Mid-Life Rider

Andre introduced himself to me after seeing my post on Randy Pausch. His note to me was entitled “life and living.”

If this kind of thing interests you, read my blog at http://motocancer.blogspot.com

I’m interested in stories about why people ride. Actually, I’m really more interested in stories about people grappling with all those pesky mid-life issues like, “What does it all mean,” “Why am I here,” “What am I supposed to be doing” . . . Riding motorcycles is just one of a zillion things people do on the way to working those things out.

Since that first email exchange, Andre and I have become “internet-buddies,” a strange characteristic of modernity, made stranger by the fact that we live about ten minutes from each other. Because we both ride, and ride an FJR1300, it’s possible we might have met along the way, but who knows. Because of forums, blogs, and the wonders of web 2.0, we now have.

Tell me a little about yourself.

I was born a small boy, very close to my mother. Yeah, it’s an old joke. Sorry. Actually, I was born to adventurous parents who moved us to seven different states and two foreign countries before I was in high school. We weren’t military, so living in Germany and France as civilians was a “cultural experience”. I got a heck of an education.

When did you first ride a motorcycle?

I rode my first motorcycle when I brought my first one home. I had to get basic shifting instructions from the guy I bought it from. I was mostly self-taught and my early crash history shows it.

What kind of bike was it?

1968(?) Honda CB175. I thought that thing was FAST.

What was the first bike you owned?

As I was about to turn 15, I announced to my parents that I wanted a motorcycle instead of a car for my first vehicle. My father objected. My mom was supportive. Dad said he’d had an accident on a Vespa when he was in the Marine Corps. Logic dictated that if my father was on a Vespa in the Marines, he was drunk at the time. Argument closed. I won.

How many bikes have you owned?

I never thought to count. Probably 30 or more. I’ve generally bought what I wanted, when I wanted.

How many bikes have you ridden?

Maybe 200? For some reason, people trust me with their bikes.

What do you own now?

I have a 2006 Yamaha FJR1300.

How many miles do you expect to ride this year?

I hope to do 10,000 if everything works out right.

I know you’ve ridden competitively. What got you started doing that? Do you still? Any memorable stories?

I saw a flier for the local road race association when I lived in Hawaii. I was 28. Basically I sent a check, got a race number, and showed up at the appointed time and place. It was an embarrassment.

I retired from active competition when I was 46, then continued with a couple of years of officiating with WERA’s South Central Region. Memorable stories? I’ve loaned my RC51 to Colin Edwards on a couple of occasions (promo stuff, not races). I watched Ben Spies grow up. I’ve interviewed Nicky and Roger Lee Hayden. When I look at the AMA finishing order, I know lots of the finishers personally. It’s been an interesting couple of decades.

Riding gear (street) of choice?

I’m not an ATGATT guy. I wear gloves and a jacket most of the time. I have a Joe Rocket textile suit I wear for touring along with with my old road race boots. I actually have a separate closet just for gear. I just don’t use it often.

Riding gear (track) of choice?

I won the Roadracing World/Barnacle Bill auction on behalf of the airfence fund several years ago. Barnacle Bill built me a custom suit with every option available. No need for anything else besides the Sidi boots and a special wicking liner. (It gets hot racing in Texas.) I haven’t crashed in the suit. Must be good luck (or old age).

Riding gear (dirt) of choice?

I don’t ride dirt any more, so I have no gear nowadays, but when I had my WR450, I was ATGATT.

I know you have a health condition. I know you’ve got lots online about this, but say a little bit about this.

I have an incurable cancer of the bone marrow. It’s called multiple myeloma. We’ve been battling it for 18 months. The side effects of the disease are ultimately fatal. The side effects of the chemo are merely devastating. I’ve blogged the entire thing at motocancer. No real need to go into all of it here.

I don’t even know the right way to ask this without sounding dopey, but does your health condition make you think differently about doing things like riding?

Definitely. I’m completely “carpe diem” nowdays. Do what you want, when you want, just because you want. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow (even me). I could get hit by a bus and ‘waste’ all that good chemo.

How would you describe your involvement with motorcycling now?

I’m trying hard to become one of those old guys who keeps his mouth shut while the youngsters tell each other how much they know.

What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?

I originally rode for the teen-aged thrill of being different and cool. Now I ride for the companionship I find with like-minded people who share the road and the adventure. Regardless of our politics, rearing, gender, sexuality, experience, or objective, we all have a commonality that only we comprehend. Conversely, I ride for the solitude. I ride for the time I can spend with myself and myself alone. There are lots of reasons to ride.

If you’re in a relationship, was it something you discussed? Were there issues? Were there deals made?

Yes, my partner and I have discussed motorcycles at length. We met when I was still actively competing. It’s never been a problem. We support and respect one anothers’ interests and activities. We’ve completely dedicated, but we’re not attached at the hip.

What do you think about when you ride?

In general, nothing except riding and the scenery. Motorcycling is one of the few times there aren’t seven things going on in my head. When I was racing, the Zen of absolute focus was refreshing.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone coming to motorcycles for the first time? I’m thinking about the mid-life rider now.

I think it’s more important for a midlife newbie to recognize that, along with a lack of ingrained skills, midlife riders have slower reflexes and tend to heal more slowly. We should probably be even more reserved than we’d like the squids to be.

What bike would you recommend (and why)?

I have a friend that started on a 2003 FJR1300 right after MSF class. His basic personality has kept him on the road, off the tarmac, and touring/commuting for the last 5 years. His FJR has about 60K miles on it without so much as a garage tip over. He also manages to keep up with ‘racer boy’ here when we go out together. I guess what I’m saying is, buy what you can actually handle. You’re old enough to know what that is. Really, you’re an adult.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve done on/with a motorcycle?

Several years ago, some internet buddies and I took on the WERA 24 Hours West with a modified EX500 in the 600SS class. Without going into 36 hours of details, we got several pages of write-up in Sport Rider Magazine. It was memorable.

If you could pick one place you’d recommend as a riding destination / experience, what/where would that be?

Lots of people envision exotic locales and far away places, but there are one heck of a lot of terrific destinations here in North America. This is a beautiful country. Ride to Alaska. Enduro/DP ride in the desert. Visit New York City on two wheels. Whatever suits your fancy is what you should do.

For me, I’d like to go enduro riding in Thailand. I’d like to go through the Alps on a rented BMW. But now that I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I plan on doing lots of Canadian trips. It’s a beautiful country too.

If someone handed you a blank check and said “go buy a motorcycle you’d enjoy riding (not just collecting), what would you pick?

Hmmm….. Besides the standard response “just one?”, I’d have to say it’d be fun to own Casey Stoner’s MotoGP Ducati. Do I get a tire budget with that?