A tough learning experinece

[lrrifleman]

Rastoff, so glad you made it back safely. If you don't mind, I read your journal as though I was Walter Mittey, since I will never be doing a road trip like that! When I rode, I had always dreamt of riding from New Jersey to Alaska and back, but the accident shattered that dream. So glad that you were able to share your experience!

 

[Capt Steve]

A couple of thoughts from another "elderly" biker...

Welcome back to "The Ride". Glad you survived your trip and am sure riding will only get better. There is an old adage among boat Captains....

"The only weather you can control is the weather you choose to leave in."

I had to learn this the hard way on three occasions, nearly getting myself killed each time before "Duh!" I got it.

At 64 I just got back on bikes a year ago after 39 years of not riding. {Took the Motorcycle Safety foundations Basic Rider Course which was priceless}. It just got better every day and 10,000 miles later I am having a blast.

Being retired and living in southern Arizona helps a lot as I only ride when the weather and my tired old body cooperate. Wind over 25 and I just get off the road, if there is any serious chance of rain (or any other form of precipitation), I simply don't
go.

Started with a nice 87 BMW R80 RT and moved up to a 2010 Harley Dyna Super Glide. Of all the many features on this bike the Sundowner custom cruising seat is my favorite. {The custom two into one straight pipes are a close second}.



One last bit of advice.... "ATGATT" = All the gear, all the time. (Helmet, gloves, boots, protective jacket and pants)

My wife once pointed out that while I haven't slowed down all that much.... I just don't heal like I used to.

 

[zzclancy]

So how much money did you actually save?

 

[Rastoff]

Yeah, the snafu cut into my savings considerably. I choose not to calculate that number. I chalk it up to the cost of learning.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Riding a Harley from New York to California and back has always been on my bucket list. I'm almost 57, had a hip replacement six years ago and now I need a knee replacement. My legs cramp up sitting in my wife's 2015 Nissan Altima on long drives. Getting old sucks.

The link below is to a story about Charlie Parks, who in 2003 completed a sanctioned and certified Four Corners Motorcycle Tour of the USA at age 84.

Mr. Parks rode from San Ysidro, California, to Key West, Florida, then up to Madawaska, Maine, over to Blaine, Washington, then back down the West Coast to San Ysidro.

I met him when he was on the East Coast leg of his ride; he stopped to have his Beemer serviced at Bob's BMW in Jessup, Maryland (midway between Baltimore and Washington) on the same day I was having my K75s serviced. He pulled into the dealer's parking lot just in front of me. I had noticed the California tag, the saddlebags and tank bag, and realized he was on a tour...but when he took his helmet off I did a doubletake, as he clearly was no spring chicken. There were five of us in the lounge drinking coffee and talking about riding while we waited, and when he told us his age our jaws dropped!

Rider Magazine did a piece about him when he completed the ride. If I remember correctly, he was retired from the US Navy and was a Pearl Harbor survivor. I don't know if he's still with us (he would be 96 or 97 now) but if he is it wouldn't surprise me if he's still riding...

Hitting the Four Corners | The San Diego Union-Tribune

 

[Beemerguy53]

...I envy folks who are able to ride safely & securely well into their 60's or even 70's. I think the trick is to never give it up....

I couldn't agree more. I turned 63 last month, and have been riding almost continuously since I was 18. I know I'll have to give it up at some point, but I'm not there yet by a long shot.

Last May, I rode 1953 miles in eight days, from my home in northeastern Maryland to Robbinsville, North Carolina, and back, via Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. While in the area, I rode the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In a month, I will repeat much of that trip, with a stop in Fayetteville, West Virginia to visit friends.

I play it safe when I ride: Arai full-face helmet, Vanson leather jacket, Kevlar-lined jeans, boots and gloves...always...no matter how hot it gets. (I have a ventilated lightweight leather jacket for summer.) I never, ever, drink alcohol before riding. I am very defensive, and position the bike so that I'm never in motorists' blind spots. I had one accident, a low-side slide on a curving road, back in 1979, and I have never had a ticket while riding.

Having said all that, yeah, I'm not a kid anymore, and I do feel it when I put in a long day, especially on a mountain road like the Blue Ridge Parkway. But with a Celebrex to start the day, along with breakfast, I'm good to go. And with a hot shower and a comfortable bed in the evening (I do NOT camp when I ride, LOL!) I'm always ready for the next day's ride.

My late father-in-law had a baseball hat which read: "Old is always 15 years older than I am." I try to think the same way...