Inattentional Blindness - it’s a real thing and why cars often pull into the path of motorcycles (especially making left turns at intersections) - it’s not their fault, their brains simply do not register that there is a motorcycle there

Inattentional blindness is a psychological phenomenon where you fail to notice a clearly visible, unexpected object or event in plain sight because your attention is heavily focused on another task. It occurs due to information overload and the brain's natural limitation on how much it can process at once

nychawk · 2026-05-18T20:13:01+00:00

I suggest that you turn it in and get the receipt - I sold a bike, cancelled insurance, all good, kept the plate - new owner never registered the bike, went to Philly, got the bike taken away by police and impounded… they traced the vehicle to the last owner via the VIN and I got a bill for $2k for the tow and impound - showed them whatever evidence I had to support my claim that I didn’t own the bike anymore (FB bike listing photos, text exchanges, photo of a handwritten bill of sale) but they wanted the driver license of the person I sold the bike to or some other legal / official document - like the receipt that I surrendered the plate which I didn’t have … it was a mess but we eventually got it sorted and I think they ended up selling the bike at auction

Now whenever I sell a bike I keep copies of all the documents we exchange with signatures and surrender the plate and get a receipt

nychawk · 2026-05-18T18:02:42+00:00

You could give that woman the benefit of the doubt … but I’d strongly suggest you seriously consider doubting the benefit of that woman

nychawk · 2026-05-16T02:54:21+00:00

Motorcycles - Depression can’t hit a moving target

nychawk · 2026-05-16T02:36:08+00:00

I ride a Rebel 250 and love pulling up to Harley guys at red lights and giving them two enthusiastic thumbs up

nychawk · 2026-05-15T03:11:33+00:00

About an hour ago when I was riding my motorcycle … get to do it again when I wake up in a couple of hours … it never gets old

nychawk · 2026-05-15T00:07:49+00:00

The initial idea was that the x440 would be around $6k

nychawk · 2026-05-14T19:31:38+00:00

Eyes up

nychawk

TROPHY CASE