Ever worry about a stranger after seeing them on a motorcycle?

[Banned_imp]

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.

 

[the Ferret]

You are right about those over 60 losing skills, reflexes, eyesight, hearing, timing, strength etc, ... It's all part of the aging process. At 68, I have certainly noticed it in myself, and realize my skills are not what they were 20 years ago. I ride almost every day, all year round, which helps keep my skills as sharp as they can be for my age, and I certainly ride "less risky" than I did in my 40's. With regards to bucket list riders, I can't imagine someone taking up motorcycling in their 60's. It may have been a life long dream, but nature has put such a handicap on you, it's a really risky proposition.

 

[Guth_imp]

Quite honestly, I think a number of skills begin to decline before the age of 60. However I also feel that the wisdom and intuition gained over the course of many years of riding continue to grow long past that age and help to compensate for such losses to a large degree. But at the point when the physical decline gets bad enough, or when both sides of this equation begin to decline to some degreee then it's probably time to start having some tough internal conversation that most do not look forward to.

 

[riggies_imp]

Quite honestly, I think a number of skills begin to decline before the age of 60. However I also feel that the wisdom and intuition gained over the course of many years of riding continue to grow long past that age and help to compensate for such losses to a large degree. But at the point when the physical decline gets bad enough, or when both sides of this equation begin to decline to some degreee then it's probably time to start having some tough internal conversation that most do not look forward to.

It seems to me the answer to that question around my parts seems to be “buy a trike.”

I hope I never have to buy a trike.

 

[postoak_imp]

Hey! I was a bucket list rider (took it up at 65) and its worked out fine (so far, knock on wood), perhaps partially because at 6'1" and 195 pounds even at my age I have some strength. Just don't ride at your limits and use the wisdom you have gained with years and you should be okay.

 

[misterprofessionality]

Quite honestly, I think a number of skills begin to decline before the age of 60. However I also feel that the wisdom and intuition gained over the course of many years of riding continue to grow long past that age and help to compensate for such losses to a large degree. But at the point when the physical decline gets bad enough, or when both sides of this equation begin to decline to some degreee then it's probably time to start having some tough internal conversation that most do not look forward to.

It seems to me the answer to that question around my parts seems to be “buy a trike.”

I hope I never have to buy a trike.

me either, i'll just buy bikes with fatter and fatter rear tires

 

[use2b_imp]

I will never own a Trike . Our Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Leonard B. Keller of Pensacola died on a Goldwing Trike in a curve.
those things do not turn like a motorcycle.
instead I plan on building a water cooled mobility scooter with a small to mid size engine

 

[jdinaz_imp]

They say we start losing our sense of balance in our mid forties, I'm 20 years past that and it is what I notice the most. Being aware of it and taking measures to compensate help, but it's not what it used to be.

 

[Django]

This problem of awkward riders might be prone to the USA.

Here in Germany we have to do hard lessons (theoretical and practical) to get a driving licence for Motorcycle. Altogether that would cost you approx 1,300 Euro.

Then, the first 2 years the newcomers are restricted to ride not more than 48 hp, to build up experience. To get the unlimited licence after those 2 years, you had to do an additional practical test.

Well, kinda pricey, but at the other hand there is more safe traffic .

That said, loosing abilities when aging is another true story.

 

[the Ferret]

Hey! I was a bucket list rider (took it up at 65) and its worked out fine (so far, knock on wood), perhaps partially because at 6'1" and 195 pounds even at my age I have some strength. Just don't ride at your limits and use the wisdom you have gained with years and you should be okay.

Poastoak, it can and does obviously work out for some people... like yourself., and I wish you continued good health, and many years of riding. Not everyone is so lucky and I know riders younger than us (I'm 68) that should not be riding at all due to a deterioration of skills..maybe shouldn't even be driving a car lol. I'm sure you know some like that. The accident rates among older motorcyclists is skyrocketing mainly due to men coming back to riding after an long absence and buying too large and too powerful motorcycles. At least that is what I have read.

Then there are guys like forum member Rocky, who at 81 or 82 are still in good health, still active and in command of their mental and physical facilities and still riding. I can't see me living to 81 much less riding then. No one in my family has ever made it to 80. I'm shooting for 70. If I make that, if I'm still doing well, I will raise the bar a couple of years. If my skills deteriorate too much, I pray I have the strength to park the bike.

It's funny my wife and I were out for a ride last weekend and coming towards us were 5 older gray haired riders, no helmets, all on Harley's and she and I both wondered if they were long time riders or bucket list riders.

 

[emptysea]

I worry that some of these guys dreamed of riding a motorcycle before they died, but not immediately before.

 

[Banned_imp]

Hey! I was a bucket list rider (took it up at 65) and its worked out fine (so far, knock on wood), perhaps partially because at 6'1" and 195 pounds even at my age I have some strength. Just don't ride at your limits and use the wisdom you have gained with years and you should be okay.

Poastoak, it can and does obviously work out for some people... like yourself., and I wish you continued good health, and many years of riding. Not everyone is so lucky and I know riders younger than us (I'm 68) that should not be riding at all due to a deterioration of skills..maybe shouldn't even be driving a car lol. I'm sure you know some like that. The accident rates among older motorcyclists is skyrocketing mainly due to men coming back to riding after an long absence and buying too large and too powerful motorcycles. At least that is what I have read.

Then there are guys like forum member Rocky, who at 81 or 82 are still in good health, still active and in command of their mental and physical facilities and still riding. I can't see me living to 81 much less riding then. No one in my family has ever made it to 80. I'm shooting for 70. If I make that, if I'm still doing well, I will raise the bar a couple of years. If my skills deteriorate too much, I pray I have the strength to park the bike.

It's funny my wife and I were out for a ride last weekend and coming towards us were 5 older gray haired riders, no helmets, all on Harley's and she and I both wondered if they were long time riders or bucket list riders.

Poastoak, it can and does obviously work out for some people... like yourself., and I wish you continued good health, and many years of riding. Not everyone is so lucky and I know riders younger than us (I'm 68) that should not be riding at all due to a deterioration of skills..maybe shouldn't even be driving a car lol. I'm sure you know some like that. The accident rates among older motorcyclists is skyrocketing mainly due to men coming back to riding after an long absence and buying too large and too powerful motorcycles. At least that is what I have read.

Then there are guys like forum member Rocky, who at 81 or 82 are still in good health, still active and in command of their mental and physical facilities and still riding. I can't see me living to 81 much less riding then. No one in my family has ever made it to 80. I'm shooting for 70. If I make that, if I'm still doing well, I will raise the bar a couple of years. If my skills deteriorate too much, I pray I have the strength to park the bike.

It's funny my wife and I were out for a ride last weekend and coming towards us were 5 older gray haired riders, no helmets, all on Harley's and she and I both wondered if they were long time riders or bucket list riders.
Yes, there will always be outliers but anecdotal evidence doesn't subvert hard data which as Ferret says shows older riders are making up a larger percentage of accident stats - which is a relatively new phenomenon.

As a young inexperienced rider, superior reflexes, eyesight and strength can make up for that lack of experience and get you out of some bad situations. Conversely, as an older experienced rider you draw on that experience to make up for your deteriorating reactions/skills. If you have neither you are really starting off with a handicap already built in.

Recent example here, local teacher decided to get her motorcycle license at 50 and join her husband and 9 year old daughter on a family trip to the Grand Canyon. On her first ride after the safety course she missed a turn (very easy turn, unknown why she missed it) a mile from home and hit a rock. She lived just long enough for her daughter to watch her die.

At this point I'm hoping to make to 50 riding but take it one day at a time. I no longer take my wife on my bike as the extra is weight is too much. I definitely wouldn't buy a trike but I have ridden a Spyder and it is good option for those that can't stay on 2 wheels anymore but I'm already prepared for that with my sidecar.

 

[Offroad]

The main thing I think about trikes as I pick my track around holes, tar snakes, gravel etc....With 2 wheels, one track it's fairly easy to avoid most road hazards, but with a trike....you are almost guaranteed to hit that bad spot in the road.

 

[misterprofessionality]

speaking on bucket-listers, I can't believe how appropriate this conversation was to what I saw just today: On my way back from the grocery store with my wife, i was sitting in the passenger side of her car as we sat in the left turn lane waiting for our chance to turn into our neighborhood. Along comes an older gentleman in the opposite direction, grey hair (guess how i could tell? no helmet), heavy build, riding a large classic-style harley touring bike. it had the full outfit, leather bags, floorboards, front and rear crash bars, huge windshield, all that. as he approached the right turn into our neighborhood, i pointed to him and said to my wife, " that's a bucket-lister right there."

She responds "what do you mean?" as i started to explain precisely what the term means, this guy starts to make his right turn. i could see he was a little unsteady from the moment he started his turn, then his floorboard scraped, he lost control and suffered a very low speed lowside right there in the intersection. I couldn't believe it. pulling over to check on him, he wasn't hurt really but looked extremely flustered and upset. he just kept saying "i dunno what happened...i dunno what happened..." I helped him pick up the bike and walk it off the road. he made a phone call ( i think to his son) and we had a short conversation while he waited. turns out I had pegged him exactly right. he had never really ridden before and this was his first bike, a bike that i now had first hand experience was extremely heavy. He insisted he was fine so my wife and i continued home. afterwards i went back out (actually to put some gas in my own bike) and rode by the spot again to see him and a younger man loading the harley into a trailer.

That's a guy I worry about.

 

[tommymck]

It sort of surprises me really. Most of the "older folks" around these parts that I come across are actually very technical in their riding....at least the ones I know. And although it's counter intuitive, people around here just seem to get more risk averse in their riding as they age (counter intuitive to me at least because younger people have more to lose.) I'm also a pilot (for fun, not work) and I'd fly all sorts of single-pilot hard IFR in my 20s that I wouldn't dream of doing now.... This in spite of how much easier it is today with technology, and in spite of the fact that I'm way more competent today with knowledge of weather and how to take advantage of the air traffic control system than I was then. It's not that I couldn't do it just as safe today...just that my risk tolerance has gone down.

Having said that, I see no reason why a fit 60-something couldn't safely take up riding. It's not like you need ninja like reflexes to keep a bike upright.

The ones I worry about? Young lane splitters that I see on the roads in SoCal. Get on the 405 between LAX and the Valley any day in rush hour and you'll encounter a couple of dozen young dudes riding between lanes upwards of 40 miles per hour between cars going about 5. And the cars are constantly deciding to try to move lanes whenever they feel like the adjacent lane is moving better. The older guys seem to be much slower, deliberate and safer about it. I've been doing some riding in the LA area recently, and since it's legal, I figured I'd give it a go on my little SR400 that I keep there. If there ever was a perfect lane splitter, that's the bike. Scared the bejeebees out of me. There is just too much unpredictability in terms of when cars decide to move lanes without signaling.

 

[misterprofessionality]

too true, that's another group that I worry about also. these guys *Think* they're experienced. they *think* they know what they're doing. I gave up lane splitting and even filtering after the third time somebody pulled in between the lanes to try to deliberately wreck me, because they thought it wasn't fair for me to not have to wait in traffic with everybody else. other drivers and dumb, crazy, and inattentive, but most importantly of all, remember that people in cars are *sadistic* too. the guys i see lane splitting, i think, are just one bad day away from learning a real hard lesson.

 

[the Ferret]

This is a big country with a lot of different circumstances. It would be much easier to be a bucket lister/inexperienced rider where I live in New Richmond, Ohio than it would to be a bucket lister/inexperienced rider in LA/so cal or New York or Atlanta or DC or Chicago or Saint Louis or Miami areas. Heck it's hard to be an EXPERIENCED rider in those areas lol

 

[MinneapolisCB_imp]

On my way home from work, a Harley was in front of me. Neither the rider, nor his passenger wore any protective gear other than sunglasses. The passenger had a long, perfectly braided blonde ponytail swinging in the breeze. At a stoplight she pointed left and I could see that she had matched her lipstick, fingernail polish, and hair tie with her bandana. She was smiling broadly, rather than gritting her teeth like an experienced passenger. She was so striking, I suddenly looked around for cameras, to see if I had somehow inadvertently gotten myself into a Harley commercial!

I worry that bugs, rocks, blown tires, or other random debris will scar up that beautiful face.


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[the Ferret]

On my way home from work, a Harley was in front of me. Neither the rider, nor his passenger wore any protective gear other than sunglasses. The passenger had a long, perfectly braided blonde ponytail swinging in the breeze. At a stoplight she pointed left and I could see that she had matched her lipstick, fingernail polish, and hair tie with her bandana. She was smiling broadly, rather than gritting her teeth like an experienced passenger. She was so striking, I suddenly looked around for cameras, to see if I had somehow inadvertently gotten myself into a Harley commercial!

I worry that bugs, rocks, blown tires, or other random debris will scar up that beautiful face.


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Another of the freedoms we are afforded in this country.

 

[MinneapolisCB_imp]

On my way home from work, a Harley was in front of me. Neither the rider, nor his passenger wore any protective gear other than sunglasses. The passenger had a long, perfectly braided blonde ponytail swinging in the breeze. At a stoplight she pointed left and I could see that she had matched her lipstick, fingernail polish, and hair tie with her bandana. She was smiling broadly, rather than gritting her teeth like an experienced passenger. She was so striking, I suddenly looked around for cameras, to see if I had somehow inadvertently gotten myself into a Harley commercial!

I worry that bugs, rocks, blown tires, or other random debris will scar up that beautiful face.


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Another of the freedoms we are afforded in this country.

I completely agree. I also have the freedom to worry about her.

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