Nostalgia... one rider's viewpoint

[Sadlsor]

For the past several weeks, I've found myself reading some articles from the Home page of ADVrider. These can be insightful and interesting, and this one speaks to me.

If you don't have 3 minutes to read this one, here is an excerpt:

"Motorcyclists are iconoclasts. We willingly welcome risk in a risk-averse world. We forsake comfort for visceral experience. But I think we’ve drifted from what motorcycling can teach us. An oblivious, entitled, unobserving motorcyclist isn’t long for this world."

excerpted from ADVrider: The Age of Discontent

 

[Gus1300]

hmmm...neither may be an attentive, unassuming, eyes wide open motorcyclist in the company of an <insert those same adjectives from above> motorist!

 

[Sadlsor]

While you are correct, Gus, there are few guarantees in life, but physics is one exception.

 

[Firstpeke]

Always told my riding pupils that there was no point being right if you are the one in hospital.... or worse.....

 

[Sunday Rider]

That was very good. Sure hits home. Thanks for posting. I visit Advrider all the time but never visit the homepage. I will start now. See I’m making a change.

 

[Sadlsor]

I don't read EVERY article, but I'm glad I started paying more attention to the Home page.
Usually, I just go to the Gspot forum, or the Flea Market.
EDIT: for those who have not read it, he writes about motorcycle nostalgia, comparing to the modern bikes. Also Adventure Rider Radio has a similar podcast I just heard, it was from a couple years ago, with the founder of Warm and Safe heated gear.
Another good one.

 

[dbst1300]

I meet for lunch every Tuesday with about 10-12 riding buddies with the youngest being mid 60s. Motorcycling keeps everyone going as most have ridden for 40-60 years. We enjoy life and just shake our heads at today’s nonsense.

 

[Daboo]

We men have so few challenges in this life, and the woke world wants to take even those away. Gone are the days of fighting off the saber-toothed tiger for the wooly mammoth I just killed.

Motorcycling is a challenge in a world devoid of challenges.

Chris

 

[TPadden]

… he writes about motorcycle nostalgia, comparing to the modern bikes...

Sorry, the nostalgia is nothing more than missing our youth. The old motorcycles REALLY sucked in every way compared to modern bikes. I kept my 75 Moto Guzzi for 40 years because of the wonderful memories of touring Europe, and after 20 years rode it at least once a year just to remind me how bad the old motorcycles truly were. Even it was MILES ahead of my 69 Bonneville which still gives me nightmares… Yes, I miss my youth but not the bikes! We have earned the right to be grumpy; we are old.

Tom

 

[DannoXYZ]

Thanks for article! I just came from funeral of 30-yr old kid that got killed by left-turner that didn’t see him. In this area, 16 riders were killed in Dec. alone, 4 on Christmas eve. I’ll pass it on.

 

[Sadlsor]

Sorry, the nostalgia is nothing more than missing our youth.

Did you read the article?
He was discussing the modern "rider aids", vs. bikes like the ST's -- no cruise control, no traction control (except ABS), no hill start assist, no electronic suspension, etc.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Did you read the article?
He was discussing the modern "rider aids", vs. bikes like the ST's -- no cruise control, no traction control (except ABS), no hill start assist, no electronic suspension, etc.

Moto riding isn’t tolerant of riders who depends on modern conveniences to get down road. I think it makes your brain soft and inattentive.

I disable all “safety” features like clutch, sidestand and neutral switches. If you don’t have brain capacity to do that checklist, are you going to check tyre pressure, tread-depth, and oil-level? Are you going to verify that all driveways and side-streets don’t have mini-van assasin waiting to take you out?

What about car coming other way with left-winker on? Are you going to cover brakes and have evasive course plotted before they turn in front of you? What about going around blind corners? Do you have plan for encountring gravel, puddles or deer in road? Much less having practiced that manuever countless times beforehand?

I hate how Hollywood has portrayed moto riding as a “cool” and “easy” thing to do. I think many new riders have been killed thinking it’s as simple as portrayed on screen.

 

[TPadden]

Did you read the article?
He was discussing the modern "rider aids", vs. bikes like the ST's -- no cruise control, no traction control (except ABS), no hill start assist, no electronic suspension, etc.

" today’s motorcycles are better than ever. It’s an irrefutable truth."

Yes, rider aids make motorcycle's safer. Cruise, traction, blind side mirrors, clutchless shifting, slipper clutches, are all a God send particularly for elderly riders. Every generation ends up with nostalgia, as most members remember the good and forget the bad. The article was more about nostalgia for God, family, community, and the times. It has little or nothing to do with either motorcycles or riding, but everything to do with the passage of time.

Tom

 

[SMSW]

I kept my 75 Moto Guzzi for 40 years because of the wonderful memories of touring Europe, and after 20 years rode it at least once a year just to remind me how bad the old motorcycles truly were.

Tom, that looks like my T3 did before I restored it. Sighhhhh after all that work I took it for a ride. I was spoiled by my 1300, and ruined by my VStrom. I just did not like the ride any more. I sold it this fall. Here is my 'after' picture.

 

[the Ferret]

There is a sales techinque called cooking frogs ( a frog in water won't realize he's being cooked if the temp of the water is increased 1 degree at a time until it's "too late" ) wherein you get the buyer to keep agreeing on small things until when you finally get to the big thing (closing the sale) its too late, he has already agreed so many times he's too cooked to back out.

That's how it has been with motorcycles for us old guys.... we grew up with slow, heavy leaking, vibrating, poorly braking, poorly shifting, hard starting, poor electrics, evil handling, on iffy rubber, with thin tubes, unreliable motorcycles.

Little by little they got faster, handled better, got smoother, stopped leaking, became reliable, stopped better, lost weight, shifter better, started easier, broke down less, becamme electrically efficient, tires got better and better and tubes went away. This didnt happen in one year, basically it has incrementally happened to us over a period of 60 years. As motorcycists, we were frogs being cooked 1 degree at a time.

And as most old motorcyclists experience, its not that much fun to go back to the motorcycles we rode anywhere in the cooking process. We've been spoiled by the heat.

 

[Chris09]

Good read, some blanket statements but I didn't see any too hard opinions, I think the writer is pondering how things evolve while humans may be [alright, I'm full of bs, you know what I meant to say] dumbing down a little as a result, more an observation of trends which certainly apply to some portion of the overall riding population, kind of a watered-down version of Sigmund Freud's Civilization and it's Discontents for a good part.
I worry more than a little about new riders on new bikes with really limited training skill and experience, many have either failed or never taken physics either in high school or through the school of hard knocks, combined with the situation [through no real fault other than being born into the built world] that many couldn't put a chain on a bicycle. He makes a good point about the error of consequence which can seem remote with all the technology ease of operation in modern bikes.

 

[Daboo]

I worry more than a little about new riders on new bikes with really limited training skill and experience, many have either failed or never taken physics either in high school or through the school of hard knocks, combined with the situation [through no real fault other than being born into the built world] that many couldn't put a chain on a bicycle. He makes a good point about the error of consequence which can seem remote with all the technology ease of operation in modern bikes.

If I'm honest, someone was probably thinking that of me back in 1980. I bought my first motorcycle, a 19XX Suzuki 90. Two stroke. I had no idea how to ride it, except it had to be similar to all the bicycles I'd ridden. I didn't even know what a shift pattern was, but I asked the previous owner and he said something like 1 down and 3 up. I acted like I knew what he was talking about and thought I'd figure it out as I made my way home. I'd grown up with manual transmissions, so I figured I could manage a motorcycle manual tranny. Skills? None. I was really scared riding home that night at 25 mph.

This really is a thinking man's (or woman's) game. I told a friend the difference between driving and motorcycle riding is like watching the trip on National Geographic on your big screen TV, or being there. Even on something "simple". I was going through the Costco parking lot and I don't think I've seen such a mess as this. Cars coming from every direction and some impatient drivers in the mix. You move out...and the other driver does too...hit your front brake and physics takes over. You're wondering why you're looking up at the sky. And which one of those impatient drivers will be nice enough to help you get back upright again. As it turns out, I made it through unscathed, thanking God once again for watching out for me.

But with all the stress that was....I wouldn't give it up in a heartbeat. Driving my Subaru through the same mess would've just been...driving my Subaru. I was on my motorcycle...and feeling alive!

I have all those rider's aids. Cornering ABS and traction control. Cornering headlights. Quick shifter. None of that makes a difference in a parking lot. None of that really makes a difference in the end.

Chris

 

[St-Gerard]

Liked the article , but why does he use big words I have never seen? Now where the blank is my dictionary?

 

[Al st1100]

Sorry, the nostalgia is nothing more than missing our youth. The old motorcycles REALLY sucked in every way compared to modern bikes. I kept my 75 Moto Guzzi for 40 years because of the wonderful memories of touring Europe, and after 20 years rode it at least once a year just to remind me how bad the old motorcycles truly were. Even it was MILES ahead of my 69 Bonneville which still gives me nightmares… Yes, I miss my youth but not the bikes! We have earned the right to be grumpy; we are old.

Tom

You have worked long and hard to get old. So you have earned the right to be old ( no really earned it just happens) but you want to be grumpy, ok, but you didn't earn it. I've never heard anyone say "He's grumpy but he earned it" Call me grumpy

 

[TPadden]

You have worked long and hard to get old. So you have earned the right to be old ( no really earned it just happens) but you want to be grumpy, ok, but you didn't earn it. I've never heard anyone say "He's grumpy but he earned it" Call me grumpy

Grumpy Al,

WRONG!!! 20 years in the USMC, 12 years as a cop, raised 3 kids with 7 grandkids all doing well, you may not have but: I HAVE CERTAINLY EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE GRUMPY! Now, get off my lawn.

Tom