Finished my Basic Rider's Course.

[AtlLaw]

Took the HD Basic Rider's course Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the urging of my club Brothers.  It showed me, vividly, how much my riding skills and body strength have deteriorated since last I rode!  A RUDE awakening!  It's taken me two days to barely recover from all my aches and pains!  Really!  My whole body hurt after riding just 5 hours a day for 2 days...
But, it did reinforce my commitment to concentrate on my daily workout and balance exercises.   

[Graybeard]

It's tough being a worn out old fart. I realize it every day of my life. I can barely spend 5 hours in a 4 wheel vehicle like my truck. No way I'd try it on a motorcycle these days. My biking was dirt biking but I did ride it to the mountains from home so did some road riding also.

[moamonkey]

Yeah, I think the most dangerous part of being a worn out old fart is not realizing you’re a worn out old fart. Or, knowing it and being too stubborn to give in to it. I believe I fall into that latter camp. I can luckily do some stupid crap and get away with it when I know guys my age, and some younger, that died doing the exact same things. Maybe I’m just an idiot.

[Graybeard]

I'm 80 and fall down often enough just walking in the house. No way I'd try to stay upright on anything with only two wheels now. We used to ride our mountain bikes on rutted and washed dirt roads in the WMA near. We loved it and it was good exercise. Not a chance in hell I could do that now.

I never was a big bike highway rider like most on here, just putted around on small dirt bikes. My biggest bike was a Harley Davidson 350 dirt bike and that way too much bike for me off road. I was more comfortable with my HD 125 cc dirt bike and that's what I logged most of my motorcycle miles on.

I did on one street bike for awhile a Honda 175 but to me it wasn't as much fun as riding in the dirt and mud.

[Lloyd Smale]

my main weakness riding today is the neuropathy in my legs and feet. i no longer trust holding the big bike up at a stop with one foot on the ground and because of it sometimes look like a bumbling rookie at a stop light. i wont ever sell the harley but feel much more confident on my 250 yamaha enduro. so much so that im even mulling over buying a third bike. a 400-500cc adventure bike. i drove a buddies 450 cfmoto ibex and it was like night and day compared to my fatboy. its a bike i could see myself riding every day again. nice too because for what i use my enduro for it could relace that bike too. nice thing about that one too is unlike most adventure bikes that sit as high as a motocross bike it has adjustable height and i can flatfoot with my stubby legs at a stop. wish harley would make a small pan america just like it. bottom line is my neuropathy gets worse and worse and my harley isnt getting any lighter

Took the HD Basic Rider's course Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the urging of my club Brothers.  It showed me, vividly, how much my riding skills and body strength have deteriorated since last I rode!  A RUDE awakening!  It's taken me two days to barely recover from all my aches and pains!  Really!  My whole body hurt after riding just 5 hours a day for 2 days...
But, it did reinforce my commitment to concentrate on my daily workout and balance exercises.   

[Lloyd Smale]

by the way your probably being hard on yourself. after watching some of those young yuppies trying to ride at that class i helped at id bet you were actually the star of the show there. best rider we had there was a 74 year old harley rider that just never got his licience. seems MI sent out letters to every bike registered to a rider without a cycle endorsement saying if you got caught your bike would be impounded and towed and you would be driven to the police station. he didnt want to risk getting stuck 200 miles from home.