08-03-2018, 07:52 AM
Around here there are two distinct groups of riders that I worry about whenever I see them, saw one today from the first group and thought she was going to crash for sure.
That first group being the "empty nest riders" where now that kids are gone the wife decides to take up riding and join the hubby on his motorcycle adventures. Unfortunately most don't rack up the requisite miles to be proficient before setting off x country on her new BMW. The one I saw today was from Québec and I have no idea how she made it this far. No offense meant to women riders in general who as a whole are quite safe.
The second is the most dangerous (I can think of several recent examples just in my small town of 1100), the "bucket list riders". These are the guys and gals who for whatever reason waited until much later in life to take up riding, they also tend to let their ego get in the way when selecting their first bike (a 500 is for teenagers!). You will never convince me that 60 is a good time to learn how to ride - eyesight, reflexes, muscle tone/strength are all in decline. Those of us who grew up riding can to a certain extant mitigate those declines with experience and muscle memory but even we can identify we aren't the riders we once were. If we can see this in ourselves what does that mean for those who don't have those skills?
I suppose my views may not be popular amongst many here but I call them like I see them and believe that "political correctness" is a form of communism.
That first group being the "empty nest riders" where now that kids are gone the wife decides to take up riding and join the hubby on his motorcycle adventures. Unfortunately most don't rack up the requisite miles to be proficient before setting off x country on her new BMW. The one I saw today was from Québec and I have no idea how she made it this far. No offense meant to women riders in general who as a whole are quite safe.
The second is the most dangerous (I can think of several recent examples just in my small town of 1100), the "bucket list riders". These are the guys and gals who for whatever reason waited until much later in life to take up riding, they also tend to let their ego get in the way when selecting their first bike (a 500 is for teenagers!). You will never convince me that 60 is a good time to learn how to ride - eyesight, reflexes, muscle tone/strength are all in decline. Those of us who grew up riding can to a certain extant mitigate those declines with experience and muscle memory but even we can identify we aren't the riders we once were. If we can see this in ourselves what does that mean for those who don't have those skills?
I suppose my views may not be popular amongst many here but I call them like I see them and believe that "political correctness" is a form of communism.