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I am getting old. Throughout life I have observed that as people age, they get more careful. More aware of risk and danger, more afraid of getting injured.There is some logic to this, of course, as the older we get, the harder it is to bounce back to full health after injury. And we get injured more easily.On the other hand, if we have already lived - more or less happily - for 60, 70 år 80 years, why should we stop doing things we love just because of risk? I mean, if you end up as a paraplegic at the age of 20 due to some risky actions, your time spent in a wheelchair will be drastically longer than if the same thing happens at the age of 80.But here I am, just weeks away from turning 60, finding myself erring more and more often on the side of caution. I do not get the pleasure from pushing the envelope like I used to. I now find myself taking some caution that I did not do 10 or 20 years ago, be that when riding motorcycles or lifting weights or running down slippery slopes.I am, quite honestly, slowly turning into a wuss.I'm 75 and I still enjoy riding two wheels. I will admit that for touring with my wife I purchased a Can Am Spyder. Owning the Spyder is my way of slowing down. Riding motorcycles keep you young!
I guess you have to address the situation of risk mitigation.You could make the case that if you indulge in risky behaviour today, it has no effect on whether or not you indulged in that same risky behaviour yesterday. That would suggest that risk taking actions are mutually exclusive…(what you do today is not affected by what you did yesterday).It’s the quandry that this addresses…If you win the lottery today at a 100,000:1 chance, does that reduce the chance of you winning it next week…?No.A better example of cumulative risk taking behaviour is that you have 100 revolvers, one of which is fully loaded.You pull one out and point it at yourself and pull the trigger…You survive and you discard it.Then you select another..The chance of a fatal shot has now increased, but if you put the first revolver back in the group of 100…?Your chance of dying has not altered, it is still 100:1 and will remain that way if you keep replacing the weapon.The definitive argument is..The chance of winning the 100,000:1 lottery twice in a row is 100,000 squared, or 10,000,000,000The chance of winning it again next week after you’ve won it today is 100,000You would think the question is the same, but is not.Risk taking behaviour is the same type of conundrum, you do not increase the chance of dying today, if what you did yesterday is mutually exclusive.But if you took a risk yesterday and rode over something that damaged your tyre, then rode hazardously fast today…?Then yesterday’s risks increased today’s possible danger level.
I have suffered 50-60 broken bones plus plenty of soft tissue damage, including internal organs
There are still many club racers out there in their 60s, 70s, even 80s but none riding in MotoGP that I am aware of. Pete
d00d! 50+ broken bones?I can see why you might want to slow down a little bit.I've made it 57-years with Zero broken bones and only a little road rash.But yeah, I've slowed down a bit in recent years.
My motorcycles through the years followed the typical bell curve. Starting with a 100cc Yamaha Twin 2 stroke gradually getting bigger and bigger, peaking with a GoldWing Aspencade and on the down side of the curve I’m down to my current V9 Roamer. I don’t take long trips anymore and the wife lost interest in riding years ago. My riding style is now more sedate and less risky. At 73 y.o. I’m finding the V9 a tad bigger than necessary. I could have just as much fun on something smaller, like the new Triumph 400. I wish Guzzi currently made a 400cc range bike.
It's uncanny how many of us are right around that magic 70 mark! I will turn 70 this July. I have noticed the trend to moderate also. My favorite 300 mile day ride is in the Drift-less region of SW Wisconsin. Over the years I have stitched together a route with maximum curves per mile that is pure bliss. I am sure Tom Kelly and others will agree that these are some of the best motorcycle roads anywhere. In years past I would always would get that pumped up feeling before this ride and fall into trying to run a perfect line through every curve a bit faster than the outing before. Over the years due to a bit of over exuberance on 3 separate occasions I have collected 5 broken bones on this route - 4 ribs and 1 thumb. None of which prevented me from riding home, but with a lot of wincing of course. Last fall I set out by myself on the old 300 miler and settled into a much more relaxed pace. I took a bit more time to appreciate the scenery and did not scold myself for taking that last curve slower than I would have not too long ago. I stopped to take a few more pictures than usual and tried to focus on just how lucky I am to still be riding and enjoying the day. It is actually freeing to shed some of that pent up aggressiveness behind the bars of the not too distant past. Maybe it is wisdom, slower reflexes, or less desire to break bones, but it still can be very good! The V85TT was the perfect machine for this ride. Although it can certainly haul ass and corners extremely well, it doesn't seem to beg you to wick it up continually. It is becoming my favorite bike going into my twilight years. Things have definitely changed. Up until 2 years ago I was pining away for a Tuono. Nowadays the Tuono isn't on the list.
Just turned 81; about 5 years back my eye sight finally worsened to the extent I no longer trusted myself to ride. Sold all but one old collector bike; two years back donated it to a food bank. I still hang out here just to keep up~ been here since 2002. Know, or have met many of the participants during this period of time. Hope to stick around as long as I am welcome!!Joe
cumulative risk taking behaviour