THE AGING RIDER

I thought I had matured as a rider and would not pull foolish stunts anymore...went to a cbx rally and I and four of my canadian buds would race 12 miles on the skyline drive in West Virginia just to see who could get to the other end first..averaged 135 mph for the 12 miles...had to clean the sh#@ out of my pants when we would get done. There`s some really tough curves in that 12 miles...yes DP the canadians have no fear...oh yeah 42 and stupid as ever!
 
If anyone should want the directions to this part of skyline can give you good ones....absolutely perfect road ..smooth and at places appears you can see for 2 miles ahead...long sweeping turns and mile straights....man what fun...watch out for park ranger though.
 
well, as far as skyline drive goes, you are right. i live 45 minutes from there in va. the biggest thing you need to remember is, there are "guard" posts all along the drive. you are actually timed between these posts to determine average speed. sooooo, take lot's of breaks. smoke, chat, whatever. just take breaks every 5 miles or so. have fun and if any of you are ever near va's skyline drive or blue ridge parkway, give me a shout.
mike
a.k.a. hiabuser
 
hiabuser we were there before the real spring crowd came in...virtually no one there in mid-May...but cold as hell up on top.
 
Hapo 45 now and faster than ever...I think Slow Hand has the best handle on street riding...I preety much ride like that.... cbx, I've got a special run too, only it is right near my house! Ain't nuthen like SkyLine Dr, though...I wonder what Mr. Ranger would think of a 130+ mph average speed over a road like that! Thats Riding!

[This message has been edited by Hapo (edited 14 December 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Hapo (edited 14 December 1999).]
 
I'm hardly a grandpa at 30 yrs. old but I must say that my attitude towards riding has changed a lot since I was 18. It is no longer mandatory to pop up the front end at every intersection. (It's optional--only for a good audience; kids are easily impressed while women think I'm a moron--they're right.) I also replace my rear tire less. I cut down on my burnouts. When I owned my '86 Fazer I had to replace the rear tire 3 times with less than 5K miles on the bike. I'm also more careful in general. I don't think I'm invincible anymore and realize if I crash it will probably hurt. I can't emphasize the importance of weight training/ balanced nutrition in the prevention of aging. Anything that reverses the aging process is a good thing. At your age DP your Dr. could provide you w/ many things that could help you look/feel better. Testosterone replacement therapy and or Growth Hormone can make you feel/look 20-30 years younger. It can even increase longevity and sex drive. It's not cheap, but you can't really put a price on enhancing the quality of your remaining years on earth. If you have the $$$ to blow, that's the route I'd go. Just my 2 cents.
 
Lost some of the reckless abandon I used to have. Thought I would live forever like most 20 something year olds.

I think I can ride better now though, some of its experience but mostly its the better tires. Yeah, suspensions improved along with the brakes, but the tires are night and day now from 15-20 years ago.
I'm 36
Weigh the same I weighed when I was 25. I am one of those high metabolism freaks. I use GNC weight gain, take DHEA, Amino acids, etc. I foound i have to work out more frequently and longer now versus 10 yrs ago to maintain.

Hope to ride til I physically can not any longer.
Bob
 
Imagine having Slowhand for a Grampa? How the hell you gonna keep up with that?!

BTW I'm already a Grandad...got me a 2 year old grand daughter. How 'bout you SlowHand, got any little ones to tell your lies to? :)
 
I AM a grandpa (1 yr old grand daughter) at 41. With everyone "out of the house", including ex-wife... I'm faster than ever. Still, if I'm doing 70 in a posted 25 mph "sweeper" (over my head), I'll say to myself, "House payment due Friday." and chill out a little. Yeah, I'm a wuss. Responsibility can be a bummer, but life ain't!

The thread on riding schools became my Xmas list. Experience helps (25 or so years for me), but nothing beats a good school. I haven't gone to one yet (MSF course doesn't count), but plan to soon. A experienced and KNOWLEDGABLE rider lives to ride another day.
 
Hapo, the bad thing about those rides was that a guy on a highly and I mean highly modified cbx won...group included one duck,one modified fireblde,two busa`s and the x. Oh yeah I sucked hind tit...I could still see leader but he was half to three quarter mile ahead of me. The x had a frame from England and has 130 rear wheel HP. It is like DP says it comes down to the rider well over half the time. Makes me remember a friend said he was on his 79 cbx going down Deals Gap at what he felt was break neck speed and this guy with his girl friend on back pulled up along side with her drinking liqiour out of a glass and waved bye...they were on a 82 cbx which is a fully dressed bike..this guy can ride good I`ve been on several rides with him...its the rider..and age to a certain degree can help and also be a disadvantage.
 
47, Still in reasonably good shape. Weight train three times a week, box when ever possible. Reaction time is still good. I ride a lot of different bikes. A dirt bike,GSXR750,916,TL1000S,Hayabusa,BMW K100RS,CBR900RR. I think riding all the time is a big help. I don't even ride in the car when the wife and I go out to eat. I ride a bike and she meets me there. I also agree that more agressive vitamin therapy helps after 40. that and just ride whenever you can really.
 
The years are not advancing, they are accelerating at the speed of a Hayabusa! The bike is raising my skill level because it demands respect. I think back to my earlier teenage years, got my first Suzuki GS750 in 1977, at the age of 16 I would do full moon rides with no headlights and wheelies for fun anywhere, anytime, until I pulled one through a grease spot in a intersection, the bike crossed up in the wheelie, I saved it and learned never to wheelie through intersections. I was 19 and had my brand new Suzuki GS1100E with one tooth drop at front, Yosh series 7 system, bigger mains, and K&N's, Wes Cooley bend bars, that bike was a hoot to ride, I remember during those college days we would go out become hooligans - riding wheelies, etc. I remember one time pulling a wheelie and after shifting into second my cheap 'Tourstar' helmet rolled back to where I could only see a chin guard and I had to finish the wheelie blind without panic, now a days my helmets fit perfect. Another time, same bike, I was doing a wheelie and had just shifted into third riding along and I looked to my right to look at the houses whizzing by and noticed my short sleeve T-shirt and exposed arm, when I do bonzai wheelies now I am in full leather. I was 26 when I raced in the CMRA and 27 or 28 when I won my club championships on a GSXR750. I was fearless and felt I had nothing to lose except the bike pushing things to and beyond the limits. I am 38 now and have a lot to lose, my wife, my young son, a business that I have owned for the last 10 years, the ability to walk and enjoy life. The one skill that has diminished is the ability to late brake, it used to be that late braking was one of my best skills. This year I returned to TWS and Hallet and rode in three of Jason Pridmore's Star schools and was able to push the Hayabusa to its cornering limits, corner exit power limits, etc. but the one thing I want back is my braking ability. Next year I will do some endurance races and more riding schools. I dont have time to post to this site on a regular basis, so I thought I would give my story while I'm at it and just let ya'll know that I can run with the best of them, maybe not just on the racetrack late braking into some hairpin corner for now. I hope that I can ride forever like some of the people on this site have been doing because the Hayabusa puts a grin on my face that no other bike can do.
 
JP, something like that.8=)Actually, I was riding a '47 CZ which, being made right after WW2, had some really bad metal in it. Coming into a T intersection a bit hot, I grabbed front brake and had the swaged end come off the cable. Hit rear brake and the backing plate stay fractured. Tried to make turn anyway. Car coming,in my face.Straightened out to miss the car, bailed off the bike as it went through a huge ditch and smashed vertically into an 8' fence. I cleared the ditch and did a faceplant on the dirt sidewalk next to the fence. When the bike came off the fence it just missed my helmetless head.
I walked away with scuffed Levis, a torn Hawaiian shirt and minor gravel rash on my right palm. The bike was a total loss.Checking the brake stay afterwards I found rust where it had cracked some time before. I should have caught it.You know what they say about the good Lord looking after idiots.
 
Hey DP, just so you know, the Malcolm Forbes you talk about inherited the company from his father. I saw him on Johnny Carson one night and when Johnny asked him "what's the secret to becoming a millionare" he responded the easiest way was "to inherit it" (it was a long time ago so I'm sure the quotes aren't exactly correct).

He was a interesting guy - had a Boeing 727 called the "Capitalist Tool."

[This message has been edited by bhmadsen (edited 15 December 1999).]
 
Thanks BH. I didn't realize the Forbes business started prior to Malcolm.

Even though he inherited the company, Malcolm was no spoiled child on a motorcycle (I know you're not suggesting he was). He was internationally respected for his business acumen. Forbes and Armand Hammer were the only two heavy duty capitalist businessmen trusted by the Communist Russions to conduct commerce with Russia during the Cold war years.

[This message has been edited by Dirty Pete (edited 15 December 1999).]
 
Interesting posts, all...

Bob's wish that he ride til he drops reminds me of Malcolm Forbes (multi-millionaire founder of the Forbes magazine empire, father of the rich-kid preppy dork who runs for prez every once in a while).

Malcolm rode til he dropped, and in his early eighties rode his Harley across much of Russia. He was in my opinion the greatest ambassador motorcycling ever had.

It's a story I tell everyone who says to me "Peter you're too old to be screaming around like that." - I get a lot of comments like that.

The only thing I'm too old for is listening to conformists and citizens.

RIDE TILL YOU DROP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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