I think this thread has brought out quite a few points we all think about as we get older. It is not our age and experience that get us in trouble from time to time it is the complacency of all the years, bikes and miles we have under our belt. I know I don't have the skills and reactions that I had when in my twenties but I do have the knowledge and experience to fall back on. I agree I should take an advanced rider course and listen to the thoughts of an instructor on my riding skills.

I traded up last year and got a new CVO SG I love the M8 and find myself riding on the edge like I am a teenager again. This thread put me to thinking like I have to do in my daily ride through the heavy traffic and road construction I see each day on my way in to work. Be safe out there. We have lots of miles left in us but we need to ride to our age and skill level.

 

I've always been a serious and careful rider and I agree that in our 60's and beyond we should probably slow down just a little to allow for reduced reaction time, etc.

I appreciate the OP telling his story and not putting the blame on "something" or "someone" else.

But if the issues we older riders start having while riding involve daydreaming or some type of zoning out then it is only a matter of time before the last ride. So I guess you can keep riding and see what happens, or sell the bike and try to live to an old age, which ain't no picnic either.

 

Advance rider training courses are good. I learned a lot from one I took, even though I had been riding over 20 years already.

 

Lots of stories here so I won't bore you with one of mine. But It's true.
I have music playing in my helmet (which I never had before), it's a fine day, so it's easy to stop paying attention for that one second. That's when it happens.

A story in my local paper right now: Woman hit a bear in the middle of the road on a curve. Bear ran away, she was ok, but her bike was mangled under a guard rail.

 

Happened to me yesterday. Beautiful weather, out for a spin on the Softail, zoning out a bit and came around a corner and there was a car taking it's time making a left. I saw it but didn't start applying the brakes for some reason until I got up on it close. Sometimes you get in a zone and that's all it takes to end up down.

OP, I have a friend who lives in Union Bridge on Molasses Rd, been there a few times, small world, small town.

 

Great post.. thanks! At 53 I know my reaction time and vision is not the same as it was 10 years ago and the mind wanders a lot easier than it used to!

Thanks for the reminder - think I am headed to a parking lot for some overdue practice today...

 

I think we can all admit to this. While not an age thing specifically, it may get more common as we age. So I have taught myself the scan game. I am always looking ahead scanning not only for animals or vehicles, but bumps, holes, grease spots. I know that when I get tired, I tend to just look forward, so teaching myself to scan keeps me alert. I also practice different skills. Mostly so gently, my girlfriend does not even know. I'll do very minute countering drills on straight or gentle curving roads, I'll swing around road spots, practicing looking where I want to go instead of the spot. One game that helps me is picking my part of the lane and trying for the perfect path. On corners, I practice delayed apex as when tired, I tend to just enter and leave however. It may sound stupid to you, but it really is a relaxing way to stay alert and I find myself smiling when I done ten miles of curves exactly as planned, then time next ten in the other side of my lane. But looking ahead, however you manage to do it is the most critical riding skill you can hone. You just can't get too casual about your skills on two wheels.

Now, that being said and looking at the photo of the bike in the field, perhaps being ready, the picture would just show the bike vertical in the field, instead of locking the rear wheel, the rider picked the spot between the rail and the post, and braked in an emergency stop and was in the gravel before totally stopping and gently rode it into the grass. Why do I say this, cause I did this once when the motorcycle next to me lost control. I had forgotten about it until now. I almost stopped, but was on the edge of the ditch. I rode it down. Asked my girlfriend to get off. Put the stand down, helped my buddy who fell over into the same ditch after cutting me off. I pulled the leaves and **** away from the bike, cleaned a few limbs down the way so I could get some momentum and rode the bike back up onto the road. We'd already got my buddies bike running, so I told my girlfriend hop on, and we left with only a few parts of plants in the frame to remind when I got home that it could have been as bad for me as my buddy. I had no damage, non, nada, zilch after removing the last few plant remnants at home that evening. **** happens, always will. The more skills you practice, like the musician practices his pieces, the more you will have an incident like this one, where you almost forgot about it.

I remember 50 years ago a top college wrestler was asked by the announcer how he got so many great moves. He said, "I practiced the basic moves until I can do them with perfection". That always stuck with me as a great way to live.

 

When teaching flying I always told the student " fly the airplane, dont let the airplane fly you"
In other words do not let the bike get ahead of you, stay alert and always wonder what is around the next bend.

 

I am 66 and have had one major and one minor, after 50 years of riding I still day dream going down the rode . I have been a pilot since my early years and like the man said above practice stops over and over , with aircraft it was stalls power on and power off stalls ,

 

Oh yea. Nice day. Great weather. Light to no traffic. Engine putting along. Realize I'm a hundred miles away in my head, snap out and tell myself to keep my head in the game if I want to keep playing.