One of the funniest things to do is starting to ride a motorcycle at an earlier age, as early as 16 years of age. I so much enjoy it but I am always scared that a day will come which I will be too old to continue to ride, and the truth is that almost all motorcycle riders are scared that they will reach an old age where they have to stop riding. For this reason, I did some research and came up with the following conclusion.
Am I too old to ride a motorcycle? No, motorcycle riding can take place at any age as long as you have no physical disabilities or chronic injuries that can make it difficult for you. It’s never too late to start riding a motorcycle.
As I have said, you can start riding a motorcycle at any age but you will have to get a motorcycle that suits your level because, as an older person, I am sure you will have had daily pain and difficulties over the years as the years weaken the body. So, the only thing I can say for an aged is just getting the motorcycle that suits your level.
Below are more explanations about why an adult can ride a motorcycle and many other things and topics that I am sure will interest you.
Can an aged ride a motorcycle?
The short answer is obviously yes. It doesn’t matter how old you are and what your age is. I personally know people who are 70 plus and still riding and even a 90-year-old who still manages to ride, but their purpose of riding is not for competitions, just for fun, and conviviality without no problem.
The only exception for you (as an aged) to ride is when you have a physical disability. But as long as you can do sports, have no doubts and have no physical disability, you can ride, and I suggest you consult your friends or other motorcyclists to know which motorcycle can fit your level and age.
In addition, what I love most about motorcycles is that it is not a sport that requires too much effort from the body, and this is the main reason why adults that have relatively bad physical abilities can continue to ride. So, I would even recommend that you consult a doctor to advice you on what to do.
And besides, motorcycle riding is just an amazing sport for adults because the truth is that adults stay very lonely nowadays, so motorcycle manages to give them a fun and happy feeling as well as the opportunity to go out and do something new, and the best thing is that adults who ride motorcycles make new friends.
Do I need to get a less advanced motorcycle as I get older?
The most common mistake I personally see among adults who want to start riding a motorcycle is that they do not get a model that suits their level. Adults need to understand that they do not need a very fast motorcycle, especially when they are over 70 years because, at this age, it is more difficult to operate a motorcycle due to more physical disabilities and the loss of understanding that is impaired at this ages.
However, if you are certain you are very healthy and your level of understanding and functioning is excellent, yes, of course, you can.
It is also important to note that being able to ride a motorcycle doesn’t mean riding the motorcycle at a very crazy speed.
So, I personally recommend for any adult over 70 years to get a motorcycle that doesn’t reach crazy speeds, especially if you have physical disabilities. I also recommend for adults to ride a motorcycle only in the range of 100 cc to 600 cc; hence it is important to check that the model you want fits your level.
Here are some of the models I would recommend for older motorcyclists:
- Honda Monkey
- 500 Harley-Davidson Street
- Kawasaki Z125 Pro SE
- Honda Grom
- KTM RC 390
Is it dangerous for older people to ride on a motorcycle?
Don’t be surprised that adults can get three times more seriously injured in a motorcycle crash than young people. So, yes, it is more dangerous for elderly people to ride a motorcycle, and this is mainly because older people suffer from physical disabilities over the years, such as poor vision, more fragile bones, and general deterioration of understanding. And functioning on a day-to-day basis, these are what increases the likelihood that adults will have accidents.
In addition, the worst thing for adults is that it will be harder to recover from injury in case they have an accident because their body at that time is more fragile and less durable. So, for example, it could take a night for someone who is 20 years old to recover from an accident while it could take longer for an adult who is 60 years old.
From my personal experience, I can tell you that the elderly ones are much more vulnerable and it is definitely more dangerous for them to ride but note that this is not applicable to everyone. Believe me; there are some adults that are stronger; they have a good vision and physically sound to protect themselves. So, it all depends on knowing yourself.
I would recommend you to use a motorcycle for riding in the territories. For slow roads riding or riding in a place you only know, there are not many riders and there won’t be someone to train you. Ride in close space which is safer and I would advise you not to ride a motorcycle daily as it can already be very dangerous.
Again, it all depends on you. If you are not physically restricted, no problem to ride but if you do have a physical disability and you are an adult, I would advise you to ride in confined spaces, so it all depends on you. But remember that motorcycle riding will be dangerous for you if you are the type that has a health problem.
Can adults do motorcycle racing?
Yes, adults can definitely start motorcycle racing at any age between 50 to 90, but I would recommend only for adults who have experience in motorcycle riding to participate in races because there is still a big chance of having an accident during racing especially because, at racing, you will need to ride at a very fast speed, and therefore, more risk of accident.
Adults who are advanced riders and who have real riding experience should only participate in races, and for beginner riders, there are races with speed limit which they can partake in.
In addition, if you are an adult that wants to participate in a race, I highly recommend you take a safety course first. This is because adults have very fragile bones and there is much more risk of serious injury due to the body being more difficult to cope with accidents. So, your safety is important and do not ride at the fastest speed or trying to get around other riders even though it is a race, and of course, make sure you wear all safety gear to protect you.
Can adults ride anywhere?
No, adults should not ride in any area or place because they have much less balance and disability, and when I say disabilities, I do not mean physical disability but disabilities that generally comes over the years such as less stability, strength, and flexibility which greatly limits their ability to ride anywhere.
The only places and areas that adults should not ride are unstable places that require more effort from the body like mountains or mud because in these areas, there is a much greater risk of them having an accident, but those that practice regularly and have strength, stability and flexibility can still manage to ride in those areas, so as I have said, it all depends on your health.
In general, here are all the areas that are dangerous for adults to ride:
- Mountains
- Places with stones or rocks
- Places with mud
- Dunes
- Steep declines
- Snow
- Smooth places
While the safer areas for them to ride are:
- Places with grass
- Paved roads
- Thin sandy places
- Forest
- Parks
How to be more safe as an adult & why is it so important?
If you are older than 50 years, you will have to take safety measures twice than regular and younger riders and also take care of yourself. So, here are some tips to help you be safer when riding a motorcycle.
- Take a safety course – Safety course is something very important that a lot of riders miss out on. It avoids a lot of common mistakes that could put your life at risk, and in my opinion, a safety course is a must-have for any qualified rider. It cost pretty cheap, and the best in safety course is that it is often conducted in groups which means that this can be a great opportunity for you to make new friends.
- Buy a motorcycle that suits your level – This is very important at least for an adult rider. Get a motorcycle that fits your riding level and most importantly is that even after you get a motorcycle that fits your level, do not ride very fast and be twice as tiny and alert while riding.
- Do Exercises – The best thing you can do as an adult is fitness exercises that will not only help you be healthy but also help you to strengthen your muscles and body and make it much more resistant to accidents, and of course, it will help you improve your motorcycle riding level.
- Invest in quality safety equipment – As an adult, you will have to spend more money on safety equipment, such as riding boots, pants, shirt, paws, jacket and more to be safer.
- Do not ride in unstable places – Avoid riding in unstable areas with mudstones or areas with steep slopes and mountains. However, riding on unstable places is an excellent reason if you want to strengthen your body.
- Ride Slowly – It is very important to ride relatively slowly as an adult rider because if you ride too fast, you will lose stability and because of that, it will be more difficult for you to regain control.
Summary
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