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