That's cool - I understand. It's all a personal decision thang.... but man, there are a TON of guys (and gals!) over 40 at Rolling Thunder every year!!

 

HA!! - Good point ... but I dunno - I've seen some FINE female scuba divers

- - m

 

This is really the key and the thing that keeps me from learning to ride - especially because I'd be in among traffic on city streets and not just on open roads all the time. I know a very experienced rider who was knocked down by a truck on a city street at a stop light or stop sign, I don't recall the exact details but basically they were stopped, they guy didn't look and mowed him down and kept going - he didn't seem to know he even did it - there was no indication it was going to happen or place to go. The rider was okay, the bike was kinda messed up, but it (among other accidents I've seen and heard of) keep me in check since there is just nothing much protecting you if/when something happens. The cage of a car could make all the difference. I do see the other side of it, the good side to riding, and it is very tempting, but the rational side of my brain keeps interfering

 

But where I live in the hills has some of the best driving roads in the area. Every weekend, I hear LifeFlight fly on up and over my house to go get another MC rider that's been wiped down the asphalt, or hit a tree! Also, the local volenteer fire department sometimes has trouble getting people to work for them. Fighting fires is one thing, but scraping some mothers boy into a big zip lok bag isn't what most want to do, and the fire stations are usually the closest emergency response personnel around....

But then again, every now and then I see a bike that really appeals to me, and I find my self thinking....

Overall, it's a very large risk, for a very nice reward. For power to weight, nothing beats it, for immidiacy of experince, nothing beats it, for potential for serious ouch, not much beats it.

Matt

 

Matt, if you could do it all over again, would you have ridden?

 

2002 fxdl Lo Rider

 

I was in college/grad school. The economy of the motorcycle was great. In college, my two other housemates had MCs so we would ride on the weekends. I went to UCSD, so I could even sleep in on the weekend AND get great parking at the beach!

I'd do it again, except for a few things....

1) My mom saw me at the hospital with bones sticking out of my legs. A mother should never have to see a child in this state, and I still live near where she does.

2) My wife just isn't the focused rider type, so I don't think we'd be a "riding family", and it's just more fun to share.

3) I have a small child.

So what it comes down to is that it's not just a decision about what's best for me anymore. If I were single, and lived away from my folks, I'd probably get another one! But it would be more towards the cruiser, and less towards the sportbike. The last of the 750 Nighthawks, a BMW K75 or something like that. But every time I look at websites, no one makes anything that I like anymore.

Makes it easy for me.

Matt

 

But all the new bikes just suck!

Closest thing Honda has in my style is the 929, but that's still to "sport bike" for my liking..... They do have a Nighthawk, but it's a wimpy little 250 cc starter bike.

BMW has a 1200 in line 4, that has 152 HP, but it's a two wheeled tank!

What ever happened to bikes in the style of the CB750? I nice, not to "racer" in line 4 banger that wouldn't give you lower back pain?

Grrrrr.

And all of Hondas street machines are V-Twins! My, how things have changed.....

Matt

Spent more time looking.

EVERY Yamaha is a v twin or a V-4!
There's one Kawasaki, but it's a 997 cc with faring and bags....
There's the Suzuki Katana 750, it's close, but still too much sport.

I guess the decision is now easy. There's no motorcycle I'd buy....

 

This was the exact year, make and model of bike I rode. It was fast and fun. If you wanted to cruise, you used the front pegs, and put your chest up into the air. You could sit upright for long stretches. To really go fast, one foot back on the rear peg, and lean on down into the pocket to get out of the wind! Had more HP than my 75 Fiat!

Here's a 95 750....


And a 2003....


Ah well.....

 

My friend Stefan has that exact bike! - he loves it too.

Hey, how about something like this?... It's a mordern bike of course, but is really designed to be more like a cafe racer from the late 60's. They also make a bunch of other 'modern classic' bikes like the Bonneville and the Bonneville T100.

- - m

 

My 1972 CB750

 

Here you go, just try this first (SO got it last night and it looks great )