• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

When should we stop riding? -- perspectives of an older rider

I will keep riding legally till they take my licence away ... then I will just ride dirty till I die ....
 
mrmarklin said:
I'm 65 this year and don't figure to give up riding in the foreseeable future.

For the rest of you with doubts, Harley makes trikes!:rolleyes
Click to expand...


When I bought my H-D RoadKing, I was anticipating the day when I would finally be too old and decrepit to keep a m/c up on 2 wheels. At that point, I'd put a sidecar on the Harley...... and keep riding.:ride

BTW, the RoadKing comes sidecar ready right from the factory. Even the engine oil dipstick has markings for when the bike is leaned over on it's kick stand or when it's straight up and down (as when it's attached to a sidecar).

For those of you who have actually ridden/driven a sidecar rig, you know that you can still get your m/c thrills.....but at a much lower speed. Cornering on a side hack will get your attention and make your eyeballs pop out of their sockets. Go ahead, ask me how I know this.....:laughing
 
Malcolm Forbes rode into his seventies. Don't sell yourself short.

I am now 42, and have been riding long enough to lose more than a handful of friends to motorcycle accidents. Each time I reevaluate my riding style and the risks I am taking. I no longer ride like the scooter trash in "Mad Max", but I don't ride like a tenuous newbie. I've had the pleasure of riding everything from race replica sportbikes to cruisers to classics and dual sports.

As I impied, my riding has changed from all around rickey racer to backroad rickey racer to backroad tourist as time has gone by. I dabbled in racing when I was younger, and had a trackday bike until recently. Now I focus more on destination trackdays, renting a bike from the provider while my family enjoys local attactions for the day. Sure I don't put my bike and body on the line at the track like I used to, but I still get a kick out of it, and I try do it enough to keep the skills sharp. But I go through my trackday prep workbook before each date, partially as a reality check to remind myself how long it's been. My backroad bike is a classic bike I bought from my Dad, so when riding it I have the "don't dump dad's bike" mindset, even though I pay all the bills :toothless

I absolutely love riding. I am unhappy when I go too long without riding something. Motos, bicycles, my wife, whatever. But I understand about the entropy of the human body and its systems. It's part of the deal of being human. I tell myself that I will listen to not only myself, but the the judgment of my loved ones regarding riding and when it might be time to quit. But I'll fight it to the end. I'll get one of those three wheeled Piaggio scooters, if I have to.
 
I guess I am the odd man out, as I do not know any who have died on a moto, but then I do not know that many that ride.
but as for health reasons mine has improved due to getting back on a bike, as it relives stress, and got my bp down. (like 60+ points high). so now my bp is back under 130/75.

so I say ride long and live long,

but yes 30 years back I was a hairs breath from being six feet under, got the leg and scars to show for it.

.
 
When should we stop riding? -- perspectives of an older rider

When the coffin lid closes
 
Well, i'm very young so take my words for however you may but I've wondered the same question since my recent accident. I read some statistic that the average rider rides for 3 years. I suppose this takes into account both edge cases, those that try it and realize it's not for them.. and also the life long riders like yourself and some others here.

At some point, a rider may wonder if it's time to park it for good and I believe this choice is very personal as riding itself is a very personal experience. Some may hang it up at 30 and some at 80. I don't think anyone on this board can make that decision for you, but what I do know with certainty at my young age is that no matter where you fall in between, a rider will always be a rider, and those that arent, arent
 
You old guys need to take up knitting and TV. Leave the riding to us young guys.
 
When You should Stop Riding

Hey Old Ape Man,

You have already out lived many of the Cocky, A-Hole, Young Riders that think they are Hot Shit :laughing

Good For You, Good on You Mate !

So

Get your Self one of those Three Wheel Motorcycles that are available and keep Riding until, well , just keep riding !

:ride
 
When to stop Riding

BTW

Harley and Honda are not the only 3 Wheeler's, on the market.

Look at The Can Am Spyder, and look up the Aptera ( if you have allot of $ ) made in Southern California, there are a couple of others as well.

Keep Riding :ride
 
As most have said in general, age doesn't matter. I would just add that sometimes WHERE (location) you ride can sometimes depict HOW you ride. Most folks on here are in the bay area, so that means the riding style may be a bit more aggressive, tedious, and requires a bit more concentration just because of a more traffic laden environment. Plus the "near miss" situations could be a bit higher as well. Up here in Sacto it's a lot more relaxed, even during the heaviest traffic. Plus the backroads & twisties are almost literally in our backyard so it doesn't much effort riding wise to get away from traffic. Case in point, could it be that perhaps you're not too old to but perhaps simply need a more relaxed area to ride?
 
Many good points here. I finally realized I'm an old dude but resist it as long as I can keep moving. One poster mentioned the people he has known who have been killed riding motorcycles, I share that and that is indeed the depressing side of this "sport". I almost bit the farm in 05 and came very close to six feet under, but the doctors said I probably wouldn't have made it if I wasn't in as good as shape as I was in at that time. I've lifted weights off and on for years and it was during that period I was working out pretty heavy. However, since then I'm probably in the worst shape. It took me four years before I could swing my leg over a bike again and ride, three of those years was taken up with physical therapy and operations. With the combination of a permanent injury and age, I decided to finally get a cruising bike and I did, a Road King. I still have a Ducati in the garage, but the point is a combination of things catch up to you besides the mental things that cause you to hang up your keys. I know many that have and there are many reasons for it, a primary reason is wanting to stay alive. Yeah, I hear and read all the talk about never getting off the bike, but just like dying, it will happen some day and hopefully not in a fatal accident. So I try to enjoy it as much as I can and in my case it will likely happen when its no longer safe to continue. What I mean is can I physically handle the bike anymore or my reactions are too slow to be safe. If the fun factor fades then thats another reason to quit. I am a little bored with the same tracks around here, meaning the same roads. That is one of the reasons why I bought the Harley, so I can take some decent road trips, explore that part of motorcycling.
 
Here's a story....
I learned how to ride when I was 45 (2000). I've had a motomonogomous :teeth relationship with a Sportster for 11 years. In 2005, my 83 year old dad in Seattle was so envious of my riding (he drooled at Indians way back when he was a youngster) that he decided to take a mc class to re-learn how to ride. Unfortunately he couldn't fit on any of the bikes in the class (overweight) and they sent him home with the name of an instructor. He ended up driving by a local dealership and seeing a beautiful used Honda 1500 in the window, went in and purchased the bike. Drove it home (he had SOME experience). When he finally realized that what he was attempting to do might be a little more than he could handle, he took the bike back to the dealer. On the way, he dropped it in the middle of an intersection. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of damage to either him or the bike, just to his pride. The end.... :)
 
OP here.

I am always surprised and pleased that this old thread gets resurrected from time-to-time. I am still riding regularly (now aged 63), both on one of my KZ750s, plus I bought a new (to me) Kawasaki Concours ZG1000 sport touring bike about six months ago, and hope to use it for something more long distance than my commute from Berkeley into SF. My 27 year old son (who rides one of my KZ750s) and I hope to get in a decent camping trip before he heads off to the Army.

I am have found that I am a better rider with each passing year. Not faster, but better. I am hyper aware of my surroundings, can always maneuver the bike the way I want it to move, and have found a way to be both calm and alert, even during commute traffic across the Bay Bridge. I avoid unreasonably risky situations, and ride "big" (assertive and in control).

I now have no plans to stop riding anytime in the near future, and intend to continue to ride so long as my health and eyesight remain good.

One of these days I might drag myself out to a BARF event, or a group ride.

Keep posting.
 
EastBayDave said:
Yep, look who's talking eh' ? :teeth
Click to expand...

eh... just call me Grandpa...

gallery_3131_51_32171.jpg
 
oldapeman said:
OP here.

I am always surprised and pleased that this old thread gets resurrected from time-to-time. I am still riding regularly (now aged 63), both on one of my KZ750s, plus I bought a new (to me) Kawasaki Concours ZG1000 sport touring bike about six months ago, and hope to use it for something more long distance than my commute from Berkeley into SF. My 27 year old son (who rides one of my KZ750s) and I hope to get in a decent camping trip before he heads off to the Army.

I am have found that I am a better rider with each passing year. Not faster, but better. I am hyper aware of my surroundings, can always maneuver the bike the way I want it to move, and have found a way to be both calm and alert, even during commute traffic across the Bay Bridge. I avoid unreasonably risky situations, and ride "big" (assertive and in control).

I now have no plans to stop riding anytime in the near future, and intend to continue to ride so long as my health and eyesight remain good.

One of these days I might drag myself out to a BARF event, or a group ride.

Keep posting.
Click to expand...

I was surprised to see this pop back to the top. Can't keep a good thread down, I guess.

I think I added my own comments to this thread at least once or twice during its past lives.

At risk of repeating myself, I'll comment again:

I'm 62 yrs old now, and don't have a plan to quit riding any time soon.
I'm still a safer rider, and a far better rider in every other way than I was at 25 or 30. This is simply because there was no formal training available to most riders back then, and unless we had a skilled mentor, we learned it all on our own.
Surviving 40+ years on two wheels is still one of the most effective schools there is.

Like the OP, I consider motorcycle riding to be an effective way to keep the mind sharp, and regular excersize keeps the body in condition to benefit from the mental sharpness. If my reflexes are slower now than they were 30 years ago, the difference is inconsequential because of all the other factors that make me a better rider now than I was 30 years ago.
 
Riding on the street? When you have kids. Once there grown up, start again.

Track? Til you run out of money.:teeth

R1-Limited said:
When should you stop riding?

If your asking yourself the question then you have a few reasons to answer for yourself.

Everyone has asked themselves or others that same question. For me, I always felt that if I am not enjoying it anymore or to the point that my entire conscious thought while riding is not on riding but in a different world while riding it is time to hang it up.

I will stop when I am no longer able to pull a leg over a two wheel bike, then its time for a 3 wheel. My goal is 93 on my 93rd birthday and that is for a few reasons. The year will be 2050, the month will be March the # 3 the Date will be 29th I have no idea what the numbers mean but I figure it was cool just putting them down :)
Click to expand...
 
I look at it this way: the older I get the statistical probability goes up - it's not rocket science. Any of us that know about prostates can vapor lock from this point forward without warning and it all ends. In my case riding is about freedom. The base components of safety, fate, and skill are all there but the visceral feeling of following my indulgence does my soul good. So I would toss that out there are a stop riding consideration - if you get to the point of not appreciating living instead of just being alive.
 
51 years old, started riding dirt when I was 9 and started on the street at 15 and a half (honest, officer!). I have found that where the reflexes used to save me when I found myself in a bad situation (most of the time, I had several bad incidents when I was younger), now the knowledge gained from having ridden and survived this long allow me to avoid those situations instead of finding myself in them.

My stepdad will be 75 this year, he still rides his Goldwing. There was an article on the web a couple days ago that said riders have more mental acuity than non-riders in general. it also stated that after a ride the difference is more pronounced, as well as the fact that the difference is measurably greater the older the rider gets.

I think at some point I might decide to stop, but I can't see that point anywhere on the horizon yet. :teeth
 
I apologize if this has been posted in the past but I'd never seen it before until reading about it in this month's issue of Motorcyclist. It made my morning!

​
mod edit by DataDan: embedded the video
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GAJ said:
image003.gif


http://www.qualityplanning.com/qpc_resources_public/news/030929-Older drivers.htm
Click to expand...

That is a very interesting graph. The "jump" in the # of accidents at the upper age categories (71-80; and 81 and up) is not surprising, but because of the large age span within the categories of ten years, the final number is not particularly useful. I would like to see the age categories narrowed to see the a more fine-turned analysis.

Perhaps someone here has the statistical cred to be able to determine if it is fair to interpolate within these numbers to peg what we might see in the years 71, 72, 73, etc. Also, the lower age categories seem broad as well, since it is my perception that our driving skills at age 22 are much different than at age 29 (when I believe we on average tend to drive more carefully).

What is clear is that as drivers age they never become as bad as they were when first driving (ages 16-20), and that somewhere around our mid 70's we are about the same as we were in our late 20's or 30. [I think.] Or maybe I am trying to read too much into this.

From looking at my own family members I perceive a much different level of driver confidence at age 70 than at age 80 or above. With almost everyone I know, drivers over 82 or so scare the crap out of me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top