Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Horrified to read in the latest ABR that a bloke aged 55 (younger than me) was deemed an old man and struggled with some of the harder going.

I was out trail riding the other day in France and someone asked me if I found it hard work physically, when I realised they were asking on account of my age (obviously not in the first flush of youth) I explained that it was hard work but I'd been trail riding for the past 30 years and it was even harder work back then with kickstart bikes and limited suspension and anyway, the main reason I did it was because I enjoy hard work.

The only thing I've noticed as I get older is that I don't bounce as well as I did and bruises take longer to recover. I ride lighter bikes than I did but I think that's just because small cc bikes are more usable now.

So how old is too old, when should I give it all up and just sit at home and vegetate?

My Besty mate Andy was born seven days before me in 1958. Tonight he is in hospital having undergone a year of shit n shite.
Active in mountain rescue for 20 years, he was active indeed. Despite being a smoker since he was 10.
Last year he had a stroke leaving him with 99% memory, sight issues and losing his licence for a year. They then discovered a hole in his heart that may have been there since birth. Thus was fixed. Then he gets angina. On Tuesday he had a triple by-pass.
I on the other hand, remain pretty much inactive, don,t smoke but been over weight for most of my adult life. I'll no, type two diabetes yes.

In short, age is like death. You are going to suffer from one or the other, hopefully the former will preceded the latter by a long way.
I would rather it was hard and long than short and floppy..... Oh no that's what Mrs R2 says...... Doh.

Anyhow, you get mt drift.

Get well Squimps. I am too old to carry your coffin.

Beam me up wrote:
The only thing I've noticed as I get older is that I don't bounce as well as I did and bruises take longer to recover. I ride lighter bikes than I did but I think that's just because small cc bikes are more usable now.

So how old is too old, when should I give it all up and just sit at home and vegetate?

Never while you've got the will, want & are phisically able.
I've ridden on & off road with very capable 84 year olds.
I'm no youngster but get much more fun out of working a light bike hard than an easy ride on a bigger machine.
I tend to adapt bikes to my needs, light, short wheelbase & preferably the grunt up to 90 of a 4" pistoned single.

Beam me up wrote:
So how old is too old, when should I give it all up and just sit at home and vegetate?

All the time you can do it - do it! Never give up. Die with your boots on.

If in doubt visit any Hospital or Nursing Home, that will remind you how lucky many of us are and will convince you to make the most of whatever time you have (not wishing to teach you to suck eggs - I'm sure you know all this).

Maybe we all need a reminder from time to time.

Enjoy yourself mate,

Paul

Hit 50 next year myself, I definitely only look at as a number, and I know that I can still show a lot of youngsters a thing or two. But if your unsure then watch this and it will make you feel better about your age

Sadly it's more than a number really but that's a nice thought; very Facebook.

You know you're getting older when the bike you've always had starts to get heavier.

When your friends start to die and they are younger than you.

When you end up an orphan in your fifties.

When your knees crack and ache and you have to roll over in bed to get up.

When it matters to you that the government have moved your bloody retirement age as they've spent all your money that they took off your for fifty years............

Just a thought............ or four!

i camp every month of the year ,,,, do as much as i can ,,,, organise 4-5 camping weekends per year

can't wait till March when I'm 64 as the Beatles sang back in the 60s,,,,, never thought i would be still riding a bike and still doing the winter rallys i.e. the dragon etc.

aiming to do the elephant again in 2016 did it in the 70s

still loving it

john

As a lot of you guys know ,I nearly kicked the bucket this year .its funny how you change your values . Nowadays every day is A a fuc*kin .bonus. .live life to the full no matter what,s your age. SIT SAFE .regards AL (thumbs)

I rode in my first trial last weekend, ended up behind an older chap on a Vintage trials bike. I soon realised that he could ride. He easily beat me, I was on a modern Gas Gas at age 56. He was 78, moved well and rode with style and confidence. Loved it, hope I can ride like that when I am older.

An older friend of mine, reckons its all relative; as a 50 year old 40 is young, as a 60 year old 50 is young, as a 70 year old 60 is young etc.....His advise "just get on with it while you can"

C

I'm 48, or 21 and some months...

That's a birthday just gone though, just another one on the list

I don't have a death-wish, I'm not an adrenaline-junkie, I'd not to go before me dad - the unwritten rule and all... I'd miss me wife and kids, but...

I fukin' hated turning 20 way back in the day, the rest of the birthdays since then have been OKish.

I was chatting with a work buddy recently about age (once you hit 40 blah blah) and to be honest if I went to bed tonight and didn't wake up then I'd say I'd had a bloody good run at it all

Not saying that I'd want to, hopefully not in fact, but rather being desperate for more 'life', more money and more... whatever, I'm happy enough with what I have right now and I can adjust to the creaks and cracks and still be pretty much happy