With a break here and there, since I was 12, I've owned some sort of motorized two wheel bike.

Last bike I had was a Kawasaki 1700 Vulcan which I sold about 6 years ago.

Got the fever again, this time for a Harley....never owned one but have several friends that do.

I think 68, too old to ride, right? But then, one of my closest friends, turning 75, owns four bikes...rides all the time.

Thing is, Harley is twice as expensive as anything else out there and there's hundreds for sale in this part of the country.

Minnesota, especially the western half of the state, where I live, is some of the most beautiful country in the U.S. to ride in....but our riding season is super short...four to six months.

And here I am, fighting the fever.

Just buy it before it's too late ....enjoy..

I lived with a desire to own a motorcycle for a good part of my life. I waited to long!

John C.

Here are some of my thoughts on street bike riding..
My younger son is into Motorcycles.. He has owned HD's for several years... I expressed my concern that his family needs to depend on him being alive..
Street biking is dangerous, not because of the bike rider, but auto drivers that just do not respect bike riders.. and put them at risk..

If you are capable to care for your family after you are gone, and understand the risk ... go for it..

BTW: I have owned my share of motorcycles, and did not practice what I preach.... but, know first hand the bad results... guys I know have lost limbs and life from bike accidents..

I actually raced motorcycles for a couple years..

I am always very careful when bikers are close by on the streets, and actually shield them from bad auto drivers..

It's not about being too old to ride, it's about being too old to fall.

Life long biker,
chas

Yes, what Chas said. I used to ride 'em and I'm glad I did, but I'm skeered now.
Too many idiots on the road. I still patrol for the Sheriff once a week or so, and have seen way too many bad bike wrecks. It is usually not their fault.

For the first 15 years of my marriage, I worked at the University Of Maryland Hospital Shock Trauma Unit. I saw a biker nearly every day of the week, most of them didn't make it, and those that did often were so seriously injured that they could never go back to the life they had been enjoying. I walked away from the field of medicine in 1975, a time when I was still relatively young and figured I would do something else to take care of my family.

My daughter, Laura, came home one day and told me she was moving in with her boyfriend. I wanted to shoot the SOB, but my wife and children would not allow me to do so. After about a year, they got married, he worked for UPS at the time, but one day he showed up in our driveway with a monster Harley Hog that set him back nearly $50,000. My beautiful daughter was riding on the back, claimed he was an excellent rider and nothing could possibly go wrong.

Then one day, a few months later, I got a phone call on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. It was my son in law saying my daughter had just been flown to the Shock Trauma Center, the very one I worked at many years ago. He said she had been involved in a motorcycle accident and she hit a car head on while traveling south on US Route 1 at the southern end of Conowingo Dam.

I slammed the phone down, and my wife and I drove to the hospital as fast as I could legally do so. (I'm sure I broke some speed limits in the process.) When I arrived, I asked when did Laura get a motorcycle? He replied, "She bought it last week." Now, he stands about 6'-4" and outweighed my by about 100 pounds, but at that point I was confident I could kill him with my bare hands. And, I would have had it not been for the doctor coming up to me and asking if I were Laura's father. He took me aside and told me she was in critical condition, and it was touch and go.

She would undergo surgery for a broken neck that afternoon, and spend the next 8 days in Shock Trauma, then the next 4 months in Kernan's Hospital recovering and undergoing rehab therapy. In her first day there she taught herself how to tie her shoes with one hand. Her left arm was broken in four places and was paralyzed from the shoulder down. Her left leg was also broken in three places, and all her toes on her left foot were broken and had wires sticking out the end of them to hold them in place so they could heal.

She had 19 subsequent surgeries, including nerve transplants from her legs and chest that were inserted in her left arm and spine, in hopes that the nerve would attach and regenerate - it didn't happen. Her left arm is still paralyzed.

From my perspective, as a medical professional and trauma team member, motorcycles should have been outlawed. Over the years, it has been pretty rare for me to talk with someone that is an avid rider that didn't have at least one serious accident. In Baltimore, hundreds of young boys are seen daily riding the streets on dirt bikes, doing wheelies, screaming up the streets at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, and at least once a week, one of them dies in a horrendous crash. Most of those bikes they are riding are stolen and the impound yards have thousands of them right now, all of which should soon be going to the crusher and turned into scrap metal.

Obviously, I not a big motorcycle fan.

Gary

I certainly agree with Gary and others up to a point. I have had my share of bikes, and have done some wild things, but at least in Western Minnesota you have a better chance of avoiding traffic.

Yes there is danger in many areas, riding a motorcycle is among the higher risk. This past year my Daughter was involved in a motorcycle accident, she fractures her ankle. She was traveling under 10 mph and ran into some sand. My son-in-law was driving and she was on the back seat.

What about sky diving – they have done that to. I am not saying that risks should be taken but risks are everywhere. I95 here in Florida is a main South and North thruway. Cars travel between 80 to 85 mph – the speed limit is 70mph. Am I taking a risk when I use I95? Yes I am, but if I want to visit my Daughter in Jacksonville I do not have much of a choice.
We have to keep in mind that the person on a motorcycle who passes me while I am traveling 80mph must be traveling 90 to 95 mph. I am convinced that he must be crazy -- a body balancing on two wheel at that speed has denied any form of safety – He has placed no value on his life.

A sensible driver enjoying a ride on a motorcycle in a safe area is acceptable but it is not for everyone.

A story I have never forgotten:
I was at a Naval air base attending a class when I heard this story.
A naval officer bailed out of his plane after he could no longer control his plane. When he jumped his parachute did not open. He fell into a pine tree forest – his body hit branch after branch and landed in the snow. After a three month stay he walked out of the hospital in good condition. Two weeks later he took an elevated train to Brooklyn to visit his mom– walked down the stairs – as he began to walk a brick fell from a three story building and hit his head, he died instantly.

You never know when it’s coming, so measure the desire you have and measure the amount of risk that comes with your desire and make your move. If you follow risk and fear alone you may end up never leaving your home. There is no freedom without some form of risk.

John C.

There is some difference in someone who has been riding consistently for the last 30 yrs and someone who has decided to ride again after a 30 yr hiatus. Also, don't forget to factor into the equation how well you think your spouse will fare with you suddenly out of the picture. I'm not normally into telling other people what they should or should not do, but in this case, I would strongly suggest that you not start riding a 800lb bike at age 68. I stopped flying for the same reason, even after a lifetime of flying experience.

chas

and for that reason trikes are more popular for the older crowd...

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/trike.html

problem solved...

Had a bunch, including an old three wheeler bought from the Air Force for $65.00 (that's a story for another time).

Currently have a Kikker 3/4 kit bike (cool-used to get snacks at car shows), a K-pipe (small pit bike), Sym City (90 MPH big Scooter-500 plus pounds...great for the interstate) and am looking at a new Honda Rebel...not shipped yet...500 cc twin slightly chopped.

Ist time out on the Sym scooter, my foot went to sleep. Dropped it and had to wear a boot for a month. Laughed my ass of as two truckers pulled it off me. Ironic that I have owned and ridden everything , including turbo powered bikes, but only got hurt by dropping a wimp ass scooter while standing still!


Russ

Real simple Don't do it.

Bikes definitely can be dangerous. Fortunately, this part of the country is a bit rural and less hectic driving.

Years ago, I traded my Goldwing for a horse trailer. My daughter and I each owned a horse in S DAK where we lived at the time. My daughter showed horses and did some rodeo. I rode horse as well and was the local rodeo announcer.

I remember a woman in our horse club said to me "Aren't you glad you got out of motorcycles...dangerous sport."

My response? I told her that I own both horses and motorcycles. In 25 years of riding bikes, over thousands of miles, I've never had an accident. But with a horse, and we had two of them, you are GUARANTEED a wreck...both my daughter and I had had wrecks with horses.

Yet most of the folks I knew at the time thought horses were safer than motorcycles...wrong!

Guess I'm one of those guys that lives life to the fullest.

By the way Gary...

We live in western MN, land of 10,000 beautiful, recreational lakes. I've owned a speedboat, kayaks(we still have 5) and canoes. A few years back, my wife overturned her kayak on the river that runs behind our house...she was lucky she didn't drown....years earlier, one of my brother's friends did drown.

Live life to the fullest? That means taking chances.

Beats dying in a wheelchair in a nursing home.

A friend's got one of these. Nice but much harder to control than a two wheeled cycle...also they run about $35k for a starter trike.

By the way, I do own a trike...ride it every day in the summer.

http://www.catrike.com/villager

I'm with the naysayers "Don't do it" not at 68 and after not riding one for years. I gave up dreams of a motorcycle when a friend let me use his, I dropped it and damaged the bike, but not myself. I thought that was a warning sign, then a couple of months later my college room mate fell after hitting a patch of sand he scraped himself up pretty bad and I saw the pain he went thru during his recovery.

Fast forward about 20 years later I witnessed a motorcycle accident the guys legs were bent behind his back like he was "Gumby" that was enough to convince me better not get one.

We winter in Florida and there are plenty of old timers riding all winter long I'm not sure who makes it back home and who doesn't.

P.S. In my late 30s to late 40s I was an amateur triathlete. When I look at some of the mountain roads I raced down in New Hampshire and Vermont at 40 miles per hour on a bicycle with skinny tires I wonder what was I thinking?

The only racing I did was with horses and hydroplanes. Both were pretty damned dangerous, and the only difference was the speed. With the quarter-horse I raced, Moon Mountain, a monster that stood about 6 feet at the shoulder blade, I didn't make the quarter mile before he bucked me off into a pond. I didn't think I was going to survive that incident.

With the hydroplanes, the boat was doing about 125 when it hit a snapping turtle in the Susquehanna River. The entire bottom blew out of the boat and it sunk in a matter of seconds. My second and last race.

Donny, trikes are neat looking, but not safer than a 2-wheel motorcycle. Falling over is the least of anyone's worries. The big problem is there is no seat belt, no shoulder belt, no air bag and you WILL be vaulted over those handlebars when you hit something. My daughter flew 40 feet through the air into an oncoming car's windshield and she was only doing about 30 MPH. The oncoming car, fortunately, saw it coming and was able to stop, otherwise she would have been killed instantly.

Gary

hey guys
A few years ago I sold my wonderful honda goldwing and guess what gary-
It did have an airbag what a great bike. I have been riding for many years but the goldwing was way to heavy for me so I sold it before I dropped it.I'm seventy four and I want a 600cc touring scooter just for
a little riding. easy to ride and low center of gravity. My body and my head told me when to stop riding. Just listen and you will be ok. Everything can put you in danger but using your head and a lot of caution
can minimise the danger and live your life the way you need too
Mel

Exactly! Up until about three years ago, I had four (4) bikes, six (6) if you count my Suzuki 650 Burgman and my Kymco 500. Towards the end I only rode the Burgie and then only on back country rides with my son on sunny Sunday afternoons. They are all gone now except for the Kymco (couldn't get a decent price for it) which is waiting for Russ to pick it up . My son still has four bikes of his own but is too busy to ride them very much ( which is ok with me). Anyone that thinks just wearing armor, using good judgement, and riding carefully and within your capabilities, will keep you safe is just deluding themselves. And anyone who tells you differently is doing you (and those that care about you) a great disservice. Motorcycling is a young man's sport. A young single man.

chas

Good comments all.

After doing some price shopping, my jets cooled considerably. Admission to the biking world these days could easily run $20k or more....at least for what I'd be interested in.

....and that doesn't even include the funeral expenses .

chas

Sturgis Rally

You don't need a bike to have fun at a lot of these Rally's. Just walk around in a Black Harley T Shirt with a beer .

Good move on dousing the riding flame. I did too a few years ago and miss it all the time but the combination of age and more distracted and stupid drivers makes it a good choice.

Statistics say your no more likely to get into a crash than a car driver but much less likely to walk away. Wanna spend money on a new toy get a boat.

Pretty neat idea if your in an area with a lot of bikes. First off I don't like the idea of the pressure wash spray getting into places you don't want water like leather side bags or windshield bags. Could also be a problem with electronics. Bikes are OK to ride in the rain but the pressure idea doesn't sound good. Also the spray wax. You never ever use any type of dressing on your tires as it might seep onto the treads.
Used to spend hours cleaning my bike, moving it three or four times to clean the wide whitewalls I had on it and then next ride, you got it, rain ! Even just a 5 minute shower and all your work is ruined.

Top 10 DEADliest Hobbies....

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-deadliest-hobbies.php

Lived in S DAK for 35 years before moving back to MN. Went to the Rallies a half dozen times on a bike...fun times back when...nuts now.

Western MN, where I live, is as good a place to bike as any. Gorgeous scenery and fun roads to bike on starting 10 miles away from where I live.

Wisdom and finances suggest just stay away from biking.

On the flip side, several of my closest friends bike and I'm much younger than they are.

....smarter, too.



chas

Much better to die of old age in a nursing home in a wheelchair.

It's pretty cold in MN in the winter.....you could always have the kids put you out on the ice (Eskimo solution).

chas

By the way, here's a link to a short video I did a few years back of scenes close to my home.


https://vimeo.com/6781317

Already been suggested.

I suggested to my wife a Viking longboat and funeral pyre on the river behind our house.