Riding Has Changed.....

[Bigboi]

...so here I am at 50 years old. I have been riding and owned at least one motorcycle since the age of 9. In the past few months, something has changed in my riding habits. I am suddenly more cautious. I dont lean, accelerate or brake as aggressive as I always have. I have had no near-misses, I have not been down or had a close friend have an incident. I still love to ride and do it whenever I can. But what the hell is up with this?

Although I welcome a good smart-ass answer, I also am seeking opinions and am wondering if this has happened to any of you.

 

[Vulcan]

Little older and a little wiser perhaps?

 

[Randy]

It doesn't matter how fast you go, how hard you brake, how far you lean, or how wide your chicken strips are, the important thing is that you are enjoying the ride and staying in your comfort zone. Many aren't as level headed as you and try to overpower the 'funk' that gets cast on us every once in a while. We read about them every day. I've been in these funks before and I just let them run their course. They usually go away. If they don't, that's fine, I'll still be enjoying the ride.

 

[CCR]

I can relate. I'm in my late 40s and I don't have the desire to haul ass and get crazy like I used to. I am much more relaxed about my riding and don't seem to mind going at bit more relaxed pace. Still faster than my HD riding buddies but my younger friends on crotch rockets still like to go a bit faster than me. That's OK with me. :agent:

 

[radman]

You have, like me at 53, finally realized you are not bulletproof. This is why armies recruit teenagers. A force of 10,000 middle aged men would sit down, have a cuppa joe and a smoke, and read the paper.

 

[isisonaride]

I am also of the opinion that I am no longer invincible. At 53, I have decided I want to enjoy my riding and the scenery (vs it flying by so fast I cant see it). The safer I ride, the more likely I will ride longer.

 

[panthercity]

Most of the guys I ride with know that I roadraced for almost 30 years. Occasionally a new guy will ask why I don't ride "faster/harder/better" when we're down in the Hill Country.

My answer, "I have been to the top of the mountain and there are no trophy girls."

If, at 57, I want an adrenaline rush, I just think about stayin' with my ex for the rest of my life...

 

[snowmonkey]

At 53, I no longer ride my motorcycle. Now I just aim it.

 

[yanktar]

I turned 50 a week and a half ago. I'm 15 months out of a get-off and 9 months out of physical therapy. Here's how I see it:

1) You realize falling really hurts!

2) You can imagine yourself falling and getting hurt

3) You heal slower, a lot slower

4) Your reflexes are slower

5) You finally actually believe it when someone says "Nobody lives forever" and you realize that dying is a reality--even as you hope to postpone it.

6) People in your parents' generation are dying off fairly regularly--not many survive their 80's.

7) People in YOUR generation are dying off from causes OTHER than motorcycle crashes, military service, or overuse of "recreational" drugs.

 

[paint]

I am 62 (!) and ride a bit more aggressively than most.

Some days,I don't ride as hard as others. That's just "wisdom".

Do a track day on your touring bike-FJR,I suppose. You will gain confidence and awareness of the limits of the bike and discover that the limiting factor is you,not the bike.

Anyway,it's all for fun,isn't it?

 

[teerex51]

I can't say that I drive slower now at 54 than I did 30 years ago.

In fact, thanks to the FJR and my previous bike (K1200RS) I may even be riding faster than then.

I know , however, I'm now a lot more aware of what I do and what goes on around me.

While I am probably faster than I was at 24, I ride safer these days.

Speed, per se, does not mean much. Relative speed does.

The same goes for lean angles.

Stef

 

[Overfly]

As I am at the doorway to that club, I have noticed my mind seems to be compiling things like: my body's capabilities/abilities, risk level vs. cost of mistake, alternative reason for what I'm doing (view vs. rush), lack of need to find the "edge", as the edge is not as big a payoff as it used to be.

On the other hand I find I am discovering the ride more. Looking around a little more, taking pride in doing any particular task better and basically expanding on the things I get out of a ride.

Don't get me wrong, I still push myself, I still love going fast . I just don't go for the speed/risk alone anymore, I need more overall satisfaction and that requirement slows me down a bit to gather in the other overall ride elements. Some call it wisdom, some may even say it is maturing :blink: , I like to think it is just an expansion of what I enjoy doing. Not a bad thing, just an evolution of things. I also agree with an earlier statement about occaisionally getting into a "funk" and letting it run it's course. I consider these funks to be our minds making those little adjustments. B)

 

[Just Plain Dave]

I got my FJR at 65. I don't ride any different today than I did when I was 25. I was a chicken then and I'm a chicken now. The only difference is most of my feathers have migrated from the top of my head to my ears, nose, and back and have become silver-gray in color. :haha:

I would be perfectly happy if the speed limit was still 55mph, I just enjoy riding. My FJR hasn't yet seen triple digits. However on a clear road it will go from zero to 80 in one hell of a hurry and that's a real rush for us dudes on medicare.

 

[deagle]

I'm 38. I drive conservative most of the time. Wrecks and speeding tickets do not = much fun in my book.

Not to say I don't twist the throttle now and then. I'm just choosy when and where.

 

[LetzRoll]

How's that for great, NON smart-ass answers?

The insight gleaned here can be priceless at times.

For all it's tempting ways, this bike can actually tame one's self. It's nice knowing you can go really fast-- if and when you want you, but it also putters with the best of them.

 

[brazos parker]

I'm 60. As a teen, I rode small Cushman scooters, Cushman Eagles, small Ducati's, etc. Then, took many years off from riding to pursue education & career. Three years and 4 months ago, I learned I was no longer bullet proof. After recovery, I took early retirement, bought a Yami YZF 600, to reacquaint myself w/ "modern" bikes, then upgraded to an FJR this past May.

I ride pretty conservatively using "It's the journey, not the destination." as a guide. But, I do enjoy the "thrill of the right wrist" occasionally...but am selective as to time and place...The FJR is a platform that allows you to do either (can you say "SPORT-TOURING") equally well.

I say ride this great bike the way YOU want to...not the way you think someone expects you to.

It's your bike and your life...ENJOY both!

 

[FastJoyRide]

That survey last week says we are right in the middle of the FJR owner demographic. I'm 54 and have been riding for 40 years. Like others who've responded I believe that I'm still as fast now as I ever was, but I ride a lot more intelligently and pick my spots much better...

Falling down, getting hurt, doing rehab, etc. are not on my to-do list. Those who still feel invulnerable at our age have already defied the gene pool selection process (for now), but they are not typical! :lol:

 

[Derek]

18 years ago at the age of 30 i was guiding for the summer at great bear lake. one day i woke up and would no longer stand on the seats or bow cap of my boat. i would move along the rocky shores much more carefully. i was aware of it but never gave it much thought. turns out i was having the preamble to a first multiple sclerosis attack.

sometimes our body tells our brains when we arn't at 100%. we are wise to accept the message even if we don't understand it. or maybe you're just growing up.

tommorro i ride to the sun, montana

dh

 

[gr8eyes]

Bigboi, I would consider myself fortunate to be aware of this now. Unfortunately for me I'm maturing a bit late. Last October I went down in AR. I feel blessed that I wasn't injured more than I was. I was dressed in all the right gear.

I didn't start riding till 99. I got a V-Star 650. That satisfied me for a year. Then bought a Road Star. That was good enough till the FJR came out. I order an 03 and loved it. I got cocky though and took a corner at 70, around a 30mph corner.

Because of my not being wise enough to back off I went down at 70. I don't know what actually caused me to go down tho I remember the back end slide out from under me at full lean. I woke up with my feet stuck up in a tree and under a barbed wire fence.

I was forced into retirement by my wife. She is just now beginning ot open up to the idea of me riding again. I've learned a hard lesson and will definitely be slowing down.

Glenn