Getting fretful in my old age...

[ljjohns]

I've had a great run, especially after finally getting a K11 in 2002 and doing some serious touring, as well as honing my skills in I-5 traffic from Fort Lawton/Discovery Park to Marysville in rush-hour traffic throughout the year. But that was then and this is now: for freakish reasons, I've been encountering a series of non-life-threatening medical issues that have kept my off the bike for the last eight months; they've also limited my physical conditioning. And I'm about to turn 68.   I still "feel good" once I've got the bike moving on my home turf but both the K11 and the K12 are a little harder to move around, and I'm wondering if the "feel good" is illusory, if only because the aches and pains and stuff seem to be more distracting once I'm up and rolling.

And then I read this:  http://news.yahoo.com/more-60-somethings-being-hurt-motorcycle-crashes-125614558.html

I'm again flat on my back because of minor but unmentionable surgery for a fistula; I haven't even been able to be on my feet long enough to walk over to my buddy's house where we're still refurbishing one of the K11's.  And so I'm just thinking through what might be the future and the wisest choices in that future.

No responses are necessary; I just wanted to put my concerns into words--for us retired English professors, that seems to be helpful.

Larry Johnson
El Paso TX
91 K75RT
93 K11LT
95 K11LT
03 K12LT

[Chaos]

I'll be 60 in 2 months, no significant health issues but I'm noticing some degradation here and there.  No doubt I'd heal slower and accordingly take fewer risks.  I read an article recently about empty nest boomers getting their first bike or resuming riding after a 30 year absence, and their accident rate was skewing the statistics so that old farts were the fastest growing motorcycle injury/fatality segment.

Hopefully old timers with experience are at less risk than newbie old timers  on their shiny $25k lektra glide.  :yow  That said, I'm having a ball riding year round with my new Ural sidecar rig, while the brick and the VW sit forlornly  wondering what happened to me.   Takes a whole different skill set and riding is at a leisurely pace, but it's renewed my enthusiasm for taking the long way home. 

[JERRY]

I am in my 60`s and been riding for over 40 years. I have heard more than one person state that they are too old to ride or that I should consider getting rid of my bikes. With all the distractions that drivers have in their cars (cell phones, screaming kids ect) I sometimes do not feel safe in my truck. I feel more aware when I ride and try to focus on the other guy. I ride with the attitude that everyone else on the road is out to kill me and it seems to make me that much more alert. I love to ride and will continue to ride as long as I am comfortable with my ability. I know that there will come a day when I won`t be able to pull it up on the center stand, but until that day I`ll see you out on the road. Jerry

[frankenduck]

I ride with the attitude that everyone else on the road is out to kill me.

This is a BS attitude.  Because if they WERE trying to kill you most of them are such bad drivers that they'd probably miss you. :hehehe

[Chaos]

I ride with the attitude that everyone else on the road is out to kill me.

This is a BS attitude.  Because if they WERE trying to kill you most of them are such bad drivers that they'd probably miss you. :hehehe

I'm always amazed at all the opportunities cagers have to take me out and they don't!

[JERRY]

I think a lot of being a survivor is the people you ride with. Riding in large groups in "organized" rides is something I don`t do anymore. Anyone can buy a motorcycle, but not everyone can ride one. I now ride mostly alone or with friends that I have ridden with for years. I was on a Rolling Thunder ride a few years back and saw a rider in the group of 75 bikes talking on his cell phone. Total disreguard for the group. Now don`t get me wrong, I have done stupid stuff and I have the scars to prove it. But I like to think I learned from my mistakes. Now I try to steer clear of others while they learn their life lessons. I know I have many more lessons to learn, but I would just as soon learn them by myself, (its less embarrassing) than take out another rider. If a mistake that I make takes out another, I`ll give it up, but when you ride alone, it`s less likely to happen. Jerry

[Lawrence]

Point well taken, Jerry.  We love to point to distracted cagers (and there are many to cite) but riding in a group of other motorcyclists poses significant risks, too.  I recall a huge group ride years ago.  One hot-shot decided to zip past a long line of other riders and side-swiped one, who subsequently lost his left leg.

[Qdude]

Crap... Buzz-kill...

I play the "every car is trying to kill me" game too.
The "arms of the angel" will kill you. (cross-traffic)
No car gets within five car lengths or two lanes without you seeing him first.
Aim for the empty.
Avoid lingering in blind spots.
Plan for problem spots like intersections freeway off ramps and the like where people might do something sudden...

F*** dying on these things, I'm going to be a survivor.

[detbmw]

Riding in large groups in "organized" rides is something I don`t do anymore.

I go on group rides with the guys around here, mostly Beemers, with a few other bikes thrown in (no loud pipes). Our group rides have plenty of room between bikes (ahead and behind) and we would NEVER even consider riding side-by-side. All it would take is one animal to dart into the road to take out a group of closely-packed riders. We aren't Rolling Thunder, we are more like Rolling Whispers.

[Lone Amigo]

Well, I'm 68 and have similar health issues. I ride the original K100 with a National Cycle Deflector screen.

It doesn't get any lighter than this set-up. Lighter weight helps a lot. My son-in-law has my K1200LTC because I am pretty sure that the extra 300 some lbs is too much for stoplights and parking lots.

Riding can get me physically tired. (I have been riding since 1954), but in the long run, riding makes me feel better.

Hang in there. El Paso isn't that far. I used to live near the WalMart on Mesa. Maybe we can meet for tacos. When I lived in El Paso, Rosa's Cantina was still there.

I too have been a teacher. I sub when they call me.

Hang in there.

[TaosBrick]

I ride with the attitude that everyone else on the road is out to kill me

For my part, I simply ride as if I am invisible; that cagers are utterly oblivious of my presence. But I use my turn signals anyway  :dunno.