Backseat - From Where I Sit

January 2002

By: Michelle

It's Not the Age - It's The Attitude

Traditionally January is a time for new beginnings. Time to focus on what we hope to achieve in the upcoming year and plan for big trips to occur at the very first hint of spring. Around our house, January also means birthdays.

There was a time, in my not so distant past (or so it seems to me) that I looked forward to this annual event. But some how it loses all its magic once you get out of the 20's. So this year, I have decided to have my last official birthday - the big 39. From here on out I will only celebrate anniversaries of this magic number. Kent is having his birthday, too, but discretion (along with the fact that I ride on the back of the bike and don't want to tick him off) keeps me from telling his tender age (hint: he's had a lot of 39th anniversaries).

However, I have come up with a proven plan to keep aging at bay. It's called denial - the true mother of invention: Gray hairs no longer exist thanks to understanding hairdressers; Bifocals no longer have distinct lines in them and hearing aids have almost become invisible to the naked eye.

But I have noticed that it is becoming increasingly difficult to completely ignore the little telltale signs that seem to show up after a long ride. (Couldn't have been me groaning out loud as I got off the bike?) The slight twinge in the back, the stiffness that seems to set in after only a hundred miles requiring a few more stops than before, and unless it is my imagination, leather riding gear seems to be a bit heavier these days.

The good news is (if you want to call it good news) is that we are not aging alone. According to the latest statistics, the average age of motorcycle owners is now 38.1 years. There's no denying we are all getting older but at least many of us are doing it together. We, like most motorcyclists, are not planning to change our lifestyle as we age. If Kent can no longer hold up the bike, we will look into a trike. Where there is a will, there is a way.

This poses an interesting potential for the motorcycling industry. There is a great opportunity to come up with accessories as traditionally familiar as grandma's shawl and grandpa's rocker but with a motorcycling theme. So all you creative enterprising motorcycle enthusiasts, manufacturers and designers get busy because we are out here and we aren't getting any younger (just a little creakier, crankier and more demanding)!

Thanks for visiting VirginiaWind.

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