You Know You Are Old When

[bdhsfz6]

Neil Peart, drummer for the Canadian prog rock trio Rush, has traveled most of the world on 2-wheels, and written a few interesting travel books from that perspective. My favorite was "The Masked Rider", about a 6 week bicycle ride around Africa, but they've all been interesting to different degrees.

He had the opposite progression of you, riding from one city to the next by bicycle when the band was touring in the 1980's, before graduating to motorcycles in the 1990's. The one line I remember, and I think it was from The Masked Rider, was something like "bicycle is the perfect speed to tour the world, with anything motorized being too fast to absorb your surroundings, and travel by foot being too slow to get anywhere."

I think his usual routine was to run from his drum kit right to his tour bus, as the rest of the band was waving their goodbyes to the audience, and have his driver get them out of the city and to a scenic route during the night. Then in the morning, hop on the bicycle, and ride the rest of the way to their next destination.

Riding a bicycle on road is safer in some locations than others, particularly in rural settings. Still, with distracted drivers texting, it's more dangerous now than it was just 10 years ago. Again, this will vary from place to place.

 

[scootr]

We have twisty hilly country roads. The speed limit is 50-60 mph and many exceed that by 10 mph. A sign says share the road with a stick figure bicyclist. The cyclists look suicidal to me. Sure it's a beautiful place to ride but it is far from safe.

 

[airbiscuit]

When I was a young lad, I couldn't afford a motorcycle. I bought a Honda 305 Scrambler in boxes. It had a 350 kit. I rebuilt it and reassembled it. It ran great, and I got to have a little fun with it, until...

I was racing the dog across a hay field, hit a hidden rock and flew 120 feet through the air. My left leg slipped off the foot peg and planted in the dirt. The foot peg came through my leg and broke it in 5 places - a compound fracture. I looked down, and it was like had another knee - and then I saw the bones sticking out.

That's when I quit riding motorcycles.

 

[scootr]

When I was a young lad, I couldn't afford a motorcycle. I bought a Honda 305 Scrambler in boxes. It had a 350 kit. I rebuilt it and reassembled it. It ran great, and I got to have a little fun with it, until...

I was racing the dog across a hay field, hit a hidden rock and flew 120 feet through the air. My left leg slipped off the foot peg and planted in the dirt. The foot peg came through my leg and broke it in 5 places - a compound fracture. I looked down, and it was like had another knee - and then I saw the bones sticking out.

That's when I quit riding motorcycles.

Ouch! We rode dirtbikes in the desert. Not everyone survives that activity.
Later I rode bigger Moto Guzzi and HD bikes on the road. It was fun and I quit while I was still ahead.

 

[Runner]

When I was a young lad, I couldn't afford a motorcycle. I bought a Honda 305 Scrambler in boxes. It had a 350 kit. I rebuilt it and reassembled it. It ran great, and I got to have a little fun with it, until...

I was racing the dog across a hay field, hit a hidden rock and flew 120 feet through the air. My left leg slipped off the foot peg and planted in the dirt. The foot peg came through my leg and broke it in 5 places - a compound fracture. I looked down, and it was like had another knee - and then I saw the bones sticking out.

That's when I quit riding motorcycles.

Same exact thing happened to my best friend's daughter who is in her early 20's last year. She almost lost her leg, but they put her back together and she is now mostly recovered.

 

[Mendonsy]

With the way the idiots are driving today, about the only thing that would be completely safe on the road is an army tank. Around here the biggest problem is teenagers stealing cars and crashing them.

 

[MossRoad]

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.

Same reason I quit. Been hit twice. Nicked once. Took that as a good sign it was time.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

One of the many bikes I've had was a Harley "trail bike" like this. It wasn't good really, drum brakes, low power, etc. Going down the highway about 50-55mph this idiot pulls out in a BMW and I T-boned him. Every accident I've ever had was in slow motion, so I watched the handlebars slowly bend down letting go grips before hands caught, as front wheel touched exhaust my pelvis crushed gas tank so time to bail. I flipped over on my back, and sliding over the hood grabbed his antenna snapping it off as I watched the driver screaming. I had on a leather jacket, gloves, helmet and thought well...here comes asphalt. As I slid down the road my helmet finally cracked open before I stopped...but I felt fine. So I got up walking back to the car guy still screaming saying "I thought you were dead". I smelled alcohol was was going to beat his axx when police show up. Turns out he was some rich kid from a prominent family and in court a powerful lawyer he got off scot-free.
I fixed my bike then this guy wanted to buy it. I tried talking him out but $300 (a lot back then) sold it. A few weeks later my wife & I were at a local drive in hamburger hang out when this guy hobbles over in a body cast! It was guy I sold bike to. His wife was telling us how he lost control going over a cliff in detail. I asked her how she knew all that? She said " because I was riding his back like a sled the whole time". She didn't have a scratch.

 

[ultrarunner]

Funny how these things are remembered in minute slow motion detail.

I was hit walking in a cross walk and ended up sprawled spread eagle on the guys hood… he was pulling out from a side street making a left hand turn looking away from me to see on coming cars…

Rolled my foot with took a couple of weeks to get back to normal but it really shook me up.

 

[not2old]

Funny how these things are remember in minute slow motion detail.







I hit a deer at just under 50MPH and don't remember a thing after I got within about 50 or 75 feet of colliding with it. I survived, deer didn't.