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I don't think you have to look much beyond the rider population demographics to find root cause. The riding population is getting older, and the injury statistics follow the same trend. I imagine the purchase statistics do, too.
Much of the rest of this stuff I hear recited is crap.
"Their reflexes are slower." -- If you're relying on reflexes as a rider, you're doomed in the first place.
“Back then there were fewer cars, no SUVs, no one was talking on a cell phone while driving, and the traffic environment was less challenging." -- Back when? These guys weren't driving cars yesterday?
"Older people aren't as flexible, so they can't turn their heads as far. - (heard in a MSF course)" -- Um, ok. I'll alert Linda Blair to avoid bikes...
The only point that seems legitimate is that that the older you are, the worse you're likely to get hurt in an accident. But I don't see many people walking off any kind of significant street bike accident in the first place.
KeS
Last edited by kevin_stevens : 12-09-2007 at 09:28 PM.
I think this will improve down the road as the requirements for driver and rider training improve and places the importance of motorcycle awareness as part of the main training of courses.
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I don't think you have to look much beyond the rider population demographics to find root cause. The riding population is getting older, and the injury statistics follow the same trend. I imagine the purchase statistics do, too.
Much of the rest of this stuff I hear recited is crap.
"Their reflexes are slower." -- If you're relying on reflexes as a rider, you're doomed in the first place.
“Back then there were fewer cars, no SUVs, no one was talking on a cell phone while driving, and the traffic environment was less challenging." -- Back when? These guys weren't driving cars yesterday?
"Older people aren't as flexible, so they can't turn their heads as far. - (heard in a MSF course)" -- Um, ok. I'll alert Linda Blair to avoid bikes...
The only point that seems legitimate is that that the older you are, the worse you're likely to get hurt in an accident. But I don't see many people walking off any kind of significant street bike accident in the first place.
KeS
Kevin where are you at in SD?
My Parents and al my family live in SD, I am in San Clemente...
I got passed by Thomas Stevens Vance and Hines racing in Turn 8 at Willow Springs in hmmmm the season of 1990...Stevens and James Vance and Hines racing, the purple and yellow blurs out at willow........
But to the thread......I feel like I am better shape today than back then...so I kind of disagree with the article....
If you take a 16 year old with no experience and put them on a bike, bad things can happen. If you take a 50 year old with no experience and put them on a bike, bad things can happen. There are more 50 year olds who want to buy bikes now for whatever reason. They may not be any more prepared for it than 16 year olds.
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Never out-ride your ability to react (even stop) within the distance you can see (at least on the street).
If you take a 16 year old with no experience and put them on a bike, bad things can happen. If you take a 50 year old with no experience and put them on a bike, bad things can happen. There are more 50 year olds who want to buy bikes now for whatever reason. They may not be any more prepared for it than 16 year olds.
The other problem is that the 50 year old guys all say "i used to have a bike when i was younger, i know how to ride"
I don't know how many times i've heard it before when i've been around people thinking about getting a new harley.
I don't care WHO you are. If you haven't been on a motorcycle in 25 years, you might as well have NEVER been on one.
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The other problem is that the 50 year old guys all say "i used to have a bike when i was younger, i know how to ride"
I don't know how many times i've heard it before when i've been around people thinking about getting a new harley.
I don't care WHO you are. If you haven't been on a motorcycle in 25 years, you might as well have NEVER been on one.
Spoken with great authority by the 24-yr-old.
I don't know that I agree with that, either. I've been on/off bikes several times. The biggest *change* was radial tires. The biggest *adjustment* is the defensive posturing and anticipation in traffic; every time I've been off bikes for more than a few months it takes probably a week to get tuned back in to where to be all the time.
KeS
Last edited by kevin_stevens : 12-09-2007 at 10:27 PM.
My Parents and al my family live in SD, I am in San Clemente...
I got passed by Thomas Stevens Vance and Hines racing in Turn 8 at Willow Springs in hmmmm the season of 1990...Stevens and James Vance and Hines racing, the purple and yellow blurs out at willow........
But to the thread......I feel like I am better shape today than back then...so I kind of disagree with the article....
I don't know that I agree with that, either. I've been on/off bikes several times. The biggest *change* was radial tires. The biggest *adjustment* is the defensive posturing and anticipation in traffic; every time I've been off bikes for more than a few months it takes probably a week to get tuned back in to where to be all the time.
KeS
Yeah, I may not be one of you old-timers yet, but that does not mean my argument is any less valid.
There's a difference between someone that has been riding off and on their whole life and someone who had a motorcycle for a couple years in high school and has not been on one in several decades.
Basically, you've got people who are riders, and you've got people that have motorcycles from time to time. A REAL rider is going to be able to come back to it without a problem. It's the other guys i'd worry about.
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Basically, you've got people who are riders, and you've got people that have motorcycles from time to time. A REAL rider is going to be able to come back to it without a problem.
The only way to tell one from the other is by who ends up in the hospital.
Experienced skiers know it takes a while to work their way back to proficiency every season. The skills are always there but its easy to get hurt when a person is out of practice. That's one reason they don't usually jump right to the expert slope their first time on the mountain.
The problem is that traffic has gotten a lot worse in recent years. People who might have been really proficient motorcyclists back in the day are jumping on bikes and heading right out onto roads that are way more dangerous than the ones they ever rode on and expecting all the old reflexes to be right on tap. The combination of increased risk and rusty reflexes is a bad one.
As an old biker on a sportbike, I believe that there are too many people who are buying motorcycles that shouldn't be, young and old. Motorcyles are not for everybody. Some people just don't have the hand/eye coordination to handle a bike. Just because you want one and can afford it...doesn't mean you should try it whether you are 16 or 60
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And I thought this thread was going to tell me that scientists had established a link between gray hair and riding
I think the reason you see more older riders is because they have more 'disposable' income. There are only so many toys one can buy, and some turn to bikes. I know people who paid 20k+ for their Harleys, yet they ride less than 500 miles a year. I think these casual riders are likely what is skewing the statistics.
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I didn't think the article was a great read, but I must say that I agree with its basic points. I'm 58 now, started riding last May, and I know my eyes, balance, reflexes, etc. are not as sharp as they once were. This is one reason it took me so long to build up to speed.
I also know that the roads are busier and less friendly than they used to be. Cellphones are a significant factor.
I think defensive driving courses should be mandatory for all drivers every 5 years.
Bottom line, whatever one's age, is not to ride outside your abilities.
I posted the article in this forum thinking it might do the most good here.
Motorcycles and grey hair
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