Bike useage vs your age...

[Skinner]

52 next week. Riding since I was 17. My first was a 1983 Suzuki GS450L. Rode that into my early 20's and sold the bike. I didn't start riding again until 2014 when my uncle gave me his 1981 Suzuki GS650GL. I restored it and rode almost daily. I then found the bike of my dreams from when I was a 16 year old - a 1982 Suzuki GSX750S Katana. Restored it last winter and rode it almost daily. I also got my wife into motorcycling last year. She rides along with me on her 2015 Honda CBR300RA.

Cheers, and bring on spring!

[OldVet66]

71 and still riding. I slacked off a good bit after my knee replacement about a year ago but I plan on making up for lost time since that is not a problem any more.

[trevor]

I'm 60 and have been riding since I was 8 years old. Still working, so I only get about 20K miles a year on the 4 bikes that I own. I've found that I seem to be enjoying the wrenching on the bikes, during the colder months, more than getting all the cold-weather gear on to go for a ride. Still enjoy the 3-4 extended bike trips (1,000-2,500 mile) that I take every summer! I need to get the Suzuki out to one of the meets this year! Need to meet some of the great folks on this forum!

Sheesh 400 miles every week ain't bad considering you work full time.

[prichmon]

#1 TOY every so often I ride.

#2 45.

[Rob S.]

Sheesh 400 miles every week ain't bad considering you work full time.

Trevor, I managed that when I was less than half your age. If I came home from work in summer and it was still light out, I didn't know what to do with myself when my Z1 was getting a rebuild. I wanted to tear my hair out.

So I got some running shoes and made it up to 10k (at a slow pace). Or I rode around in my convertible Z28 Pace Car Replica. Nothing is like riding a motorcycle. Not even a Grateful Dead concert!

[unfocused]

1) I try to use my bike as a DD. But I live in Florida and this doesn't always work. With the new to me GS750 waiting on repair parts I'll jump on the Sportster and ride it in and around St. Augustine and from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville. She's tired and getting noisy so I dont take her far from home (why I bought the GS). I am anticipating using the GS for longer in-state rides and then reaching out into the mountainous regions of the Carolina's/Tennessee as well as the Ozark Mountains.

1a) From June '12 to early '15 I only owned motorcycles and put close to 100,000 miles on 3 different scoots. I spent from '15 to '18 living the Jeep life. Dec ' 18 I've stepped back into the 2 wheeled world

1b) In June '12, I moved from Springfield, MO to northeast FL on a wing and a prayer. I brought my life with me on the back of my '88 FZR1000...

1c) One of my planned trips is the Auto Train from Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA and then either sight see back to St. Augustine or IBA my way back to the Keys LOL

1d) I have a backpack that doubles as a grocery bag... :-)

2) 51 years young and I've been riding since before I got my D.L. I know the 2 wheel life... and I love it !!!

[limeex2]

Started riding mini bikes on dirt roads at 11. First bike was a Honda SL125 and endorsement was at 16. I'm 61. Ride as much as possible. Daily driver is a '15 Versys. Between all my bikes I probably put on 10k+ a year. In Mn. we get 6-7 months of riding. Non of my bikes are garage queens and I ride what ever my mood suits me. Just sold My 97 Triumph 900 Sprint to a good friend. Its my 3rd one and I've put over 100k on them. Highly recommended. I will probably be buried with one of them! My GS's keep me busy putzing in the garage and are a pure joy to ride with the modern updates

[GS1150Pilot]

The Sportster has me riding more often than any bike in recent memory. I enjoy its ergonomics, the fuel injection and belt drive, and the feel of the bike as it goes down the road. I ride to work (50 miles round-trip) 3-4 days a week and we take 3-500 mile weekend trips once a month.

[Griffin]

First motorized ride was a 1960's-era Sears & Roebuck mini-bike with a 3.5hp Briggs and Stratton engine. I started riding it when I was 8 years old. Looked like this:


Next was a 1980 KDX175, which I bought with saved up hay-baling money when I was 13. I traded it in on a used, two year-old YZ490 when I was 16. By that time, I was also riding my uncle's 1979 GS1000E occasionally to get used to "heavy street bikes".

I bought a brand new red/white 1985 GS700E in the fall of 1984. My uncle loaned me $1,000 that I paid back by continuing to work on his farm. Total price out the door was about $2,900.

I still have that bike. I did a frame-off refurb of it from 2002-2005, when it became a blue/white GS700ES. Many here have seen it over the years at the Brown County and old KY Natural Bridge and WI Fennimore rallies.

To answer the OP's questions:

1. I use motorcycles purely for recreation. I wrench as much as ride, maybe even more.

2. I was born the summer of 1967.

[bwringer]

1) I use motorcycles as my primary vehicles as long as it's not snowing too hard and what I need to haul will fit. Groceries, lumber, car parts, chainsaws, tires, welders, kitty litter, etc. My V-Strom with Givi hard bags gets most of the two wheeled pickup work, and if you take one or more of the bags off, you can strap some pretty unbelievable things to the racks. There are times I go a couple of weeks without driving.

My office is seven miles of city streets from my house. The one concession I have made in the last year or two is that I'll sometimes drive to work if it's actively raining when I leave. There's little reward in a ride to work, and when the risk rises with rain it's not really worth it. And almost every time I drive, I'll spend a few minutes that evening wondering where the hell I put my helmet and jacket... oh yeah.

Still, I think riding to work if you can is worthwhile; it keeps your skills fresh and active, and you stay in tune with your bikes and what they need. I feel odd if I'm off the bike a week. I don't know how people manage who only ride for infrequent big trips. Even if you can't commute, ride often and ride to all the ordinary places you need to go while doing ordinary things. It keeps you sharp.

I also make a point of parking out in front of my office. I used to park in back, but I think there's a certain value in demonstrating that motorcycles are normal, everyday vehicles. I've had cars broken into twice at my office, but no one has ever touched a motorcycle. It's fairly obvious there's nothing to steal, plus they're all far from pristine.

Same for grocery store, lumberyard, etc. I park in the lot, in a legal space. I refuse to be one of those douchebags who parks on a store's sidewalk like it's a bicycle. It's a tax-paying, road-going useful vehicle, not a bicycle or toy, and it gets a parking space.

By the same token, I made it a point when I was injured to ride to my orthopedic surgeon's appointments. Despite the "NO MOTORCYCLES" sign at the entrance to the parking garage, I never received the slightest bit of static or trouble. Never had any trouble at any place with a "NO MOTORCYCLES" sign, for that matter. What they really mean is "NO LOUD MOTORCYCLES".


2) I'm 51.

[gsgeezer]

I turned 63 June 21 and still ride as much as I can, mostly on whatever bike I have found for sale at a decent price.

Started riding at twelve, before that rode mini bikes and go carts. (Rode horses from age four to 20; at least on a bike it is, usually, your fault if you fall off).

My dad was crazed that I never get a bike, but before I left home at seventeen, I already had a couple, that I bought with my own $$$.
(At sixteen, in 1929, my dad crashed a friends harley on a gravel road, the first and only time he ever rode.)

So far, I have ridden, through a number of states, mostly by myself, with no major crashes, knock on wood.)

My street bikes have ranged from a Honda 50 to a Ninja 1000. Though I have ridden friend's touring bikes, I have never had one.

[bobgroger]

I turned 63 June 21 and still ride as much as I can, mostly on whatever bike I have found for sale at a decent price.

Started riding at twelve, before that rode mini bikes and go carts. (Rode horses from age four to 20; at least on a bike it is, usually, your fault if you fall off).

My dad was crazed that I never get a bike, but before I left home at seventeen, I already had a couple, that I bought with my own $$$.
(At sixteen, in 1929, my dad crashed a friends harley on a gravel road, the first and only time he ever rode.)

So far, I have ridden, through a number of states, mostly by myself, with no major crashes, knock on wood.)

My street bikes have ranged from a Honda 50 to a Ninja 1000. Though I have ridden friend's touring bikes, I have never had one.

A GS can be a pretty darn good touring bike. However, keep an eye out for a Kawasaki Concours. The earlier C10 ones can be had for as little as 500 bucks, to maybe 2500 for a darn nice one. The later C14 bikes, based on the Ninja ZX14, are starting around 4k. With a $300 flash, 152 rear wheel HP and mine will pull my GS1100e pretty badly. With bags on. Only downside is the 2+ day valve adjustment where the cams have to come out.... Mine is still waiting.

[Chuck78]

I have two poll questions:

1) how do you use your bike mainly?
2) how old are you?

Feedback is always appreciated!

Scott

I live in a rather large (& RAPIDLY GROWING) Midwestern/Great Lakes capital city of Columbus, Ohio, so traffic is quite heavy during "rush hour" (afternoon rush "hour"=2+hours), as well as anytime/anywhere there is any road construction... + a half a million moron drivers, and equally as many bars and night life spots.... so I don't necessarily ride in the city heavily, although I do occasionally...and the GS750 8V with it's long duration camshafts just begs to be opened up at every stop&go, as they are very tame at low rpm's, and increasingly screaming monsters with every 1000rpm increase above 4,500rpm up to 10,000rpm+... Does not lend itself to respectable riding habits with certain types of pilots at the helm...

I also have had a company work truck/van for the past 15 years, so motorcycle commuting has not been a possibility. Before that, I was a bicycle mechanic and ALWAYS commuted on bicycle to work.



Living here, particularly centrally located just outside of downtown and near several major highways, puts me only 40 minutes or so from the edge of the glaciated plains bordering the beginnings of the Appalachian foothills... This lends itself to some INCREDIBLE riding terrain that can only be topped by serious mountain elevations and steep grades and 150-180 degree switchbacks... seriously some of the best types of roads terrain can be found within an hour or two of my house, & I have been a lifelong adrenaline junkie...
So most of my entire riding career, & looking ahead well beyond my current 41 years old, is seeking out remote rural twisty blacktop for an escape, thrills, freedom....


My motorcycles are primarily a source of escape from the city to the remote twisty rollercoaster roads in the desolate Appalachian foothills & Appalachian/Allegheny/Smoky/etc mountains throughout Southeastern/central-Eastern Ohio, the entire state of West Virginia (esp.the Northeastern Panhandle area), the western edges of Virginia bordering with West Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina...
As well as future trips across the abyss, err...I mean, Great Plains (boring) until I hit the Colorado Rockies to visit some old friends there and the mountains outside of Albuquerque NM...
I seek out twisty roads as if it were a severe additction... (well, it pretty much IS!)

From the very 1st time I was on 2 wheels on my own, I'll NEVER forget...that 1st time @ 4 yrs old when my dad let go of the seat of the bicycle after coaching me for the 1st time without training wheels... I was literally bombing down a small grassy hill in our backyard within a half hour!
The thrill of being on 2 wheels never faded. By 14, I had picked up BMX stunt riding, well into my 20's heavily (until some hospital visits which I remember very little of!). I still ride a cyclocross/road commuter bike heavily, and occasional BMX and mountain biking at 41yrs old...
By 25 I was severely lusting after '69-78 CB750's and other classic Japanese bikes. Almost bought a cafe'd out Royal Enfield 750cc Intercepter for $1100-ish spur of the moment at 26 or 27.
Then soon was severely lusting after a GS400 with a GS450-500 engine, GS1100E swingarm, Kawasaki hubs and wider 18" DID rims and dual disc Kawasaki KZ fork... a non-running project race bike never completed by somewhat of a local legend.
Raised by a mechanic father, I fortunately started wrenching on a tough & wild young 23 yr old lady's 2nd bike, a total basketcase 77 GS550B... This bike made a lot of sense to me, (& altho she bewildered me at times, she also made a lot of sense to me!), & the GS had the best bones of any that I had explored to date. Soon I had a 77 Suzuki GS750B for $700, running, titled, needed carbs cleaned and re-jetted for the MAC 4-into-1, + tires... & the young lady was by my side on and off for the rest of my life to date, married within 3 yrs! The rest was history! I quickly was exceeding the limits of the 1st gen GS single 295mm front brake's old school caliper, and finding the ragged edges of the limits of the tires and suspension...



.


I gave up musclecars 100% (except for wrenching with my dad on his, and my '71 RS/SS396 Camaro that I sold him), as bikes are far faster, (Japanese bikes are...) far cheaper, and far more fun than speeding on 4 wheels! Got an old '62 GMC panel truck (work/utility/delivery version of a Chevy Suburban), a VW Rabbit turbodiesel mini pickup truck (46mpg!), and now a Suzuki Samurai 4x4 + Toyota drivetrain & soon VW turbodiesel engine... heavy utility purposes only for the 4 wheeled machines...

The last 4+ years I finally caved in to coworkers' persistent nagging and my younger brother's dirt biking, and got myself a 2 stroke Kawasaki KDX trail bike...within 4 minutes of my first trail ride at Wayne National Forest OHV trails, I WAS FOREVER HOOKED...2 stroke dirtbikes...lightweight, nimble, rowdy as can be (they don't like to putz around & go slow, they ONLY LIKE TO ACCELLERATE!)... 40mph in the woods feels like 100mph down a crowded urban street... what a thrill! I recommend enduro trail riding to anyone who has a thirst for speed... the speed is much lower than what it takes to get kicks on a street bike, so the risk is less although crashes are a very regular thing, but you are generally always very geared up, and most crashes are low speed drops on rugged/steep terrain...If you're not a pro and you never crash in the woods, you aren't pushing it & having as much fun as the rest of us, or aren't riding the best stuff in the hills/ravines/mountains!
I HIGHLY recommend trail riding on a 190-270lb(max, small cc 4 stroke territory) bike for anyone who has any decent riding areas near them. We drive an hour to get to the free State Forest trails or the $35/yr National Forest trails. WELL WORTH the drive for the 5 or 7 hours of exhausting fun... I highly recommend a 2 stroke enduro (non-motocross) bike like a Suzuki PE175250/400 or 90's RMX250, Kawasaki KDX175 or 86+ KDX200/220 / 1990's KDX250 (like the RMX - a big slug but can REALLY be livened up with re-jetting, thinner head gasket, exh.pipe, re-valved susp.), Yamaha IT175/200/250, late 90's-early '00's KTM EX-C 200/250 or the newer XC-W 200/250/300 or same models in Husqvarna badging, Yamaha YZ250 MX bike converted to a woods bike with a heavier flywheel, woods exhaust (torque), and re-valved suspension, or any moder Euro 2 stroke like GAS GAS, Beta, Ossa, etc...




& now I have trouble counting the amount of motorcycles and dirtbikes I have, or could "assemble" out of parts and spare titled frames...
pallet racking with approximately 17 spare Suzuki GS engines - a few of the 17 are Suzuki PE250 dirtbike engines, and a Kawasaki KDX200/220 spare...
an 8V chain drive GS of every size range starting at GS400/425(489cc soon!), GS550's(673cc, & 740cc in progress), GS750's, GS1000, Rickman CR frame with GS1100 engine mounts and 2 spare GS1000 engines... 77 PE250B enduro dirtbike, 74 Rickman 250cc dirtbike, Kawasaki KDX220 utility trail basher&thrasher...

[metalfab]

I'm 60 now, I got a Rockford "Tora" when I was about 10. It was a 60cc two stroke enduro. I next got a TM125, a TS400. Then a Honda 750-4, Kaw H2 two stroke 750 triple, and then Z1. I had an RD400 sweet little bike. In the early 80's I got an 80 GS1100E and I have been riding GS1100E's every since. There were a lot more bikes along the way, I repaired, and rebuilt a lot of bikes and sold them. I have a 3 four wheelers my favorite is 4WD 400cc 2 stroke Polaris sportsman, it's great. I don't use bikes for everyday transport, I think my psyche wants to never make a bike mundane. Riding to me is always a treat, and the new has never worn off of riding. I hope it never does.

[Chuck78]

I expect so. The GSR in most every way is unlike any other motorcycle site. It's more like a fraternity than an internet site. heh There is also a blatant lack of squids, ricky racers, bling boys and poseurs here. LOL

I get what you're saying exactly, although calling it a fraternity has other implications that imply exactly what you were saying it was not! A bunch of immature young squids getting rowdy and being belligerent, & behaving in a very unethical manner at the expense of others... And then participating in charitable activities on the other end of the spectrum to balance out their rowdiness... I've been around far too many fraternity boys, having spent the last 20 years living within 1 to 10 miles of the largest college campus in the United States. "Beware of the white hats" was the general sentiment amongst those of us who were tired of witnessing their debauchery