When are people too old to ride motorcycles around town?

[Moonlover]

22 hours ago, overherebc said:

It's all a state of mind.

 

22 hours ago, In the jungle said:

I reckon granny ain't getting much action after his sore prostate has been pummeled by that vibrating piece of junk.

I've read that a prostate massage is mighty good for you. ????

[Hummin]

13 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

I've read that a prostate massage is mighty good for you. ????

Only heard?

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

 

I've read that a prostate massage is mighty good for you. ????

 

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

Only heard?

No comment. ????

 

[stat]

My dad is still riding at 80... however not in Thailand

[davidhen]

On 1/30/2022 at 3:17 PM, MartinL said:

I'm 68. Been riding 50+ years, usually pushing my skills rather than taking it easy.

 

I'm totally convinced that riding a motorcycle - and I mean 'riding' a bike, not just pottering around town to Tescos - maintains and preserves your bodily faculties. Although it mightn't look very energetic, biking means you're constantly using your body to balance forces, responding to road defects, planning your route through traffic, bends, looking into the distance for hazards, whatever. Most of the time all that's done without any real conscious effort on the part of the rider; it's instinctive. Like a physical and mental workout every time I start that engine and ride.

 

While writing this, I searched 'Motorcycling and health' and found this

https://slipstreamer.com/health-benefits-motorcycling/

which I've not seen before but it sort of fits what I feel about biking.

 

Night vision is poorer now but, since I never ride at night anyway, that's largely irrelevant.

 

I'll keep riding as long as I can and at the moment certainly don't see any need to consider hanging up my leathers before I'm 75.

It's not irrelevant, it's a hippopotamus!  (apologies to Flanders and Swann)

Edited January 31, 2022 by davidhen
Additional information.

[dddave]

16 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

that scenario just doesn't happen

Just in the last year there have been more than a few video clips on Thai news of motorbikes engulfed and crushed between the wheels large semi's.

There was just one last week where the bike was in the middle of his lane and a  container carrier driving alongside in the adjoining lane suddenly swung into him and crushed him under the rear wheels

[JoseThailand]

Driving a motorbike in Bangkok is a crazy idea to begin with.

[richard_smith237]

21 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

Driving a motorbike in Bangkok is a crazy idea to begin with.

If you’ve never done it, how do you know ????

 

 

[scubascuba3]

6 hours ago, dddave said:

Just in the last year there have been more than a few video clips on Thai news of motorbikes engulfed and crushed between the wheels large semi's.

There was just one last week where the bike was in the middle of his lane and a  container carrier driving alongside in the adjoining lane suddenly swung into him and crushed him under the rear wheels

What's your experience? it shouldn't happen if you ride safely out of their way, if you stupidly stick yourself next to them yes it could

[PoodThaiMaiDai]

Vision and reaction time are more important than age, however when one reaches around retirement age, everyone should be honest with themselves.

 

 

[Hummin]

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

What's your experience? it shouldn't happen if you ride safely out of their way, if you stupidly stick yourself next to them yes it could

Fear is a good thing, and it is a real fear, but I have to aggre with you, if you read the traffic you should bevable to avoid it. You need to be awake and pay attention. I did not have fear, feel fear, I would not have been alive today, but also bevable to respond to fear, and do the right thing to the right time. 
 

Do you feel safe when riding and driving in thailand?

[JustAnotherHun]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Fear is a good thing, and it is a real fear, but I have to aggre with you, if you read the traffic you should bevable to avoid it. You need to be awake and pay attention. I did not have fear, feel fear, I would not have been alive today, but also bevable to respond to fear, and do the right thing to the right time. 
 

Do you feel safe when riding and driving in thailand?

I don't think fear is a good thing. Concentration and anticipation are.

 

I feel less safe on the roads here than in Europe or even North Africa. Thailand's roads belong to the most dangerous worldwide. But I feel safe enough to drive and ride with my  close to 20 years experience in the land of micro sleep and brake failures

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

I don't think fear is a good thing. Concentration and anticipation are.

 

I feel less safe on the roads here than in Europe or even North Africa. Thailand's roads belong to the most dangerous worldwide. But I feel safe enough to drive and ride with my  close to 20 years experience in the land of micro sleep and brake failures

I come from sports where fear make you better, sharper, stronger, faster, if you can handle it. Fear is essential for Alot of things that involve respect and also give energy to solve problems, and avoid or minimize the risk involved.

 

If you fear something you also visualize what can happen, also debrief near incidents and find better ways to avoid it in future. Also learn to reconize patterns that leads to accidents or near incidents.

 

It sounds a bit over the top, but if you have lived a life where you seen friends die every year because of minor mistakes that could have been avoided, you either learn to think different or you quit.

 

Fear is absolutely a good thing, but very few will admit they feel fear, or they do not understand that they should have feeling fear. Most do not like to think about risk or even talk about the risk, and why so?

 

It could lead to overthinking, and kill the joy of riding? 

 

Also worked offshore as a fisherman and in the oilfield, so I have my background also from work to constant analyse risk and danger.

 

However it is not killing the jou and the passion for riding or killing the freedom of riding. 

 

At last, it is those moments where you feel safe <deleted> happens out of the blue, and you wonder why, as well blaim others for the danger they put you in, but it could have been easily avoider if you where present and awake.

 

Maybe to much for most, but still here I am, and now soon 70 of the people I have met in different  extreme sports (not one in motorbike) during my life, is not here anymore, about 15 friends and 4 really good buddies. When that said, I'm aware every time I am getting on my bike, could be the last ride. 

 

Feal the fear, enjoy the fear, live longer

 

[Mavideol]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:46 PM, itsari said:

I am 69 years of age and i know my reflexes are better than most while riding a motorcycle or driving a car . 

How do I know that you may ask . I just know it , believe me 

 

and that makes 2 of us

[Lacessit]

23 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Driving / Riding experience: yes

reflexes: I very much doubt that part

 

We are all getting older and our reflexes are not getting better. We might be good or even top of our age group but definitly not top all all age groups.

u

 

IMO reflexes should have nothing to do with driving in Thailand. Mine are pretty slow at 0.35 seconds on a good day anyway.

I rely on a combination of threat assessment, patience, and judgment. You need fast reflexes if you tailgate a car. If you sit well back of it, you don't.

Patience comes in when I am approaching an intersection. I treat every other vehicle as if it has right of way over me, irrespective of where it is. Likewise, I am quite prepared to wait until there is no traffic in sight when making a U-turn.

A big problem with Thai drivers is they are very indecisive. I can wait until they have decided.

I'm also checking my rear mirrors constantly, because some threats are behind me.

I'd agree there are some older bike riders that should give up driving, due to deteriorating eyesight, balance, and co-ordination. I don't think they should need to give up driving on the basis of their reaction times, as it is quite possible to make distancing adjustment to compensate. In other words, defensive driving.

[Lacessit]

15 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

I've read that a prostate massage is mighty good for you. ????

I tried one in Chiang Mai, it's called a karsai massage. As far as I could tell, it did not do a damn thing for me.

[Kwasaki]

50 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Do you feel safe when riding and driving in thailand?

Of course I do a piece of cake if you're experienced enough if you don't feel safe or are having fear then then don't drive or ride. 

[Hummin]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

IMO reflexes should have nothing to do with driving in Thailand. Mine are pretty slow at 0.35 seconds on a good day anyway.

I rely on a combination of threat assessment, patience, and judgment. You need fast reflexes if you tailgate a car. If you sit well back of it, you don't.

Patience comes in when I am approaching an intersection. I treat every other vehicle as if it has right of way over me, irrespective of where it is. Likewise, I am quite prepared to wait until there is no traffic in sight when making a U-turn.

A big problem with Thai drivers is they are very indecisive. I can wait until they have decided.

I'm also checking my rear mirrors constantly, because some threats are behind me.

I'd agree there are some older bike riders that should give up driving, due to deteriorating eyesight, balance, and co-ordination. I don't think they should need to give up driving on the basis of their reaction times, as it is quite possible to make distancing adjustment to compensate. In other words, defensive driving.

A simple question, what is the first thing you do, when the car in front of you start braking, no matter how far away from the car in front you are at the moment you see the brake light? 

 

First thing

Edited February 1, 2022 by Hummin

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A simple question, what is the first thing you do, when the car in front of you start braking, no matter how far away from the car in front you are at the moment you see the brake light? 

 

First thing

Put my phone down........????

[OneMoreFarang]

21 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

You need fast reflexes if you tailgate a car. If you sit well back of it, you don't.

Until some idiot decides to squeeze in between you and that car in front of you. In my experience that happens all the time.

[Hummin]

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Until some idiot decides to squeeze in between you and that car in front of you. In my experience that happens all the time.

Never stay behind a car, unless he clear the road for you, and you follow. 
 

A few times I almost <deleted> myself while riding on the highway in an average speed of 160km, and out of the blue a sports car or german car passing you in 250 or so. It have teached me to constant check the traffic behind me, more often Than I useally thought was necessery while keeping a decent speed. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Hummin

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Until some idiot decides to squeeze in between you and that car in front of you. In my experience that happens all the time.

They don't have to squeeze, they have plenty of room.

Perhaps driving in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai is easier than in Bangkok. As I have never driven a scooter in Bangkok, I wouldn't know.

[Lacessit]

26 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A simple question, what is the first thing you do, when the car in front of you start braking, no matter how far away from the car in front you are at the moment you see the brake light? 

 

First thing

From your posts, we travel at different speeds. I'm doing 50 km/hr max, and that's on a divided road where I am traveling as far to the left as I can possibly get.

What do I do? I start slowing down, simultaneously checking my rear vision mirrors.

[JustAnotherHun]

54 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Feal the fear, enjoy the fear, live longer

The day I fear it, I'll stop driving, riding, paragliding or even crossing Second Rd.

But we might have a different definition of "fear"

[Hummin]

52 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Of course I do a piece of cake if you're experienced enough if you don't feel safe or are having fear then then don't drive or ride. 

Do you feel safe on the road in Thailand, must be something wrong with you ????

[Hummin]

21 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

The day I fear it, I'll stop driving, riding, paragliding or even crossing Second Rd.

But we might have a different definition of "fear"

Controlled fear and respect for what Im doing, and feel alerted every time or almost every time I go out for a ride, and I thinks thats why I enjoy it so much. If I feel safe, I get bored, and not so focused. 
 

 

[IanDelMar]

I'm 70 and am here in Phuket for the winter. I rent a Honda Click 125. In Europe I drive and live in a motorhome probably the slowest vehicles on the road. I ride my motorbike around town and up into the hills even went off road once but wouldn't do that again. I enjoy riding it. For Phuket it's a great way to get around. Not sure I would ride it in BKK though. I keep well left when possible, never do more than 60kph and use my mirrors and common sense and avoid anything risky. A lot of vehicles overtake me but I don't care. In my humble opinion the worst riders are farangs on massive bikes trying to ride like thai teenagers. One overtook me the other day he was shirtless and doing upper body stretches with his hands in the air. When he decided to take control of the bike again with his hands rather than his hips he zoomed off doing a wheelie on the other side of the road narrowly missing oncoming traffic. 

[Kwasaki]

13 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Do you feel safe on the road in Thailand, must be something wrong with you ????

There's something wrong with you if you ask me most of your posts are a weird way of looking from an experienced rider point of view. 

[Hummin]

20 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

There's something wrong with you if you ask me most of your posts are a weird way of looking from an experienced rider point of view. 

I know you find it amusing, and happy I manage to give you a good laugh. A good laugh can extend your life ☺️

 

 

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, Hummin said:

Fear is a good thing, and it is a real fear, but I have to aggre with you, if you read the traffic you should bevable to avoid it. You need to be awake and pay attention. I did not have fear, feel fear, I would not have been alive today, but also bevable to respond to fear, and do the right thing to the right time. 
 

Do you feel safe when riding and driving in thailand?

Yes i feel mostly safe riding my motorbike and cycling, have to concentrate 100% always. I don't feel fear, think i did first two weeks on a motorbike in Pattaya ????