More than a few of us on KB are on the wrong side of "mature" in terms of age. Oh, ok then….. old farts. I’m 71, reasonably healthy and fit apart from knackered knees. Have been riding for 55 years apart from a shortish break when we first arrived in NZ in the mid-70’s.
I’ve had a few other interests and still do, but nothing has stirred the soul like riding a bike. Not riding would be pretty hard to take and the start of the downward slide as far as I’m concerned. Back in 2011, I made the conscious decision to stop riding like a twat and upskill with IAM. That decision was one of the best I’ve ever made and has undoubtedly extended my riding career, not to mention increasing overall enjoyment.
Ok, I’ve tidied up my riding and it’s now time to start thinking about the next steps to stay on two wheels for as long as I can. My GSX-S1000 is a great bike but it’s getting a tad heavy and slightly tall for me, especially as I’m a bit of a shortarse at 5’8” in old money and shrinking. Time to start looking at another bike which is significantly lighter and/or slightly lower.
Choosing a bike is a highly personal one based on what you want to use it for and whether you get a genuine emotional connection with it. I like the GSX-S a lot but don’t love it. It does its job well and has a hell of a performance but in-line fours don’t really do it for me any more. This time round, I still want great performance but more of an emotional connection plus the other criteria I mentioned in terms of weight and size.
The Chief Financial Officer, bless her heart, has given the nod to replace the Gixxer next year although I’ll probably wait until spring. In the meantime, I’ll chew over all the options out there. Right now, there are two bikes in the frame. The first is a Street Triple 765 R. The 675 Triple I had for 6 years was the best all-round bike I ever owned. The 765 fits all my criteria. The second possibility came from left field quite recently but the more I read, the more I love it. There’s still a bit of hooligan in me and I reckon that the KTM Duke 790 could fit the bill nicely.
The next few months will be fun organising a test ride or two and I’m looking forward to the next phase of my riding career. Any other errr… mature KB members out there going through similar thought processes to extend their riding?
As the saying goes, you don’t stop riding because you get old, you get old because you stop riding!
Bookmarks