Has Age and/or Maturity Tempered Your Riding Style?

[Lee]

I'll go first, since I started this thread.

I'd say that my age may have altered my style a little. I'm fully aware that a serious accident might be difficult or impossible to recover from, since I'm nearing 60 and I can clearly see that I don't heal as well as I used to.

On the other hand, I'm more experienced and in some ways more confident than I was ~35 years ago when I first began to ride. I also have much better equipment, both gear and motorcycles, than existed back then, so I occasionally have a "hair on fire" kind of ride. And, I am riding motorcycles that are much more powerful than the ones I rode in my youth.

My eyesight is now better due to surgery. When my adrenaline is up, my reflexes are still very quick.

I guess I still might be a danger to myself and others, just like I was 35 years ago.

But, honestly, I think I now take fewer risks even though I often ride 50%-100% faster than I used to.

Lee

[dapper]

Yeppers!
I have seen what some risk can do.

Experience helps, as Lee stated with knowing what to do versus freaking out. One serious surgery can change the outlook of life when you least expect it too.

[Polar X]

Well I would have to say it has. Course having a little one helped too. I ride Cruisers on the street, but I ride them like a crotch rocket. So I decided to get a track bike and get my speed out on the track instead of the street. But I still LOVE adrenaline sports but I now look at the managed risk and actually think thru what I am doing instead of reacting to what I WANT to do.

But I will drag the boards and pipes on the cruiser everyonce in awhile.

[Teflon]

don't give these guys any Viagra


me....age has nothing to do with my riding style, I started out on dirt bikes wayyy before I ever rode a street bike, and I have laid down plenty of dirtbikes, I hate to say this, and I will regret saying it, I have never laid down a street bike in 20+ years of riding street bikes, now I am afraid to step outside, there may be a BOLT of Lightning waiting for my ass...... kkkaaaa CRASHHH!!!

[Polar X]

There are those who have and those who will.
I wish the best of luck with maintaining that ZERO crash rate. I have been riding for 35 years and I have crashed many a bike, both on and off the road. But I can say with %100 conviction not a signal street wreck was my doing. All of them (3) were caused by someone else. I was in the wrong place every-time. fortunately only one of them resulted in a trip to the ER in the back of a noisy lite up box van..... :P

[Scruff Dog]

Having ridden motorcycles for about 40 years now, I am most impressed with the quantum leaps in technology over this period of time. And with each leap of technology, I seem to become a better rider.

So are the improvements in tires, engines, chassis, and suspensions making me a better rider, or is it each additional year of experience. I would guess some of both.

With age, you (should) gain knowledge, but undoubtably lose some motor skills. I feel that I'm still agile enough and savoy enough to ride todays sport bikes. What I don't completely trust in myself is my ability to concentrate, at a high level, through corners at high speed. So, I just don't push it.

We are truly an elite group of people. Statistically, very few men and even fewer women, will ever experience the the thrill of riding these high tech machines.

I plan to be around for the next quantun leap in technology. Bring it on.

[Lee]

The post was moved to another thread in this forum, "An Encounter With the CSP".

Lee

[towneh]

Yes, I'd say that both have caused some change in my driving but nothing like my near-miss in January. I find that helmets and CAT scans are very uncomfortable for me when I'm hurting...

Bus Henry

[Nick_Ninja]

I've been hit by cars when riding bikes. They really screw with your bones and joints. But that was over twenty years ago. It made me a better rider in the sense that I, for the most part, curtail my riding to daylight hours now. Night riding isn't my favorite activity ---- the eyes are the first to go as one comes closer to the 'wear-bars'.

[Lee]

N_N,

I was starting to have significant problems with my night vision. It crept up on me over a 5 year period until one day I realized I was avoiding driving and riding at night. (I still avoid riding at night for general safety reasons.)

About 6 months ago, I did some research on the web and at a health food store to see if it is possible to restore or at least retard the deterioration of my night vision. I've had some success. I don't experience glare as badly as I used to. The stripes between the lanes are much more visible than they were a few months ago.

3 times per week, I take Lutien, Bilberry, and Lycopene together. I know this is purely subjective but I noticed a significant improvement within 1-2 weeks after I began to take these supplements.

Lee

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Boy, that's an interesting topic. I took more chances, and did way more stoopid sh!t back then (drinking, smoking, mushrooms, etc), but it was all speed-related, I never stunted. I wasn't THAT stoopid. Wait, that's contrdictory, isn't it?

I do find I ride a LOT harder, and corner faster. Partially, it's the bike and tires (SO much better than my old '86 on the 18's), partially the access to the good roads to practice on (Ohio sucked), partly the better gear, and partly me getting better from all of the above. I think my 1 track day really helped also, and look forward to way more now I've got gear.

Thanks Lee for that info, i've noticed problems at night also. Maybe it's because I've only got one good eye!

[Bob954]

I can't say that age has tempered my riding. I know that I push the envelope more now with better bike and years of riding experience. Though I am more cautious with gravel after one get-off in the spring a number of years ago. And so far night time has not been an issue for me.

[Lee]

Maybe it's because I've only got one good eye!

C_M, you're kidding, right?

If you have only one good eye, you have little or no depth perception.

Lee

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Maybe it's because I've only got one good eye!

C_M, you're kidding, right?

If you have only one good eye, you have little or no depth perception.

Lee

No, I'm dead serious. My vision out of my right is fine, but because of an alignment issue since birth (when I used to be extremely cross-eyed), even after the surgeries, I still really only use my left. I guess I use a different method to get my depth perception. As a result, I basically only use my left when I ride/drive. I guarantee I could smoke anyone here if we were both forced to put a patch over our right eye.

[Buddau]

I think that responsibilities (kids, house payment) has changed my riding style more than my age has. I'll be 40 this July
I have a pictures of my boys on my bike where I can see then when I ride.

[Mista Black]

I guarantee I could smoke anyone here if we were both forced to put a patch over our right eye.

i'll put a patch over my left eye and take you on in the canyons beotch!!!

i'm blind in my left eye... ask anyone who's ridden with me: it hasnt caused me to ride slow. i can't hit a perfectly thrown baseball for shit but taking a sweeper at 140+ is no sweat.

as for the question of the thread: i think it's made me a smarter rider. i dont think it's caused me to ride all that much slower though.

[Mel]

i'm blind in my left eye... ask anyone who's ridden with me: it hasnt caused me to ride slow. i can't hit a perfectly thrown baseball for sh!t but taking a sweeper at 140+ is no sweat.

as for the question of the thread: i think it's made me a smarter rider. i dont think it's caused me to ride all that much slower though.

Yeah, Jeff's right....I have ridden with him and can attest to the fact that his lack of eyesight isn't what makes him slow, it's the letters BMW on the bike that do him in.

[Mecha Hayai]

Yeah, Jeff's right....I have ridden with him and can attest to the fact that his lack of eyesight isn't what makes him slow, it's the letters BMW on the bike that do him in.

That's cold B.

I haven't slowed down with age, but I'm a lot more cautious now that I've gone down hard.

[Mecha Hayai]

don't give these guys any Viagra


me....age has nothing to do with my riding style, I started out on dirt bikes wayyy before I ever rode a street bike, and I have laid down plenty of dirtbikes, I hate to say this, and I will regret saying it, I have never laid down a street bike in 20+ years of riding street bikes, now I am afraid to step outside, there may be a BOLT of Lightning waiting for my ass...... kkkaaaa CRASHHH!!!

You're 25 and you've been riding 20+ years? Nice.
Better knock on wood. I never thought I'd go down, but I've been down twice now on the street.

[Mista Black]

I vote we take away mel's right to post in here ever again!!!

[Mel]

Hey, ya know, if I hadn't said it, someone else would have. You know I love ya, so just know that it was said with love.
That, and based on the number and type of meds I take, and how often I manage to hurt myself, I should be like an honorary old person or something.

[Lee]

Cycle_Monkey, Mista Black,

You guys are amazing. I never would have thought anyone could ride safely or aggressively with vision in only one eye.

My hat's off to both of you guys. And, please don't ride close to me.

Lee

[Scruff Dog]

Who doesn't have some sort of a limitation after age 40.

[FZRguy]

I look back at my street riding days during college (early 80’s) and am thankful I survived. I knew little about the fine technique of riding a motorcycle back then. One of the things I like most about riding is that it’s a skill sport that the general public has no clue about. I’ve crashed a couple times on the street and countless times on dirt, with a blown ACL and broken clavicle as the most serious injuries. I try to improve my skills and be a safer rider on a continuous basis.