older riders surviving badly

[Berries]

. ... finding your limits means pushing boundaries - you fall off, you and your bike get hurt - get up, get back on your horse or go home

Or die.

Find your limits and fall off on the track by all means. Do it on the road and you are just lining up to be another smear.

[caseye]

Or die.

Find your limits and fall off on the track by all means. Do it on the road and you are just lining up to be another smear.

Yep Black berry jam, Everywhere!

[Berries]

I was trying so hard not to sound like Katman.

[F5 Dave]

Try harder.
Although He was more of a brown smear.

[SPman]

Well, I got back on the bikes 4 months ago - hadn't ridden in almost 2 years - when the missus got ill and couldn't ride anymore, I wouldn't ride because it would not have been fair to her - riding was a large part of her life and reason for being. After she died end of last year, I decided I needed to do something to stay sane, and remembered what Marion said when her first marriage ended - "fuck the house and property, I got on the bike and rode everywhere, every weekend!" - so I decided it was time to see if I still "had it". A couple of cautious forays down to the local village on the XJR showed me, I was rusty as fuck, but the basic skills and reactions were still there! The main indicator was riding into the office, in the city (I work from home half the time)- 70km of country roads, but 25km of city riding, at school mum delivery time! Two runs in, once on the XJR and once on the FZ1 again pointed to basic skills still there, with a few mollifiers .... reactions a tad slower and balance a tad less stable - at least my depth and width perception was up to par, so lane splitting was still OK..... Four months on riding 3-500km a week, on a mix of bikes (there's also a Suzuki X7 there as well) and my overall skills are only just now starting to come up to expectations of near competency! Still a few quibbles with balance in lane splitting when tired - which is more a threat to SUV mirrors ... but, I think the main thing with riding, at any age, is currency. It's taken me 4 months to come up to a level I'd expect and regain a measure of fluidity - I think if I only rode on the occasional weekend, I'd still be dodgy, so I'll keep riding now as long and as often as possible - maybe downsize to something like a late model VFR800 (looking at a clean 2015 model) - the FZ1 is slightly tall, and I don't have the strength in my legs to catch it if it overbalances - an embarrassing fall over at a gas station showed this. The XJR - a comfy chair and old warhorse that'll always get you home - and fun to lane split on. And I need to watch speeds - the default 130kph I used to run at, doesn't go down well over here. Be able to read the road, read the traffic, over here, be super alert for hoppy things at various times of the day, and - keep riding. I'm 75 now - maybe I'll make 80 ...

[Blackbird]

I'm 75 now - maybe I'll make 80 ...

.

Good for you! I fully retired from riding at 75 due to a mix of reasons. It was partially because it had all got a bit ho-hum but mainly age-related. I'm on blood thinners because of the occasional bout of AF and bruise really easily. Hated to think of the consequences involved with even a minor drop. My knees were also buggered and ached over a moderate distance plus being a shortarse, holding the bike up whilst stationary if I got on a decent lean could be problematic. However, I had a complete knee replacement last September and I can now do stuff that I haven't been able to do for a while. The other knee is due for replacement later this year. It could be quite tempting to buy a lightweight bike with a low saddle height but with fall-back interests (sea fishing, e-mountain bike and a classic car), I don't really miss riding enough to get something else.

All the best for riding into your 80's and beyond....

[wetanz]

Or die.

Find your limits and fall off on the track by all means. Do it on the road and you are just lining up to be another smear.

glad i dont have to do your washing

[Blackbird]

Back in March 2024, (see post a couple earlier) I mentioned retiring from riding at 75 after a tad under 60 years on 2 wheels. Part of the reason was I'd pretty much done all I wanted to do but the consequences of a future accident on an ageing body was starting to bother me, particularly the potential impact on family. My fall-back interests were classic cars, sea fishing, mountain biking and travel which kept me pretty busy. I'd had my worn-out knees fixed and things were looking pretty rosy, but for one thing.

Mountain biking on the Coromandel Peninsula where we live is awesome but even a moderate "off" is going to hurt an old body. 2 weeks ago, I crashed on a quite technical trail. Wasn't going very fast at all but the impact was sufficient to snap my right femur just under the hip ball. Getting me off the trail and spending a few days in Waikato hospital in a hell of a lot of pain while they fixed me up made me realise that I hadn't totally thought my fall-back plans through properly about where to bike and risk mitigation. I've agreed with my wife that I can still ride a mountain bike after rehab but will avoid goat tracks in future. The full story and a few photos are here: https://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2024...o-custard.html .

So now it's reasonably level gravel trails for cycling plus classic cars and sea fishing as the major replacements for motorcycling. I think I can live with that ok.

Cheers and all the best for 2025,

Geoff

[SaferRides]

Sorry to hear that, I hope you make a full recovery. Yours is not the first e-bike crash I've heard of recently, and they usually seem to result in broken bones. Must be costing ACC quite a bit!



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[Blackbird]

Sorry to hear that, I hope you make a full recovery. Yours is not the first e-bike crash I've heard of recently, and they usually seem to result in broken bones. Must be costing ACC quite a bit!



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Thanks SR! I guess one of the the things with an e-MTB is that allows old farts like me access to places we couldn't manage with an ordinary MTB. That potentially increases the risk straight away. The irony is that I've ridden that trail multiple times without mishap but all the factors combined to get me this time.

I'll freely admit that at 77, an accident is likely to have consequences. Much as I love the Medlock Trail, I'll stay off it for the sake of matrimonial harmony. Jennie has had to do all the domestic stuff we normally share so I'll do something special for her once I'm fully mobile

[pete376403]

Sorry to hear that, I hope you make a full recovery. Yours is not the first e-bike crash I've heard of recently, and they usually seem to result in broken bones. Must be costing ACC quite a bit!
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So you would probably understand the angst felt by motorcyclists vis-a-vis the ever increasing ACC levys that pretty much only motorcyclists are expected to pay, even though expensive to fix injuries happen in multiple pastimes.

[F5 Dave]

Plenty of people fall off ladders. Feel no shame. I hope I can at least get out and ride in some form at 77.