What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Can RV flying replace motorcycle riding?

Lemos

Active Member
I sold my Honda Gold Wing when I got serious about buying an airplane. My family was very concerned about the safety of motorcycles, and I thought that flying an RV would replace motorcycle riding for me. Long story short, it hasn’t. I miss riding.

I believe that many pilots also ride motorcycles. Certainly, I cannot be the only one that’s been at this crossroads. I would enjoy hearing whether flying has (or has not) replaced riding for you, and any ideas or thoughts that you may be able to share.

As it stands today, I very well may buy myself a BMW R1250RT and ride more as I fly less. I just feel like I’m missing something that flying isn’t giving me.
 
I sold my Honda Gold Wing when I got serious about buying an airplane. My family was very concerned about the safety of motorcycles, and I thought that flying an RV would replace motorcycle riding for me. Long story short, it hasn’t. I miss riding.

I believe that many pilots also ride motorcycles. Certainly, I cannot be the only one that’s been at this crossroads. I would enjoy hearing whether flying has (or has not) replaced riding for you, and any ideas or thoughts that you may be able to share.

As it stands today, I very well may buy myself a BMW R1250RT and ride more as I fly less. I just feel like I’m missing something that flying isn’t giving me.

R1200RT owner here.

I haven't been able to ride much since buying an airplane, plus the day job, plus flight instructing on the side. Simply not enough hours to do everything. My bike is currently languishing in the hangar. I keep telling myself that I need to sell it, but I keep not wanting to do that. I miss riding too.

Between the flight school and the other pilots non-in-the-flight-school I know, I'd say about 40% ride.

Flying and riding scratch different itches for me.
 
I usually ride my motorcycle to go fly my RV. In fact, most of the times I ride, its to go fly. I'm on my third bike and I regret selling the previous 2 bikes I had.

It's about a 25 minute drive to the airport. When I drive, the drive feels like a chore. When I ride I enjoy the whole thing. Sorry I'm not helping your argument:D
 
My wife and I both ride (Harley Softail Slim for me, and a Harley Softail Lowrider for her). I would say one doesn’t necessarily replace the other as they are both loads of fun, but outside of air shows like Osh or Sun-n-Fun flying for me tends to be more isolated and more transportation oriented. Some of that is due to the aircraft I own which is more SUV than sports car. I also boat and motorcycling is by far the cheapest both in acquisition and operating costs by a huge margin for these 3 hobbies.
 
Ride to fly

Riding to the airport to fly is quite common among motorcycle owners.

If you do or not do something for someone else, you'll likely be unhappy. Do what you need to do for yourself...probably not what you want to hear.

So many people need the permission of others to do what they love, must be challenging.
 
Yamaha R6 and I love flying, but neither can replace the other IMO. It is a cool feeling to ride to the airport and then fly.
 
I haven't had a bike since I've owned airplanes... not necessarily cause and effect, I just got bored riding. I'm still having a blast with airplanes.
 
Motorcycle

I miss my Goldwing. I could drag the pegs on that bird. It just wasn't practical anymore. Buddys stopped riding. Most of us switched to off roading. Sweetie didn't ride with me anymore. We put 50K on that bike. She loves off roading. I own two Zuks now. I also drove a race car for five seasons so I really miss the speed and handling. I'm hoping the 7A scratches my turn and burn itch. Finally on the last 90% :D
 
I got my first enduro bike when I was about 10 years old. I'm 54 now, so those roots run pretty deep.

Since I started building the RV I haven't ridden much at all. I tell myself I need to sell my Triumph to help fund the airplane project, but it's the best road bike I've ever owned and its a special edition with only around 100 shipped to North America in this configuration, so I can't bear to sell it. I tell myself I'll ride more and can totally see myself riding to the hangar. Time will tell.
 
Right now my Indian is languishing... I love to ride but lately it seems more and more people are trying to kill me. Texting doesn’t seem to be quite the issue in flying....

That said, I can’t seem to sell my bike.
 
Funny that you brought this up just now...

I've been riding for 48 years (all but 4 years of my life) with my first motorcycle being a Honda Z50. I scared myself during the fall of 2019 and sold my road going motorcycles, a Goldwing and an NC700, in May of 2020.

I really missed riding all last summer and couldn't help myself when a buddy of mine mentioned that he was headed to the BMW dealer to wholesale his 2019 K1600GTL. It was in my hangar 4 hours later!

I'm looking forward to this summer!

606ca10793e7f91054400f2f.jpg
 
Right now my Indian is languishing... I love to ride but lately it seems more and more people are trying to kill me. Texting doesn’t seem to be quite the issue in flying....

That said, I can’t seem to sell my bike.

Sold my bike over 35 years ago when a jerk actually tried to push me off the road, several times, my wife was on the bike with me. I took it home and never rode it again.
A few years back a good friend had 2 HD’s, one was a V-rod signed by Wille G, and asked me to exercise the bikes, which I did for a while, right up until about 6 people tried to kill me on a 5 mile ride. I never rode it again, too bad it was a really nice bike.
I’ll stick to flying and sports cars. :D
 
I have owned a bike of some sort every day of my life since I was 16.
2 different animals. One does not scratch the other itch.
 
My desire to learn to fly, followed by my first airplane purchase ate my motorcycle, a convertible and a race car. I don't miss any of them. Well, occasionally the vert on really nice days ...
 
My last bike was an 02 Dyna Wide Glide Harley with the loudest pipes I could get. It's amazing that people still tried to drive on my lane with me in it.
I didn't sell it cause people trying to kill me, even though they tried.
I gave it to my son six years ago after he sold his Sportster.
Now, the crux is I still like to ride. But, have one and a half RV-6 airplanes to fly and work on.
So no more bikes for me in the future. I only live 3.4 miles from my hanger.
Art
 
I have an R1150RT and don't ride it nearly as much as pre-RV, so the airplane definitely takes time away from riding. But even though I consider the RV to be a 'motorcycle with a Z-axis', they are two different things but both complementary in their own ways.

And I'm about to trade in my old R1150RT for a new R1250RT this year sometime too.... so if anyone's interested in an R1150RT in excellent condition in SoCal, let me know.
 
Do both for sure!

I've had motorcycles for as long as I can remember. Currently ride a Honda Valkyrie and have owned it since 2006. Simply the best cruiser ever produced.

I have been flying for over twenty years and owned two Grumman Tigers for just as long. To me flying is the greatest thing in the world! My -7A is a fantastic airplane and I wouldn't change it for anything.

If I had to choose between them...flying wins no question.
 
I still have my Goldwing........and the boats......and the airplanes. They all seem to compliment each other.:D
 
For me flying didn't replace riding but I chose for it to be enough to fulfill my need for adventure, and I didn't have my RV flying yet at the time. Once that was done it notched the adventure level up quite a few clicks when I started flying a fun airplane.

Knee surgery and 3 months of painful physical therapy after a crash caused by a 16 year old driver with a 2 week old drivers license was enough to change my desire level......
 
My wife and I are both pilots and each have our own motorcycle. Riding used to be a bigger part of my life before I started aviating, but its something that still brings me joy. I don't suspect I'll ever stop riding in some capacity so long as I'm able. I definitely enjoy what each activity brings to the table.
 
Starting at 13 years of age and earning $.50 per hour ( that's 50 cents) I purchased a Honda 55 trail. Then went to a 50cc Tohatsu, 125cc DKW, 250 scrambler, 500 Verago, Sportster. Still have..... 87 Lowrider, SV650 and my current favorite, a Yamaha TW 200.

At 72, it is a real kick in the a$$!!...Back to basics having fun using ALL of the power just like when I started riding.

There is a real connection to riding motorcycles and flying. You do need both. Ride as if no one can see you. Fly as if no one can see you.
 
Flying does not replace riding for me. I have ridden for over 50 years & will continue for as long as I’m able. But the last poster had it right, “ride as if no one can see you!”
 
I rarely ride anymore

When I started riding, I would ride in the rain, cold, whatever. As the years drew on, the weather had to be better and better for me to ride. Now I’ll ride the whopping 3 miles to the hangar, but if the weather is nice enough for riding, it’s most often nice enough for flying, and I’d rather fly. So I only really ride on days without precipitation that are very windy. I’m perfectly fine flying instead of riding. Wife is deathly afraid of motorcycles, but likes flying. That’s just me but I’m perfectly fine not riding in favor of flying.
 
Love riding my Yamaha FJ-09, great bike! That said, I'm day VFR only and ride low traffic roads on weekdays. Use to race but a broken arm wrapped up my marginal brief racing adventure. Flying my RV7 and riding my bike, really makes for a great day.

I Watch Moto GP racing on TV religiously, it's the best motor racing out there.
 
Last edited:
Nope..

To me, I must have both..been riding since age 10 and flying since age 16, and no plans to ever give either one up until I cant do it anymore. can throw a boat in there too..my hangar has all the above, and the majority of my flying buddies have at least the plane and motorcycle, so most riding is done with flying friends..formations will be formations!
 

Attachments

  • Hangar Toys.jpg
    Hangar Toys.jpg
    577.7 KB · Views: 86
The ride N fly connection...

I ride my old friend, my 2002 BMW R1150RT, to the airport in order to fly, so they are directly connected.

To me, it's all about the joy of the open road and sky, and the freedom that comes with riding and flying, combined with the utility that both bring to my life as well.
 
My last bike (a plane-Jan Honda Shadow I used for occasional commuting to my hangar when I lived in Houston) is sitting in the hangar at Big Bear where it hasn’t moved since, golly....we moved to Nevada? I enjoy the act of riding - I just find mixing it up with unknown drive skill levels on the road to be a risk I can’t quantify or control - no matter how ready I am to head for the ditch.

BUt I bought an almost-new bike on Saturday - a Zero DSR electric. The acceleration off the line is so amazing they shouldn’t call it acceleration - they should just call it “Muzzle Velocity”. But I’m only going to ride it around until we complete a custom motor mount for our motor glider, and then the bike is simply a donor for the power system! I’d just rather invest my time in flying....
 
What I'm looking for is that zen-like state where I don't have anything at all going on except the focus of, say landing the airplane. For me, that can happen more when I'm riding because I need every bit of my attention to make this high speed corner or avoid the gap that some careless driver is closing on me. In an airplane or on a bike there is going to be a lot of lay back and enjoy it time, which is nice, but it isn't the same as the laser focus time that I really cherish.

Ed Holyoke
 
I have been riding motorized two wheel vehicles for most of my life. Started with what we called a "minibike" back when I was a young lad. It was a Rupp with a 3.5 hp Tecumseh engine. Traded it for a 90 cc Suzuki dirt bike. Sold that to my cousin and bought a "basket case" 1948 Harley Davidson. Built a chopper out of that, then sold it and bought a 1967 Harley dresser.

Ok, I'm getting to the flying part! I sold the '67 dresser to finance my private pilot certificate, and then followed my certificate with the purchase of my first airplane - a 1955 Piper Tri-Pacer. Converted the Tri-Pacer to a Pacer and learned how to fly tailwheel.

But the "call of the open road" wouldn't subside, and a few years after getting my pilot certificate I just couldn't stand being without a motorcycle. So in 1984 I bought a Yamaha Venture touring bike, and I've had a bike ever since.

So for me, the answer is "no", flying does not replace motorcycle riding. Both are different experiences, and both are rewarding in their own special ways. I will continue to do both for as long as the Lord allows me the health and ability.
 
Rode since I was a kid, all makes/models, sold my last one a K1200 when I had to buy the engine for the plane, never looked back.
 
Another Honda guy

My username gives me away; another long time Honda rider. Last one was a ‘99 VFR; V-4 with a single-sided swing-arm. Did a track day at Willow Springs on it. When I finished college, took it XC from SoCal to the Blue Ridge Parkway (where it rained for days...) to New England, up to Ottawa, Canada and back to Colorado before starting active duty. Mostly back roads, meeting up with old friends & neighbors covering 8k miles in 5 weeks with an atlas and a primitive Garmin handheld GPS back then. Was a blast.

Did another smaller XC from TX to NorCal, but on the way back in southern Utah a darn deer joined my ride close to sunset. Thank goodness for all the protective gear, including an Aerostich and full face Aria. Haven’t ridden since (bike totaled), but still ogle bikes almost as much as planes in the sky. And seeing deer near runways spooks me a bit...

My pact with my now wife is that I’ll stay off bikes if she mostly supports flying. Best part is we can get places easier as a family of 3 plus our dog in the RV10 than a bike would afford. I’m content enough, but riding still has part of my soul. 😉.
 
Open Cockpit

To the OP , perhaps try an open cockpit biplane or even a monoplane.

You get the wind and freedom combined with a flying fix at the same time.

Try a flight in a Lockwood Air Cam some breathless calm morning or evening and you wont be missing your scooter for long.
 
Last edited:
I sold my first bike when I bought my Mooney. I figured I could only handle one death machine at a time. When I sold the Mooney and started building a RV I bought a BMW G650GS. I bought a Tesla and now I can't even feel any acceleration from the bike so I'm thinking about upgrading it to the BMW 1250 GSA.
 
I used to commute and travel on motorcycles, first a 1984 Honda Nighthawk and then a 1996 VFR. Not long after getting the RV I switched jobs to something closer to home and started cycling to work instead. Without the commuting, and with travel being done in the plane now, the utility of the motorcycle was gone... I was only using it to get to the airport on weekends, and that was only a 5km ride. By then my wife was riding too, and we debated selling both our bikes and getting one that we both could ride, but in the end we just decided to sell both bikes and double down on cycling. I've since moved again, and still commute, although the commute is now up to 28km each way (in the winter I take the bus).

I still want a bike, but now i'm holding out for an electric, or maybe finding a screaming deal on a 2001 VFR...
 
Harley

Just picked up a 2010 Harley Fatboy Lo with 3800 total miles on it. I live in a rural area (lots of Elk and Deer though) so not a lot of traffic and it will save gas on my 60 mile daily commute to the plant.
 
I love riding, I've been racing MX and riding street since the 70s, but once the kids came, the bikes went. Too many close calls, too much risk that I can't mitigate. I like the cage.
 
It has never occurred to me to give up my bike because I fly. Been riding a bike for 60 years, flying for 41 years. 2002 BMW 1200LT
 
Back
Top