Average Age of a rider of a touring bike
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,146
Likes: 471
From: along the Front Range in Colorado
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,261
Likes: 440
From: SETx
I'm 34 and just recently got on a touring chassis but that's after probably close to 200K on rigids and stripped down light choppers that are punishment on long trips. I've been riding for 20yrs already, as of this year. I've never owned a bike with a starter till this one. All my previous HDs have had distributors and points, and carbs which were usually older than me. My triumph was upgraded to electronic ignition and got a pair of Mikuni carbs out of pure necessity. Anyone who knows Brit bikes know all about Lucas and Amal. My biggest worry now is that my old war horses won't get much attention unless I force myself. Though they have long since been retired from daily duty, they still got plenty of miles considering their age. The largest hurdle keeping them on the road nowadays is parts availability. Can't go down to the dealer and find what you need. Sometimes it's a needle and haystack kinda battle. Turning the switch on this SG and taking off is too damned easy sometimes, to the point I feel guilty about it... right up until about when I shift into second leaving the driveway 
Last edited by 67Shuv; Jan 23, 2018 at 09:30 AM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 938
From: Up a tree making meth coolaid
Nice to see a few younger guys posting up. 67shuv that's a nice garage full of bikes you have man. Wish my shovel was a generator model but it is what it is and it was cheap lol. Buddy of mines got a few trumpets kicking around. Let me take his 59 out for a blast around the neighborhood once. I'm sure he would again but the shifter being on the wrong side was a disaster waiting to happen I don't want to be responsible for. Felt like an *** after SMASHING gears trying to hit the brakes.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,295
Likes: 1,228
From: Depends on where I am
I am 44, so probably younger than the average age. I got a late start (never rode a motorcycle of any kind until age 40). I started out on a lightweight metric, then upgraded to a bigger metric before getting my Road King.
I have no idea how long I will ride - right now I am in good health with no orthopedic issues.
I have no idea how long I will ride - right now I am in good health with no orthopedic issues.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,261
Likes: 440
From: SETx
Nice to see a few younger guys posting up. 67shuv that's a nice garage full of bikes you have man. Wish my shovel was a generator model but it is what it is and it was cheap lol. Buddy of mines got a few trumpets kicking around. Let me take his 59 out for a blast around the neighborhood once. I'm sure he would again but the shifter being on the wrong side was a disaster waiting to happen I don't want to be responsible for. Felt like an *** after SMASHING gears trying to hit the brakes.
I was the opposite when I got on an American bike. I learned and programmed myself to shift right footed, so much so that I crammed the brakes several times trying to downshift haha. No harm done, just some stripes on the road and some onlookers wondering WTF I just did Me and the old man brought my Bonnie home literally in milk crates when I was barely 13. I built the bike with mostly his funding and advice. Learned a lot with the old girl. Rode it to prom, football games, all over. Made a trip from Beaumont, Tx to Gulfport, Ms the weekend I graduated before leaving for boot camp. That was a wild weekend. The two old bikes I have are timepieces to me. And hold more sentimental value than anything else I own. The SG is a commuter, just a means of transportation to me. I still enjoy riding it a lot. It's comfy, and can surely eat up the miles but there's nothing like kicking over the old Bonnie, or sitting at a red light with the belt primary of my Shovel whirring inches behind my calf and the clutch making the pleasant jingle while idling in neutral. Thinking of it now, this '13 is the first bike I've ever had with front brakes, and only the second with a hydraulic rear. My 650 is a rigid with a drum rear and a mini spool up front, the shovel has a disk out back and an old banana caliper, about a half step better than a drum haha.... I've been called an "old soul" and have tastes that men twice my age usually do, and I credit those two old bikes and my dad AKA Superman, with that.
Me and the old man brought my Bonnie home literally in milk crates when I was barely 13. I built the bike with mostly his funding and advice. Learned a lot with the old girl. Rode it to prom, football games, all over. Made a trip from Beaumont, Tx to Gulfport, Ms the weekend I graduated before leaving for boot camp. That was a wild weekend. The two old bikes I have are timepieces to me. And hold more sentimental value than anything else I own. The SG is a commuter, just a means of transportation to me. I still enjoy riding it a lot. It's comfy, and can surely eat up the miles but there's nothing like kicking over the old Bonnie, or sitting at a red light with the belt primary of my Shovel whirring inches behind my calf and the clutch making the pleasant jingle while idling in neutral. Thinking of it now, this '13 is the first bike I've ever had with front brakes, and only the second with a hydraulic rear. My 650 is a rigid with a drum rear and a mini spool up front, the shovel has a disk out back and an old banana caliper, about a half step better than a drum haha.... I've been called an "old soul" and have tastes that men twice my age usually do, and I credit those two old bikes and my dad AKA Superman, with that.Last edited by 67Shuv; Jan 23, 2018 at 10:37 AM.
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
Most appreciate everyone's responses. My wife turns 70 in a month and still runs every mile I do and I'll be 74 in a couple of months, we're both in good shape so maybe we both have a number of years left to ride. I can't imagine selling our bikes and sitting back dreams of those days. So thanks again and I guess the old saying "that the older you get the better you were" is correct but maybe you're only as old as you think you are.
Good riding.
Louie
Good riding.
Louie
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,446
Likes: 2,823
From: Oklahoma
Just turned 73 and still do 10,000 miles a season. When it gets to where if I lose my footing, drop the bike, and can't get it back upright, that will be the first HINT that it is getting to be time to even think about this question.