My bikes are for sale cheap
(popcorn)
Bullshit.
But hey, dibs on the Shiny Black before you snap out of your delusion.
Are you a 120 years old or what! Do like me, just ride old.
Mike
PS I don't believe you.
Bob, I don't know if you are serious, I suspect not.... but I am thinking along those same lines. i.e. Is it worth it? Really?
I am thinking about giving up street riding......There, I said it.
I'll still enjoy the Glamis dunes and trail riding.
It's not that I am too old to ride, I'm only 58, and I am healthy active, strong, but this last body slam accident with my broken bones has really knocked the shit outta me. (or as my family says, perhaps knocked some sense into me)
I know that it could have been much worse, look what happened to Henry.
However Henry is a young stud. He will be healed by next week and riding in two.
If I did something wrong that I could identify and work on, OK, but I don't know what I could have done different. That's what freaks me out.
Gary was riding about 20 seconds out in front of me. Why the fuck did Gary make the corner and I didn't? Different line? Probably. Better bike? Yea, Gary's Aprilla is a very competent bike and Gary is a better rider. It has been 20 years since my last accident, which was very minor.
But This one HURT.
As Klavdy eloquently explained, Newtonian Physics is unforgiving and does not give a damn about how long you have ridden your bike:
Have you been riding trouble free for years? No matter, it's over in the corner doing push ups, watching and waiting....patiently waiting....
The ghost of Sir Isaac is always there, watching and waiting for the right moment.
My wife and kids are freaked. My 4 year old grand daughter says that (sometimes) she dosen't love me anymore 'cause I fell off my bike and made everyone sad. Out of the mouths of babes, huh.
My wife and I worked for 40 years to get to this point where we have the time and money to enjoy life....together ( the most important point: together)
Here I am shuffling around the house with 4 broken ribs......so is it really, really worth it? **Can I put my wife through the ringer again?**
**I don't have time for this healing shit.**
There are things I need and want to do. I need to do yard work. I want to go outside and play. It Hurts to breathe. I can't sleep. I can't fuck. I can't hike. I can't workout. I can't play volleyball. I can't swim or surf. I can't ______. (fill in the line) However, I am alive, to which I am thankful. Yes, ATGATT worked.
I shuffle out to the garage, and look at my damaged '84 and I just want to cry, but it hurts to breathe .....
Yea, I think I'm done. :hi:
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 18, 2011, 01:54:56 PM
I am thinking about giving up street riding......There, I said it.
Wow Pat. Le me offer this: This is likely the wrong time to be making such a decision. You're objectivity is skewed. While it may well be the decision you eventually come to, if possible I would wait a few months, until your objectivity has a chance to skew back the other way, before deciding what to do.
My $0.02
Dan
Quote from: Dan Filetti on June 18, 2011, 02:38:58 PM
Wow Pat. Le me offer this: This is likely the wrong time to be making such a decision. You're objectivity is skewed. While it may well be the decision you eventually come to, if possible I would wait a few months, until your objectivity has a chance to skew back the other way, before deciding what to do.
My $0.02
Dan
+1
What Dan said!!!
You're in no shape to make that kind of decision right now.
DavidR.
Wait until you're all healed up to make this decision. That way, the only ones who are still emotional about this won't be the one giving up such an important part of their life.
A long time ago I made the decision NOT to be a "competitive" street rider. That doesn't mean I don't like some spirited riding. It does mean I have no problem backing off when my comfort zone is reached. I really do enjoy a nice 40 mph commute to work. I road raced my way to an expert/pro license and completed a dream of racing a national event at Daytona,Mid-Ohio, and several at Loudon and Pocono. But I still have no issue riding at the back of the pack with some buddy's on the street.
You can limit your exposure to danger somewhat, but just living is a risk. I will never forget reading in the newspaper of a couple killed in their bed by a bolt of lightning through an open window. I am not a big risk taker, but I do enjoy life. Street riding is on my list as long as I still enjoy it.
Re: Broken ribs
If you notice that you don't have much desire to ride and that everyone around you has turned into a f'king moron, it's you being cranky more than anything. When it hurts to breathe, you tend to not do as much of it and you will desaturate your blood of oxygen. The first symptom of this is your mood immediately going into the toilet, but it's subtle and difficult to really catch.
I guess it depends on the reasons that you ride, really. I love the absolute control, open the gas and it really responds! Ditto the brakes, etc. And the other reason that I love riding is probably a silly one, but I love how things smell. Ride past an orchard and you can really tell, or the smell of freshly plowed fields, or of coming rain. And yes, I'm a little terrified every single time I throw a leg over. Every. Single. Time.
Quote from: RACER111V on June 18, 2011, 09:15:12 PM
A long time ago I made the decision NOT to be a "competitive" street rider. That doesn't mean I don't like some spirited riding. It does mean I have no problem backing off when my comfort zone is reached. I really do enjoy a nice 40 mph commute to work. I road raced my way to an expert/pro license and completed a dream of racing a national event at Daytona,Mid-Ohio, and several at Loudon and Pocono. But I still have no issue riding at the back of the pack with some buddy's on the street.
You can limit your exposure to danger somewhat, but just living is a risk. I will never forget reading in the newspaper of a couple killed in their bed by a bolt of lightning through an open window. I am not a big risk taker, but I do enjoy life. Street riding is on my list as long as I still enjoy it.
+1. I've been riding for so long that some of my buddy's who have recently taking up riding seem to think I must be a gp rider after all of this time. The truth is that I've slowed down A LOT since my younger days and probably surprise some by how conservative I ride. I probably took a few too many risks as a young man and now feel like it's time to relax and play it smart. I don't mind being at the back of the pack either if the pack is moving faster than I like. These days it's all about flow and enjoying the ride.
I was suppose to sell my bike when the first kid was born....never did. The next two offspring didn't change much either. I did ride less during their younger years and since then have added a second bike to the mix( technically two more). I don't ride as fast anymore but still enjoy it and don't think I could give it up. I mainly stay away from the high speed corners and enjoy the slower corners more ... theory here is less of an impact and more time to stop if need be. So far so good from that stand point.
I remember the brief thought of selling my 86 FJ way back when but then I thought what will I ride when I get the itch and its not hurting me sitting in the garage. Give it some time Pat like the rest said and maybe just ride a little less and ease back into it.
Stevec
Pat.. dude that's a bombshell.
I would never attempt to change anybody's mind on this nor do I ever encourage anyone to take up riding. It really is an unnecessary risk and sometimes I feel selfish for doing it myself.. especially with so many depending on us.
Personally, it such a big part of my life for so long can't imagine that I'll ever be ready to quit, but I am ready to back 'er down a notch. The only time I ride around like a dumbass these days is rallies, Dean and Henry's bad influence, and I'm going to dial that back too.
Honestly expect you'll feel differently as you start getting over the ribs, but either way I can understand the feeling.
As Dan said, "Don't make this decision now"
At least wait till you're healed and can determine how much you'll miss it.
By then you'll have been out of the saddle for a couple of months and may be able to make a rational decision.
Periodically, I think about giving up bikes, but as long as I'm capable I think I'll remain a rider. Stopping now, after 45 years would be like cutting off one of my hands. Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I know that any time I've been unable to ride for more than a month I get "antsy" and need to get back.
Heal quick, and then think about this without the nay-sayers all around.
Cheers,
Arnie
Paddy, you're obviously on drugs! :diablo: What are you thinking, quit riding? Who is gonna do Zaino duties? WE need our resident Zaino applicator (you). And of course, you need to keep out there. Perhaps do as I (and others have said to) do, run at less than 100%. I did 100% at Willow Springs, resulting in 3 crashes and time on crutches. As the Hardley guys have shown, you can run at less than 100% and still enjoy yourself . (Or are the Hardley guys actually at 100%? :music:)
Anyway, don't be too rash, take some time to make your decision after you heal and mull your decision a bit more.
Get better,
Ed
A truly fascinating thread. Age is just a number - the ride/no ride conumdrum must surely rest in other factors like comfort/confidence/physical ability/attitude.
Wonder what the law says? Isn't there a test you have to take every year or something once you hit a certian arbitary age?
Maybe it's just one of those things that you know within yourself, hinted at by your internal voice.
Certainly just after an slide is not the time to make these life changing moves.
Fix your bike - good therapy - then decide.
Pat,
Just like we talked the other day when your wife was here, sometimes you have to take a step back, like I did when the lady turn left in front of me, and understand the totality of life.
While I understand the Mrs. concern, she is also reacting to the recent events; time will allow a more unbiased evaluation of why you do, whatever you do, from riding the FJ to surfing, to jumping out of a plane...
The recent events of you and Henry, I believe, have most of us "evaluating" the risk versus reward of riding a motorcycle, but it is an FJ...
You told me the day you dropped the bike off here at my shop when I expressed my concern regarding me riding a timeless piece of art; "Ride it and don't worry about it, bikes can be fixed...Just be careful"
Bikes can and will be fixed, time will heal all wounds and like I said Saturday at the WCR; "exactly 365 days earlier" I was lying in a hospital bed following my back surgery and I was only worried about being able to function as a human being; let alone ride a motorcycle, drive a racecar or any of the other extracurricular activities.
It really feels good to be back upright on the FJ cruisin' with my wife and enjoying the ride.
Randy - RPM
P.S. - You haven't even gotten to get a true feel for the new heart which was music to everyones ears... :music:
P.S.S. - Bob that goes for you too, unless the fame of being on the front page of the INEX site has gone totally to your head.
Pat,
As long as I am able to find other riders like you and David, Dean, Henry, Bill, and even Frank... I will keep riding. My life is much better because of the folks who've ridden through.
I'm sure that when I suck in my last breath I wont be thinking about all of the times I could have been in my truck.
Ride Well, Heal Well Too.
Jon
OK, this seems like it should go out to all of US!!! Riding is a lifestyle. Riding is a necessary evil for us A types. Riding is like breathing, sometimes labored and sometimes just as natural as walking down the street.
We all have crashed. The ones that haven't just did not get to that time in their lives. Remember the old saying that there are 2 types of motorcyclist, ones who have crashed and ones that will. I have crashed hard into a concrete retaining wall at over 55mph. Cost me an ambulance ride and my new down coat. Fortunately I was wearing leather underneath the down coat. I recovered after a couple of weeks and swore that was it for street bikes. Within 3 months, I was anxious to ride again. Within 6 months, I bought a GS750 and off I went.
I have been down since but for the life of me, I can not give up riding. I try to stop, but like a herion addict, I can not stop. I have slowed down and have some cardinal rules about riding like not riding for a couple of days after rain. For the same reason that Pat crashed, too much crap on the road.
Bottom line is, I will ride as long as I am capable of doing so. I will ride a FJ1200 as my favorite choice of weapons to do so. I can not give it up as it is just as much a part of me as walking and breathing. I know that triple digit is off the shelf now and will just go to the edge of my 54 year old envelope will allow. I was faster on a lesser bike in my youth than I am now.
Anyway, all this rambling points to the fact that, even though I crashed and crashed hard, I will always ride. It's like an addition that if not satisfied, I can not act like a normal person. I get grumpy, short and truculent with out my weekly outing on the bike. Just ask my wife, she knows.
I would hate to see such devotion wasted on the the fact that you had a fall off and owww, it hurts. Life hurts and life pleasures. Yen and Yang, life balances out. You could die in your bed, you could die in a stupid car accident, you could die from an airplane engine falling on you from above. BUT AT LEAST YOU LIVED!!!
Enough sermon, now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.
Cheers,
CraigO
Quote from: craigo on June 21, 2011, 05:50:26 PM
you could die from an airplane engine falling on you from above.
Cheers,
CraigO
Craig....... I had to chuckle at that...... reminds me of one of my favourite Australian movies - "siam sunset". The main character in it is a bloke who comes to Australia from England when he wins a tour in a raffle or something. Anyway, the story opens with his wife being killed by a refrigerator that falls out of a plane.
Its a classic (and typically Aussie dry/laconic humour) movie.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336 (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336)
Harvy
Quote from: Harvy on June 21, 2011, 06:58:11 PM
Quote from: craigo on June 21, 2011, 05:50:26 PM
you could die from an airplane engine falling on you from above.
Cheers,
CraigO
Craig....... I had to chuckle at that...... reminds me of one of my favourite Australian movies - "siam sunset". The main character in it is a bloke who comes to Australia from England when he wins a tour in a raffle or something. Anyway, the story opens with his wife being killed by a refrigerator that falls out of a plane.
Its a classic (and typically Aussie dry/laconic humour) movie.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336 (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336)
Harvy
Do they have it with English subtitles? :bomb: :bomb:
Randy T
Indy
Quote from: Harvy on June 21, 2011, 06:58:11 PM
Quote from: craigo on June 21, 2011, 05:50:26 PM
you could die from an airplane engine falling on you from above.
Cheers,
CraigO
Craig....... I had to chuckle at that...... reminds me of one of my favourite Australian movies - "siam sunset". The main character in it is a bloke who comes to Australia from England when he wins a tour in a raffle or something. Anyway, the story opens with his wife being killed by a refrigerator that falls out of a plane.
Its a classic (and typically Aussie dry/laconic humour) movie.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336 (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Siam-Sunset/60027504?strkid=934707525_0_0&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strackid=70ee0df523ba5319_0_srl&trkid=222336)
Harvy
I got that from an actual event. There was an American Airlines flight from Dallas to San Diego. One of the engines fell off the plane somewhere over New Mexico or Arizona. I laughed so hard when I heard that and it kinda stuck with me. What would happen if you are out there in the desert, riding your dirtbike when all of a sudden, a large turbine jet motor fell right next to you. Too funny!!!!
CraigO
Quote from: rktmanfj on June 21, 2011, 07:03:58 PM
Do they have it with English subtitles? :bomb: :bomb:
Randy T
Indy
Randy....... that's Australian, not Austrian........ :blum2:
Harvy
Quote from: Harvy on June 21, 2011, 07:41:00 PM
Quote from: rktmanfj on June 21, 2011, 07:03:58 PM
Do they have it with English subtitles? :bomb: :bomb:
Randy T
Indy
Randy....... that's Australian, not Austrian........ :blum2:
Harvy
Looks like Randy needs to invest in some old Monty Python movies. Then he might understand the accent. :rofl2:
Granted Monty Python is English, but, hey, we are Americans
CraigO
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 18, 2011, 01:54:56 PM
"I am thinking about giving up street riding......There, I said it."
I'm very sorry to hear about the crashes and the resulting doubts about riding. I can relate. I had surgery on my neck last September and haven't been on a bike since. In my case the spine problems weren't caused by a crash - I just wore out. But the result is the same: suddenly feeling very frail and much older. I haven't even been checking in here to see what's new.
I'd agree with the advice to wait until you feel better until making the decision. I still don't feel great and may never again feel 100%, but I'm starting to look at the bike and plan to pick up a new battery for it tomorrow. I'll be riding slower and more cautiously, but I feel better enough to want to try and get back in the saddle. I believe my attitude will benefit greatly. The loss of activities that we love makes us become older than we need to be. I don't know how it will go, and I'm pretty sure my days of long-distance rides may be over, but I'm going to try to stay in the game at what ever level I can manage.
Best wishes,
Dean Hess
Pittsburgh
Quote from: Dean Hess on June 21, 2011, 11:10:52 PM
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 18, 2011, 01:54:56 PM
"I am thinking about giving up street riding......There, I said it."
I'm very sorry to hear about the crashes and the resulting doubts about riding. I can relate. I had surgery on my neck last September and haven't been on a bike since. In my case the spine problems weren't caused by a crash - I just wore out. But the result is the same: suddenly feeling very frail and much older. I haven't even been checking in here to see what's new.
I'd agree with the advice to wait until you feel better until making the decision. I still don't feel great and may never again feel 100%, but I'm starting to look at the bike and plan to pick up a new battery for it tomorrow. I'll be riding slower and more cautiously, but I feel better enough to want to try and get back in the saddle. I believe my attitude will benefit greatly. The loss of activities that we love makes us become older than we need to be. I don't know how it will go, and I'm pretty sure my days of long-distance rides may be over, but I'm going to try to stay in the game at what ever level I can manage.
Best wishes,
Dean Hess
Pittsburgh
Kudos Dan, I spent a few years out of the saddle, bike busted up in the garage after crushing the upper fairing into a curb. My gear did a great job, leather jacket, gloves, boots, full helmet and in spite of jeans for lowers (low speeds 30MPH or so). My wife would not let me sell it till I fixed it back up, not selling a wreck! She knew me better than I did. Started finding salvage parts and getting my bashed up 86' back into shape. Well Hell! It it was ready for a test ride.....Hooked.....Again...
Now I have upgraded the rear to a 92 GSXR and have a long list of other upgrades. I have been hooked from the word "Hello" with my FJ..... That is my story in short form......
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 18, 2011, 01:54:56 PM
I am thinking along those same lines. i.e. Is it worth it? Really?
I am thinking about giving up street riding......There, I said it.
I shuffle out to the garage, and look at my damaged '84 and I just want to cry, but it hurts to breath......Yea, I think I'm done. :hi:
Pat , take your meds and do the breathing exercises. stop all this crazy talk.
"Well Hell! It it was ready for a test ride.....Hooked.....Again..."
I know that feeling! It only takes about five minutes to completely restore the FJ groove thing.
It's hard to have a good attitude when in pain, but healing eventually solves that. We can be very careful and skillful riders, but it still takes some faith to ride on the road. I'll be ever more cautious as I age and become more brittle, but I'll try to keep riding.
Now to go get that battery...
What's that you say, Patrick? You're too old and don't want to ride anymore??
I bet I can fix all that in about five minutes ...
Alpine TT 2006 (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27xi2)
Unfortunately, I can't deliver the Alpines to you but we have stuff that good in our backyards, don't we? And we're not gonna let them go to waste, now, are we?
I think the best part about this little clip is the sharing of great times with friends. Where the hell else can you do that and raise your adrenalin level, too? (Squidly behavior aside, of course.)
Why didn't I go down in that corner? Good question, it really is. Especially since I was concentrating so hard on making that damn thing that I didn't even see the gravel! My line was a fairly outside one as I was going at a good clip and working hard to not cross the double yellow and go into the runoff. Had I been going through it at a more relaxed pace you might have been the one to gather up my things because that sand was dead square in the middle of the turn which is where I probably would have been. And since it was on the backside of a rise there would have been virtually no time to do much about it.
Even so, there was plenty of luck on your side, I truly feel, and as we've mentioned it sure could have been much uglier. And as I stood by watching them attend to you I had the exact same feeling: "Is riding really worth all of this?" At that moment the answer was no, it sure as hell ain't. But that's to be expected at a time like that; now, I'll keep that lesson in front of me (I'm hoping there was one) and continue to continue. I hope you will, too. And if not, you have had plenty of great miles to relect back on and smile.
I'll be the first to admit I don't this fella BUT I have seen it when guys just get to old to ride the kind of bikes they own and/or want to ride. I almost bought a CBR929 from a fella my brother did tree work for becuase he was 76 and said he just could not ride it anymore. He had other bikes as well. A pity....my bikes will outlive me. The CBX, FJ, Busa, 75 CB750F1000cc etc. I have 2 sons and neither rides. :unknown:
Quote from: Gazza on June 23, 2011, 07:59:50 PM
Why didn't I go down in that corner? Good question, it really is...
Gary,
This might be the reason...? (popcorn)
http://tiny.cc/kp43y (http://tiny.cc/kp43y)
Just funnin...and tryin to lighten the mood a little...
Randy - RPM
Quote from: racerrad8 on June 23, 2011, 09:07:26 PM
http://tiny.cc/kp43y (http://tiny.cc/kp43y)
Just funnin...and tryin to lighten the mood a little...
Randy - RPM
Get back on that horse! Goes for the clip and whatever posts on this topic that it works for :good:
Just funnin...and tryin to lighten the mood a little...
Randy - RPM
Fun clip, thanks! Also a good reminder of how fast a front wheel low-side can happen. I did that once...
Quote from: weymouth399 on June 17, 2011, 12:56:44 PM
My bikes are for sale cheap
(popcorn)
Ok, This has gotten a bit out of hand. This was a joke played on me and you guy's.
(This will teach me to shut off my computer when taking a leak)
Anyone that knows me, would know right off it wasn't me. I wouldn't sell my FJ and if I did, it deffinitly wouldn't go cheap.
I'm sure it was because all I did the other night was bitch about how getting old sucks for me.
I also lost my dad 3 weeks ago, and that SUCKED BIG TIME. (he was my hero)
My right knee is having problems and it's my good one. 3 cortizone shots 3 synvisc shots in 6 the last months and no relief more than 3 weeks at a time. The other night I couldn't stand, couldn't work on the race car.
All I did was piss and moan all night, I would have told me to shut the fuck up but not him (he's not mean enough)
I got my knee drained and the 4th cortizone shot friday morning, they don't have a clue to whats wrong with it yet. That's why it's called practicing medicine.
I ALMOST lost my left leg in a dirt bike crash in 96, hyper extended my knee. Nothing but bad from there 58 days in the hospital, died on the op table. I lost 80% of muscel in my lower leg (gone not there anymore).
I still rode after that, much to the displeasure of my family.
But it is a life style, I eat, sleep, and shit M/Cs. Hell my race car is M/C powered.
I don't know if I could or would give it up, it's what I am.
But I do know where Pat is coming from, I said I wouldn't ride again many times, I also said I would never drink again,(while puking my guts out) I have done both since.
I have come to grips that I can't ride like I did, but I can still ride for now, and that's priceless.
Bob W
Quote from: weymouth399 on June 24, 2011, 09:53:32 AM
But it is a life style, I eat, sleep, and shit M/Cs.
Bob W
Well, all those H-Ds had to come from somewhere... :biggrin:
Lee's shirt says it best:
(https://i.postimg.cc/hjTkdp1w/LeeC.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Randy T
Indy
Ok, This has gotten a bit out of hand. This was a joke played on me and you guy's.
(This will teach me to shut off my computer when taking a leak)
Bob W
Good joke! But one that obviously hit a nerve with aging, beat-up, FJ riders! I'm planning on some FJ time this weekend which is always a rejuvenating experience.
Quote from: Dean Hess on June 24, 2011, 02:53:10 PM
Good joke! But one that obviously hit a nerve with aging, beat-up, FJ riders!
Hey! I resemble that remark (kidding) You guys are all exactly correct, I just need some time.
I was getting 2 hours of sleep at a time when I last posted. It's Amazing what a difference in outlook when I can get 8 hours or more of sleep.
Life is sooo much better. Ribs have finally set/stabilized and stopped moving around. Whew. Mark, I'm at 2750ml on my inhalation bong.
Thanks for the sage advice guys, sorry for barfing on the Forum like that. Carry On. Cheers! Paddy
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 24, 2011, 05:27:17 PM
Quote from: Dean Hess on June 24, 2011, 02:53:10 PM
Good joke! But one that obviously hit a nerve with aging, beat-up, FJ riders!
Hey! I resemble that remark (kidding) You guys are all exactly correct, I just need some time.
I was getting 2 hours of sleep at a time when I last posted. It's Amazing what a difference in outlook when I can get 8 hours or more of sleep.
Life is sooo much better. Ribs have finally set/stabilized and stopped moving around. Whew. Mark, I'm at 2750ml on my inhalation bong.
Thanks for the sage advice guys, sorry for barfing on the Forum like that. Carry On. Cheers! Paddy
all right pat :good2:
keep huffing and puffing.
Quote from: weymouth399 on June 24, 2011, 09:53:32 AM
I can still ride for now, and that's priceless.
Bob W
Amen, Bob. I'm glad you filled us in, it was strangely silent on your quadrant for a while. If I were that fiend I'd be on my toes 'cuz payback is a bitch.
"It's Amazing what a difference in outlook when I can get 8 hours or more of sleep."
Oh yeah, I had months of sleeping on the recliner in the living room because it was the only way to get a couple of hours of sleep. I now know why recuperating people are called "patients". Wait and heal...
I'm poppin' the new battery in the FJ tomorrow and cranking it up. I'm hoping the Stabil I put in the fuel tank last summer kept the gas decent enough to let it run!
Pat,
Good to hear you are resting better. Although I doubt it will happen, you're welcome to join me at the back of the pack anytime! It's fun back here too.
Mike
Quote from: Mike 86 in San Dimas on June 25, 2011, 03:55:00 PM
Pat,
Good to hear you are resting better. Although I doubt it will happen, you're welcome to join me at the back of the pack anytime! It's fun back here too.
Mike
Mike can say that cuz his 86' is clean with some polish. I don't want Pat's bike anywhere near mine, even in crashed condition, the cleanest thing on my bike is the machined exposed aluminum on my new (No longer Periwinkle) rear wheel. The rest looks used and abused. But I would be honored to ride with you Pat. I tweaked my back today where my ribs are attached, it hurts to breathe. Makes me really appreciate the extreme level of "it really hurts to breathe", that you have endured while healing. Glad to know you are still with us at any level of participation. Cheers.
Quote from: carsick on June 24, 2011, 07:39:28 PM
If I were that friend I'd be on my toes 'cuz payback is a bitch.
You need not concern yourself with such matters, being in your 30's excludes you from having an opinion in this thread
Hey now. I'm in my 30's and work with the very elderly on a daily basis.
A gent watched me gingerly get up from sitting on the floor (tweaked a knee awhile back). He then commented, "You're getting old!"
....he's 107 years old. fml.
Quote from: Travis398 on June 26, 2011, 08:59:03 AM
Quote from: carsick on June 24, 2011, 07:39:28 PM
If I were that friend I'd be on my toes 'cuz payback is a bitch.
You need not concern yourself with such matters, being in your 30's excludes you from having an opinion in this thread
FIEND was not a typo. But bravo for trying to fix the spelling in your favor. I'll save you the description of my infirmities from this morning's ride since I'm not eligible for Social Security yet.
P.S. I think there's a handicap for having children, it ages you faster than... well anything really.
Quote from: carsick on June 26, 2011, 10:34:35 AM
P.S. I think there's a handicap for having children, it ages you faster than... well anything really.
True dat!
Dan
"P.S. I think there's a handicap for having children, it ages you faster than... well anything really."
Yes and no. My boy got me back into backpacking and dirt bikes. My friends without kids are mostly couch potatoes, getting old fast. On the other hand, we're into the college payments and have taken a vow of poverty for the next 8 years...
Sunday I put the new battery in the FJ and cranked it over - it started within a minute! The bike hasn't been touched since early August last year and it ran like a champ after getting up to operating temp. I put it away with a full tank of stabilized gas last year; Stabil is great stuff.
I got two rides in; a half hour in the morning, and an hour just before sunset. The bike feels as good as ever, but I noticed two changes since last year:
1) The local governments are tight on money so there are many roads that are being maintained with the economical "tar and chips" process which turns previously smooth twisty lanes into double-track trails with gravel in between. The roads are still fun, but they aren't the swift road rides they used to be - one has to stay on the trail. No more sweeping apexes. Fortunately, there are still roads that haven't had the treatment yet.
2) My FJ muscles are severely underdeveloped. I'm looking forward to the therapy for those.
this too old to ride thread has made me think about how long I have been riding motorcycles. :mail1:
36 years ago It started for me on a rm80.
Through all the years I have always had a motorcycle to ride. kids did not stop it ,wife did not stop it, a bad wreck almost stopped it,till I put the bike back together.
way back it was the thrill of a new thing and the danger of the ride, then it was the cheap commute to work in the rain and all kinds of weather, now it is purely I ride because I
want to.
no matter if it is a solo ride or a group ride I enjoy just being on a motorcycle and it has become a necessity for my mental health. Just ask my wife and she will tell you there are times when I am told to get out of the house and go ride the fj for a few hours.
with all the stuff everyone has to deal with I will probably ride till the day I die even if I have to get something with training wheels like the can am.
too old to ride ? not anytime soon.
Quote from: Mark Olson on June 27, 2011, 11:53:06 AM
this too old to ride thread has made me think about how long I have been riding motorcycles. :mail1:
36 years ago It started for me on a rm80.
Through all the years I have always had a motorcycle to ride. kids did not stop it ,wife did not stop it, a bad wreck almost stopped it,till I put the bike back together.
way back it was the thrill of a new thing and the danger of the ride, then it was the cheap commute to work in the rain and all kinds of weather, now it is purely I ride because I
want to.
no matter if it is a solo ride or a group ride I enjoy just being on a motorcycle and it has become a necessity for my mental health. Just ask my wife and she will tell you there are times when I am told to get out of the house and go ride the fj for a few hours.
with all the stuff everyone has to deal with I will probably ride till the day I die even if I have to get something with training wheels like the can am.
too old to ride ? not anytime soon.
I could easily copy your quote and sign my name to it, as my riding life mirrors everything you said, even the years on motorized two wheelers!
My son and I took part in a poker run this past weekend which totalled 175 miles in the afternoon, and while at one of our stops I reflected my thoughts on riding to him, and said, that we need to take advantage of these time, as we are both in the prime of our lives, doing what we love to do and you never know when it all may come to an end. And I was referring to our health and ability to throw a leg over the saddle.
As far as the kids thing is concerned, I feel I ride more now these days due to my sons interest in bikes, so in that regard, I am very fortunate to have them here with me riding by my side. I only wish I could have rode with my dad as much as I have with my sons...these are memories that will live for a lifetime!
Leon
My right knee is having problems and it's my good one. 3 cortizone shots 3 synvisc shots in 6 the last months and no relief more than 3 weeks at a time. The other night I couldn't stand, couldn't work on the race car.
All I did was piss and moan all night, I would have told me to shut the fuck up but not him (he's not mean enough)
I got my knee drained and the 4th cortizone shot friday morning, they don't have a clue to whats wrong with it yet. That's why it's called practicing medicine.
[/quote]
Be careful with the cortizone shots, they can kill your liver in a heart beat. I would guess you have some cartilage floating around and will need to be scoped to get it out.
Quote from: Mark Olson on June 27, 2011, 11:53:06 AM
this too old to ride thread has made me think about how long I have been riding motorcycles. :mail1:
36 years ago It started for me on a rm80.
Through all the years I have always had a motorcycle to ride. kids did not stop it ,wife did not stop it, a bad wreck almost stopped it,till I put the bike back together.
way back it was the thrill of a new thing and the danger of the ride, then it was the cheap commute to work in the rain and all kinds of weather, now it is purely I ride because I
want to.
no matter if it is a solo ride or a group ride I enjoy just being on a motorcycle and it has become a necessity for my mental health. Just ask my wife and she will tell you there are times when I am told to get out of the house and go ride the fj for a few hours.
with all the stuff everyone has to deal with I will probably ride till the day I die even if I have to get something with training wheels like the can am.
too old to ride ? not anytime soon.
Nice one Mark. Your post made me smile with nostalgia and recognition. I feel similar. For me it was also 36 years ago, interestingly. I however started on a Honda QA50. Wait, a year earlier I got on, and immediately dumped, an XR75 -I don't really count that... I remember the feel of that QA doing maybe 15 mph, I felt like I was flying, and I was hooked. The following summer I bent the frame something fierce by trying to jump the little QA. It still ran but the rear wheel would drag, so rolling off the throttle, the bike would come to a stop as if the brakes were applied...
My parents were anti-motorcycle so it's a miracle that the following year I managed to talk them into letting me buy my buddy's well used XR75 (yup, the same one I had dumped). He has upgraded to a YZ80. I went everywhere on that bike. I was 10 years old, and I'd travel so many miles from the house, occasionally getting chased by the cops, (they never could catch us) off exploring the local area, down a pipeline trail that passed nearby. North one day, south the next. There were three of us that used to ride all day long, only coming home at dinner time. We got wise and stashed a fuel can at a halfway point, bring sandwiches and simply not come back 'till dinner. We were amazingly independent.
I look at my 9 year old kids and realize that I had a vastly different upbringing then they will have. They have a little CRF50 but they ride it on my 5.5 acres only. They can 'disappear' for maybe an hour, but after that, they need to check in or their mother or I will call/look for them. I just can't imagine them being gone all day, not for a few years yet anyway.
Oh, well, nice stroll down memory lane.
Dan
It seems to be a common thread with all of us, start riding young and play all day.
Leon , enjoy the time with the kids . Riding with my father are some of the best memories of motorcycling.
Except for high school and riding my xs400 over to the local catholic girls school and giving free rides. :good2: :gamer:
Quote from: Dan Filetti on June 27, 2011, 12:59:26 PM...I was 10 years old, and I'd travel so many miles from the house, occasionally getting chased by the cops, (they never could catch us) off exploring the local area, down a pipeline trail that passed nearby. North one day, south the next...
Dan
that reminds me of how we were as kids. As long as the bikes were in running condition, they'd never sit still.
I live in the same town where I grew up and still ride most of the same places, often with my brother and a couple of our old friends. My children never really got into it. They can and do ride some, but they don't love it like we did. Not sure if it's a generational thing or just diffrent strokes. Rarely see people < 20 yrs old out rding and when we do they're ALWAYS on quads
Anyway, early this spring, my brother and I were out riding and we came across this lone kid, 10- 12 years old, a mile from the nearest road, all alone. helmet, jeans, gardening gloves and rubber boots.. His bike, little drz 110 (yellow version of my kids klx110), was in a wash-rut as deep as the bike was tall and the kid was struggling to drag it out. The kid of course was super-glad to see us, he thought he was screwed. We stopped, lifted but it wouldn't start - it had just recently been upside down in the rut :good2: and the boy was afraid it had also out of gas - running out the vent while he was trying to flip it over. lol. I messed with it - plenty of gas just flooded.. so I got it started for him. good thing because it is a long steep uphill back up to the road.
After it was running we asked if he needed anything and told him to be careful and rode away but within a couple minutes I realized he was following... and a fair job of keeping up in the tight woods. We stopped and he came up grinning ear to ear. Could tell he was happy to be riding with somebody, even us old farts. Said he had to go home but wanted to know when we might be coming back! cool kid.. 70's throwback.
Too old to ride? check out this guy:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2010794/Britains-oldest-biker-going-strong-94-Reg-Scott-ridden-nearly-400-000-miles.html?ito=feeds-newsxml (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2010794/Britains-oldest-biker-going-strong-94-Reg-Scott-ridden-nearly-400-000-miles.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)
Though I've done more miles in half the time!
Stuart