We're Imparied :D

BakerBoy

It's all small stuff.
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
5,446
Location
Golden, Colorado
STOC #
1408
We're Impaired :D

Today was a snowy day, so I set aside the time to take an online refresher eCourse through the MSF website. I chose the Street Strategies course here. It was $19.99 and took just under 4 hours. It was a good refresher of fundamentals, with many video clips and graphical examples covering many topics. While it seemed the majority of the clips and pictures showed naked sportbikes, most brands and types of bikes were used in the examples.

I'd recommend the course for the relative ease, low cost, good overall content, and general refresher value. But that's not why I made this post.

Two uses of specific bike models in the examples were memorable to me:
1) At one point in the training, as it was covering the unusual demands on both the rider and the motorcycle for touring (as if it was a real stretch for both!), they used a FJR. Good for Yammie to get that awareness (even if accidental).
2) And somewhat humorous... When the training addressed various types of impairments (alcohol, drugs, emotional state, tiredness, etc.), they included age. Further, they used images of a graying gentleman wearing his Aerostitch 1-piece, putting on his helmet and riding away on his ST1300! An old man's bike! That was the sole use of a ST1300 in the 4 hours of training. And they used a 55 to 60 year old man to show age impairment. (Of course I understood the point regardless of how old the man was and what bike he rode).

But it actually gave me a chuckle. :D

Edit ... LOL, mis-spelled thread title!
 
Last edited:
It’s true! I bought my first ST at age 61, my second at 62. And I now try and limit my my miles per day down to 750.
Silly kids.
 
Wait until you get my age Trapperdog (67) and you'll be dropping that daily mileage down to the 700 mark. Us old folk can't ride as far in a day as we used to.
 
Re: We're Impaired :D

And somewhat humorous... When the training addressed various types of impairments (alcohol, drugs, emotional state, tiredness, etc.), they included age. Further, they used images of a graying gentleman wearing his Aerostitch 1-piece, putting on his helmet and riding away on his ST1300! An old man's bike! That was the sole use of a ST1300 in the 4 hours of training. And they used a 55 to 60 year old man to show age impairment. (Of course I understood the point regardless of how old the man was and what bike he rode).

"Somewhat humorous?" Holy cow, it describes me so accurately, it's scary funny! Right down to the graying and the 'Stitch 1-piece. And although a rider for many years, I didn't buy my ST until age 56. Thanks for the laugh!
 
Re: We're Impaired :D

When the training addressed various types of impairments (alcohol, drugs, emotional state, tiredness, etc.), they included age. Further, they used images of a graying gentleman wearing his Aerostitch 1-piece, putting on his helmet and riding away on his ST1300! An old man's bike!
LOL! :lol:
Well, for the self-styled "mainstream" the ST (or any serious, grown-up touring motorcycle) is stigmatized as that, the old geezer's ride... (so me with 28 on my firST ST got treated like "gramps"... untill I rode those "Power-Rangers" on their yogurt-cups into the ground... :8):)

Right, I might not have sooo fast reflexes as I did in my 20ies, but due the gained experience and foresight I actually don't have to rely on them to such extent anymore... I sense situations evolving far earlier now, so I don't need to just react to barely make it...
Also learned to observe myself better: mentally distracted, tired, exhausted, thirsty, hungry, hot, cold... sensing such already while its only dawning and taking action/countermeasures well ahead...

In this: only an old rider is a good rider... go figure...
 
Last edited:
You need one of those [I'm over 50, please assist me crossing the street] T-shirts... :lol:
 
Re: We're Impaired :D

And that is one of many reasons I switched from a ST1300 to my FJR. Got tired of being old.:D
 
If the ST1300 is the old mans bike... what does that make us ST1100 faithful? :22yikes:
 
I'm a little bit mystified at all the constant interest in getting a 'new' bike to replace the STs. Why do I still ride ST1100s? Well, they are still reliable, they still run great, they handle far better than I am a rider, mine are setup to be very comfortable for me and they are easy to work on. To me, a motorcycle is for the purpose of getting me from one interesting place to another with a lot of fun in the process and little drama and my ST1100s still do that very well. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on riding trips to various places (and I have) than on machine that will only lose value over time, regardless of what it costs originally. I'll not be in the nursing home wishing I had bought this bike or that bike - I'll be remembering all the great places I've been able to go over the years if I have any memory left. ;-) Having grown up dirt poor, I'm a long time over wanting or needing the latest 'new' thing. I am also fortunate that I am a pretty big feller, so all this 'weight' business of a bike means little to me. I have to buy 50 pound sacks of dog food for my poochies which is about the weight difference between the latest, greatest and my old ST1100s so I'm used to dealing with 'weight'. Besides, If weight were the real issue, I'd lose a lot more off of me then the 'total' package would weigh about the same.... :D However in all cases, YEMV! ;-)
 
Last edited:
I'm a little bit mystified at all the constant interest in getting a 'new' bike to replace the STs. Why do I still ride ST1100s? Well, they are still reliable, they still run great, they handle far better than I am a rider, mine are setup to be very comfortable for me and they are easy to work on. To me, a motorcycle is for the purpose of getting me from one interesting place to another with a lot of fun in the process and little drama and my ST1100s still do that very well. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on riding trips to various places (and I have) than on machine that will only lose value over time, regardless of what it costs originally. I'll not be in the nursing home wishing I had bought this bike or that bike - I'll be remembering all the great places I've been able to go over the years if I have any memory left. ;-) Having grown up dirt poor, I'm a long time over wanting or needing the latest 'new' thing. I am also fortunate that I am a pretty big feller, so all this 'weight' business of a bike means little to me. I have to buy 50 pound sacks of dog food for my poochies which is about the weight difference between the latest, greatest and my old ST1100s so I'm used to dealing with 'weight'. Besides, If weight were the real issue, I'd loose a lot more then the 'total' package would weigh about the same.... :D However in all cases, YEMV! ;-)

I feel about 98% the same Phil, but for me, it's not the weight but the the ST11's peg position that's catching up with me. The seat and bars are ok but after riding my brothers ST13 for a few weeks and then a Tenere, my ST11 is not near as comfortable compared to those two. I've done many long days in the saddle on my ST11 and it's always worn me out, trying to get my legs and knees comfortable. I'm looking closely at the Tenere but I'm leaning strongly toward the VFR1200X DCT with its V4... I figure it's the closest replacement out there to the ST.
 
Well, from an actuarial standpoint, if you consult an insurance schedule ( at least here in Canada ), the age impairment is heavily tilted towards those who are 16-24 years old. Mother just gave up driving 18 months ago, shortly before her 90th birthday. I understand the possibility of dementia developing in older bodies but rather suspect it is under-represented in the active motorcycle rider demographic. I was 52 when I first got an ST. For whatever reasons, I had decided I had enough time to do some touring and wanted a ride my wife would agree to sit on for hours at a time.

I am interested in the MSF refresher you did. Is it only available to those in the US? I did motorcycle training here in Canada, not MSF. Wonder if it would be considered adequate....
 
Top Bottom