When should we stop riding? -- perspectives of an older rider

[Busy Little Shop]

Yep, look who's talking eh' ?

eh... just call me Grandpa...

 

[Carlo]

OP here.

I am always surprised and pleased that this old thread gets resurrected from time-to-time. I am still riding regularly (now aged 63), both on one of my KZ750s, plus I bought a new (to me) Kawasaki Concours ZG1000 sport touring bike about six months ago, and hope to use it for something more long distance than my commute from Berkeley into SF. My 27 year old son (who rides one of my KZ750s) and I hope to get in a decent camping trip before he heads off to the Army.

I am have found that I am a better rider with each passing year. Not faster, but better. I am hyper aware of my surroundings, can always maneuver the bike the way I want it to move, and have found a way to be both calm and alert, even during commute traffic across the Bay Bridge. I avoid unreasonably risky situations, and ride "big" (assertive and in control).

I now have no plans to stop riding anytime in the near future, and intend to continue to ride so long as my health and eyesight remain good.

One of these days I might drag myself out to a BARF event, or a group ride.

Keep posting.

I was surprised to see this pop back to the top. Can't keep a good thread down, I guess.

I think I added my own comments to this thread at least once or twice during its past lives.

At risk of repeating myself, I'll comment again:

I'm 62 yrs old now, and don't have a plan to quit riding any time soon.
I'm still a safer rider, and a far better rider in every other way than I was at 25 or 30. This is simply because there was no formal training available to most riders back then, and unless we had a skilled mentor, we learned it all on our own.
Surviving 40+ years on two wheels is still one of the most effective schools there is.

Like the OP, I consider motorcycle riding to be an effective way to keep the mind sharp, and regular excersize keeps the body in condition to benefit from the mental sharpness. If my reflexes are slower now than they were 30 years ago, the difference is inconsequential because of all the other factors that make me a better rider now than I was 30 years ago.

 

[VFRBenny]

Riding on the street? When you have kids. Once there grown up, start again.

Track? Til you run out of money.

When should you stop riding?

If your asking yourself the question then you have a few reasons to answer for yourself.

Everyone has asked themselves or others that same question. For me, I always felt that if I am not enjoying it anymore or to the point that my entire conscious thought while riding is not on riding but in a different world while riding it is time to hang it up.

I will stop when I am no longer able to pull a leg over a two wheel bike, then its time for a 3 wheel. My goal is 93 on my 93rd birthday and that is for a few reasons. The year will be 2050, the month will be March the # 3 the Date will be 29th I have no idea what the numbers mean but I figure it was cool just putting them down

 

[Not Karl Malden]

I look at it this way: the older I get the statistical probability goes up - it's not rocket science. Any of us that know about prostates can vapor lock from this point forward without warning and it all ends. In my case riding is about freedom. The base components of safety, fate, and skill are all there but the visceral feeling of following my indulgence does my soul good. So I would toss that out there are a stop riding consideration - if you get to the point of not appreciating living instead of just being alive.

 

[brichter]

51 years old, started riding dirt when I was 9 and started on the street at 15 and a half (honest, officer!). I have found that where the reflexes used to save me when I found myself in a bad situation (most of the time, I had several bad incidents when I was younger), now the knowledge gained from having ridden and survived this long allow me to avoid those situations instead of finding myself in them.

My stepdad will be 75 this year, he still rides his Goldwing. There was an article on the web a couple days ago that said riders have more mental acuity than non-riders in general. it also stated that after a ride the difference is more pronounced, as well as the fact that the difference is measurably greater the older the rider gets.

I think at some point I might decide to stop, but I can't see that point anywhere on the horizon yet.

 

[RX311]

I apologize if this has been posted in the past but I'd never seen it before until reading about it in this month's issue of Motorcyclist. It made my morning!

​

mod edit by DataDan: embedded the video

 

[DataDan]

Excellent video. Thanks for posting it.

 

[GAJ]

http://www.qualityplanning.com/qpc_resources_public/news/030929-Older drivers.htm

 

[brichter]

http://www.qualityplanning.com/qpc_resources_public/news/030929-Older drivers.htm

Good find.

Post the data for motorcycles.

 

[oldapeman]

http://www.qualityplanning.com/qpc_resources_public/news/030929-Older drivers.htm

That is a very interesting graph. The "jump" in the # of accidents at the upper age categories (71-80; and 81 and up) is not surprising, but because of the large age span within the categories of ten years, the final number is not particularly useful. I would like to see the age categories narrowed to see the a more fine-turned analysis.

Perhaps someone here has the statistical cred to be able to determine if it is fair to interpolate within these numbers to peg what we might see in the years 71, 72, 73, etc. Also, the lower age categories seem broad as well, since it is my perception that our driving skills at age 22 are much different than at age 29 (when I believe we on average tend to drive more carefully).

What is clear is that as drivers age they never become as bad as they were when first driving (ages 16-20), and that somewhere around our mid 70's we are about the same as we were in our late 20's or 30. [I think.] Or maybe I am trying to read too much into this.

From looking at my own family members I perceive a much different level of driver confidence at age 70 than at age 80 or above. With almost everyone I know, drivers over 82 or so scare the crap out of me.

 

[GAJ]

Not really able to find a similar chart specific to motorcycles...maybe someone else can.

The chart is interesting in that moving violations for the 81+ group are the second lowest but accidents are the second highest.

And certainly, as you age, a bump on the noggin that would concuss a younger person might have far more serious implications for an older person.

"Older people are more susceptible to subdural hematomas because the brain shrinks as part of the aging process. When the brains shrinks, the bridging veins start to weaken. Weakened veins are more prone to rupturing after a head injury - even a minor one."

http://www.sharecare.com/question/why-older-susceptible-subdural-hematomas

 

[Off2Moto]

I will stop when I can no longer grip the throttle (S.O.A. style)

 

[DataDan]

Drivers over 80 may have a crash rate per mile equal to drivers under 21, but as a group they are much less of a hazard to the rest of us because they drive a lot less. Here's a comparison of the annual crash rate per 100,000 licensed drivers by age group (from NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Annual Reports and FHWA licensing data):

And here's a comparison of contributions to the total number of crashes. Drivers 75+ account for only 3% of all crashes while those under 21 account for 15%:

My interpretation is that while older drivers have a high crash rate per mile, most are aware of their limitations and reduce their driving accordingly.


A question of interest to motorcyclists is how much of a danger older drivers are to us. The following chart shows involvement in fatal crashes with motorcycles by age, along with presence in the driving population. Once again, younger drivers are seen to be a much greater hazard than older drivers. However, the 75+ group seems to be more of a danger to motorcyclists than they are to other motorists. Below, the crash percentages for drivers 75 and over add up to 5.2% of other-vehicle drivers in fatal motorcycle crashes. But in the preceding chart, they comprise only 3.2% of drivers in all crashes. (They are 6.5% of licensed drivers in both.)

A related question is whether motorcyclists are more likely to crash as they get older, and the answer is unequivocally no. Older riders are far safer than younger riders. Those under 30 are a smaller percentage of owners than they are of riders killed. The opposite is true of those 40 and up.

The ownership data above ends in 2003 because after the Motorcycle Industry Council's next survey in 2008, they increased the price of their Statistical Annual from $25 to $250, which I cannot justify for what is basically a hobby. If you happen to have a copy (2009 or later) you would part with, send me a PM or email to datadan at att dot net.

 

[carries an axe]

I apologize if this has been posted in the past but I'd never seen it before until reading about it in this month's issue of Motorcyclist. It made my morning!

[youtube]vksdBSVAM6g[/youtube]​

This is after my heart, thank you.


DataDan,
All those graphs, very insightful, thanks

 

[afm199]

DataDan thanks for the graphs. As I knew all along, the chances of my getting snuffed are by a younger guy, not an older one.

Here's my 66th birthday present to myself.

 

[brichter]

Is that a new knee?

 

[afm199]

Is that a new knee?

Bastard

 

[High-Side]

This was my 57th birthday present to myself - taking my 420 bike to a supermoto lesson.

 

[phantomguy]

Too Old?

Drove down to the dmv when I was 15 1/2 and got my permit. Turned 60 recently and still riding. Except for a stint in the USAF when there were no roads I've been on two wheels. Lots of rides, dirt, desert, and more. Hooked on asphalt at 18. With WSIR just outside Edwards AFB...the bug bit again. Ran a few years until the $$$ was gone. Commuted to work on my ZX900 a few years..sometimes when the temp hit 20....and often when it hit 110. Working on an easy to own/cost ride now(SV)..yeah a little slower, maybe not as aggressive in race days...the thrill is still there. A buddy of mine was popped(speeding) years ago at 48...the cop said, 'Aren't you a little old for this?' I'll ride until the thrill is gone.

 

[pt65]

I'm closer to 50 than 40.

About a year and a half ago, I was up at the Turtle Rock at Berryessa.

All the bikes out that day except one were cruisers. The single sportbike out there was a limited edition R1. The owner said he had 4 of em.

He was wearing some old style leathers, a t-shirt with the Harley logo but the words "Hardly Movin Motherf***rs" printed on it, and even when walking, he looked like he was stuck in the riding crouch.

Talking with him, I found out he was closer to 80 than 70, and his R1 cost about the same as his first house cost him...

Keep riding til you stop feeling it.