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When should we stop riding? -- perspectives of an older rider

bmer97 said:
66 here. I'm not planning to quit or slow down! It depends on the individual not a chronological age.
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Yes it does. Everyone is different.

A lot come and go at a young age. Some ride a lifetime.

84 and riding is awesome. I know AnglerDon did a Sierra trip this year at 83 :hail
 
A bit of a thread creep but we should always take the time to listen to our elders. The knowledge and experience they possess is priceless. Dony is a retired airline pilot and has flown some amazing aircraft and ridden all over the world. I really enjoy listening to his stories. His stories always start with "well in 196X Honda/Triumph/Kawasaki came out with the blankity blank and it was the best blankity blank there ever was"
Amazing.
 
If it could be so:

Never being too old to ride because of something other than a desire not but rather that one fine crisp morning with a searing blue sky, a ride out with a stop for the best cup of coffee ever made and a breakfast champions only dream of, some light kind talk with a few people I've never met before; hop on the machine and on some beautiful stretch of road where the sides gently grade off to a pasture of waist high grass that is bending to a gentle breeze and while making that long fast sweeper with no one else on the road for miles...

Lights out like a light switch. The machine carries me through the turn and just slides through the grass. I rest face up with a cheek cracking smile and anything past that really won't matter.
 
never to old

I am 66, I ride a 2016 ZX10r , I have a second home up by Auburn and will ride up there from the bayarea twice a month from friday to sunday, about 140 miles each way, as traffic is to bad to take a car

also have a 2016 zX10r track bike and do low 2 min laps at TH, so you are only as old as you feel, stay active and no need to quit, Last weekend up at TH
was a guy 74 ripping it up in the A group, so age is only number

dave
 
If you stop riding because its too dangerous I don't think it's right. The way I see it is when your time is up your time up, might as well make the most of it.
 
Just finished reading Mastering the Ride: More Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough (not worth to read if you read the first book), and he has a section of the book for this particular topic.

Since most of the book repeats info from the first one, I found this particular section on old age interesting.
 
I've discussed aging and riding with a number of people, and we all seem to agree on a couple things.

As you get older, your reaction times will drop, but more importantly, your physical ability to respond quickly drops as well. What that means is that I spend more time looking ahead, scanning, and anticipating. The older I get, the more of a chess game riding becomes.
 
been riding 55 of my 62 years (except the last couple due to massive health issues.) I will never quit being an enthusiast; motorcycling & motorcyclists has given so much to me over the long decades, I can never forget.

I still plan on getting back aboard soon as I'm able.:teeth :ride
 
EastBayDave said:
been riding 55 of my 62 years (except the last couple due to massive health issues.) I will never quit being an enthusiast; motorcycling & motorcyclists has given so much to me over the long decades, I can never forget.

I still plan on getting back aboard soon as I'm able.:teeth :ride
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Good on you! Yes, as we ride we have to take care of our bikes and other “equipment” like our bodies!
 
I started riding before I was born. My mother had a Triumph Tiger Cub that she rode until she was 7 months pregnant ...

As a rider, I began close to 35 years ago.

2 weeks ago I rode to from San Jose to Las Vegas via Sonora Pass and Death Valley - 599 miles in 10 hours.

Clearly it is too soon for me to stop riding. But maybe I'll take a long hard look at a modern sidecar unit first, or a trike if I am desperate. The joy of riding has never eased for me so far.
 
Been riding 52 of my 60-years. Got t-boned in a parking lot two-years ago (first street accident in 42-years of riding). Thought it was time to give up the street (bike totaled-ambulance ride) at that time but less than six months later bought another new bike.

I've been hurt worse riding and racing dirt over the 50-years, so why not keep going while I can. I'm always happy when on the bike, off the bike not so much.
 
OP here, back on the site after not posting for a long time. The bad news is I sold all my old Kawasakis after a reduction in seat time after getting whammed a few years back in a low speed hit by a driver too impatient to look when changing lanes. There is a thread about that on here somewhere. The good news is I bought a very nice old 1986 Yamaha Radian YX600 to continue local riding here in Petaluma and nearby areas. Even though I am now 69, I could not give up riding after 54 years on a motorcycle. Plus my GF has also been riding motorcycles since she was very young, and recently bought a 300 cc Vespa to commute to work and ride for fun with me. We don't hit the freeways anymore, but enjoy a 10 or 20 mile run around the back roads of Sonoma County as often as we can. I will try to post a pic of my latest ride.
 

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MrCrash said:
I don't know that I'll ever walk away, but I do plan on changing my riding habits in such a way that the risk is minimized. By commuting in my truck rather than on my bike, I'm already doing it...
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This.

I quit riding 6+ years ago after an accident that I deemed was impossible to avoid short of not riding that afternoon. I'm sure I posted it on barf somewhere...

But I've decided to get back into riding, mainly to get back to the racetrack. And I do plan to ride very modestly on the street THIS time.

And this might just support your decision OP...sure scares the poop out of me. http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10023524&posted=1#post10023524
 
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This one doesn't need to go more than just a personal decision. Motorcycle riding is dangerous enough, and it can be a similar discussion on when we should stop driving a car or riding any motorcycle. There are personal risks and limitations that have to be considered. When do we stop doing anything, or should we even have the conversation in the first place?
 
A conversation with yourself yes.
A conversation with the wife.... Is optional :laughing

My wife has already said.. "Hey your getting a bit old to do this you should consider quitting"

I was "WHAT??.. this is the best activity for keeping me young. When I feel I cannot do it I will quit"

She did not like that much, but accepted it after pointing to the door :p
 
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