Riding motorbikes, is it 'different' for you nowdays ?

[wull]

For me personally it’s just the same, I love road riding as much as track riding and racing and when I obtained my national license my goal was to do a road race. , that never happened though.

What I do want to do which is purely based on time and finances is European trips on the bike(s) with the wife.

[DW.]

I love road and dirt. Still ride way to fast in both as I'm told. What I don't do is jump nearly as high as I use to. First time back on an mx track in nearly 12 months over the weekend. A few of the kickers I use to launch over seemed a bit daunting. I hit most, but rolled over and bounced the tops of others. 6 laps and the arm pump was that bad I couldn't hold the bars anymore.
I want to keep riding fast and high, but I don't think my body wants me too.
I think what also helps keep me so interested in riding is the fact that up to about 6 months ago I was a full time rider. Commuted every day to work and it just become routine.
Having the 6 months not full time riding has made me more eager.
I took the banking up the Main Street today in the car and be fucked if I could find a bloody park. I was thinking, shit I wish I was on the bike.

[weeksy]

For me personally it’s just the same, I love road riding as much as track riding and racing and when I obtained my national license my goal was to do a road race. , that never happened though.

What I do want to do which is purely based on time and finances is European trips on the bike(s) with the wife.

That was my whole goal too with bikes, to race the Manx/TT. In simple terms, i wasn't good/fast enough.

Sadly the one guy who 'made it' and raced the Manx many times on here doesn't really post much any more. @Tomcat but i bet he has some epic stories from the island.

[Count Steer]

For me personally it’s just the same, I love road riding as much as track riding and racing and when I obtained my national license my goal was to do a road race. , that never happened though.

What I do want to do which is purely based on time and finances is European trips on the bike(s) with the wife.

That was my whole goal too with bikes, to race the Manx/TT. In simple terms, i wasn't good/fast enough.

Sadly the one guy who 'made it' and raced the Manx many times on here doesn't really post much any more. @Tomcat but i bet he has some epic stories from the island.

Not many people are good/fast enough! But, at least you can get to ride the course on the IoM and there must be some on here that have? It looks a challenge even in the bits where you have to stick to the speed limit. Be nice to have a bimble around it and dream a bit.

[Rockburner]

For me personally it’s just the same, I love road riding as much as track riding and racing and when I obtained my national license my goal was to do a road race. , that never happened though.

What I do want to do which is purely based on time and finances is European trips on the bike(s) with the wife.

That was my whole goal too with bikes, to race the Manx/TT. In simple terms, i wasn't good/fast enough.

Sadly the one guy who 'made it' and raced the Manx many times on here doesn't really post much any more. @Tomcat but i bet he has some epic stories from the island.

Not many people are good/fast enough! But, at least you can get to ride the course on the IoM and there must be some on here that have? It looks a challenge even in the bits where you have to stick to the speed limit. Be nice to have a bimble around it and dream a bit.

I've never raced the Mountain course, but ridden round it lots of times, Dad and I visited every year (often twice) for about 10 years. When I was younger I did want to 'have a go', but never quite enough to actually do it, (but did manage to crash on the course itself on one occasion! )


To answer the question posed:
Yes - biking now is quite different for me, mainly due to having had enough crashes (both of my own causing and of others) to really really not want to do it again (ouch), so I've slowed down somewhat, and tend to use my focus while riding to improve my safety, rather than to go faster on any given bit of road.

I think I've still got pretty much the same level of focus, but with the reduction in mileage over the last few years, my reactions have definitely deteriorated and I have to make sure I'm consciously aware of that while riding and NOT to try to put myself in positions that I would have accepted several years ago.

I used to do around 25-30,000 miles a year. Now I'm lucky if I do 5K a year.

The time spent travelling (sans bike), and in lockdown (again, with limited access to my bike) has definitely had an effect recently, and I'm hoping that my 'edge' hasn't completely gone, as I'll hopefully be back on bikes, and involved in bike activity, rather a lot more in the future, than I have been for the past 3 or 4 years.

[KungFooBob]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

One of the DD racers did it on his race bike a couple of years back.

[Rockburner]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

One of the DD racers did it on his race bike a couple of years back.

That might be fun, and something I may look into in the future with the JAPton: My brother had the opportunity to ride the HRD Vincent on a parade lap, said it was one of the best rides of his life: He, and another rider, somehow got past the lead marshal and had an epic ride over the top on completely empty roads.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

One of the DD racers did it on his race bike a couple of years back.

You certainly can, but you need a historic race bike to do them on, my friend Paul did them on his race Fz750, from the video he put on Facebook it looked to be at near race speed.

[KungFooBob]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

One of the DD racers did it on his race bike a couple of years back.

You certainly can, but you need a historic race bike to do them on, my friend Paul did them on his race Fz750, from the video he put on Facebook it looked to be at near race speed.

I don't think it actually has to be an historic race bike, it just has to be of 'interest'.

The DD bike was an early 90's 600SS, but with a 60/70's style fairing so it looked older.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

One of the DD racers did it on his race bike a couple of years back.

You certainly can, but you need a historic race bike to do them on, my friend Paul did them on his race Fz750, from the video he put on Facebook it looked to be at near race speed.

I don't think it actually has to be an historic race bike, it just has to be of 'interest'.

The DD bike was an early 90's 600SS, but with a 60/70's style fairing so it looked older.

Look up Paul Davies Classic TT on You Tube, he's on the FZ600 he had before the 750, but you get the idea of what can be used and the pace.

[Bustaspoke]

You can apply to do parade laps at the Manx, I think.

We've not had a Manx / Classic TT week for a couple of years but when I've watched them I've often thought I'd be tempted to have a go at that.The other year they had a load of RC30's going round,I think it was 30 years of the RC30


My motorcycling is very different these days.As a teenager everything revolved around motorcycling,same in my 20's.Pretty much all of my friends rode bikes so it was also the social side.
Somewhere in my early 30's I also got into rock climbing,snow boarding & mountain bikes so the motorbikes had to compete against my other hobbies & different friends.I've always had bikes but I was riding them less & less.These days age 60,I don't rock climb or snowboard anymore & do less mountain biking but now spend most of my time road cycling.
I still enjoy riding my motorbike but it's not the be all & end all it once was.These days it's more about going on tour with the bike than going flat out
I've got a big ambition to ride to the Norkapp that I want to do next summer & the year after my mates BIL is retiring so we're planning a motorcycle trip to watch the Tour De France.
I'm doing a trip to Scotland in May with a couple of my old mates from teenage days,we've been talking of doing a tour for a few years & I keep telling them that if they're not careful we'll all be to old to enjoy it,18 months back we lost one our old mates to the big C age 60 & the penny finally dropped with them hence the forthcoming tour.We've been out together for a few rides this year & I can see that we've all changed,I guess we've mellowed out over the years.

[wull]

My plan was the Irish road races

P.s pop in and see JR whilst I was there

But joking aside the Irish races is what I really wanted to do.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Another mate is a quick racer, he was 3rd in the National Super Mono championship, has raced at Scarborough Gold Cup with a top 5 finish, that sort of thing, wanted to do Irish Road Racing, they said no, you're not experienced enough on Irish roads.

[KungFooBob]

There's always Olivers Mount or Aberdare.

It's almost road racing.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The mate above said he's never do Aberdare again, micky mouse track round a muddy park was the term used.

[Dodgy69]

Wait for the marshal's to pull you off track on race day. Semi parade.

[Scootabout]

Some really interesting bike bios here. Most seem to have slowed down/mellowed a bit over the years, often starting young and realising older = less bouncy. As someone who didn't take up riding till I was 41 I've never quite had that feeling of invincibility that often goes with youth. Add to that a fairly cautious temperament and it's no surprise my riding 's been 'sensible' most of the time. As a result, I guess, of some advanced tuition and group riding over the last few years I've actually speeded up somewhat out of town - probably from slow to moderate-paced, but hopefully still safe. I'm certainly a lot better at riding country lanes than I was five years ago. When riding in heavy London traffic (when I have to) I might be slower than I was - I certainly feel as if I'm more cautious and less pushy - and partly that's down to not commuting anymore, partly to risk perception.

Are you still awake at the back?

[Horse]

As a result, I guess, of some advanced tuition and group riding over the last few years I've actually speeded up somewhat out of town -

Don't go blaming us, you're the one twisting the handle

[Scootabout]

In the event of an accident, my solicitor will be interviewing anyone who has given me post-test tuition during the past 20 years

[Horse]

In the event of an accident, my solicitor will be interviewing anyone who has given me post-test tuition during the past 20 years

Leave it a few more years, then