That is a picture of my 12yo son and I camping on a buddy's land last Memorial day. We've done an overnighter that weekend for the past two years, I hope to make it a tradition.
Hmm...Where do I start....
I started riding about 12 years ago and went through a few 'Asian' bikes, and while they are bang-for-the-buck good at what they do, I wanted more in my next bike. A buddy got me introduced to the BMW line (I knew they made bikes and I always had the impressions they were the hardcore riders) so I started looking. I really liked the naked bike look and was sick of the chain drive maintenance so those requirements narrowed it down. It took me a while to decide on my next bike since having kids, I can't afford to buy a new one every couple years. It had to last, be reliable (my previous Suzuki never let me down in 50k miles!) and comfortable. The Roadster was it!
3.5 years and 46k miles later, this bike has changed me. While I previously commuted daily, year 'round, I never thought I would use a motorcycle to go grocery shopping (I still get funny looks when I have my helmet in the cart). I never thought I would EVER go pleasure riding in the rain. I never thought I would load up a tent and live off my bike for a long weekend. In the rain. All I can do is look forward to the next ride.
I'm trying to get my kids more involved in it but I can't take away from their priorities. My wife puts up with it and supports my hobby (she bought me my first street bike, a Yamaha Seca II), but I wish she would get more into it so we could enjoy it together.
This is a great group and I want to get more involved - hopefully I'll be turning up at more meetings, but I'm usually pretty quiet.