You Know You Are Old When

[CalG]

Mr. CalG's comment reminded me...

YKYO when you quit downhill skiing...

Not because you can no longer ski, but because the risk of injury increases with age and the impact of a broken bone would be major...over a very long time.

From the top of Copper mountain 2 years ago - and likely our last ski adventure...View attachment 2133236

That same saying goes for motorbikes.

"You don't quit riding because you get old, You get old because you quit riding.

(Today on the mountain, it never got above 5 degrees F, and with a howling wind that kept the lifts to the top shut down. Still it was great to be up there! I'm the oldest working patroller in our group of about 100)

 

[Oaktree]

That same saying goes for motorbikes.

"You don't quit riding because you get old, You get old because you quit riding.

Does transitioning to snowmobiling count? At least the only other vehicles on the trails are other snowmobiles (with the occasional groomer or dogsled).

 

[scootr]

I quit riding motorcycles because idiots in cars were trying to kill me and I wanted to grow old...I do still miss it so I got a couple of overpowered convertible sport cars. Bonus heated seats, cupholders, rollbars, and one even has airbags.

 

[not2old]

I'm three weeks from 77 and still ride my dirt bike, but no longer try to drag it through tank deep mud or push it up steep hills. I still get a rush from blasting up to 50 MPH on a foot wide trail when there is a straight section. I was late to start sledding and never got real good at it but still enjoy it. I do find that I don't wander off the groomed trail intothe powder as much as I used to do. On a street bike, I still feel as comfortable as ever but do admit that it's been years since I've dragged my muffler on my Sportster.

 

[chiefcook]

I quit riding motorcycles because idiots in cars were trying to kill me and I wanted to grow old...I do still miss it so I got a couple of overpowered convertible sport cars. Bonus heated seats, cupholders, rollbars, and one even has airbags.

So true

 

[bdhsfz6]

Tragically, I have 4 friends who didn't live to get old due to motorcycle accidents. I gave up riding some 20 years ago, after the second friend died.

All were seasoned bike veterans in their 40's and 50's. In every case, they were hit by vehicle drivers who "just didn't see them". None were even issued a traffic ticket. What a waste.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning motorcycles in any way. They were a big part of my life in my younger years. They're just not for me anymore.

 

[scootr]

Tragically, I have 4 friends who didn't live to get old due to motorcycle accidents. I gave up riding some 20 years ago, after the second friend died.

All were seasoned bike veterans in their 40's and 50's. In every case, they were hit by vehicle drivers who "just didn't see them". None were even issued a traffic ticket. What a waste.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning motorcycles in any way. They were a big part of my life in my younger years. They're just not for me anymore.

My feelings exactly. Sorry for your losses. 4 friends is huge
I still find myself looking longingly at used HDs on CL but I tell myself no ...

 

[Jstpssng]

I never had anything bigger than a 450 Honda but you can add me to the list of people who quit motorcycles because of too many near misses from people who just didn't care. The last straw was when a woman pulled out of a parking lot in front of me on my little 400 Maxim. I kicked the rear out, slid around in front of her and stalled the engine with my head about 2 feet from the plow frame on her pickup. As I worked the shifter down into neutral so that I could start it, she sat there screaming at me to get the F*** out of her way. When I got home I put a sign on it.

 

[masscity]

A crew leader I worked with wrecked a crotch rocket, while he was in the hospital he ordered another one. A few years later

he wrecked again and has brain damage. He wasn't a very friendly person, but after the accident he became a nice guy, that's

what a guy who knows him said.

 

[drssg]

I never had anything bigger than a 450 Honda but you can add me to the list of people who quit motorcycles because of too many near misses from people who just didn't care. The last straw was when a woman pulled out of a parking lot in front of me on my little 400 Maxim. I kicked the rear out, slid around in front of her and stalled the engine with my head about 2 feet from the plow frame on her pickup. As I worked the shifter down into neutral so that I could start it, she sat there screaming at me to get the F*** out of her way. When I got home I put a sign on it.

In my unofficial experience, the style of motorcycle makes a difference. My first bike was a stripped down Yamaha 650 that didn't even have turn signals. I had more people pull out in front of me on that bike than in later decades of riding Honda Goldwings.

I have encountered rude drivers on the Goldwing, but I haven't had people act like I was invisible (yet).