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Im 34 and this has been my issue lately.
After i broke my shoulder and tore stuff in it in 2021, its kinda fucked up my mental game when it comes to jumps north of 50ft lol.
also i swear to god, it seems like with the time off of the bike, all local tracks have increased the sizes of all jumps.
Almost 60
I would never fully recover from any
Hard get off. Not worth hobbling around eating anti inflammatory meds
Anytime I want to move etc.
Get busy living, or get busy dying.
Lol
Not dead yet...
Kayak Fishing
Snowmobile
Commute to work on a street ride March through November...
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I understand where you are coming from. My last race was 2008 and I saw the writing on the wall after that. The cost of racing plus raising a family just gets you to thinking. You have to be able to work and provide for the famliy. But you will always want to find that 'next' thing you would like to do to keep you active. I'm 56 now and I've been doing Ironman triathlons for 10 years now. I love it and I enjoy still challenging myself to be faster at all 3 disciplines. If I was able to get another bike again it would be a 125 2 stroke just for fun or look at woods riding.
The emtb has helped my fitness and strength more than anything else I've found. I think mostly because it's so fun and easy to do I do it 3-5 days a week. We usually go early afternoon weekdays to one of several spots. Some of the downhills are fuggin sketchy, and then there's fun ones and scenic ones, we see something different every time. Monday the 3rd we went to Laguna and saw the goat guy with his 4 footed weed eaters doing fire prevention. Also been going down the beach on base towards Oceanside and seeing ospreys and helicopters literally right over our heads. Since Jan 2nd I've ridden it 623 miles and am down 18 lbs. I feel more confident on the dual sport too. I miss moto but riding this thing almost everyday is a pretty good substitute.
This is the way my man 🙂
I know it's natural for most folks in here to have the competitive nature, and it's a good thing to have, but sometimes you've gotta be realistic and just enjoy what you're comfortable with today.
If you have bills and kids, then not pulling the trigger on something sketchy shouldn't be a disappointment, it's just knowing what you're comfortable with. It's a hobby, not a career, the jump will likely still be there next week and if you don't want to hit it then either no worries, or if you hit it three weeks ago and don't feel like it today, again no worries.
Just be grateful you can get out there and do what you can do, whatever that is. Massive shout out to the 50+ and even morse so the 60+ crowd, at 35 you guys are an inspiration 👍
This is a great thread man!
Man, reading through this I can relate to so much of it. Im 43 now and father of one, I haven't ridden moto in 4 years and have been itching to ride again.
I spent the larger part of my life riding MTB and BMX and can attest that both of these pursuits can bloody dangerous.
For me and something that comes up in a lot of comments is jumps. I feel like if there is a way to ride your bike, but avoid jumps that are out of your range it just makes the whole experience so much more fun. When you have jumps on a track, or mtb line, it sets expectations and instantly sets a kind of minimum MPH to get a clear smooth lap and if you don't meet that speed its just no so fun and almost soul destroying. Is the same feeling at MTB parks or MX tracks.
Landing half way across a 120ft table with a thud is just not fun, physically or psychologically.
Feel like just taking jumps like that out of the equation and riding more natural terrain and old school tracks is a good middle ground Still of course can eat shit, but at least railing a berm at your best of your ability will always be fun.
Was/am having similar issue. 58yo. Last year or so, I had become extremely fearful of larger jumps and even smaller ones that I hadn't been over. Rolling jumps that were well within my skill level was extremity frustrating. I love going to track, but the fun level was fading. Just hard to get into any kind of rhythm if you are riding around scared and rolling stuff. Thankfully, it is starting to turn around. I attribute the improvement to a couple things: Improving fitness a little, especially core strength and changing bikes. I am a long time Honda rider and love my CRF-450, but she is a bit unpredictable. I believe that repeated riding an unpredictable bike contributed to my lack of comfort (excessive fear). Got a KX 450 a couple of months ago. After getting set-up dialed and spending time on easier tracks, I find myself feeling more comfortable and willing to go-for-it on jumps that I feel like I should be doing. No desire to do the monster jumps. Dont mean to bash on any brand of bike, but I do feel like the bike was a contributing factor in my issue.
Im the opposite. As a teen I was a chicken shit. At 54 im jumping stuff after a couple laps I wouldn't even consider 35 years ago. Its strange actually.
I agree with you guys. I'm 66 and have been riding mx since the 70's. About 9 weeks ago I was riding my 23 Husky 125 at a private track. I also had a 21 KX 250. I had just bought the 125 to play around on.
Well, I made a mistake on a medium sized double, bike kicked sideways and I high sided when I landed. Ended up with a broken ankle, tib and fib. 7 weeks non weight bearing, I have a rod in my tib and a few screws in my ankle. Thankfully I had an excellent Ortho surgeon.
I'm just starting to walk with no boot or crutch, but it's slow going. I've always been in good shape from running, so that does help.
A few weeks after the injury I decided I was done with mx and was going to focus on my mtb only. Sold my KX 250 and had my 125 for sale as well. I just didn't want to risk getting hurt again.
But since then I'm having second thoughts. I'm going to keep my 125, and when I'm totally healed up I'm going give riding a try. No gap jumps and not much air on the tabletops. Hopefully I can still enjoy riding and hanging with my buddies. I'm going to see if I can still have fun riding that way. If I can't I'll sell out and stick to my mtb.
MV-22 Osprey. That's 90% of my work, machining gear boxes and trans components. I've been machining the left and right side gearboxes for over 25 years. Also have machined the blades. Happy to know you like watching them
Stuff like this !
Indy , Nice to have a ride from time to time...
Should kept this dirt scooter at least !
( I don't trust myself, can't do it ) 😂
I am 65 and fell in love with mini bikes at 7 years old. Rode a Honda Mini trial 50 hard tail and and was addicted and then On Any Sunday cemented my life long love affair with off road bikes. Started racing in 1974. Stopped racing modern bikes in 1997 and raced VMX up to 2015. All the while rode the woods and trials plus riding and racing MTBs.
Now, after some non self inflicted injuries to my lower back and bilateral knee replacement, I ride MX at a private track with no crazy jumps, still trail and trials ride. BUT, where I used to be one of the faster guys, I am now one of the slowest. I just do not care. I LOVE riding. I sent my ego packing and just enjoy being on a bike.
Anyone care to add the kiss of death...
Raising / mentoring your grand kids....
( I still watch all the races and the Whiskey Throttle stuff is freaking awesome)....
Yeah rt on that’s the only way too ride is ride free. Free of fear & everything. 1st ride in aprox 13 yrs last yr. All my bikes where stolen. I didn’t walk the track just hit it & jumped everything the 1st lap. It felt Great. At 12 my mom wouldn’t let me buy a bike with my own money. She always yelled like a crazy person you’ll get paralyzed. 2 yrs ago she said the same thing the last time I talked to her. She wrote my sisters off yrs ago & I had to keep it a secret that I talked to her. Now she will not speak to any of us. She will hang the phone up if I mention riding. I think it got into my head hearing it for decades. My 1st race 125 a I had a big lead 1 corner & a hill, I cross rutted I think & did a front flip landing on my head& neck. I couldn’t move anything . I,m thinking no way this is happening in my 1st race. It felt like a force went threw my body & I got up. In 98 I quit the hhg rig & went racing with a broken back, bone chips getting into nerves made it tough. But I was paranoid to get paralyzed so much so I checked into having my sperm frozen. Yeah pretty bad. I had a real reason for weeks to b spooked of getting killed by another trk. That’s hard to get threw working 7 days a week. I,m 56 , 57 on 11-18 I just don’t hv fear at all riding. It’s the same as when I got my 1st bike 11-18-89 in 90 I was launching it off a ski hill flying jump. I was trying to 1 up JMB. I didn’t hv time to work up to speed I need it now, 23 is pretty late start. Being in a war from 4-10 yrs old where mentally much diff from others. Mentally tough . I turned fear into excitement. Find a way to survive or make it happen. Plus I look at riding in many different ways . 1 being it’s like 6 flags but I control the excitement of the ride & I want a exciting ride. Don’t worry about death actually dying in a race would b 1 of the better ways to go. Not interested in crapping my diaper & forgetting my meds,etc. I live ever day wo & try to enjoy life to the max. If you fear death you could never work for the 1099 Chicago Russian mod. This is coming to an end soon tho.
Raising / mentoring your grand kids... Yessir, gotta make time for the grandkids. Nice fish ! that's a great picture
Pit Row
It’s not “age & fear”, it “age & smarts”…..
At 61, I look at riding as a lifestyle that I choose to enjoy at my pace and to be at peace with the quality of the ride that day. I rode my RM’s yesterday and just had a blast re-learning the technique to properly ride 2-strokes. I still miss my 350SFX but damn the 250 just flat out rips! I compare it to when I surfed so many years ago. I’m not always going to get perfect conditions, but I have learned to appreciate that I Get to still get out there and do what I love. BTW, yesterday was as close to perfect as I can ask for.
Yes, MTB and ADV are great, and those keep me active and off the couch, but nothing else with my clothes on is close.
Stoked to see you enjoying getting back out there on two wheels.
So much Brrrrrraaaaap! in that picture
All kidding aside...this that statement is QFT.
Also:
"Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement"
Nice 125 you get the same feeling as flying- bungee jumping. In rolling hills with sweepers in & out of the valleys. Keep it pulling threw the mid & topend with out ever getting off the gas. Usually hv to back off a little to keep the grip but don’t get it out of the mid range. When your done riding it’s like ooh that felt good.
I'm 66, you could time me with a sundial. If I'm any inspiration it's don't ride like that. I just don't know what else to do. I don't have a boat or PWC, don't golf, fish or have a side chick so moto it is. Yes, I do have a healthy fear of injury but like I said, I don't know what else to do with myself.
Yep, I really have to squeeze with my legs on the 250. Good input, thank you.
"Time me with a Sundial " awesome...
I think tracks and racing are starting to move in a good direction. There are still some tracks that have the 100 foot triples and whatnot. But I'm noticing more 40-50 ft table tops, small doubles, rollers, singles than 10 years ago. Ready for the huge step up triples to die though.
63 years old and been racing for 50 years, I had enough of the modern style tracks so changed to twinshock racing, over here in the UK there are a lot of classic meetings on old school natural scramble tracks and I absolutely love it.
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