I guess I'm getting old

[ShawnKing]

And someday, when we all grow old, we can ride Goldwings!

"Aw Dad - do I *have* to? I don't wanna ride the Goldwing!"

 

[Lowcountry Joe]

Your decision was spot-on. The sun will come up tomorrow. Maybe it will be a zone day. Maybe not. But knowing you will be there to check it out is the key. Follow the gut...and allow the gut to rule!

 

[jjsC6]

Fuzzy - first a little background on myself. I'm 56 years old and started riding in 1971. I even roadraced with a little success (at the amateur level) in the early 80's. I generally ride pretty hard compared to most folks.

But I do have days like you stated, and more and more I've become increasingly cautious of blind curves, road conditions etc. And I've gotten to the point that I don't feel the need to prove to anyone how fast I'm capable of. I ride my own ride. As you said, there are times when I just don't feel it.

I appreciate you posting - I respect folks who take that approach.

 

[Roadstar]

Whew !! 41 , better pack your bags & move to Florida with the rest of the AARP group :yahoo: & buy a 1500 wing trike. :glare:

But seriously , you did the best thing by not pushing the limits when in cruiser mode (i applaude you :clapping: )

 

[old&slow]

Got nuthin to prove

That's exactly it. When I'm pushing it I do it for me. Not to develop a reputation (positive or negative). I do it because I enjoy it. I guess that's why I was able to take it easy today - I don't care if anyone's going to call me slow-poke.

YEP , you're getting Old......

(= smart enough to know you are having a off day and slowing down,,,, and not have to prove anything

to anybody...)

The guys I will ride with , are the ones that will ride their own ride ,,, and Not ride over their head,,,

Now if you are feeling frisky and want to attack some corners ,,, we'll catch up on the other side of the curves...

Don't mind someone riding smooth and fast ,,, but I don't want to be picking up pieces or doing CPR in a curve..

Old & Slow

 

[airboss]

Some days you just need to stop and smell the roses, wouldn't worry about it, it's good for the soul.

 

[Checkswrecks]

+1 to most of what the rest wrote.

But I've found the more sluggish I feel, the more sluggish I ride and vice versa. I ride better when I get out & exercise more.

btw, you're a pup at 41.

 

[okmac]

OK, that does it. FuzzyRider thinks he's getting old. He's 41. Fuzzy, you are hereby banned from using the word old. In any context. No synonyms either. That word is reserved for those of us who have somehow managed to stay vertical through, at the very minimum, 60 years. I don't want to hear any whining about how life is getting to be a real ***** because, heaven forbid, you're 41 now. I'm 62 with with one foot in the you know what (watch, TurboDave will write that he's sick and tired of 62 year old youngsters complaining). Congratulations Fuzzy, you're finding out that joi de vivre, celebration of life, is a pretty neat substitute for adrenaline, speed, and thrills. Good luck kid.

Well I am not TurboDave but I am 73 yrs old so I hope that that qualifies me. You are right , I just wish I was 62 again , I was on top of the world then. However when you turn 73 , hey what am I saying, I still can ride at any speed I feel like and for as long as I like. A lot of getting older is in the mind. Nuff said about age.

You made a smart move to slow down, there is a lot of truth to the old saying of " slow down and smell the flowers". During my riding time I have been in all but two of the states of the 48 . Then the last few years I have picked out a state and just spent my time there seeing the things that I missed when I went charging thru there the last time.

Every ride is a good ride, with a slower ride you just have more time to enjoy it.

My .02

Mac

 

[flyball]

The other day I was riding and remembered something a teacher told me one day about writing. I was trying to write really fast because I thought that was cool but I was sloppy. She told me to learn to write neat and I could work on the speed later on.

That may be a goofy analogy but I told myself to learn to ride the bike smooth and safe and the speed will come later. But I think the speed is relative, there will always be somebody faster than you and there are those who are slower. I want to ride where I am comfortable and safe.

 

[BwanaDik]

[SIZE=18pt]"I'm just not there mentally today."[/SIZE]
So today instead of trying to maximize adrenaline, speed, and thrills I took it easy and enjoyed the scenery and smells and joi de vivre of riding on two wheels. This is something new for me - in times past I would have tried to push myself into the zone. And most times in the past I've gotten lucky enough to get away with it. To find myself thinking "you don't have it today - it's safer to not push it" must be a sign of my old age. Who knows, maybe I'm even over the hill.

That is called smart..

Good for you... I mean that.. I have done that too

+1. You young pup!

We went riding yesterday too, around what we optimistically call curves around here (FM 3090). Stopped for lunch and indeed, I said I felt I was off my game today. Sloppy entry, poor timing. I recognised it and so didn't push it.

Must have been a Texas thing on the 7th.

 

[Dr. Rich]

I was out last weekend riding on the coast. I could tell that I was coming down with a cold or the flu and my balance was not what it normally is. I too backed off and let the knee draggers pass me on the tight coastal roads. I think it is not so much a sign of age but a recognition that our reaction times are not that of a twenty year old and that we also don't heal as quickly.

Something about age and wisdom. If I want to watch someone go fast I will watch my son on the race track, but this old man is done trying to wear the plating off the bottom of the foot pegs. I ride for fun, not to impress. Rich

My son when he was a novice... He now has his professional license

 

[SkooterG]

Dude! You're getting f***ing OLD! Ya wuss. Forget what all these other mamby-pamby politically correct ******** whiney-gash Nancies say. Push PAST that 'my pee-pee hurts' mental block. That's what REAL men with the maturity of an 8 year old a little dicks do!

Besides, crashing ain't so bad. It builds character and makes for great stories! And as an added benefit, you really get to know your FJR well when completing all the repairs to post-crash damage. It's kinda like skiing - if you don't fall every once in a while, you really aren't trying hard enough.

 

[FuzzyRider]

That word is reserved for those of us who have somehow managed to stay vertical through, at the very minimum, 60 years. ... Congratulations Fuzzy, you're finding out that joi de vivre, celebration of life, is a pretty neat substitute for adrenaline, speed, and thrills. Good luck kid.

Hey now, just because I'm "only" 41 doesn't mean I can't be old. I figure if I make it to 60 I'll be ancient.

 

[FuzzyRider]

Old Guys Rule #1: "The older I get, the better I was."
You need to look HERE and order a shirt you find that's appropriate. :lol:

I think I'll order one of of those...assuming madjackdog lets me.

 

[jerome burley]

Old Guys Rule #2 I'm not as good as I once was, but I am good once as I ever was.......

 

[madmike2]

Dude! You're getting f***ing OLD! Ya wuss. Forget what all these other mamby-pamby politically correct ******** whiney-gash Nancies say. Push PAST that 'my pee-pee hurts' mental block. That's what REAL men with the maturity of an 8 year old a little dicks do!
Besides, crashing ain't so bad. It builds character and makes for great stories! And as an added benefit, you really get to know your FJR well when completing all the repairs to post-crash damage. It's kinda like skiing - if you don't fall every once in a while, you really aren't trying hard enough.

Oh...Yah! You gorgot to mention the fun of owning a "donor bike" for extra parts.

 

[FJRPierre]

They say at 40 you trade immaturity for knowledge and at 50 you trade strength for wisdom.Some days I'm really fast, some days I'm not. More and more I enjoy riding for the ride, not the speed.

One thing I have learned is to be fast at the track and be smart in the canyons & twisties.

And on those days that I don't feel up to it, I don't ride.

I expect all FJR riders to be smart, let the squids ride the gsxrs and R-1s.

And someday, when we all grow old, we can ride Goldwings!

and what do you get at 60... :dribble: ?

and okmac what 2 states have you avoided ?

 

[Canadian FJR]

"I expect all FJR riders to be smart, let the squids ride the gsxrs and R-1s." No thanks, most of them ride too slow

Canadian FJR

 

[Khunajawdge]

They say at 40 you trade immaturity for knowledge and at 50 you trade strength for wisdom.

Some will say: "he's over the hill"

I say, "you better believe it", then I wonder;

hmmmm?

Where/when did he crash?

 

[Roadstar]

and what do you get at 60... :dribble: ?

A seat near the bathroom , while eating your early bird special.