Returning to riding after a 15 year break

I thought I would put pen to paper to capture my thoughts and observations of motorcycling after a break of 15 years. I hope you enjoy my ramble; if not, skip to the next article.

The first observation is that it isn’t a pen and paper I’m using; it is of course Bill Gates’ Word on my computer!

I used to be in the Club. Back then it was called the Motorcycle Touring Club of Victoria. I have many fond memories of these times and the great rides around many parts of Victoria that I otherwise would not have seen. I remember how my riding skills and road craft improved immensely by riding with the Club. In fact the first club ride I went on I was riding a Kawasaki GPZ750. Red of course as everyone knows red bikes go faster…right?

Well actually, on this first ride all I remember is getting a constant view of the rear rider in my mirrors. I went home thinking I wasn’t up to the task and perhaps the “Touring” part of the name should be replaced with “Racing” or similar. Anyway, I persisted and some months later I found myself being a corner marker, having caught up to the lead rider for the first time. My riding had improved greatly, even in this short time. Crashes on Club rides were very rare. In fact I struggle to recall more than two in the five or six years I was a member and I didn’t crash at all on any Club rides. I wonder if the same can be said today?

Any way, it was 1992 that I hung up my helmet for reasons that, well, seemed sound at the time. I won’t bore you with my exploits and adventures in the Club, some of which you can read in the old magazines.

Life moves on, work changes, homes change, marriage, kids and all that stuff. But once motorcycling gets into the blood it never really leaves. My interest has always remained, being fed by frequent trips to Elizabeth St to view the latest offerings and watching bike racing on TV.

I was very fortunate to be invited to attend to 50^th Anniversary of the Club which by now had changed its name to Motorcycle Sports Touring Club of Vic. Somewhat more appropriate I think. It was great to catch up with old friends and I was glad to view the slide show of rides dating back to when I was a member. This, of course, invigorated my interest, and off to Elizabeth St again to look at the latest offerings.

What amazed me when returning to motorcycle riding was the huge range of apparel and bikes compared to years ago. As my old leather jacket had shrunk over the years, (well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) I was on the market for the whole ensemble: jacket, pants, gloves and helmet.

First off, a jacket. A wide choice of styles abound, with greatly varying prices. I found a shop at Phillip Island when on holiday last year. Leather jacket with zip out lining and removable body armour for $179. Made in Pakistan. I compared this to several jackets I liked which were being sold in the Elizabeth St shops for around $500+. On checking the label, they too were made in Pakistan. No brainer as to where I got my jacket from. Got gloves and leather pants from the same place.

Next, a helmet. The choice today is amazing. Some trusted brands have disappeared and new brands have arisen. The designs and graphics on today’s helmets are outstanding. The last helmet I bought back in 1985 was a Shoei tri-colour. Yep, I had to pay an extra 40 bucks because it had red, white and blue colours on the one helmet. The plain red or white helmets were cheaper. Today, you can buy helmets with fire breathing dragons and other fancy designs on them for very reasonable prices. Or you can buy a race replica helmet to match your race replica leathers, which really look the part when you ride your race replica bike! This fantasy comes unstuck of course when you try to take the race replica racing line through a corner on a public road which is littered with very un-racing like gravel, sticks, errant drivers, speed cameras etc.

For me though, it was a basic black open face helmet I was after. My new ride is a Harley Davidson Sportster 883. But again, a wide choice of brands are available.

So we are absolutely spoilt for choice these days and I reckon the prices are very reasonable compared to years ago.

So why a Harley? Well if I have to explain, then you will never understand. But mostly I blame the movie Wild Hogs. You see, sadly, I now find I fit into the typical demographic: mid 40’s been out of riding for some time, getting back into the saddle type of guy. I want to keep my licence and not get spat off a modern sports bike.

The sports bikes of today are truly amazing. The engineering and light weight materials used in these bikes makes them the best bang for your buck transport ever. When I was last riding, my Honda VF1000F11F “Boldor” weighed in at 250 kg dry. A big bore sports bike weighing in at just under 200 kg’s was the “ducks guts”, the first Suzuki GSXR1100 I think it was. Now of course they are a lot lighter, with a lot more power ... kinda scary to me. The Japanese brands were the best value for money and the choice was pretty much Japanese, European…or Harley Davidson. Now there is some Korean (I think) Hyosung and others, not to mention the scooter invasion in recent years.

I’m happy to just cruise and enjoy the views as I ride these days. But I’m not totally “senior” in my riding. After all, I did get the Sportster model, which is sporty by Harley standards only. I’ve already scraped the mufflers and that was just riding out of my driveway!

I see now that the Club is called Melbourne Sportsbike Riders which is a far more accurate name for this type of club. Although, with the huge rise in scooters these days, perhaps a return to the original name of the Motorcycle & Scooter Club of Victoria could open up a whole new demographic of members. But ... perhaps not.

The Internet is another significant change. Information easily to hand and a real sense of community in forums such as Netrider and others. On the road however, it seems that the friendly nod or wave is not as forthcoming from fellow riders as it used to be. Perhaps that’s because I’m sitting on a Harley. Also what’s with the ignorance of scooter riders? I’m yet to come across a scooter rider who acknowledges other riders on the road. Not even a hello when sitting at traffic lights. They park too close to other bikes and generally seem to lack common bike rider courtesy which we used to take for granted years ago.

So in summary, I reckon the choice and price of today’s bikes and gear is, in comparative terms, a lot more affordable than years ago. One thing that has remained constant, sadly, is errant car/truck drivers who don’t see us on the road.

If you have got this far, then thanks for reading. Take care and ride safe.

Rod Miskin