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 Although considerably out of date and 'middle of the road', I found even well superseded bikes are really quite fast.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.
