classic motorcycle forum

Dare I risk another of my essays?  This one is a bit more advanced than the others, I hope you like it, critical comment welcome


SWMBO

Boys used to have train sets and girls were given dolls – it's the blue verses pink.  Generally speaking, we like different things and that's what makes us men and women. Some of us men have an craving for old motorbikes where as our womenfolk are more fond of handbags and shoes, they often say that they need more yet their wardrobe is stacked.

There are women motorcyclists although, on the whole, it is a male dominated field and especially older motorbikes, where tinkering is prevalent, tends to be almost exclusively male territory. In life the two sexes have to get on and a degree of tolerance of each others preferences helps an harmonious co- existence but it can be a tricky business.

Excesses need to be curbed and, in particular, men seem to need to be kept in order. Motorbikes are desirable objects, what red blooded man can resist them?, one's very own magic carpet. They are such good fun and it's nice simply to own one, even if  you don't use it much. Mine grace the garage, on sunny days they are brought out on display although not admired by the neighbours, strange that.

Males sometimes need to be reminded of family commitments and that they are no longer single and free to do what they want. When I joined a motorbike group I was struck by how many members were divorced, single or widowed. They were thus able to indulge in long Sunday lunches at the pub that was the club's venue and they did indeed seem to own numerous motorbikes in various stages of repair.

One chap I met had a similar bike to mine and in the course of conversation he mentioned that he had an engine for sale. The price was right and I was going his way to a meeting so I arranged to take it. My meeting went on longer than anticipated so I 'phoned to say I'd be late, he said he was on an early shift, that he'd leave the engine in a wheel barrow and I should put the money in his letter box.

When I next saw him I asked if he got the money, he said 'no, my partner was up before me'. Possibly he owed his partner money, I don't know. Later I went round his house and saw that he had an additional motorbike. I said 'that's new isn't it?' . He said that his partner had asked the same question. 'What did you say?' I asked. 'That I'd had it for ages' he replied. After a moments pause he said, 'that's what she says to me when I ask about her new stuff'.

Fortunately for me my wife's brother has always owned motorbikes so my shenanigans are tolerated despite being limited to two. She won't ride pillion because she says if we are both killed then there will be nobody for the children, now there's a sobering thought! Actually, I have a third bike but it's in bits so that it isn't obvious.

Sensible expenditure and time spent on motorbikes is OK with her as it stops me being too grumpy and, lets face it, there's worse things that I could be getting up to. It is something of a hobby really and we are all allowed a hobby. It is that ill defined grey area that is the problem, the trick is to push up against the line without crossing it.

I can just about remember dismantling a motorbike in my living room before I was married. Proposing something like that now would be viewed extremely dimly if not grounds for divorce. Pity as the garage is freezing but there we are. We intuitively know when not to argue. A friend insisted on taking his bike on holiday, his wife had the kids in the car, she wasn't impressed when he flew past at a great rate of knots. He was pushing his luck there.

Where there's a will there's usually a solution: so hold on, take a deep breath, stay calm, think it through then negotiate and agree something, it's usually a compromise but better than nothing. Of course I don't need to tell you all this. You've found out yourselves, hopefully not the hard way. Relationships are about being happy, surely there is room for give and take, although it is reminiscent of my “discussions” with my female manager at work and I never came out of those especially well.

i wrote an item intended for the vintage motorbike club magazine in due course about born again bikers, i'd be grateful for any constructive comments on this draft please if you have the time/inclination, it's 750 words which is just over a side of A4

Back Again Biker

Things aren't the same these days and times have changed. The trouble is that it takes a while for this to sink in. People who return to biking frequently retain images of the fun motorcycling was in their past life. Often it's been quite a while but if remembering good days, and the motorbikes that one owned then, makes people nostalgic, then why not buy another machine?

I'm near a Triumph dealer, on one visit I watched a beaming older guy take delivery of a new Thruxton, which, at 95 bhp it is more powerful than our family car. After the new owner roared off I asked the salesman whether they advised customers to re-train given the potency of today's bikes. He shrugged politely and said, 'well, we offer the training if they want it'.

No wonder the police have become concerned, as part of a relatively recent safety campaign, they point out that at  the age of 55 reaction times are almost one third slower than that of a 25 year old. The police call them born again middle-aged bikers. One policemen commented that  "The problem is that people come back to bikes after driving cars and they `drive' their bikes rather than ride them”.

Some returners, like me, go for earlier models that are less hairy to ride, it's great to find those familiar bikes are still out there and obtainable too albeit sometimes at a price. Although considerably out of date and 'middle of the road', I found even well superseded bikes are really quite fast. In fact, I was astounded at how well they went, much more zing than the bikes I had owned. In those days you had to work at getting them to charge along.
 
Another route back into the fold is finding or being offered a project. That's what influenced me, on a work site visit I came across a neglected Kawasaki 750 and spoke to the owner about it. Although nothing subsequently happened it fired me up to find something suitable. I tried a Royal Enfield  but it sounded like a can of nails. Then I had a go on one of their cafe racers, however, the tendency for it to backfire on the overrun wouldn't be acceptable back home.

Finally, I heard about a reasonably priced 1990 Japanese bike and that was that. I have gone on to own similar models since. Modern tyres have more grip and it's great to have help via a mobile 'phone but I still haven't adopted 'sat nav' technology as I don't mind getting pleasantly lost. Taking care to avoid the most heavily used highways and having waited for reasonable weather conditions I'm ready for a ride. Happy days are here again!

Off to a good start then. Maybe visit a few old haunts to see what they are like today and a couple of mates that I knocked around with all those years ago. It's not quite the same though, there is that familiar thrill of being out on a bike, leaning into bends and powering out but this is a fresh old/new experience, nice but different. I'm older now, not quite so pliable for one thing, I am also less trusting of other road users which is good.

Our strongest memories are laid down between the ages of 15 to 25. This explains why we return to them later. It's to do with experiencing stuff for the first time and the vibrancy of youth when later life, by comparison, can seem drab. Motorbikes are a tonic but there's no need to go mad. I stay clear of bigger and faster bikes (tempting as they are) as I prefer lighter machines and twisty roads, while it is handy to have that extra ooph for overtaking, I'd rather stay within my limits.   

I not sure that things were actually that wonderful in the past, biking is pretty much what it always was, a rush that puts a huge smile on your face, I haven't enjoyed myself so much for ages. What's more, there is less hassle. It's easy getting around, going back to those carefree outings of years ago. I like some TV, the garden and holidays but bike outings are nice too. I'm currently paying for the lessons that a new rider has and I'm taken aback at how different things are now, I'm ditching my bad habits for today's way of doing things and I feel much safer for it.