Longevity for dirt bike riders

Jakobi, ha! It was fate/destiny that worked, actually. I did not have my seat belt on either time but had I, in the Impala I would not have ended up in a ball in the floor boards and the roof would have crushed my head. In the Rabbit the car was literally (not figuratively) half it's width with the door pushed to the center of the car and the grill in my seat. We both walked away. The roof and floor pan were folded inside the car.

The helmet thing is different.....shit hits my eyes so I wear good safety glasses, I have whacked my foot several times and it hurt. Gloves because of branches and thorns, I don't like the helmet because it restricts my vision and hearing and that is pretty much it. I've never been in a crash where I said "that seat belt saved me" but I have been in 2 bad ones where it would have killed me.

I once heard, while at a stoplight in downtown Columbia on my bad ass KZ1000, (it really was, another story) a squealing sound and checked my mirror just in time to see a "blue hair" in some big car with the brakes locked and tires smoking, cocked sideways, headed my way. I nailed the gas, ran the red light and as I looked back she came to a stop right where I had been sitting. I heard her before I saw her. I always watch behind me when sitting at a light but in this case had I not heard her right thenshe would have nailed me. Would I have heard/seen her with my helmet on? Who knows?

I realize this is flawed thinking but my examples are real. I have not had a seat belt save me and I have not had a helmet save me but I have had things happen where I think they might have killed me. Go figure.

Oh, I do not race, I trail ride (fast on ones I know) and ride dirt roads. I do wear "all the stuff" when we go to the forest and hit "real trails" (that I don't know). The stuff I ride every day I could do in my sleep. Oh, I won't haul ass anymore until I've verified there are no trees down! :) My wife thinks I'm an idiot. She's probably right.
Ed
 
I was riding regularly with a guy in his 70's. He in fact made most of the trails we use when we ride our regular stuff. Most back in the 70's and 80's. He slowed down over the years and now is battling cancer but is in his late 70's. He never really gave up riding and his bikes just get a bit easier to ride. I hope to be around riding well into my twilight years..
 
Noobi, that was just mean, I might cry.

I will say that my other hobby has hurt me more than bikes ever have. I shoot, a lot, big bore handguns. 460 Mag, .41mag, 45 Colt, .45 ACP. They have battered my hand to where I have pretty bad arthritis. Fingers are twisting and swelling as time goes on. They hurt very badly some days. Riding seems to loosen them up but then they ache afterwards. Hitting a fellow in the jaw with a closed fist is not an option anymore. It would cripple me.

Point is, I knew what was going to happen years ago If I kept shooting like I did. I chose to have fum rather than not and did not worry about my hands and wrist. The reason is simple.....stopping would not have insured I'd be any better off and I'd have missed all the good times. I still shoot but less because of the ammo crunch. And I'll still ride until I can't grab the bars.

Noobi........just for you.....sometimes I make sayings up..........

"the amount of knowledge I have that may be incorrect is only eclipsed by the stuff I am probably only half right about." Ed Schilling 2013
 
Mean or not, there's only so long you can stay in the 99th percentile for safety stats. Just saying.
 
Noobi, I was teasing you , I'm a big boy, well, not really on the outside.

I should change my moniker to D.O.T........ "Destroyer Of Threads"....

Sorry if I highjacked the thread. Just wanted to present "the other side". Like say, if you're spending time at the gym to live longer, you're not spending time with the family while you are for certain alive.

Guys, we're bikers, not a bunch of sissy couch potatoes......Every post in here makes perfect sense except mine. That said, I believe if you hate exercise, hate vegetables, love beer, would rather eat a steak than tofu even though some vegan told you it was bad for you and you do any of those things betting on the future then you're only shortchanging yourself, maybe, and that is the key, who really knows?

From Blade Runner........"the star that shines the brightest only burns half as long".

Until I ruined it, this was a good thread........

Wear as much safety gear as you can, ride like you want to live and don't worry about old age slowing you down. It will, nothing you can do will prolong it much. Except may not abusing drugs and alcohol and eating better than my daughter, which means actually eating something once in a while. My opinion.

D.O.T.
 
Self awareness, balance, and moderation. I don't think anyone in this thread was suggesting we wrap ourselves in wool to live forever. Just how to continue doing the things we enjoy..
 
Jakobi, I know, but you actually said it, "just how to continue doing the things we enjoy.. ".

You just keep doing them. Simple as that. When my hands ache so bad I can't make a fist the second I fire up Ting Ting it's not a problem. I get back the fingers ache. Big deal. They are still ok. I can tolerate it. As I said, big bore handguns over 40 years damaged me. I knew it was happening. I chose to keep doing what I loved.

Don't stop, never give up, that is the best plan. Eat what you love, drink what you want, exercise if it makes you feel good......none of it matters in the long run unless your behavior is absolutely destructive, such as severe alcohol or drug abuse. I'm 57 and ride one of the bikes every day, why would I waste a minute "exercising"? When I'm hungry, I eat. Why in the world would I stop at 12:00 or 6:00 pm and eat if I'm not actually hungry? Why would I eat some bs food that is bland an unappetizing just because it is "healthy". Why would I listen to Michele Obama? I like meat. I hate vegetables except for all types of beans. Not gonna eat other vegetables I don't like no matter how much longer they may help me live. Don't care. I expect to ride until I die and in the mean time I'll not waste a second thinking about that day or what I could do to delay it one microsecond. I am here now. I live, not just exist. I will die. Probably not because I did not have a helmet on but for sure a June bug will not put my eye out because I always wear safety glasses :)

Now, please let me explain one thing. I shoot. Wife and daughter shoot. Safety is absolutely priority one. Any visitor that breaks a rule gets banned. We have a range in the yard. no exceptions, no screw ups allowed or you are done at my range. I will not tolerate unsafe firearm handling at all on my property. The reason is simple, an unsafe person is likely to hurt someone else, not them self. When I ride my bike with only boots, gloves and safety glasses, I'm only a danger to myself. So please fellas, don't get the idea I am a complete irresponsible fool.

While I do not follow this advice I think the best that has been said is to wear lots of safety equipment when actually riding. That is the best thing you could do IMO even though it is not exactly what I do! The rest of the time, enjoy life, kiss the wife, hug the baby, spend time with them, not the gym :) Ride when you can, don't act stupid.....

D.O.T. ( Destroyer Of Threads AKA "houndog")
 
houndog said:
Don't stop, never give up, that is the best plan. Eat what you love, drink what you want, exercise if it makes you feel good......none of it matters in the long run unless your behavior is absolutely destructive, such as severe alcohol or drug abuse. I'm 57 and ride one of the bikes every day, why would I waste a minute "exercising"? When I'm hungry, I eat. Why in the world would I stop at 12:00 or 6:00 pm and eat if I'm not actually hungry? Why would I eat some bs food that is bland an unappetizing just because it is "healthy". Why would I listen to Michele Obama? I like meat. I hate vegetables except for all types of beans. Not gonna eat other vegetables I don't like no matter how much longer they may help me live. Don't care. I expect to ride until I die and in the mean time I'll not waste a second thinking about that day or what I could do to delay it one microsecond. I am here now. I live, not just exist. I will die. Probably not because I did not have a helmet on but for sure a June bug will not put my eye out because I always wear safety glasses :)

The rest of the time, enjoy life, kiss the wife, hug the baby, spend time with them, not the gym :) Ride when you can, don't act stupid.....
Click to expand...

Nice mantra my friend :)

Ride safe............
 
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