Late 40's and I wanna ride!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
37
Location
FL
Looking for advice. I am in late 40s in great shape. Always interested in a street bike but never bought one. Rode smallish dirt bikes as a kid. Looking at a midsized adventure type bike. Specifically a suzuki vstrom 650. Seriously doubt any epic trips on it just generally riding back roads etc. But ultimately worried about getting hurt or worse. Got a family too so that plays into it.
 
If motorcycling does not come naturally to you, then you are at high risk. I've been riding from age 7, and racing from age 13. I've gotten away without serious injury. But only because I've been "one" with man and machine.

My friends that started later, ALL, universally, crashed horribly. A neighbor rode right off cliff on the Blue Ridge! I really thought he understood how his bike handled and what the limits were. Apparently not.

If you are going to do it, get some good training.

I no longer ride. As I've aged, I no longer have that feeling of being one with the machine. Age and illness have stripped my capability.
 
My last bike was a Aprilia Shiver 750.
How tall are you? Some adventure bikes are better suited to those with longer inseams.

Despite what most riders will admit, shifting a motorcycle SUCKS. Very few people wanna buy a car with a stick, but it's 10X easier
to shift a manual in a car than pegging the shifter up and down on a bike.

This bike would be the most fun you'll have on 2 wheels:
 
I will also say that having a small, fast little car is much safer and nearly as fun on the tarmac. Get a Ford Focus ST instead of a bike if you can swing it.
 
My dad started riding at 50 and he loves it. He started with a suzuki boulevard c50 and has accumulated all kinds of bikes from Nortons and Vincents to a custom suicide shifted bobber made from an old school Harley. He rides almost every day weather permitting at his current age of 64. Never to late to start. Not only does he ride. It he works on all these bikes and it has really brought something great into his life. My mom wasn't happy at first but she has come around after seeing how happy working on his projects and riding them makes him.

He has been into cars his whole life. Raced spec miata for a decade and has owned several fun cars he has tracked and autocrossed. S2000 ap2, blobeye sti, couple m3s, etc. I guess bikes were the next logical increment for him? Haha
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Despite what most riders will admit, shifting a motorcycle SUCKS. Very few people wanna buy a car with a stick, but it's 10X easier
to shift a manual in a car than pegging the shifter up and down on a bike.

I know you mentioned this before. I just thought I'd add an opposing point of view... to me personally shifting gears on a bike is as easy, or even easier than shifting gears in a car.
 
The main thing on not getting hurt is to:
1. Not ride crazy
2. Slow down and understand some things can be slippery like manhole covers, lane markings etc. Make turns smoothly.
3. Wear a helmet always and other gear like pants, gloves, jacket etc
4. Be seen. Extra lighting on front of bike can help.
5. Never assume you have the right of way or people see you. Ride defensively.
 
I think if you don't ride fast for fun, and don't have to spend the first and last half hour of your ride trying to survive getting in and out of the city, a street bike would be a reasonably safe hobby.
My neighbor used to ride fast on the street and pretty much did the same thing as Cujet's buddy, went off the twisty road into a boulder field...
Riding trails off road is probably much safer so maybe get a dual sport and explore that way?
 
Lawman,
Don't get a motorcycle, buy a fun car.


Cujet,
What happened to your neighbor, motorcycle accidents can happen in a blink of a eye.


ZZman,
Don't forget all the idiots in vehicles preoccupied on their cellphones and never see the motorcycle(s).
 
40 years old with a family. Exactly how much time will you have every month to devote to going for rides?. Do you have someone else to ride with?. Is your other half down with the idea of you having a bike?. And how much are you willing to spend on something, that spends 95% of its life sitting in your garage ?. This might all sound like a buzz kill, but this is a trap alot of people fall into. Bikes can be bought cheaply these days but are tough to sell, unless you give them away. If you decide to go for it, remember people do not see you. Ride like your invisible and don't be afraid to hit the brakes. Being in the right, doesn't outway being alive.,,,
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
40 years old with a family. If you decide to go for it, remember people do not see you. Ride like your invisible and don't be afraid to hit the brakes. Being in the right, doesn't outway being alive.,,,


In Florida 99% of the drivers are texting while driving so they definitely will not see you. Years ago I lived with a FHP Trooper. He came across many motorcycle accidents that left the motorcyclist decapitated.
 
almost all Harley dealers have a riders edge course, That is a good beginning.

It is a sales tool for many of them, don't fall for it on a first bike.

Gear. Get good armored jacket and pants, good boots, good gloves, full face helmet. That will cost over 1000, could be 1500. White helmets very visible. Even with insurance, one trip to the emergency room is usually more. 40% of crashes you land on your face, I recommend only full face helmets, or flip front helmets. there are utube training video. The training and gear will add 2000 to the cost.

You engine is used for braking as well as accelerating, It is one of your 5 basic controls on a bike. Automatic diminishes that to some degree.

Foot peg weighting in another control, don't throw that away with feet forward controls.

Best to buy a bike with ABS brakes, regardless of what the haters say, it is really better. Hit wet leaves, becomes non event. Spot of oil, non event.

Learn how to pick up the bike without hurting you. Utube again.

Rod
 
Last edited:
riding is more dangerous. And more fun and rewarding.

There are ways to ride as safe as possible. Then there are other ways. The difference between them is huge.

Get training, get gear, get in habit of scanning all the time, and you will be safer than many.

and HAVE FUN.

Do not expect to save money. MC tires last only 5 to 10K miles. They cost more than car tires. Cost of mounting is not free. MC costs MORE per mile than many cars.

The only exceptions are scooters, and small 300CC motorcycles.

Rod
 
Last edited:
The vast majority of motorcycle deaths are:

-drunk
-driving at high speed
-racing
-being idiots

If you can be a mature adult driver, and lay off the booze, your chances are much higher. Still have to look out for the texting idiots though.

I go out for night rides now (10pm to 1am or so) I prefer it as the weather is cooler, there are far less people on the road, and I can stay farther away from other drivers easily by just slowing or picking up my pace.
 
I ery strongly recommend taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) riders course or something very similar. If you don’t have a motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license, take the test and get one. I don’t know if it’s possible to live a full and rewarding life without risk so I say make sure your training and skills are up to date and start riding.
 
My first time on a motorcycle was at age 4 in Chicago. Our next door neighbor owned a Harley dealership, Dolezal I think his name was, and gave me a ride. My accident experience in the intervening years, slipped and fell hitting a patch of oil on a cloverleaf. 67 Honda super 90. Went off the road and there was a cement culvert on the side with a wall. Somehow I jumped over it and landed upright on a path. A cow ran in front of me and I woke up on the pavement with people all around. This was a 71 Kawasaki trail bike. All three experiences could have been death. An old friend lost his leg because a car ran into the side of him. The leg was going around in circles on what was left of the flesh he says. Rest of his life on one leg. He was ding nothing but sitting on a motorcycle. What amazes me these days is the audacity and arrogance of bicycle riders who challenge cars. They are fools.
 
People with cars run over folks on motorcycles.Then the famous quote is"I didn't see him" whats your life worth to you? Buy a convertible if you want to feel lots of wind. Consider what happens if you hit a deer or even a dog while on a bike.I rode motorcycles since i was a kid and have many street miles also. Hitting cars is a really bad thing.I found out.
 
"Despite what most riders will admit, shifting a motorcycle SUCKS. Very few people wanna buy a car with a stick, but it's 10X easier
to shift a manual in a car than pegging the shifter up and down on a bike."

^ Huh...?
crazy.gif
^ Take a rider safety course and resist the urge to spend a lot of money on expensive clothes and options for your bike until you decide whether on not riding motorcycles is for you. The Vstrom 650 is an excellent choice. Light, nimble, bullet proof as far as dependability and can cruise all day on interstates 2 up, or the occasional light off road riding. I had a Vstrom 1000 and unless you're very tall, the 650 will fit you well and do most anything you might want from an intermediate size motorcycle. Look for a later model with ABS.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top