BIKING BOOMERS

MOTORCYCLE RIDING COMES OF AGE

I recently read that there are more Baby Boomers riding motorcycles than any other age group. This bit of information stopped me cold.  I'm sure most of us have either owned one, ridden one or been on the back of a motorcycle with a friend when we were in our late teens, twenties and even thirties. Then came children and responsibilities.  We figured that the fun time of our lives had passed us by.

Riding one now just seems crazy.  The thought of riding a motorcycle seems dangerous, scary, thrilling, invigorating.  I get chills just thinking about it.  I want one.  

I should have known that other baby boomers feel the same way.  Plus a substantial number of these bikers are women.  And they're not just riding in the neighborhood or through the park.  They're riding to Canada, Mexico and up and down both coasts.  They're joining and forming biking clubs.

I used to want a motor scooter.  In fact, my cousin and I dreamed of getting scooters and riding out to UCLA for college (from DC).  We never saw women riding motorcycles in those days.  Then I considered the moped.  Whatever happened to them?  I've seen ads for these three-wheel types of motorcycles.  Some of them even have a back seat which seems like a good place to put the groceries.

A few years ago, I read that someone had invented a sturdy, heavy duty bike with a wide seat to lure all the baby boomers back into bike riding.  I thought about it.  Remember when we bought a bike rack right after we bought a car?  We spent our weekends riding those bikes.  We even determined our relationships based on the willingness of our dates to go biking.  Made sense.

SAFETY ISSUE


But what about the safety issues?  Especially now that our reflexes, hearing and sight have become suspect.  Not to mention the extra pounds we've put on.  Apparently, plenty of boomers think it's worth the risk.  Of course, being the responsible boomers that we are, we would not think of riding a motorcycle without training.  The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers courses at http://www.msf-usa.org/.

Since gaining this knowledge, I've begun to make a point of looking more closely at the motorcycles passing on the highway.  I've noticed that the sleek cycles rocketing past well above the speed limit are usually younger folk.  I hope that they make it to their destination.  Then I've noticed big, heavy, sturdy motorcycles riding in the middle of the lane at the speed limit.  I've even sped past a few.

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