If you're married, hope your wife doesn't have the password to your computer.If Im driving 3 hrs for bacon and tea, there better be a woman involved. And I mean involved in a way that makes a 3hr ride worth it
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Learning to Ride at 75
- Thread starter Lost in the 60's
- Start date
LIGuy
Well travelled
- Location
- Long Island NY - USA
She would laugh at my postIf you're married, hope your wife doesn't have the password to your computer.
LIGuy
Well travelled
- Location
- Long Island NY - USA
Lost in the 60's
Well travelled
- Location
- Mobile, Alabama
When I first got the bike in April it was already hot and humid here and I found that riding with the Helmet visor down was hot and stuffy. So I took it off and put it away. I wear glasses and that provides a certain amount of eye protection, although once or twice I have gotten behind a truck with an But my uncovered load of whatever and I've gotten something in my eye. Next time I get my eyes examined and get an updated prescription I'll have a pair of prescription safety glasses made for riding. But I digress.
Later when the cold weather came I put the visor back on and tried riding with it but it fogged up so off it came again. Well today the temperature was in the 60's so I opened up all the vents on my tried it again. I opened up all the vents on my helmet and put the visor back on and went riding with it down. I felt it helped a lot with the wind blast. I did a short hop of about 3 and 1/2 miles on the interstate and I was able to tolerate 70-75 mph, instead of my usual 60-65. That still put me at less than the average speed but a lot closer to it. I even passed a couple of slower moving vehicles. In addition I found that the visor makes it easier to see the odometer and gas gauge readouts. So from now on when I ride on the Interstate I'll go with the visor down. It's a lot less stressful when I can almost keep up with the flow of traffic. However overall I don't like the visor down riding experience. It just takes something away from the experience of what motorcycling is all about in my opinion. Being closed in like that takes away from that feeling of FREEDOM!!!
Later when the cold weather came I put the visor back on and tried riding with it but it fogged up so off it came again. Well today the temperature was in the 60's so I opened up all the vents on my tried it again. I opened up all the vents on my helmet and put the visor back on and went riding with it down. I felt it helped a lot with the wind blast. I did a short hop of about 3 and 1/2 miles on the interstate and I was able to tolerate 70-75 mph, instead of my usual 60-65. That still put me at less than the average speed but a lot closer to it. I even passed a couple of slower moving vehicles. In addition I found that the visor makes it easier to see the odometer and gas gauge readouts. So from now on when I ride on the Interstate I'll go with the visor down. It's a lot less stressful when I can almost keep up with the flow of traffic. However overall I don't like the visor down riding experience. It just takes something away from the experience of what motorcycling is all about in my opinion. Being closed in like that takes away from that feeling of FREEDOM!!!
Not sure if you know about them, but get a pinlock visor insert setup for your helmet... that will address the issue with fogging. My helmet has one and works like a charm!
A Pinlock insert creates a sealed chamber of air between itself and the inside of your shield. This pocket of air insulates your shield against the differential between the colder outside temperature and the warmer microclimate that you've created inside your helmet.
This is what it looks like in the visor....
A Pinlock insert creates a sealed chamber of air between itself and the inside of your shield. This pocket of air insulates your shield against the differential between the colder outside temperature and the warmer microclimate that you've created inside your helmet.
This is what it looks like in the visor....
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At least you won’t have to worry about balancing.I'll be 70 this year so I hope to keep riding until I absolutely can't. Then I may learn to sky dive
Dabrakeman
Well travelled
- Location
- Michigan, USA
Nice but I am just not a fan of the blacked out engine.
Lost in the 60's
Well travelled
- Location
- Mobile, Alabama
Same here. That's one of the reasons I am torn between the T100 and the W800 as my next bike. Yes, I know this is a Royal Enfield forum but this Interceptor is my very first motorcycle ever. Most of the people here have owned many motorcycles in their life. One dude said he's had 70!!. But I only have had this one, so I think I deserve to give myself a chance to sow my motorcycle wild oats like all of you have.
Thankfully we are all different, but engine paint colour would be somewhere at the bottom of my list of requirements……...higher up would be how the bike rides and handles, it’s size and weight, if I can service it at home, luggage, fuel consumption and range, how comfortable it is, dealer back up……..form follows function so a bike that does what I want will also look good to me. The Triumph range has some nice bikes which have been well developed over the years.
Lost in the 60's
Well travelled
- Location
- Mobile, Alabama
Ok, so I took the MSF course this weekend and I passed it. But I had far from the best score on the evaluation. A number of the people that had never ridden before did better than me. I'm gonna use my age as an excuse. I was at least twice as old as the next oldest person and from there the ages ranged downward to some kids that were no more than 1/4 my age. At 75 I don't have the motor skills I had when I was younger. In spite of my clean living and regular exercise routine my balance, reaction time coordination, speed, agility, and strength are all diminished. I'm well aware of this and I have made adjustments to my riding style accordingly. Because like Dirty Harry said:
I'm gonna use my age as an excuse. I was at least twice as old as the next oldest person and from there the ages ranged downward to some kids that were no more than 1/4 my age. At 75 I don't have the motor skills I had when I was younger. In spite of my clean living and regular exercise routine my balance, reaction time coordination, speed, agility, and strength are all diminished. I'm well aware of this and I have made adjustments to my riding style accordingly. Because like Dirty Harry said:
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smilespergallon
Well travelled
- Location
- Durham, NC
Good for you! The best part about not doing so well is that you have a list of things to work on and improve to better enjoy your riding.
The physical stuff... Youth and vigor can often be overcome by wisdom and treachery. I think that it's fantastic you're learning to ride and entering into the shared experience of motorcycling with us, that you're doing passably well at it is a bonus.
The physical stuff... Youth and vigor can often be overcome by wisdom and treachery. I think that it's fantastic you're learning to ride and entering into the shared experience of motorcycling with us, that you're doing passably well at it is a bonus.
Congratulations!! Not a competition, it was all about what you could get out of it. To have a solid foundation to build on.Ok, so I took the MSF course this weekend and I passed it. But I had far from the best score on the evaluation. A number of the people that had never ridden before did better than me.
So glad you were able to do it
Lost in the 60's
Well travelled
- Location
- Mobile, Alabama
To be honest I don't think I got much out of it. In the past 10 months since I got the bike I've done over 4,000 real world miles mostly on heavily traveled urban roads around Mobile. In my opinion experience like that is the best teacher. I'm not going to lose any sleep because I hit a cone in the MSF course. Oh yeah and I lost a point because I didn't shift into 2nd when building my speed up for the emergency stop evaluation. That was on me because I was just being rebellious. I just couldn't bring myself to upshift when I knew that 2 seconds later I was going to have to do a fast stop exercise. I understand they want you to do it for training purposes but it just seemed so senseless in this situation so I blew it off and they noticed.Congratulations!! Not a competition, it was all about what you could get out of it. To have a solid foundation to build on.
So glad you were able to do it
I'm glad I took it mostly because if I move to any other state having that certificate will make it a simpler process to transfer my motorcycle license. Plus I'll get a small reduction in my insurance rates. Now if I had taken it 10 months ago when I first started out it probably would have been of some value. But being the old retro grouch that I am, I feel good about having done it the old school way of just getting on the bike and figuring it out for myself. I've come a long way since that first day. Is there room for improvement? Hell yeah!! But stubborn old coot that I am, I'm going to keep doing it my way. I'm going to keep getting out there on the road and challenging myself. No cone weave exercises in some empty parking lot for me.
Woodstock
Well travelled
- Location
- Woodstock, NY
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you do. Kudoes.Ok, so I took the MSF course this weekend and I passed it. But I had far from the best score on the evaluation. A number of the people that had never ridden before did better than me.
Geezer
Well travelled
- Location
- Wolverhampton UK
Great, you took a course. One thing your age won't affect is your ability to learn (as I'm sure you know). Keep it upOk, so I took the MSF course this weekend and I passed it. But I had far from the best score on the evaluation. A number of the people that had never ridden before did better than me.
LIGuy
Well travelled
- Location
- Long Island NY - USA
Pressureangle
Well travelled
- Location
- Jensen Beach, Florida, USA
I've never been a trader- I keep my motorcycles for a long time. In fact my garage is now complete; I have all the motorcycles I ever wanted along the way, though there may be comes and goes based on particular desires like touring or trials riding etc. I have everything I want at the moment. However, if I was looking for an easy keeper street bike I'd have to give serious consideration to a Moto Guzzi V7. I rode one last September on some very nice roads in Tennessee and I have to say that it is one of the most pleasant, competent, easy-handling bikes I've ever ridden. A beautiful flat torque curve, not overpowered but not weak, great brakes but smooth and progressive. Simply elegant. The downside is that they're expensive and have a sparse dealer network. Still, worth a test ride if you're serious about trying something new.
Moto Guzzi V7
Moto Guzzi V7
Alan F.
Well travelled
- Location
- North of Boston, MA
I haven't checked in here for a long time, I just didn't feel I had anything useful to add. Now I see you've put on 4000 miles and you're looking to switch things up with other bikes.
I'd say that's strong progress and you're doing your own thing in your own time. I took the course too in 2008, I had maybe a thousand miles on by then. It was my then-wife's idea, but I guess I learned a thing or two.
Cheers, see ya out there.
I'd say that's strong progress and you're doing your own thing in your own time. I took the course too in 2008, I had maybe a thousand miles on by then. It was my then-wife's idea, but I guess I learned a thing or two.
Cheers, see ya out there.
Yorkshire Steve
Well travelled
- Location
- England
Hey up. I’m 73 but been riding all my life no breaks since I was 16. Nothing is better then experience. That being said at 75 you can’t gain that expierence so you need someone to pass on their knowledge. It’s not perfect but you need someone to show you the way. Everyday is a school day.