Who rides motorcycles?

[BleedingOrange]

I,ve had lots of different bikes over the years. My latest one is a 2007 Yamaha Vmax, with around 1800 miles on it. It is in mint condition.
I love the feeling of riding bikes on the open back roads, but being 71 years old, I have finally decided to get out of biking and start enjoying my convertible cars more. I,ll be putting the Vmax up for sale in the spring, once bikers start getting the riding itch again.

 

[hunt4570]

How many people have put one down? I have 3 times. 2 were my fault, one was the fault of an elderly lady who NEVER saw me. As liberating and freeing as riding a bike is, they are also dangerous. Deserve great respect. Be careful out there!!

Been riding since I was 18, 64 now.. never put one down (yet) but as a long time MSF safety instructor I've been through lots of different kinds of training, it really helps! Main thing that helps is awareness of whats going on around you.

 

[hunt4570]

I,ve had lots of different bikes over the years. My latest one is a 2007 Yamaha Vmax, with around 1800 miles on it. It is in mint condition.
I love the feeling of riding bikes on the open back roads, but being 71 years old, I have finally decided to get out of biking and start enjoying my convertible cars more. I,ll be putting the Vmax up for sale in the spring, once bikers start getting the riding itch again.

Oh man.. I have always loved that VMAX bike.. no I don't want it though, my Harley will do me fine anymore, don't need all that incredible VMAX power anymore. My Harley is also a 2007, bought it new.. 90,000+ miles on it.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Many of you have mentioned going to riders courses or being instructors yourself. Not much in the way of good training around me (rural area) and work and family obligations tie up my time to attend if there were... do any of you have recommended online sources or reading material I could check out? I enjoy riding, and am quite cautious, and situationally aware, but always open to expanding my knowledge... especially if its gonna keep me on 2 wheels!

 

[3930dave]

I spent some time on this guy's channel last Spring.

MCrider - Motorcycle Training
- YouTube

He does teach (real-world), and puts together what I found to be decent vids. I plan to continue watching him.

This is one hobby where we all need to keep tuning our skills......

Rgds, D.

 

[PJSprog]

Been down twice, and both were my own fault. Once was as a teenager trying to make a sharp turn on a dirt bike on a tar road in the middle of a hot summer day. The other was trying to take an exit ramp turn too fast on wet pavement after an overnight rain. The bike flipped on that one, threw me off and out into a traffic lane on US-67 in St. Louis County ... right in front of a speeding garbage truck. Just missed getting run over, and the b***ard never even slowed down. Wiped out the whole left side of my BMW R100RT. That's what hurt the most.

I've always adhered to the saying, "There are two kinds of riders; those who have wrecked, and those who will."

 

[PJSprog]

There are a few colleges in our area that offer motorcycle training courses from beginner to advanced, Greg. You might look to see if any near you do that. I think the one at Southern Illinois University costs maybe $50, and they provide the bikes. All you need is a helmet, gloves with fingers, and boots. With completion of the basics course, you get a certificate that you can take to the drivers facilities and have a MC endorsement automatically added with no further testing. They are also good for lowering your insurance.

 

[deserteagle71]

I,ve had lots of different bikes over the years. My latest one is a 2007 Yamaha Vmax, with around 1800 miles on it. It is in mint condition.
I love the feeling of riding bikes on the open back roads, but being 71 years old, I have finally decided to get out of biking and start enjoying my convertible cars more. I,ll be putting the Vmax up for sale in the spring, once bikers start getting the riding itch again.

Same here. Just about lost count of all the bikes through the years. I'm a bit older than you are and also due to the aging process I've having to stay on 4 wheels. Gave up riding pavement years ago. But now my eyes are so bad I can't see the bad spots before I run into them and get in trouble. Used to be falling down was no problem...big problem these days. These old bones don't bend anymore, they break!

Used to keep at least 3 bikes at any one time - the road bike, a large-bore dirt bike, and a small, nimble dirt bike for the tight trails.

Me and my BMW R75/5 in Canada in 1975:

The Honda XL600:

Honda XR250, on a narrow cliffside trail:

My current ride, a 225 cc Yamaha. It's neglected now - only ride it a few times a year on good dirt roads.

 

[AllByteNoBark]

Here is a photo taken in Hyder, Alaska where we ate breakfast on morning. My son and I made the trip to Alaska and back in 2004 and we were on the way home at this point. Fun trip!

 

[BleedingOrange]

Beautiful pictures guys. I wish I would have taken more during my many years of travels.