Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Legislation States Study Regulations for Aging Bikers

Another reason to support the AMA.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051126/ap_on_re_us/boomer_bikers

you know its strange
im a 46 year old man the guys i ride with are all ages but a lot of them are between 60 and 70 years old we ride every thing from hondas to harleys the older guys are by far the safest riders they look out for each other they point out road hazards they ride completly safe. i see more wrecks among the guys between 19 and 29 why isnt there a regulation on them?

If it saves just one boomer....... it's fer the chil'ren.... an' gran'chil'ren.......who would argue against that?

Why I would, of course....

They're talking about regulating a target group before they even have any concrete evidence...

No sir, I don't like it.

Hi ImOk,
I will be 52 on Wednesday. My reflexes have diminished over the years. I'd love to think that I can still ride any bike, but several are out of the question. I would limit myself to any of Triumph's "non sport" bikes or a Yamaha Venture - maybe a Royal Enfield or another small bike.
I have noticed that I am much more timid in the tight turns , also the turns in the Dragon that fall back on themselves . I would love to drag a knee while holding my bike in a near spiral turn. But I can't, plain and simple, I just can't. Maybe it's the thought of bones being more brittle? But I tend to think that God did this by design. Like Him reducing men's sex drive over the years, I still love sex, but two or three times a day? I could hurt myself or others. Especially since I have gotten so good at it. Sometimes, I even yell my own name out! (forgive me for providing a disgusting visual)
Ride Safe - Old Folks,
Dennis

"Ya see....I'm gonna return to motorcycling after the kids are all gone off to college and all, and I'm gonna buy me the biggest, heaviest(and subsequently worst handling) motor-sickle I can find, to prove I ain't over the hill yet!"

"I had one of them there "little" 650s, years ago, but now I wants me one o' them there BIG-A$$ Harley Davidsons."



NAW! I don't see ANY correlation here, AT ALL!

Your CONSISTENTLY riding(for the past 38 years) compatriot,
Dwight
(of course, that doesn't mean I couldn't "buy-the-farm", tomorrow...either)


(hey...I heard THAT!)


(yeah....you'll miss me when I'm gone)

You guys don't know what "older riders" are! <chuckle> Here in the Sun Cities (there are 3) of Arizona, some guys ride up into their mid 80's.

Got an email the other day that one of the members of the Flying Wheels club had fallen over and broken a bone or two. He had started riding in a bike club many years ago, when Sonny Barger was it's president! Yup, Hells Angles.

Just don't post any pictures

Good one.... I didn't think anybody on here would recognize that.....

I just wandered over to triumphrat and found more displeasure about this..

http://www.triumphrat.net/modules.php?op...51&forum=21

Well, there should be displeasure about this. Those guys make a lot of valid points, some the same as what we've said here.
Any time there are new "regulations" put into place, it opens the door for increased fees and taxes and fines and even more regulation.
If the situation merits that, no arguement. But if is based on flawed statistics and the whims of the non-riding public and the insurance companies, then it ain't right....

In principle I don't think I have a problem with some sort of re-training or competency test if you've been off a bike for a long time.

I'm a classic example. I passed my test in 1980, rode bikes until 1983, and then didn't ride one again until 2004. When I started looking at bikes in 2004 I was surprised to find out that I could buy any bike (a 180mph GSXR 1000 for instance) and ride it away from the shop with absolutely no refresher training.

I'll admit to being a bit wobbly on my Speedmaster until I'd got a few miles under my wheels, but at least I was sensible enough to have it delivered to my home, and to ride those first miles on roads that I know well, and that aren't very busy.

If I'd bought a GSXR1000, and got on it outside a shop in the middle of a busy city I think I'd have been a danger to myself and to everyone else on the road. If people are doing that then perhaps some compulsory re-training or testing wouldn't be a bad idea.

Have to agree with Simon's view on Born again Bikers (BABs) regarding this....as a gliding instructor, I often used to get people coming back to flying after a break of some years....the actual physical skills (co-ordination of controls etc.) come back pretty quickly but the judgment takes a bit more work. Same as on motorbikes - but with the added complication that the skills sets were usually formed when traffic was slower and the roads less crowded. So a bit of training for BAB's never goes amiss...

Jan

Gina,

Good point.

This is a little off the topic but I noticed that you referred to your bike as a her. I didn't know women had she bikes.

i'm 46 ride alone usually cos i ride like a mad man on speed
the bonne has slowed me down due to lack of power
i use to have a monster a speed triple and a ninja gpz900r
so all that stuff about older riders are mellow is bull

gina it is not the dealers responsibility to check licences its the piggies out there thats what we pay tax for so they have something to do

When I bought my bike the dealer asked me for a copy of my licence and insurance certificate. I think he said he couldn't register the bike in my name without those documents.

I don't suppose that would apply if you were buying a bike that was already registered though.

Speaking of dealers, I was at a dealer looking to replace my bike couple of years ago. He just handed a new bike to a someone who was riding it off into the sunset and had almost no experience riding.He told me he crosses his fingers when they ride off the lot. He has seen them crash a few yards away.

When I bought my first bike, I had it delivered. Rode it a few days around the block and was pretty scared getting into main traffic. I then had a friend of mine come down on his bike and we rode around the block a few times before getting the courage to turn onto a busy Center Ave.

I will never forget it!

One block away there was a guy who just crashed his Harley to avoid a car crossing his path. He was ok and screaming at the driver of the car. We stopped to offer help to lift the bike but he ignored us (Typical Harley riders? so we rode off.

I kind of considered that day my initiation.

Hey Gina
You just can't help some people ...

The other thing is of course, if he buys private.
If someone is selling a bike, there are some who will take anyone's money!

The dealer I bought from asked for insurance details so he could tax the bike plus he already had my license details which they asked to see before my test ride.
More should ask a few questions realy.

I had mine delivered, and then went out as soon as the delivery guy had left. Went round to my brothers who rides a 1977 BMW. Just had to pose. The dealership also took my insurance off me and also check my licence thought it was normal, even though I had traded in my 83 bonny for it.