Very Cool Motorcycles
I have ridden motorcycles all of my life, and now that I am 72 it may be time to give up this love affair, but I am still mounting them and riding on. My favourite experience over more than 55 years just simply has to be the time I spent on The Honda Goldwing, but frankly, that has come to be a bike too heavy for me these days.
I reflect on the ease, when I was much younger, with which I rode hard and fast, sometimes with others, but often as a solo rider. It all started with a moped and the movie “The Wild One” with Marlon Brandon. That galvanised several bike groups into being, but in defence I have to say that our main menace was on the road. Once we got to where we were going we were a perfectly decent bunch of guys.
Fortunately, all the young guys that I rode with survived our passage of growth to go on to bigger and better things. In my case that included touring Europe over about three months on a BSA 500. What a wonderful bike that was. Very durable, because it took two of us around England, Scotland and Wales. Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. I have the most fond memories of that epic (for me) adventure, and don’t regret a moment of it.
Various motorcycles came in between the BSA and the Goldwing, but with the ‘Wing I had attained the ultimate riding experience. Now, don’t get me wrong, if I had my choice I would have one Harley and one Goldwing. They are each representative of different biking lifestyles.
If you ever ride a ‘Wing you will get the same question many times: “Why don’t you just get a car?” I can understand where the question comes from, especially as the ride is quiet and comfortable, with music and mobile phone access and Communicator helmets, but you are outside the box of a car, and that makes all the difference. Even nuns turn their heads to look at this bike.
I have never seen a Goldwing that has crashed, and I hope I never do. That would be one sad sight. The bike is so heavy that riders always worry about dropping it. There is a technique for lifting it on one’s own, should you have the strength, but you never want to have to put it in practice.
On the down side, riding bikes is a dangerous activity, and always has been. However, when you are young and indestructible the risks are not recognised, or even thought about. As you grow older you start thinking that I might fall and break a hip, or something. I’ve got a mortgage, for crying out loud! Recently I had a small accident that broke my leg. I’m back walking and functioning more or less normally, but I am carrying two long screws in the leg that reminds me of the incident that came at a time in my life when it was difficult to recover.
But, I still love motorcycles, and I do ride whenever it makes sense. So, if you see a cool looking senior citizen gliding on by, that’s me. Be kind and give me a thumbs up! Please!
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
I have ridden motorcycles all of my life, and now that I am 72 it may be time to give up this love affair, but I am still mounting them and riding on. My favourite experience over more than 55 years just simply has to be the time I spent on The Honda Goldwing, but frankly, that has come to be a bike too heavy for me these days.
I reflect on the ease, when I was much younger, with which I rode hard and fast, sometimes with others, but often as a solo rider. It all started with a moped and the movie “The Wild One” with Marlon Brandon. That galvanised several bike groups into being, but in defence I have to say that our main menace was on the road. Once we got to where we were going we were a perfectly decent bunch of guys.
Fortunately, all the young guys that I rode with survived our passage of growth to go on to bigger and better things. In my case that included touring Europe over about three months on a BSA 500. What a wonderful bike that was. Very durable, because it took two of us around England, Scotland and Wales. Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. I have the most fond memories of that epic (for me) adventure, and don’t regret a moment of it.
Various motorcycles came in between the BSA and the Goldwing, but with the ‘Wing I had attained the ultimate riding experience. Now, don’t get me wrong, if I had my choice I would have one Harley and one Goldwing. They are each representative of different biking lifestyles.
If you ever ride a ‘Wing you will get the same question many times: “Why don’t you just get a car?” I can understand where the question comes from, especially as the ride is quiet and comfortable, with music and mobile phone access and Communicator helmets, but you are outside the box of a car, and that makes all the difference. Even nuns turn their heads to look at this bike.
I have never seen a Goldwing that has crashed, and I hope I never do. That would be one sad sight. The bike is so heavy that riders always worry about dropping it. There is a technique for lifting it on one’s own, should you have the strength, but you never want to have to put it in practice.
On the down side, riding bikes is a dangerous activity, and always has been. However, when you are young and indestructible the risks are not recognised, or even thought about. As you grow older you start thinking that I might fall and break a hip, or something. I’ve got a mortgage, for crying out loud! Recently I had a small accident that broke my leg. I’m back walking and functioning more or less normally, but I am carrying two long screws in the leg that reminds me of the incident that came at a time in my life when it was difficult to recover.
But, I still love motorcycles, and I do ride whenever it makes sense. So, if you see a cool looking senior citizen gliding on by, that’s me. Be kind and give me a thumbs up! Please!
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
